By Steve A. Hamilton

Ephesians 5:14-21

Introduction: There is one thing that has troubled me in every congregation I have ever attended.  That’s the apparent lack of commitment and the lack of desire by our members to serve the Lord.  It is as though Christians are asleep.  There is little to no effort put forth to live for the Lord.  Many Christians are content to show up for services (if that) provided nothing else is required.  When a preacher teaches error we tolerate it.  When members need rebuke for their sins we ignore it.  When withdrawal is suggested we resist it.  Many Christians can’t even tell the difference between right and wrong.  How long are we going to sleep? 

I. Apathy (the lack of concern) is very dangerous.

          A. We have a short amount of time (Rom. 13:11-14).

                   1. Yet, how many of our members continue to live in darkness fulfilling their desires (drinking alcohol, going to unseemly places, missing assemblies needlessly, smoking, etc.)?

                   2. We are commanded to “walk properly” in the light! We are not to make provisions for the flesh.  Unfortunately, many members seem to make no provisions for anything else but the flesh.

          B. The Lord will keep His promises (2 Pet. 3:3-7).

                   1. We act as though the Lord won’t return any time soon. 

                   2. We forget God is very patient (2 Pet. 3:8-9).

                   3. Just as sure as God made the earth, He will end it (2 Pet. 3:10-13)!

          C. There will be a resurrection.

                   1. If we live life as though there is no resurrection (i.e. apathetically) all that remains is hope (1 Cor. 15:12-19). If all we have is hope in Christ, we are the most pitiable.

                   2. We must awake to righteousness (1 Cor. 15:34)!  It is a shame some of our members don’t have this knowledge. 

I. We can’t forget to live righteously (Heb. 13:16).

          A. We are in a race for our eternal lives (Heb. 12:1).

          B. We must be disciplined, self controlled and in subjection if we are going to win (1 Cor. 9:24-27).

          C. If you were competing for your life, wouldn’t you put some effort into it? (A soldier better return fire if he wants to survive in combat.)  But we are not just competing for our lives, we are competing for our eternal lives (Matt. 10:28)!

          D. We can’t afford to let come what may.  We can’t straddle the fence and expect not to fall off.  We are either wholly for the Lord or we are not for the Lord!

          E. We can’t be lolled into thinking evil doesn’t matter (Eccl. 8:11-13). 

Conclusion: We decided to become Christians in the first place.  We better conduct ourselves as a Christian all the time. We can’t afford to be asleep in Christ.  There are some here that need to repent of their sins because they have been sleeping as Christians.  Please wake up before it is eternally to late! 

Last modified: 05/02/08