Know the Time - Part 1
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Introduction
Introduction
Set-up: This morning I want to begin a 3 part series that will continue tonight and next Sunday during the 10:50AM Service.
Opening Story/Illustration: My little girl and I recently started this night time ritual. A few years ago we found it a challenge to get her to sleep without us in the room, so we started setting her a timer for five minutes and when 5min was up we were done. Well, she caught on to this and kind of turned the tables on us. Now, for the last couple of years, everybody in the house has to take a turn with her for 5min. You aren’t allowed to leave until your 5min is up and you better not start your 5min timer until you’re in the bed laying down with her. So during my time with her she’s recently become fascinated with my watch. So she goes through this whole routine with it now. She makes me put it on - even if I’ve already taken it off. I have to make sure the sound is on and I have to scroll to the Micky and Minnie watch face and I have to let her touch the screen and she listens to Mickey and Minnie say - It’s 8:55PM goodnight pal…then she makes me scroll back to my normal watch face and she procedes to interrogate me about how much I exercised or didn’t exercise that day. She wants to know how much I exercised and how many calories I burned. She goes through this routine and she knows that it’s bedtime. All the signs point to it being time to go so sleep. But the routine starts normally with a warning from me. You see, if I left it up to my 4yr old, she wouldn’t pay any attention to the time. She would keep watching TV, keep playing, keep doing whatever she was doing, completely unaware that it’s time for be. I have to give a quick, “Hey, It’s time to get ready for bed.”
Some of you in this room are morning people, some of you are not.
But the routine starts normally with a warning from me.
Some of you young people could stay up all night and sleep all day.
Spiritually we’ve got to learn to be morning people. There are a lot of people who are spiritually asleep or spiritually in a 5AM daze.
Transition to the text: In , Paul gives us a reminder. You see, as Christians, it’s so easy for us to get busy doing our thing and we forget and don’t pay attention to the spiritual time. We can get so distracted by good things that we forget the time. Over the next 3 messages I want to talk about this warning and what Paul is reminding them about the time.
Text:
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. 11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Main Idea: Paul is reminding us that It’s time to Wake Up.
Transition to points: The word “time” here is not about Chronological time, but more like a season or a decisive moment. Paul is reminding his readers to know the decisive moment that they are living in and then respond accordingly. But he begins with a call to action. A call to, “Wake-Up!”
Points
Points
Many are Asleep
Paul’s warning here is not about
If Paul is warning them to wake up, they must have been tempted to fall asleep.
The idea here is that they weren’t paying attention to what was really going on around them.
It was probably easy for them, just as it is for us, to get comfortable and distracted living our day-to-day lives. It’s so easy to just conform to the culture and be lulled to sleep
Paul had already warned them in
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Paul, speaking to the Church in Thessalonica about the coming of the Lord, also warns them about the dangers of falling asleep.
When we get comfortable, we fall asleep
5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.
6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.
In the book of Ephesians, Paul Reminds the Church at Ephesus that they should wake up as well.
In the book of Revelation the Church at Sardis is also reminded to “Wake up!”
1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “ ‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.
The General idea is that from the start of this thing called the church we have struggled to pay attention and stay on target!
Too many Christians are falling asleep
We get comfortable and we fall asleep
Mattress Problems illustration: A few months ago my wife and I had to purchase a new mattress. Our old one was giving us problems. It was very uncomfortable to sleep on. We purchased the new on and, at first, it was very uncomfortable as well. But after a few weeks, you break it in and your body gets used to the mattress. Now I sleep like a baby on the thing.
Illustration: I remember a few years ago my wife and I decided we were going to get healthy. So we got us a gym membership and we thought - When are we going to go? We thought the best time to go was early in the morning. 5AM. If you know my wife, She’s not a morning person (Not that I’m much better). So we would wake up and go and I remember being chipper and trying to start a conversation with her…and let me tell you, I learned something about my wife - Don’t try to start conversations at 5AM. Wait till about 8AM. Our gym adventure didn’t last too long because getting up at 4AM to get to the gym by 5AM just wasn’t happening for us.
Some of you in this room are morning people, some of you are not.
Me the mattress adopted to one another and now it’s comfortable and I sleep well.
Some of you young people could stay up all night and sleep all day.
That’s a great picture of what happens to us as christians. If we aren’t careful, we begin adapting to the culture. What was once uncomfortable for us - now we sink right in and fall asleep.
We get distracted and we fail to pay attention to what is really going on.
Spiritually we’ve got to learn to be morning people. There are a lot of people who are spiritually asleep or spiritually in a 5AM daze.
Many of us have our eyes on the wrong things.
If your eyes are on who in the Whitehouse or who is in power, your eyes are on the wrong things.
If your eyes are on how fat your bank account is, your eyes are on the wrong thing.
If your eyes are on how you can get ahead in the world, your eyes are on the wrong thing.
Illustration: A few months ago I remember coming across a show on TV that was about magicians. It was a crime drama about a group of magicians who would use their ability to perform illusions to commit crimes and another group who teamed up with the police force to try and capture them. It’s one of those “who done it” shows, where you’re trying to figure out who committed the crime and how they did it. As you get in to it, you discover a lot of what’s going on is distraction. If I get you to look over here I can do something over there that you don’t see and I can get away with a crime.
This is a perfect example of what I believe satan wants to do with you and me. If he can get us to look over here, he can be doing something over there and rob us blind.
It’s time to wake up
Paul’s warning here is that they should wake up and pay attention. They should discern the moment that they are in.
i. The word wake up here is used metaphorically to say, “An awakening from moral sloth.” Sloth meaning- Habitual Laziness.
The word wake up here is used metaphorically to say, “An awakening from moral sloth.” Sloth meaning- Habitual Laziness.
ii.
32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
iii.
7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
The word “time” here is not about Chronological time, but more like a season or a decisive moment. Paul is reminding his readers to know the decisive moment that they are living in and then respond accordingly. But he begins with a call to action. A call to, “Wake-Up!”
7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
The word “time” here is not about Chronological time, but more like a season or a decisive moment. Paul is reminding his readers to know the decisive moment that they are living in and then respond accordingly. But he begins with a call to action. A call to, “Wake-Up!”
We cannot allow ourselves to become lazy in our walk with Christ!
i. We cannot allow ourselves to become lazy in our walk with Christ!
Many Christians think that they will get to a point in their walk where they can put things on auto pilot – but the Christian life has no auto pilot button! It is meant to be lived fully alive and awake!
ii. Many Christians think that they will get to a point in their walk where they can put things on auto pilot – but the Christian life has no auto pilot button! It is meant to be lived fully alive and awake!
iii. Illustration – Are you the type that hits the snooze button? I am. I will hit the snooze button for about an hour. You end up in this place between being sleep and awake. (the church is sometimes like this!! God is setting off an alarm, trying to wake us up and we keep hitting the snooze button!)
Illustration – Are you the type that hits the snooze button? I am. I will hit the snooze button for about an hour. You end up in this place between being sleep and awake. (the church is sometimes like this!! God is setting off an alarm, trying to wake us up and we keep hitting the snooze button!)
Pauls point is that it’s time for us to wake up and pay attention! We’re going to talk more tonight about what we are to pay attention to, but suffice it to say, Paul’s warning - Wake up and pay attention!
Illustration: I remember a few years ago my wife and I decided we were going to get healthy. So we got us a gym membership and we thought - When are we going to go? We thought the best time to go was early in the morning. 5AM. If you know my wife, She’s not a morning person (Not that I’m much better). So we would wake up and go and I remember being chipper and trying to start a conversation with her…and let me tell you, I learned something about my wife - Don’t try to start conversations at 5AM. Wait till about 8AM. Our gym adventure didn’t last too long because getting up at 4AM to get to the gym by 5AM just wasn’t happening for us.
Some of you in this room are morning people, some of you are not.
Some of you young people could stay up all night and sleep all day.
Spiritually we’ve got to learn to be morning people. There are a lot of people who are spiritually asleep or spiritually in a 5AM daze.
We are day closer to Christ’s Return
I’m not one to get into sensationalism and date predictions and event predictions. Quite frankly I don’t need to know all that and I think sometimes it’s a distraction from what actually does matter.
What matters is this: We are one day closer today than we were yesterday.
If you’re a believer, you better wake up to the fact that Jesus could come back at any moment - and he’s not looking for us to be lazily sleeping. He’s looking for us to be about His business.
If you’re not a christian, you better wake up to the fact that life is short and one day Jesus is going to return and he’s going to set the world right. You need to make sure you’re following him or the Bible’s idea isn’t too hot for you
Jesus is looking for a church that is awake. Or if you’re under the age of 30 in the room, he’s looking for a church that’s woke.
Illustration: I remember when I was a kid my parents would leave for a week or two and go to minister’s retreats and things and my grandmother would come and visit. And you know how it is when grandma visits. You get away with stuff. We knew when my parents were coming back, so you make sure and have the house ready - but you wait until the last minute. But I can tell you, if I didn’t know when they were coming back…that changes my behavior a bit.
In , Jesus talks about his coming and the fact that we must be awake and ready for it.
32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
My question this morning is this - Are you awake? Do you have your eyes fixed on Jesus? Are you ready for his return? We are one step closer today than we were yesterday. Wake up!
Conclusion
Conclusion
Main Idea: We need to know that it’s time to wake up.
Now What? This morning,
if you’re a Christian and you’ve been playing games, wake up - our moment, our salvation, the return of Jesus is one day closer today than it was yesterday. Wake up! Let the Holy Spirit work in your life again. Let God Challenge you again.
If you don’t know Jesus, wake up! There’s coming a day when Jesus is going to return and he’s going to judge the world. Wake up, stop living for yourself!