Wake Up
Ephesians 5:15-18 ESV: Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit…
The Apostle Paul is calling the Christians at Ephesus to the seriousness of the hour. He exhorts them to be careful in their conduct, to be wise, and conscientious of their time; to mental, spiritual, and physical sobriety. Why? Because the days are evil. Men, we are living in the last days. Jesus said that wickedness would go from bad to worse. Now is not the time to allow ourselves to be distracted and subdued by all that seeks to capture our attention and keep us from our true purpose, calling, and responsibilities as men of God. Sometimes I wonder what it’s going to take to wake up the body of Christ. Every few months, a world event happens that raises concern, but it does not last; it’s as if it only inoculates people against the next event. These events are no more than a cup of coffee to a drunk. People’s hearts and minds are becoming so calloused. I do believe that it is a mechanism for their sanity. I also believe this is all being done by design. We are being conditioned for these last days. My concern is that many Christians have become dull and numb, like walking around with a constant buzz. Their minds are fuzzy and unengaged. They have no sense of urgency. They have become easy pickings for the enemy. One reason is that people are flat-out exhausted. Most may not know it, but they are in survival mode mentally, emotionally, and physically. For some, they don’t have the energy to even care. The entire world knows something big is coming, that something is off, that life has changed in so many ways. It takes a lot of energy to care about something we cannot prevent or change.
As a pastor, I have the responsibility before God to protect, feed, care for, and prepare God’s people. I have noticed that people are so mentally exhausted that they can hardly endure preaching and teaching about the truth of our times. It takes far too much energy to stay engaged and alert, so many settle for the sand. All this is fueling the apathy of these days. I know that I ask a lot from men, but men, we are the key. We have been given the responsibility before God as leaders. Now is not the time for us as leaders to retreat, but to take our stand so that we can protect ourselves and others from the dangers of these last days. Like watchmen on the wall protecting the city, we must be alert and aware of what is going on. We must be sober to the core. We must fight against those things competing for our attention. Distractions are everywhere, and so is the enemy. The easiest prey for a predator to catch are those who are sick, alone, unaware of his presence. These are the days, now is the time, men, this is your calling. I often think about what Paul told the men at Corinth. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 ESV: Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. Men, it is high time to wake up. If you don’t, who will protect and prepare your family from the wickedness of these last days? Your wife and your children need a strong man of God to help protect, prepare, and guide them through these days. Men who ignore the warnings of Scripture are bound to experience heavy loss. Makes me think of the Titanic, a ship that its builder said not even God could sink. I have been to the shipyard and museum in Belfast, Ireland, where the Titanic was built. Despite receiving several warnings from other ships, the Titanic’s Captain did not slow down the ship. The report is that Captain White was under pressure from the managing director, Bruce Isamay of White Start Lines. They wanted to make a statement with the maiden
voyage of their prized ocean liner. Instead of heeding the warnings, they steamed off into the night at high speed, which cost the lives of over one thousand five hundred people.
Scriptures warn us repeatedly concerning “icebergs”, the dangers of these last days. Sadly, some ignore these dire warnings and have shipwrecked their faith. 1 Timothy 1:18-19 ESV: This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith… 2 Timothy 4:9-10 ESV: Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Pride is why we are still reading about the Titanic today. They proudly promoted that even God could not sink this ship. I have sadly watched men, some of whom you would never think, shipwreck their faith. This is why we are warned to look carefully. This is our job. We are to be alert, keep watch over our own lives and those who are under our protection and leadership.
I recently listened to an interview with a tier-one military operator. He was explaining the
differences among tier-one, tier-two, and tier-three operators in the military. He said something that stuck in my mind. Tier one operators are never in peacetime. They are always at war. They could be called at any moment to deploy to some mission anywhere in the world. They are always training, always ready, bags packed, ready to go at a moment’s notice, because they are always at war. In the verse above in 1 Timothy chapter one, Paul tells Timothy to wage a good warfare. Words like war have almost been entirely removed from Western churches. Warfare has been replaced with fanfare and entertainment. I am fully convinced that for your average “Christians” in the West, the thoughts of battle and war never enter the minds of many who profess to follow Christ. If you don’t believe you’re in a very real and present battle, why would you train, why would you be alert, why would you look carefully at how you walk? Why would you need courage and strength? Why would you need to know your enemy and have a battle plan? You wouldn’t, and many don’t. 1 Timothy 6:12 ESV: Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. Paul tells Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. 1 Peter 5:8-9 ESV: Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. Peter confirms we have a very real enemy, seeking to devour. He says we are to resist the enemy. This is active, not passive, combat language. Satan is not running around in a red suit, with a forked tail, carrying his pitchfork. No, he is a formidable adversary. He comes only to kill, steal,
and to destroy. Keep that in mind. God created him as one of the archangels. Satan, also known as Lucifer, walked among the fiery stones before the throne of God, upon the Mountain of God. I won’t go into all the details given to us from Scripture today. The point I am making is that we do have an enemy. The battle we face is present and very real. Know your enemy. Know his tactics and have a battle plan.
In Christ,
Pastor John
The Apostle Paul is calling the Christians at Ephesus to the seriousness of the hour. He exhorts them to be careful in their conduct, to be wise, and conscientious of their time; to mental, spiritual, and physical sobriety. Why? Because the days are evil. Men, we are living in the last days. Jesus said that wickedness would go from bad to worse. Now is not the time to allow ourselves to be distracted and subdued by all that seeks to capture our attention and keep us from our true purpose, calling, and responsibilities as men of God. Sometimes I wonder what it’s going to take to wake up the body of Christ. Every few months, a world event happens that raises concern, but it does not last; it’s as if it only inoculates people against the next event. These events are no more than a cup of coffee to a drunk. People’s hearts and minds are becoming so calloused. I do believe that it is a mechanism for their sanity. I also believe this is all being done by design. We are being conditioned for these last days. My concern is that many Christians have become dull and numb, like walking around with a constant buzz. Their minds are fuzzy and unengaged. They have no sense of urgency. They have become easy pickings for the enemy. One reason is that people are flat-out exhausted. Most may not know it, but they are in survival mode mentally, emotionally, and physically. For some, they don’t have the energy to even care. The entire world knows something big is coming, that something is off, that life has changed in so many ways. It takes a lot of energy to care about something we cannot prevent or change.
As a pastor, I have the responsibility before God to protect, feed, care for, and prepare God’s people. I have noticed that people are so mentally exhausted that they can hardly endure preaching and teaching about the truth of our times. It takes far too much energy to stay engaged and alert, so many settle for the sand. All this is fueling the apathy of these days. I know that I ask a lot from men, but men, we are the key. We have been given the responsibility before God as leaders. Now is not the time for us as leaders to retreat, but to take our stand so that we can protect ourselves and others from the dangers of these last days. Like watchmen on the wall protecting the city, we must be alert and aware of what is going on. We must be sober to the core. We must fight against those things competing for our attention. Distractions are everywhere, and so is the enemy. The easiest prey for a predator to catch are those who are sick, alone, unaware of his presence. These are the days, now is the time, men, this is your calling. I often think about what Paul told the men at Corinth. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 ESV: Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. Men, it is high time to wake up. If you don’t, who will protect and prepare your family from the wickedness of these last days? Your wife and your children need a strong man of God to help protect, prepare, and guide them through these days. Men who ignore the warnings of Scripture are bound to experience heavy loss. Makes me think of the Titanic, a ship that its builder said not even God could sink. I have been to the shipyard and museum in Belfast, Ireland, where the Titanic was built. Despite receiving several warnings from other ships, the Titanic’s Captain did not slow down the ship. The report is that Captain White was under pressure from the managing director, Bruce Isamay of White Start Lines. They wanted to make a statement with the maiden
voyage of their prized ocean liner. Instead of heeding the warnings, they steamed off into the night at high speed, which cost the lives of over one thousand five hundred people.
Scriptures warn us repeatedly concerning “icebergs”, the dangers of these last days. Sadly, some ignore these dire warnings and have shipwrecked their faith. 1 Timothy 1:18-19 ESV: This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith… 2 Timothy 4:9-10 ESV: Do your best to come to me soon. For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Pride is why we are still reading about the Titanic today. They proudly promoted that even God could not sink this ship. I have sadly watched men, some of whom you would never think, shipwreck their faith. This is why we are warned to look carefully. This is our job. We are to be alert, keep watch over our own lives and those who are under our protection and leadership.
I recently listened to an interview with a tier-one military operator. He was explaining the
differences among tier-one, tier-two, and tier-three operators in the military. He said something that stuck in my mind. Tier one operators are never in peacetime. They are always at war. They could be called at any moment to deploy to some mission anywhere in the world. They are always training, always ready, bags packed, ready to go at a moment’s notice, because they are always at war. In the verse above in 1 Timothy chapter one, Paul tells Timothy to wage a good warfare. Words like war have almost been entirely removed from Western churches. Warfare has been replaced with fanfare and entertainment. I am fully convinced that for your average “Christians” in the West, the thoughts of battle and war never enter the minds of many who profess to follow Christ. If you don’t believe you’re in a very real and present battle, why would you train, why would you be alert, why would you look carefully at how you walk? Why would you need courage and strength? Why would you need to know your enemy and have a battle plan? You wouldn’t, and many don’t. 1 Timothy 6:12 ESV: Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. Paul tells Timothy to fight the good fight of faith. 1 Peter 5:8-9 ESV: Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. Peter confirms we have a very real enemy, seeking to devour. He says we are to resist the enemy. This is active, not passive, combat language. Satan is not running around in a red suit, with a forked tail, carrying his pitchfork. No, he is a formidable adversary. He comes only to kill, steal,
and to destroy. Keep that in mind. God created him as one of the archangels. Satan, also known as Lucifer, walked among the fiery stones before the throne of God, upon the Mountain of God. I won’t go into all the details given to us from Scripture today. The point I am making is that we do have an enemy. The battle we face is present and very real. Know your enemy. Know his tactics and have a battle plan.
In Christ,
Pastor John
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