Stay Awake

Stay Awake

Please now turn to Luke chapter 21, which can be found on page 881 if you're using pew Bible. Go ahead and stand when you have that I'll begin in verse 34. But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life and That day come upon you suddenly like a trap for it will come upon all who dwell in the face of the earth but Stay awake at all times praying that you may have strength to escape all these things That are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.

Amen. You may be seated dear Heavenly Father. We thank you for the Son of Man. We thank you for giving us Jesus Christ by whom we may be saved. We thank you that he has ascended to you and sent us a helper and yet we await his return.

We ask that you would help us as we await his return that you would give us strength in Order that we might stand before him. Please help us to understand this truth today in order that we might seek you as we ought for strength in Jesus name.

Amen. Believers in our generation are afflicted by a spiritual drowsiness. They are rarely awake. There are so many things in our world that distract us. Perhaps you have heard the term the distracted generation to describe our current era even in doing Mundane things the most mundane of things that are present distractions available for you in your own pocket ready at any moment.

There are so many reasons why people are kept from prayer and from the watchfulness that God commands them to. This is not a small thing. Our souls are on the line the Christian needs strength to endure through this life and to not fall into Temptation to not fall away from the Lord.

The Source of Christian Strength

How is it that they are to remain strong? It is through the blessings of Jesus Christ. How are those blessings found? Through abiding in the vine. How do we abide in the vine? Primarily through prayer seeking him.

This is what is needed. I imagine the average Christian today is fairly disappointed in their own prayer life and Understands that it needs improvement, but perhaps they do not understand just how much is suffering because of it.

Just how little strength that they have. You go in churches. You speak to the various people that are in there and the kind of struggles that they are facing are just incredible forms of weakness just being onslaught by all kinds of depression and anxieties that afflict them as they are.

Bearing up with much weakness under the the heavy difficulty of carrying the cross. Why is it the people struggle so much does it have to be this way. Yes, there will be Difficulties in this life, but no it does not have to be this way.

It does not have to be so tenuous holding on by a thread. God gives strength and he gives strength through Jesus Christ and he gives that strength through Jesus Christ. Through prayer is by prayer that we lay hold of him by prayer that we know that strength.

My prayer that we will endure. In Luke 21 verse 36. It says but stay awake at all times. Stay awake. Being aware. He said in verse 34 watch yourselves. Now before that he talked about watching for the signs that would come signs that indicate that Christ is still coming.

Signs that would indicate that he is almost here and in this context as the people are asking about the fall of the temple the things that would come immediately before the fall of the temple and the year 70.

They are to watch for those things, but now he shifts to talking about watching over themselves. Not just watching externally but watching internally. Staying awake at all times praying that you may have strength strength to do what to escape.

The Multiple Judgments in Luke 21

To escape and to stand before the Son of Man. There are several different judgments that are in view as they have been each week that we have gone through this passage. The first judgment is the immediate one that the disciples are asking about and that is the destruction of the temple that happened in the year 70 they need strength for that.

Likewise there is the final judgment that is to come when the Son of Man returns as all the people are surrounded and the and The enemy comes about them. Then third there is the individual judgment that each person will face as they stand before the Son of Man.

Which he speaks of directly here each of these is in view the words escape and stand. Describe the actions that are needed at the end. We need to escape and we need to stand. We need to escape the judgment if you With Jerusalem, it's very obvious that they needed to escape the actual destruction that would happen in Jerusalem that that would be it would be Disastrous for anyone who would be found in Jerusalem when Titus came and destroyed it.

Yet it also speaks of the final Judgment and that final judgment is described in this way in Revelation 20 verse 9. This is a verse I've cited a number of times and hopefully by now you're beginning to get a sense of how that destruction of Jerusalem Foreshadows the final destruction that happens.

Says in Revelation 20 verse 9 and they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and Surrounded the camp of the Saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them. All right, so very similar scene you have the Holy City you have enemies surrounding the Holy City but you have a very different outcome and one of these with the earthly Jerusalem.

Remember we read about the earthly Jerusalem and the heavenly Jerusalem in Galatians chapter 4 for the earthly Jerusalem and The year 70 what happens it is destroyed by Titus the enemy surrounds and then destroys as we read about in Luke.

What happens in Revelation 20 when the Holy City the heavenly Jerusalem the camp of the Saints is surrounded. It is preserved at the last moment those surrounding are all destroyed. This is foreshadowed in a number of places in Scripture as Sennacherib and the forces of Assyria came around Jerusalem.

They were all slaughtered in a single night when the angel of the Lord went through the camp and destroyed them all. So there are two judgments that are very similar but opposite. Okay opposite in that in one the city is destroyed and the other the city is preserved.

Escape describes both you need to escape the city for the earthly Jerusalem the judgment that they have yet to face that is far in our past but for that future judgment what is needed in terms of escaping is Basically to not be one with the world to be apart from the world.

To escape them and their clutches that we might not be found among them when they are destroyed. But then with the individual judgment the word stand Appropriate appropriately describes that Psalm 1 5 says that the wicked shall not stand in judgment.

The one who falls in judgment is the one who is declared guilty the one who is Who receives a verdict that will have them condemned and destroyed? The one who stands in judgment is the one who is innocent the one who is able to continue on with life forevermore.

Strength for Escaping and Standing

Now it speaks of in Luke chapter 21 strength in order to escape in stand. Once again walking through those various judgments the one that came upon Jerusalem in the year 70. Why do they need strength?

They need a literal strength in order to evade. It said in verse 23 alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days. For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people.

Why does it speak of women who are pregnant and nursing. It's speaking of the weakest people in society. Woe on the weakest people in society. They need to be strong in order that they be able to quickly get out of Jerusalem.

Then why is strength needed in that final judgment? Strength is needed in that final judgment not physically, but spiritually that we might not feel a kind of Dependence on others that would cause us to turn to the world.

For comfort for assurance instead. We need to be independent from man independent from the world. Standing on a strength that does not come from the things that the enemy offers in order that we not be found among the world and.

Then how was that stance strength needed for standing on Judgment Day? Well strength is an interesting term because the only way that someone can stand before the Lord is not by their own strength. We just read in Galatians about what happens to those who are trying to stand in front of the Lord by their own strength.

They have fallen from grace. Instead the one who is strong to stand before the Lord is not strong in Themselves they recognize their own weakness, but they have the strength of God. It is called strength because the result produces a posture of strength.

That posture of strength. Being to stand to be able to stand before God you see the various scenes in the Bible where someone stands before God in his Throne room. Isaiah in his throne room and there's fear.

There's cowering. What does someone need. Someone needs boldness? They need to be able to stand. How does that boldness come? It does not come by a brash arrogance. There are many people who Arrogantly boast before God as they do not see him but when they come close to him and Encounter him more personally, they will not be able to stand.

That kind of brashness and boldness will do nothing. Instead that boldness comes from having a clear conscience from having the forgiveness that is given by Jesus Christ. That is where real strength comes from.

That strength of Jesus Christ. You must know his forgiveness in order that you can have boldness to stand before the throne. There is nothing that he can hold over you. Because he himself has forgiven it that by his blood.

Shed on behalf of sinners him standing in the place of those who have trusted in him. You already have his word you already have his blood and the father has committed himself To forgiving all those who confess their sins if you have confessed your sins.

He is faithful and just to forgive you your sins to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. This is the kind of boldness and strength that is needed to stand before him. You must know his forgiveness. You must know his sufficiency so that in this life.

You do not feel discouraged and you do not turn to temptation. You must know his goodness. You must know his goodness. Likewise that you would not think that the things that the world offers are any better than the things that he offers.

The things that he gives far far better. Where do you get this strength from from knowing him from knowing his goodness and not just knowing it intellectually in your head? Knowing it. Experientially those who know it experientially who have it driven into their hearts who have tasted the goodness of God.

Do not turn from the goodness of God to the things of the world in order to enjoy the things of the world. When they are sinful when they are distractions from his things. Rather they stay focused on the Lord.

They stay awake. And you must know the goodness of Jesus Christ in order that you would have joy what he calls us to in this world. Yes, it involves suffering. Yes. There is a morning that happens as we recognize the world is afflicted by sin as we suffer various things.

But there is a pervasive joy that is supposed to be there through all of it. James 1 2 says that we should count it joy when we suffer trials of various kinds. How is it that you can have that joy at all times?

It is through knowing the goodness of Christ. It's not something that you can just manufacture from yourself. It is something that has to come from Jesus Christ. It is only through Knowing his goodness that you can have that if you think about what weakness looks like might be helpful to consider some of the words of Galatians.

Galatians chapter 5 which speaks of the works of the flesh sexual immorality impurity sensuality idolatry sorcery enmity strife jealousy fits of anger rivalries dissensions divisions. Envy drunkenness orgies and things like these.

I Warned you as I warned you before that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Why will they not inherit the kingdom of God because they do not have strength to stand before the Son of Man.

Understanding Weakness and the Works of the Flesh

What is going on with each one of these things there is? There is impurity sensuality, what is sensuality it is a it is a strong sense of physical pleasures that has no sense of spiritual blessings of spiritual benefits so that you would like an animal unreasoning be led only by the most sensual only by the most superficial and Strongest senses be led into various traps.

Instead you need to have your soul strengthened so that its senses can taste goodness. That's not Just the goodness that you might have by eating food, etc all the all the kind of pleasures that exist in this world, you know, I use the example of eating food because that is one of the most frequent and strongest pleasures that we're able to receive as God has created us as beings with need in order that he might provide for us and We might taste blessings from his hand in a very visceral rate wet visceral way experiencing goodness from him.

That is a good thing. But if your physical senses are so strong and your spiritual senses are dull, you are not awake. You're just walking around like a zombie following your own flesh. Both need to be awake but it's the spirit in particular that needs to be awake so that you would not be led around by your senses in a way Where the works of the flesh are describing the corrupt flesh.

Why is it the people covet why is it that they have dissensions and divisions it explains in James chapter 4 they have they have divisions among themselves because they want things that they don't have and Why is it they want things that they don't have it's because they do not ask for them.

We need prayer in order to have the strength of God. Then you can also think of weakness not just in terms of how it manifests and works the flesh but how it manifests in lack of The fruit of the Spirit the fruit of the Spirit is love joy.

Peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness self-control. Against such things there is no law. Why is it that the fruit of the Spirit? Manifests in this way. Why is it that someone would have love joy peace, etc.

That comes from having the goodness of Jesus Christ from knowing him Deeply in a way where you do not need the things of the world. You do not need the things that other people have that you would envy them, but you are Essentially self-sustained from an outside perspective.

From an inward perspective you're being sustained by the Lord such that you do not need the things of the world. One good word. I think to think of these Virtues and vices in terms of strength is despair.

The Bible when it speaks of strength in this physical way often uses to describe weakness faint heartedness. This is what many people are many people are faint hearted. They go about the The life the Christian life facing the various struggles that they have with faint heartedness.

They're barely getting by they're hanging on by a thread. They do not have joy the joy that God has called them to in it. They aren't experiencing the fruit of the Spirit. You might not think of joy and strength as being related.

But they are if you are strong, you are not faint hearted. You have joy before the Lord. You need strength in order to not despair, you know, just think about whatever trial it is that you're going through right now.

Certainly, there are some I know some will be going through Worse trials and some will be having seasons of more Obvious blessing and easier seasons but think about the various trials you have and what kind of Discouragement you face in those and whether or not you were able to face them with joy and ask yourself Why is it that I'm not able to face it with joy?

Is it not because you lack strength? Why is it you that you lack strength? Is it not because you do not ask the Lord for strength? This is the thing that he provides in prayer. He provides strength through prayer.

Prayer as the Means of Receiving Strength

If you look through the Bible you can pull up a an app or a website that will help you search through the Bible and look for the word strength in prayer in the same verse and you will find oodles of verses that talk about this dynamic when we pray.

Frequently we should be praying for strength. When the Bible describes the importance of prayer frequently it is being done in terms of strength. When the Bible talks about the need for strength frequently, it speaks of prayer as being the means by which someone would receive it if you are not used to thinking of the Christian life in those terms of the need for strength and Prayer being the means by which you would receive it.

You are going to face so much difficulty because you are going to try to get by On your own strength on your own weakness. Now a lot of Christians know phrases like that. You need the strength of God and you shouldn't rely on yourself.

You shouldn't do things by your own strength. But often The dots are not connected in such a way so that you recognize that that has something to do with joy or joylessness faint-heartedness and You must frequently be going to him in prayer in order to receive these things.

That is what it means to not do things on your own strength. I Think a lot of people recognizing that they shouldn't do something on their own strength. Essentially just have some sort of mystical Notion of it that basically their mind needs to shift to some kind of more spiritual way of thinking about things and That's true in one sense.

But there are very concrete things you can do the way you don't do something by your own strength is you go to God and ask? Him for his it's by prayer. But how many people when they say that they're not going to do it by their strength, but by God's.

Don't actually take any action in that regard. They don't change anything in their behavior. They just kind of say this phrase and just leave it at that. No, there is a way that you can lay hold of the strength of God and is by prayer.

Understanding the mechanism by which God strengthens us through prayer I think is most clearly seen in Ephesians chapter 3 and Ephesians 3. Paul talks about his prayer for the Ephesians that they would have strength now.

This is different than praying for yourself for strength, but the mechanism is identical for this reason I bow my knees before the Father from whom every family and heaven and on earth is named that according to the riches of his Glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his spirit and your inner being.

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. That you being rooted and grounded in love may have strength to comprehend with all the Saints. What is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ surpasses knowledge?

That you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now that was Ephesians 3 verses 14 through 19 if you want to look that up. But the idea here is that what happens when Paul prays is that the father?

Sends his son to dwell in the heart. By the work of the Spirit. Okay, there's a Trinitarian work that's happening here the father. So the son dwells in the heart, you know, Jesus is a man. He is not physically dwelling in us.

How does he dwell in us by the Spirit? What does it mean that he dwells in us? Basically that we have His goodness and we know his goodness. Note that strength here is not Such a limited concept it has to do with knowledge.

What is it that we need strength to do to comprehend the breadth and length and height and depth to know the love of Christ? Strength here is talking about a mental strength in order that we would know the goodness of of Jesus Christ.

So what happens when we pray when we pray God by the Spirit? Ensures that we know Christ that he dwells in our hearts in a richer way. As it says let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Christ himself dwells in us richly as we understand his goodness.

And by this strength we know the immeasurable Goodness of him. How is it possible to know something that is beyond comprehension? How is it possible to have a strength that is Beyond human strength. It is through the Spirit.

Spirit is called the mind of Christ by having the mind of Christ. We have Essentially something a knowledge that is incomprehensible. Now that seems paradoxical and it is paradoxical That we could have such a knowledge but by having the Spirit He provides whatever understanding is necessary at any given time that we might Know the goodness of Christ as he is needed in whatever situation we are in so that we would not feel any lack.

So that we would not feel our own weakness Relying on the things of the world and would be sufficient And feel joyful relying on Jesus Christ. So what is accomplished by prayer. By prayer the Father sends the Son into the heart by the work of the Spirit now.

There are all kinds of ways that you could Misunderstand that phrasing but that is the way it's phrased here. Okay, we're not talking about the Son not already being in the heart of the Christian. We're not talking about any kind of.

We're you should not think of the uh, the Son as being something that is uh, Uh given in various measures as though he could be divided. But rather you can know him in greater and greater ways as the Spirit works in greater and greater ways in the heart.

And how does this happen? This happens By faith as we look to him in prayer. This is not something that is just psychological. Because Paul can pray for it to happen right. Paul can pray for it to happen.

So even as they are themselves not praying for this thing, it would still happen. But as they look to Christ they are Dwelling in the vine and they are receiving the actual goodness of Christ. So it's not just that they are more intellectually aware of the goodness of Christ.

They are experiencing further The goodness of Christ in order that they would be strong And be able to to stand. This is the this is the mechanism by which One would stand before the Lord. And what is it?

What kind of strength does he give. He gives various kinds of strength? It says. In scripture, uh, it speaks of physical strength. Notice that Samson at the end of his life. He prayed and what did he pray for physical strength and God gave him physical strength.

As physical strength is needed. God will give it there is also encouragement and endurance. It says in isaiah 40 verse 31 That those who wait upon jehovah will renew their strength. And then there is encouragement.

In psalm 138 verse 3. It says on the day. I called you answered me my strength of soul you increased. David is encouraged in the lord. Then in acts 4 after the believers had been very bold peter and john Had stood before The authorities with all boldness.

Then what do the people do the people pray for more boldness? And now lord look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness. A lot of people think that boldness comes by simply practice simply Doing the thing that you're supposed to do and then as you get better at it, you will get better at it.

You'll get bolder. You will get stronger in that thing. There is some truth to that but The truth of that and the truth of prayer think about it. Why is it that each one makes you stronger? Each one makes you stronger because in each you are turning to the lord and trusting in him in that moment.

So you may trust him in a trial and look to him and he will strengthen you through that. If you look to him in prayer You are also looking to him and he is strengthening you. So strengthening is happening both by the practice of the thing in endurance, but also by prayer.

Both because not that you are building up strength by yourself like someone who's exercising. You're doing push-ups or something like that building muscle on their own. In both cases it is god who is strengthening the believer and in both cases it is believer looking to christ for strength.

That is strengthening him. But prayer is the more direct way that someone looks to God now both should be used. Both obedience before him and hard things as well as prayer should be something that you go to frequently.

But do not think that boldness do not think that courage and strength come merely by doing and not by Seeking him. What is true of the one who who? Does the outward things but the never actually praise to the lord?

Is that one looking to god? He's not looking to god and he should not expect his strength to increase if you are thinking of your strength as something that just comes through your own practice like someone who exercises and not a Supernatural infusion of strength.

As the father has the son dwell in the heart by the work of the spirit. You are going to miss out on the the true blessings of strength on the the greater joys that are to be had even in trials. Look to the lord in prayer.

Prayer as Vigilant Watchfulness

In prayer and that is what it says here. It says here in luke chapter 21 verse 36. Pray stay awake at all times praying that you may have strength to escape. This is not the first time in luke that jesus has spoken of prayer.

And luke 18 1 he told a parable to the effect that they should always pray and not lose heart. It is important to be always praying now. Always praying does not so much mean at every time of the day so much as it means in every season.

Obviously there are going to be times when you are deliberately praying and other times where you are focused on other things but every season of life. Every day your mind needs to be set before the lord so that you are trusting in him.

And this is described as being awake. As being awake. This is Something that's repeated frequently in scripture just to give you a couple of verses. 1st. Thessalonians 5 6 says. So then let us not sleep as others do but let us keep awake and be sober.

Revelation 16 15 says behold. I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake. Keeping his garments on that. He may not go about naked and be seen exposed. We are to stay awake. We are to be aware of what's going on around us in order that we would always be praying before the lord.

Prayer and vigilance go hand in hand. That's why if you've ever heard of a prayer vigil, it's called a prayer vigil. That's why people have that that Framing for that particular practice staying up late.

Continuing to pray rather than going to sleep is being vigilant in prayer. Peter is instructive for us. Why is it? Christ asking him to pray and then peter. Not staying awake. Why are these details recorded for us in scripture?

It is to instruct us. He fell asleep. He did not keep praying and then he did not have strength. He did not have strength and when there was any threat of persecution he fell away. Christ restored him.

But why someone who was so confident someone who By many of his actions seemed to be a very competent guy pulled out his sword struck the Guard when there are many guards around going to war just a few disciples against many many men.

You'd think that this was a guy who had great boldness. But no, he did not have the strength that was necessary because he was not capable of staying awake. Now the physical staying awake once again is an illustration for For simply our alertness in life.

That we must not go grow spiritually drowsy being unaware of the things about us. We need to be aware and be vigilant in prayer. Several takeaways. From this passage first. You need to desire strength if you do not Have strength or you're trusting in your own strength.

Practical Takeaways for the Believer

You will not stand on that day. Turn to the lord jesus christ if anyone here Has not trusted in jesus christ for the forgiveness of sins. You do not have forgiveness of sins. You have guilt. You might Push that out of your mind as many people do many people just push out of mind the end of life the fact that they'll have To stand before their maker.

Maybe they don't believe that. But they know that they're going to die at least and they just push that out of mind. That is no way of dealing with the truth. Denial is not going to make the problem go away.

You will have to stand before the lord one day and you will need strength and on that day. Your brashness your brazenness your your particular boldness, which is just a form of arrogance will not suffice.

You need the forgiveness of christ in order that you might boldly stand before him turn to him. If you already are a christian if you have trusted him for forgiveness then know that that strength Is not something that every believer enjoys in the same measure throughout his life.

But it's something that you can lay hold of in greater ways particularly through prayer. Do not leave behind this means do not settle for being a weak christian. Do not settle for being a joyless Believer.

Now, there's ultimately no such thing as a joyless believer. Every believer has the fruit of the spirit. But not every believer enjoys that fruit in the same measure and I want you to have the fruit in the greatest measure.

Be vigilant in prayer in order to receive it. Continue in prayer. So few people have happy prayer lives. Leave behind the distractions cut them out of your life as necessary in order that you can stand before the lord on that final day.

Treat the matter as though your soul is on the line because it is. Now don't hear me as saying that you could lose your salvation. But let me tell you there are many people who think they are uh think they have salvation and because they are not going to the lord for the Strength that they ought to have have no strength of mind to even evaluate Whether or not they are right with the lord.

The way that we have confidence before the lord the source of that assurance Comes from having a close relationship with him. Walk closely with the lord going to him in prayer frequently scheduled time in your day.

If it does not come naturally to you and it let me tell you it comes naturally to hardly anybody. So take the direct measures that are necessary in order to be spending real time with the lord and then do so.

Vigilantly keeping watch as it describes here. Watch yourselves stay awake. Now there are several ways that you can think about vigilance if you really think about it as a watchman on a wall. Looking out over the land.

There's an enemy that's On the horizon. What should you be looking for first? You can think about defense you can think about where are the areas in your life where there are real weakness. Where is it that you're lacking the fruit of the spirit?

Where is it that you are seeing the works of the flesh and then pray shore up those areas? Pray that god would give you strength in any of those areas. What good is a watchman on a wall who sees? Uh a huge defect in the wall and then Doesn't actually do anything about it.

The point of the watchman is to is to call the person who is needed in order to fix that. Okay, call the lord. He will give you strength in any of those areas also. Don't just look for where there are areas of weakness look for there where there are valuable things that the enemy may want to attack.

What is it in your life? That the enemy would be very happy to undermine. Pray especially about those things, you know as a church you are to pray for each other, of course. But you are to pray especially for your pastor.

Okay, it is. The enemy would be very happy to undermine the work of the leadership of the church that is something where you're not supposed to be thinking so much in terms of where is the weakness, but where is the Primary target that the enemy would want to undermine.

Be praying over those areas. Be praying Over those particular areas that the enemy would want to undermine. And then you can think in terms of offense think where is it that god would have his kingdom to expand.

Be looking at god's providence carefully scripturally. Seeing what he is doing and praying in that way. As you see on the horizon opportunities for advancement of the kingdom. Someone who is showing an interest in the things of god, but does not yet know the lord pray for that person.

So you are seeing Areas where god could greatly bless his church whether it be Individuals within the church or the church at large or your local church pray for those things. Now the secret things belong to the lord.

So i'm not saying that you should presume upon what god will do. But we are supposed to pray according to the will of god and that requires doing some Scripturally informed analysis of what the will of god might be.

Okay, you are supposed to pray according to the prescriptive will of god. Yes, you're supposed to pray that you would follow his law and everything but you are likewise supposed to pray according to those secret things in as much as They have been revealed.