The Lutheran Hour
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"Don’t Fall Asleep – Be on the Alert!"
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Text: Matthew 25:1-13
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PRAYER: Blessed Lord Jesus Christ, crucified on the bloody cross and raised again unto glory, by Your life-giving Word, drive all spiritual doziness from our heavy hearts. Keep us alert. Enable us to see Your open arms of forgiveness, stretched out on the cross of Calvary. Prompt us, heavenly Father, to fall into these bloodstained arms and receive the perfect pardon, through Jesus’ bloody suffering, His death, and Easter resurrection. O Lord, we pray, keep us alert and keep us spiritually awake. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
After the bombing of the Twin Trade Towers in New York, and the sabotage of the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and the plane crash in Pennsylvania, these events caused thousands to immediately re-examine their lives. Consequently, on the first Sunday following September 11, there was an approximate 20 percent increase in church attendance across the United States. In Canada, church attendance also increased, at least for the first Sunday after the tragedy. But then, researchers tell us, on the second Sunday following September 11, nationwide church attendance began to drop off. Within a few weeks, church attendance was once again roughly back to where it had been, before these tragic events occurred.
Modern man’s memory of events, even national tragedies, is very short-lived. In fact, we treat real life and death tragedies very much the way we treat fictional tragedy on TV. It affects us emotionally for the moment. But then it all quickly passes.
But short-term memory is related not only to tragedies. Fleeting memory, this “amnesia of reality,” this spiritual sleeping sickness, is a regular daily deception of the devil. You see, the devil desires to direct our daily thoughts away from our gracious, loving heavenly Father.
This temptation, friends, you must oppose, and you must oppose it vigorously! Our merciful heavenly Father has created each of us. He is the One who helps us every day. Our gracious God is the One who has given us all things: blessings you and I don’t deserve. And, the devil loves nothing better–Satan works at nothing more diligently than to get your mind away from the grace of God and the love of God in Jesus Christ. How precious this Good News is. How tightly we must cling to the Good News that “if anyone is in Christ he is a new creature; the old things passed away, new things have come. All these things are from God who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ. Yes, the Bible says that God was in Christ, reconciling you and the world to Himself. God has made Jesus who knew no sin, to be sin for you, so that you might become the righteousness of God in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19, 21). Upon Christ’s back, God the Father has laid all of your sins, and over your shoulders, your heavenly Father has placed the cloak of Christ’s perfect and redeeming righteousness. Now you see, the devil wants you to forget God’s Good News, and to forget that without God your future is without hope. In fact, even people who attend church regularly and many close to their Savior, even they are often like the disciples–like those who were with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Remember that scene just before Jesus went to trial and to His death. Well, first He went off by Himself in the garden to pray. But when Jesus left His closest followers in order to be alone to pray, they fell asleep. That’s right, they fell asleep. This happened three times!
The fact that Jesus Christ asked His closest followers to stay awake and watch and pray, yet they repeatedly succumbed to the devil and dozed off, is a solemn reminder of the power of Satan. You and I better not brag. This can happen to us also. In his letter to the Corinthian Christians, St. Paul writes: “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).
You see, every time you are tempted to brag about your religion or your commitment to Christ, then, remember Peter. Peter was temporarily deceived by the devil when he lapsed and denied Christ. Our blessed Savior, however, graciously restored His beloved disciple. Most horrible of all, however, is the devil’s deception of Judas. The devil tempted Judas who then in despair took his own life.
Oh, don’t live another day in fear of the devil’s temptation. Rather, live with the blessed assurance the apostle Paul spoke about when he said, “No temptation has overtaken you, other than temptations that are common to man; and God is faithful. He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to resist. Instead, with the temptation, God will provide the way of escape so you will be able to endure any and all temptations” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Staying spiritually awake is absolutely crucial for you and your entire family. In fact, in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, Jesus told His disciples to “watch.” In order to make His point even more clear, Jesus then told the parable of the 10 virgins. Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven can be likened unto 10 virgins. These virgins prepared to meet the bridegroom by taking their lamps.”
Now Jesus explained five of these virgins were wise and five were foolish. The five foolish virgins took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. “On the other hand, the five wise virgins took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” The Bible says this is what happened. Jesus said, “The bridegroom tarried or was delayed. And consequently, all 10 virgins fell asleep. Suddenly, however, at midnight, there was a loud cry, ‘Behold the bridegroom is coming. Let’s go out to meet him.'”
“Then” the Bible tells us, “all 10 virgins got up from their sleep. They trimmed their lamps.” “At this point, however, a major crisis occurred. The foolish virgins had run out of oil. And so these foolish virgins said to the wise virgins, ‘Give us some of your oil because our lamps have gone out.’ However, the wise virgins answered, ‘Not so. There is not enough oil for us and for you. You must go to those who sell oil and buy oil for yourselves.'”
Well, the Bible tells us “while these foolish virgins were gone buying oil, suddenly the bridegroom arrived. Those who had their lamps ready went in with the bridegroom to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.
“Sometime later the foolish virgins arrived at the door and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us.’ But the bridegroom answered, ‘Verily I say unto you, I know you not.'” Then Jesus told all who were listening the powerful point of His parable, so crucial, even for us today. Jesus said, “Watch therefore because you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of man will return.”
Jesus’ words could not be more appropriate than for our generation. God is calling all of us to be spiritually alive and spiritually awake. On our own, we are spiritually dead and totally helpless. You and I can no more make ourselves alive, than a child can decide to be born. However, through His life-giving Word, God brings us new life in Christ. Yes, in Christ, you and I can rejoice in the words of the apostle Peter when he writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy, has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; to obtain an inheritance, which is imperishable and undefiled, and that will never fade away. This inheritance,” friends, the Bible says, “is reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4.).
Now, without a doubt, some of you in the past may have been awakened spiritually, by a tragedy or some other traumatic event in your life. God often does this. He often permits personal tragedies to wake us up. Maybe you lost a loved one in a car accident. Or perhaps, your friend or a parent died from cancer. Or, perhaps you were seriously injured. In these special moments, you may have been truly spiritually awakened.
Nevertheless, in more recent months or years, like the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, or the virgins at the wedding feast, you have become spiritually drowsy and maybe have even fallen spiritually asleep.
Yes, maybe you are one of the many thousands who went to Sunday school as a child, or, maybe you used to go to church regularly. But now, you are spiritually inactive. Be careful, friends. Be very careful because Jesus said you may be on the very doorstop of spiritual death.
If this is true for you, let the words of the apostle Paul speak to your heart. “It is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep. The night is almost gone and the day is near. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Romans 13:11-14). Turn away, the Bible says. Turn away from all those things in the world which now demand your time and money. Turn instead to Jesus. Listen to His call as He says to you, “Repent, and believe the GOOD NEWS, the Gospel of God.”
The Lord Jesus Christ is more important than money. Jesus is more crucial than the lottery, more necessary than good clothes, and more critical than being famous.
Therefore, if the devil has directed you away from Christ, listen to St. Paul’s words: “Awaken from your spiritual sleep.” Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, by going to church, by listening to His life-giving Word faithfully, and by becoming involved in a group of believers in the Lord Jesus, whose primary purpose is to serve others.
Alone, there is no way you can stay spiritually awake and alert. However, when the living Word of God occupies your mind, this dynamic Word will work like a “spiritual” no-doze pill. Your mind will be occupied by those words and images, which by the Spirit of God, enter your eyes and fill your ears.
For example, if you spend endless hours watching television, even after you walk away from the TV, or when you go to bed, these TV images, like viruses in a computer, continue to work in your mind and even in your subconscious.
This is also why the apostle Paul urges strongly, that all believers in Christ, including you, occupy their mind with Christ-centered “psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing, and making melody to the Lord in your heart, always giving thanks for all things, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19-20).
Yes, the Living Word of God is your hope! You see, every time you sin through His living Word, God reminds you:
He sent His only Son to die a bloody death on the cross for you. And, when Jesus died, God the Father accepted the bloody sacrifice of His Son as a full and complete payment–a complete pardon for all of your sins;
This same Word consoles your heart, assuring your Spirit, that Jesus is at the very throne of God, hourly interceding on your behalf;
This living Word will also enable you to stay spiritually alert and totally awake.
O Lord, we pray, let not one of those listening today fall spiritually. Instead, enable each of us to be daily aware of Your love, Your mercy, and Your total forgiveness in Jesus Christ. O Lord, keep us awake. Enable us to “watch” for the glorious return of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us, O Lord, for our help is in You. Jesus is our hope. He is the Author of forgiveness, for all those who hear this message today. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for March 17, 2002
ANNOUNCER: Thanks for being with us. I’m Mark Eischer. Joining me once again in the studiio is Dr. Wallace Schulz. Dr. Schulz, Jesus warned us not to become spiritually tired, to doze off, or perhaps even to fall asleep spiritually. Do you suppose spiritual drowsiness is a bigger problem today than it used to be?
SCHULZ: Honestly, Mark, I really think it is.
ANNOUNCER: And why would you say that?
SCHULZ: Well, I think there is a very popular idea now that says you really don’t have to go to church, or you don’t have to pray regularly, and you can still be a Christian. You don’t have to participate in many of the traditional activities of Christianity but you can still be a Christian. This is very popular nowadays.
ANNOUNCER: I would agree. But why is it so dangerous?
SCHULZ: Well, let me try a very simple illustration. This last Christmas, my family and I received a gift of a miniature poinsettia. This plant now sits near our kitchen table. This little plant is potted, if you want to say that, in what we might call a little bit of soil. Now, this little pot actually has two parts. The upper part contains the roots of the plant in the soil and the lower part contains some water. Between the compartment with the roots and the water below, there is a little connection, sort of like a string or something like that. This thin attachment conducts or carries water up to the roots. Now to be quite honest, when I first saw it, I didn’t know what this was. So I lifted the flower up, the pot came apart, and the little string or the connection between the roots and the water was also pulled apart and was taken out of the water. I quickly put it back, not knowing fully what I had done. During the next several days, the leaves on the flower began to wilt. We all looked at it. I then explained what I had done and the rest of my family knew immediately what had happened. So, we took the pot apart a little bit and put the little piece of the connection into the water. The poinsettia was revived.
ANNOUNCER: And how does that illustration relate to what we’re talking about today?
SCHULZ: Well, we can go to sleep spiritually when we skip church, when we no longer have Bible reading or Bible study. Our roots are pulled out of God’s Gospel or the Water of Life. Then we will slowly wilt and eventually we could even die.
ANNOUNCER: You believe this is a prevalent problem today?
SCHULZ: I certainly think it is. I have met many people who tell me they used to go to church, or they used to go to Sunday school. By this they say, or at least imply, they no longer attend church or Sunday school where the living and the life-giving Word of God, and the Water of Life is available. And you know, Mark, another thing that doesn’t help is seeing on television from time to time, the testimonies of various movie stars or celebrities, maybe even politicians, who brag about being non-religious or non-spiritual or non-Christian. They all act very macho, and claim they can get along in life just fine without faith or religion or Jesus Christ.
ANNOUNCER: But that finally catches up with all of us?
SCHULZ: It certainly does. Think of some of the well-known politicians and celebrities in recent years who are no longer with us. We could make a very long list of celebrities and well-known people who had nothing whatsoever to say about leaving this life. So, it’s my sincere prayer that all of our audience would not plan on using their own righteousness to get into heaven. It ought to be as St. Paul says, “It ought to be our desire to be found in Christ, not having a righteousness of our own, as a result of following religious laws, but that each of us, on the final day, would come before the throne of God with the perfect righteousness of Christ covering us.” This, the Bible says, is the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. And this is the righteousness that has the power to save all of our listeners today.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Dr. Schulz. With that we come to the end of our broadcast for another week.