Dr. Mike Jones

IT’S HIGH TIME TO AWAKE OUT OF SLEEP (Part 2)!

When our Lord [Jesus’] disciples asked about the end of the age (Matthew 24:3), He responded by listing several warning signs were to come. The first would be massive religious deception, including religious teachers who, while claiming to represent Him, would not follow His teachings but would deceive many through a counterfeit Christianity. [The Apostle Paul penned EVERYTHING that Jesus foretold in 2 Timothy 4.] Jesus also said there would be many wars and other conflicts between nations and ethnic groups. Our Lord also spoke of famines, massive disease epidemics (and there’s no doubt in my mind that the ‘CORONAVIRUS” is a prelude to the more infectious diseases that are to come] and earthquakes.

Former world leaders have spoken out about how the earth is travailing [Romans 8:22] from all the catastrophes occurring around the world. Former French president Valery Giscard d’Estaing commented on the state of humanity: “The world is unhappy because it doesn’t know where it is going and because it senses that, if it knew, it would discover that it was heading for disaster”. Former U.S. vice president Al Gore speculated on the longevity of the world: “Two world wars, the Holocaust, the invention of nuclear weapons, and now the global environmental crisis have led many of us to wonder if survival . . . is possible.”

Concerning Hurricane Ida, that battered the U.S. coastline of Louisiana on Sunday, August 29, then moved Northeast during the week, wreaking havoc on states in her path: Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City stated, “And this is unfortunately, the shape of things to come in terms of extreme weather. We have to understand we’re now in the great unknown. We’re in a whole different world, whether it’s what we saw here or what happened with Ida in Louisiana or the drought in the Southwest, the fires in California, it’s – we’re in an entirely different reality. And we’re going to have to act very differently going forward.”

Political leaders, conservationists, and others are ‘ALL’ speaking out about where the world is headed in their view of what’s reportedly happening around the globe. For instance, take a look at what has occurred over the past year-and-a half: 10 natural disasters.

1. Bushfires, Australia – 2019/2020

2. Flash Floods, Indonesia — 2020

3. Covid-19, China and all over the world – 2019-2020

4. Volcano Eruption, Philippines – 2020

5. Earthquakes, China-India-Iran-Philippines-Russia-Turkey, etc. 2020

6. Swarms of Locusts, Asia-East Africa-India-Middle East – 2020

7. Cyclone Amphan, Bangladesh-India – 2020

8. Forest Fires, Uttarakhand – 2020

9. Assam Floods, India – 2020

10. Green Snow, Antarctica – 2020

In Romans 13:11-14, it reads, “This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”

The Apostle Paul is saying, walk in wisdom toward them [non-Christians] that are on the outside of Christendom. Believers are on the inside [Saved]. Now, he says “redeeming the time.” Well, what do you mean, Paul? He means to take advantage of EVERY opportunity to witness to someone, because Jesus is coming sooner than YOU think! It literally means to redeem every opportunity made available to us.

Look at Psalm 90: “So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.” It’s a matter of taking advantage of opportunities that are presented to us, because the window for that opportunity will only be opened for a short duration, then it quickly closes. it’s short [saints] and people are dying, and as a matter of fact, we’re dying and Jesus is coming [soon].

Remember when the Bible talks about the door being shut, the night that’s coming when no man can work. Jesus removing the candlestick in Revelation Chapter 2, which represents the “Light of the Church?”

This chapter and verses are full of ‘Spiritual Nuggets’: It warns us that there’s a time coming when it isn’t going to be possible; knowing the time that it is high time to wake out of sleep; the night is far spent and the day is at hand. Cast off the works of darkness. Put on the armor of light. Walk honestly. It’s time to get your lifestyle connected with your message, people; not in wild parties,

drunkenness, immorality, wantonness, strife, and envying, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and do not make provision for the flesh. You see, it’s time to get the lifestyle shaped up.

When are God’s people going to begin to live the way God wants? How much opportunity are they going to squander? When are they going to begin to share Christ with their friends? When are they going to use those abilities and gifts God’s given them? When is God going to receive that money they [made a Vow] promised Him long ago? Saints have to remember that their walk = talk. I hope it says the right thing to those [non-Christians] on the outside of Christendom.

Every time we have an opportunity, we should redeem the time; take advantage of the opportunity to witness to someone. Life is so short. It would be very stupid for the Christian to waste. So, the new man has a new mouth, and that new mouth has a speech of prayer; a speech of proclaiming Jesus as Lord, and also the speech of CORRESPONDING ACTION which makes what he says believable.

It ALL adds up to “US” believers possessing ‘the speech of perfection.

What I mean by that is, I want MY lifestyle to be consistent with what I say out of my mouth: consistent of speech. Here’s an awesome verse (Colossians 4:6), “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.” Whenever Jesus spoke, it was always gracious. Now, he’s not so much talking about preaching the gospel here. He’s just talking about general conversation. The mouth of a Christian should utter the speech of perfection. Never out of the mouth of a Christian should come: lust, evil, deceit, cursing, oppression, lying, perversity, destruction, vanity, flattery, foolishness, babble, madness, verbosity, idle talk, false teaching, plotting, boasting, hatred, swearing, filthy talk, or gossip.

These are all characteristics of an unregenerate mouth; not a Christian! Let your speech be always with grace. Make gracious speech a habit. Whether you’re being persecuted; whether it’s a stressful situation; whether things are difficult; whether you’re before a worldly judge; whether you’ve been wronged; whether it’s with your wife/husband; whether it’s with your child or neighbor; whether you’re teaching a Bible study; whether you’re leading a class. Whatever it is, let your speech be gracious.

Are you spiritually awake? Are you listening to God’s communication?

How do you know you’re awake? You are tuned into reality. Those who are asleep are dreaming; deluding themselves that everything is OK and their lives are fine.
You can hear and see what God is communicating. People who are asleep can’t hear or see what’s going on around them. When our spirits are asleep, we can’t perceive the spiritual significance of the events around us.

You can take action; Sleepers just lie there doing nothing. People who are spiritually asleep cannot take action of spiritual worth.

It’s “high time to awake out of sleep.” (Romans 13:11)
If you’re awake, you’ll AVOID many of the calamities on the road ahead. The whole world is heading for a ROUGH ROAD. God is calling His people to WAKE UP in time to avoid a collision with what he has in store for the world.

Romans 13:11-14
Verse 11: Greek word for time in this passage is not in terms of hours, but in terms of an age or era of time. Mark 1:15 says, “The time is fulfilled.”

Sleep: Lacadazia – unresponsive to the things of God.

Salvation is closer now then when you first believed; not talking about justification but final feature – Glorification.

Verse 12: Night-man’s depravity (in the dark) & Satan’s dominion
Day at hand: Christ returns to Earth to Reign
Cast off the works of Darkness – since Christ is soon to return
Paul exhorts believers to repent of or forsake their sins.
Armor of light: Protection that righteousness provides the believer

Verse 13: Let us walk properly by living a life pleasing to God: showing or manifesting outward behavior of what’s going on inside.
Not in Orgies (wild parties, brawls) or quarreling and being jealous

Verse 14: Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and His thoughts – Saul’s reaction for us that have put on the likeness of Christ
Make no provision – planning ahead or forethought: most sinful behaviors or wrong ideas and lustful desires we allow to linger in our minds