This week's Theme: Be Sober, Be Vigilant
Day 1: Awake!
"Awake! Awake! I have a message from Zion - O!"
I didn't know what time it was; only that it was between the lingering smell of smoke and kerosene after the lamps were blown out, and the early dawn cacophony of crowing roosters, barking dogs and braying donkeys.
Those mystical hours were apparently a special time of revelation— for, every so often, we would be awakened by the tell-tale tinkle of bells and the loud sing-song proclamation of a “message” from someone in the local Spiritual Baptist congregation.
I don’t remember any of the messages, but I do remember being unable to fall back asleep after the brief “excitement” and the curiosity and speculation about the nature of the “vision,” and whether it was intended to shame, malign, or criticize anyone in particular. Eventually though, quiet would be restored, and I could safely go back to sleep without too much undue concern about the “message.”
But not all calls to “Awake!” should be taken lightly. In Scripture many are much more important and sobering. One of the most serious came from the Lord Jesus Himself, given to the church in Sardis:
These are the words of Him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of My God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you (Revelation 3:1-3).
The churches in the early chapters of Revelation had specific needs and issues that Jesus meant to address. Yet, His messages to the churches at the time of John's writing have timeless relevance to the worldwide church throughout every age, and every letter continues to be as applicable and as instructive to His church today.
And as we look at the letter to Sardis we are challenged to examine our own state. Jesus told the church at Sardis that regardless of what they tried to portray to the world, they could not disguise their dead hearts under a covering of reputation: "I know your deeds... you are dead. Wake up!" (Revelation 3:1-2).
Warnings to be awake and watchful are issued again and again throughout Scripture. Only through vigilance and watchfulness can we escape temptations, dangers, and pitfalls. Only through vigilance and watchfulness can we "Be dressed, ready for service and keep [our] lamps burning" (Luke 12:35).
In his inspired allegory, The Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan highlights the importance of watchfulness alertness. In one example, as Christian makes the arduous climb up the Hill of Difficulty, he stops to rest under a pleasant arbor, "made by the Lord of the hill for the refreshing of weary travelers."
But Christian falls asleep, and as a result of his ill-timed slumber and too-long delay, he later faces setbacks and unpleasant consequences. Later, Christian and Hopeful meet two other pilgrims, Too Bold and Heedless, who fall into the slumber trap of the Enchanted Ground, and miss the Celestial City.
“Be sober, be vigilant;” wrote the apostle Peter, “because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8 - NKJV). So often, it is by lulling us to sleep that he stages his attack.
Like Dorothy in Frank L. Baum's classic children's fantasy tale, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, we are lured into poppy fields of slumber and forgetfulness — meadows of mindless entertainment and sports, acres of fun, fields of pleasure. And like Christian, we lose our scroll, lose our footing, lose our balance.
But into the daze and torpor, the voice of Jesus still calls, "Awake! Awake! Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die... (Revelation 3:2).
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