Awake Thou That Sleepest!

“AWAKE THOU THAT SLEEPEST, AND ARISE FROM THE DEAD” (Ephesians 5:14).

1. These words were addressed to saints who had already been quickened into life (Eph 2:1-3).
2. The immediate context uses light (against darkness) as the spiritual life of godliness (Eph 5:8-17).
3. See Scripture (Mat 25:1-13; Mar 13:32-37; Lu 15:24; Ro 13:11-12; I Co 15:34; I Thes 5:6-7).
4. What we mean by spiritual sleep and death is the death of pleasure living (I Timothy 5:5-6).
5. Perfecting holiness in the fear of God is our goal as the predestinated sons of God (II Cor 7:1).
6. We are all many times in need of personal revival and restoration to full love and obedience.
7. We automatically default to lethargy, slothfulness, forgetfulness, distraction, routine, and ruts.
   1. Marriage shows this by the great passion of dating and the less passionate thereafter.
   2. Business shows this by the constant slipping of focus, organization, repair, zeal, etc.
   3. Health shows this by the speed with which a health crisis can be all but forgotten.
      1. A heart attack will keep a man serious briefly, but watch when angina leaves.
      2. We start working out . . . we miss a workout . . . we lose zeal . . . we quit.
8. What is the most obvious lesson of the book of Judges? Israel defaulted to folly repeatedly.
9. There are three assumptions of faith by which all men live each minute of their lives.
   1. I assume there is no glorious God of judgment, and I choose to live for myself.
   2. I assume there is a glorious God of judgment, and I choose to live totally for Him.
   3. I assume there is a glorious God of judgment, and I choose to live for myself anyway.
   4. The third choice is foolish hypocrisy and death. It is lukewarm or carnal Christianity.
   5. God respects cold and hot more than the lukewarm approach of faith without works.
   6. The foolish choice of living lukewarm hypocrisy satisfies neither God nor the flesh.
10. If the sovereign God convicts, run to Him and let nothing hinder (Ps 119:60; Matt 13:20-22).
11. The spiritual life – and its great commitment and cost – sounds horrible while in the flesh.

“IF THE LORD BE GOD, FOLLOW HIM” (I Kings 18:21).

1. You cannot, you must not, halt between two opinions. If He is God, then serve Him all out.
2. Thou believest there is one God, so do the devils (Jas 2:19). Faith must have works (Jas 2:14-24).
3. You can depart from the living God (Heb 3:12-13)? Mormonism or Hinduism is not the issue.
4. We cannot reason that salvation is for us to enjoy life. It is for us to know and serve Him.
5. All of life and whatsoever we do in life should be to His glory (I Cor 10:31; Col 3:17,23).
6. You can never be content with your spiritual condition or you are not like Paul (Phil 3:8-15).
7. We cannot prepare to speak to others until we have sanctified the Lord ourselves (I Pet 3:15).
8. True evangelism is based on changed lives (I Thess 1:9-10; Matthew 5:16; I Peter 2:10-11).

“REMEMBER . . . REPENT . . . DO THE FIRST WORKS” (Rev 2:5).

1. What is remembering (II Peter 1:9; Psalm 42:4; II Corinthians 13:5; Psalm 139:23-24)?
2. What is repentance (II Cor 7:10-11)? It includes confessing (Job 34:31-32; Ps 32:5; I Jn 1:9).
3. What are first works? (I Thess 1:9-10; Matt 6:33,24; 22:37-38; James 4:4; I John 2:15-17).
4. Humble yourself before God, cast your care on Him, and resist Satan (I Pet 5:6-9; Jas 4:6-10).
5. Seek the Lord like Asa, with a focused purpose and zeal to find Him (II Chron 15:2,8-17).
6. Beg God to turn you (Psalm 80:18-19; 119:25,37; 143:10-11; Jeremiah 31:18; Lam 5:21).
7. Make restitution or reconciliation wherever it might be needed (Matt 5:23-27; Luke 19:8-9).
8. Maximize the use of the body for additional strength (Heb 10:23-25; Eccl 4:9-12; I John 5:1).
9. Make no provision for the flesh (Romans 13:14; Matthew 5:29-30; I Cor 15:33).
10. If Ahab found mercy of the Lord, then surely we can find mercy easily (I Kings 21:25-29).
11. No sinner has ever been rejected from the feet of Jesus (Luke 7:36-50; 23:42-43; Ps 40:1-3).