Awake! Arise & Shine! Part 1

Welcome to the sound of a shower not thanking you for joining us today because we know Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Today's message away arise and shine is a storied work to ignite our hearts with passion to fight against the tide of godlessness and persecution that is left some Christians in a state of carnal apathy, spiritual inactivity, let us be sober, and put on the armor of light. Let us awake, arise and shine again this morning.

In Ephesians the fifth chapter and looking at verse 14. Wherefore he says wait now that sleep just and arise from the dead in Christ shall give the light seeing then that you walk circumspectly, not as foals but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. How many are in agreement with the word of God that the days are evil and I don't think we would even get an argument if we went out on the and stop people and that had no nothing about the Bible and nothing about God and asked them to think the days are evil. I think everybody would say yes, and they're getting worse all the time. Amen. If there are adults they can even look back into their younger years and their young adult years in state things. Since that time, and gotten really bad and are only getting worse all the time. Amen. And so that's why we are being exhorted here, and even stronger that exhorted as Christians where me and told now that sleep is something dead in Christ shall give the light now I know that this also fits sinners and unbelievers who do not know God, because they are dead in trespasses and sins, and so of course the world is going out and then you need to be forward July because the days are able by talking primarily here to Christians, how many know that he's telling us to wake up. He's not talking about natural sleep, but the Greek word means spiritual sleep and what is spiritual sleep state of inactivity. It's a state of apathy. It's when a Christian can be going through the motions of being a Christian and going to church and doing all of those things and be asleep and not even know it. Amen. He segued from the dead. Now the root word there in the Greek literally means courts and how many no corpse has definitely read its last breath. Isn't that right so it figuratively as a metaphor. It means someone who was spiritually in active in operative and without power or lights. Amen.

And unfortunately, this is the case with a lot of Christians today. You see, Jesus said that one of the signs of the last days would be said this in Matthew 2012 because iniquity does abound, the love of many would wax so another words because iniquity which is not only at a specific sin but it's not.

It is the force of sin. It is the nature of sit it bent in someone that makes them keep sinning, and because that would have background or would increase, then the law of many would wax: another words so many Christians would just get so overwhelmed because everywhere we look, we just see evil everywhere we look we see it getting worse and we see even as crept into the church and sometimes we get so overwhelmed by it all the way just like that. Her hands fall to our side and our zeal and our love and our passion begins the wax cold. And the fact that he use that old English word wax means it's a progression in the thing about progression is usually not aware that your going through that process until one day you looking think aloud I used to, but now I am amen and you see it.

It's not enough. It's not a good thing. So we set up away from your sleep, and arise from the dead in Christ shall give you light. He's going to give you light now Jesus had people from time to time that wanted to follow him and wanted to be his disciple.

In one instance, a man came to him and said Jesus I want to follow you and I want to be your people, but first I'm asking you, can I have a little time. I want to go home and bury my father. His father had died and he said I wanted the home and bury my father and Jesus said, let the dead bury the dead, and you come follow me now. I think we can understand what he was saying, but let's look at it for a moment. How can a dead person bury a person.

Amen. How can a dead person do anything I person to person. Amen. So what he was talking about. He was talking about this actually dead, the spiritually dead was you really want to follow me.

Actually, dad not do what they do what you come and follow me. Amen.

I respond in the spirit and Christ shall give you light now where he says allies it means to stand up but it doesn't just mean to stand up on your feet in a physical sense, but it means to stand up against something you're standing against something and that something is antagonistic to what you're standing for, and in this case were standing for the light and what does light represent were standing for the truth. Amen. So I will means to stand up and that means you're going to stand up against something.

Here's how to use in Matthew 24 were Jesus said shall arise against nation, it's the same thought that they're going to be at war. There's going to be an antagonism there.

The kingdom of darkness is at war with the kingdom of light. The powers of Satan.

The powers of evil are launching a campaign to destroy people. Jesus said in John 1010 the thief meeting that he personified Satan as a thief has come back to steal and kill and destroy. But I have come that you might have I think you might have it more abundantly that you might have life to the full and overflowing, but inside they feel they feel the they feel confused like the upgrades last week that feel rejection and Jesus said that's all the work that's what he does.

He's the one that puts that on people. Amen.

But Jesus is not gonna give you amen and not more abundantly. So when Paul was giving his goodbyes to the church of Ephesians were reading here the elders of Ephesus and he loved his church.

He stayed in this church longer than any other church. He was there with them for three years and that was unusual for Paul to stay that long in one spot.

So when he was saying his goodbyes to them. He told them when I leave grievous wolves will enter in among you there going to come from without grievous wolves and you know what a wolf is the false prophet. It's a false preacher.

It's a false teacher there going to come in amongst you, and then he said also also have your own selves out of your own congregation out of your own church, shall men arise and they will speak perverse things, trying to draw away disciples after themselves. So I wanted you to see that because I want you to understand the point that he was saying amongst the Christians amongst the body of Christ will arise in their little rise up against the truth against the truth. All we know the wolves when they come from without, amen. We understand that we expect will try to get in but amongst yourself will lie know you went from teaching what is teaching the word pervert or perverse means you have twisted something you have it out of its normal proper shape. Amen. It's warped. It's twisted and today the gospel that's been preached across many churches in America is twisted it is providers. Amen.

It takes the truth of God and makes it into a lie and he said that I write in your own next. Amen. It's a strong where that is using here in the Greek so we said, I am contained in you I want you to our website and I want you know they're not the same thing. There two different where I want get all the way I want you to come of your spiritual lethargy and your spiritual apathy.

Amen. I want you to get out the vision and see what is going on in the spiritual round and just sit in the charge and look the other way because the forces of darkness are infiltrating the Church of God see that's why Jesus said when I come will I find faith in the earth and find your churches, but is he going to find churches that are preaching the truth and preaching light that struck down the verse a for you were sometimes darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. So here's the conclusion walk as children of light for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth proving what is acceptable unto the Lord, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them reprove supposed reprove people when they come the church.

They may not come back if you represent people that you, but that's what he said rather reprove them for shame, even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. Amen. So I don't know about you but I made up my mind that with the strength that God gives me in my body for as long as he gives it to me. I am going to arise and I am going to sound the alarm.

Amen. And I am going to preach the truth if it's only 10 people here. I'm going to preach the and sometimes that's going to mean Peru's like I said last week. You can preach five Sundays in a row. God loves you.

God wants to bless you… Just for you. God wants to do all this for you and then the six Sunday you preach on sin and everybody says I'm not going back to the church. All they do is bring Johnson once every six weeks. If you only took a bath once every six weeks. Amen.

You get the point. Don't you so he says you have to if you say that your children of light. You got a walk as children of light. Don't name the name of the Lord. If you're not gonna walk as children of light. If you had given your fellow shipping with the works of darkness. Amen. If you claim Jesus Christ, according to our it's sort of reminiscing what we talked about last week we talked about the renewing of your mind that you might prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, that you may prove that you have the proof. Amen. You are a child of the light and so if we will arise in the way that Christ will give us light.

Another words, he's going to enlighten us. He's going to shine his truth on us the truth that allows us to arise and stand up against the onslaught of the works of darkness. Let's turn to Isaiah the 16th chapter you will recognize these verses right away, but they fit with what were talking about here. Isaiah 60 verse one arise and shine.

I like that you can stop right there preach for a while arise and shine forth thy light is come in the reading of the Lord is risen upon the for behold, the darkness shall cover the earth. Wow.

And gross darkness the people but the Lord shall arise upon you, and his glory shall be seen upon you. Now we know that this was literally fulfilled in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, amen. But when we put it together with what we read here in Ephesians we are seeing truly darkness has covered the earth and gross darkness that means the thickest deepest impenetrable type of darkness. There is has covered the people like we preach two Sundays ago that Paul said if our gospel is head its head to them that are lost because the God of this world. Satan has blinded their minds so that the glorious light of the image of Christ. The gospel of Christ cannot shine unto them. Amen. Gross darkness is all around us, but that's why we got to our eyes and stand against the darkness, we can't just throw up our hands and say oh well that's how it is today. Amen.

We've got to stand up against it because when we do glory shall break forth upon you.

Amen. You are gonna be light darkness when light shining the darkness.

Amen my front window. If I get up in the morning and I know now I can't really because of all the houses in the trees but there's a point when the time comes around the corner of the house down there on the corner just like somebody hit the light switch comes around burst of sunshine just washes my whole yard made dazzling and I don't know I get I just now it's there. Is this just makes me feel like it's gonna be a good choice on you like. Now let's keep it in its metaphorical sense God's truth. God's truth. How much joy do you feel when you have been pondering something in the Scriptures or situation you been pondering and then one day it's like somebody, the lightbulb in your mind you know what I'm talking about pondering something or how am I supposed to take this or what is your time to tell me or I don't understand this passage of Scripture. I don't get it and you just can't have it always turning up there in the wheels of your mind.

And one day it just opens up to you and you got it and you you just feel like you want to tell anybody.

As excited as you are because they don't know what you've been thinking all along that truth does come on, you didn't do it kinship with Jim, do you throw out all that you have not been able to figure out.

Amen John said in John 15 and the light shines in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. Now the word comprehend Aristotle and Bono in our English any means to perceive and to understand but it also means to overcome and to hold down and that's the definition being used here.

Let me read it again to you and the light shines in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. And the light shines in darkness and the darkness did not overcome the light. The truth of God is shining and the darkness and the lies of Satan cannot overcome the truth. All he's not a very good campaign going all to try to deny the truth. Amen. Body cannot overcome.

He cannot hold the truth down.

In fact, Romans 118 tells us that the wrath of God is against all man you were ungodly and unrighteous who hold down the truth. There's some people to try to stifle the truth and hold it down, but they are on the losing side. They're going to do is bring all kinds of chaos in trouble in their own lives, and if they never ever accept the truth going to get worse as they get older and have more troubling chaos but it is not going to change the truth of God's work as we know when God gave his words and then by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that has survived over 4000 years, and kingdoms have fallen many things in common. See if you see you will find what it it will grind you to a powder. Amen. That's the dichotomy of God's word. For those who receive it. They get the blessings the Marcy, the forgiveness they for those who resisted you cannot not hurting, God will deal with you for a very long time.

He'll do with you over and over again because you want to. He wants you to come to the knowledge of the Scripture says that God would have all men to be saying and come to the knowledge of the truth, but he will not force or make anyone one thing God did was he gave us free will and free will is not free will. If you don't get to choose. He said that before you the way of life in the way of death. The way of light with darkness. Now you choose.

You choose whom you will you get to choose. Amen.

But you don't get to choose the consequences you get to choose whom you will serve.

Now you know sometimes I think, why don't you just, you know, why don't you call it the better way is the better the nation but God will never violate you will even better for you but he won't. Amen. You have to choose a exciting expectation of the Lord away arise and shine, Jesus warned in Matthew 24. His discourse on the signs of the end time because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold of the Greek term iniquity needs without law or lawlessness. It describes a departure from a disregard for God's laws the Bible when there is no restrainer. It allows evil to abound and instead of the saint standing up against the tide of wickedness. Their love and their passion for God's work. Waxes cold.

This implies the progression into apathy and inactivity. But Paul declared with his pen of passion five things we are to do with this chaotic climate away from your sleep, and Christ will give you light arise arise needs to stand up, not just on your feet in the physical sense but to stand up for or against something the church must stand against the hostilities of the world. We are at war against the kingdom of darkness shine.

You are the lights of the world. Jesus said, let your light shine before men walk circumspectly like a tight rope walker with extreme focus and balance and redeeming the times you can't change the past but you can buy back each moment wasted incentive failures to finish your course strong with joy, awake, arise and shine can be ordered on CD for radio love gift of $10 or more request SK 198 mail to sound the faith PO Box 1744, Baltimore, MD 21203. You can also order online at sound of faith.work south of faith.org where MP3s are also available, but to order by mail sent a minimum of gift of $10 to PO Box 1744, Baltimore, MD 21203 and request SK 198 till next time Sharon not saying