I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Romans chapter
13. Romans chapter 13. I'd like to look at one verse
of scripture. Verse 11. Romans 13, 11, and that, knowing the time, that now it
is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation
nearer than when we believed. As believers, We live in a world
and realize that we're in a world that is quickly passing away. We see ourselves growing older,
less able physically, emotionally, to function as we once did. And we know that the Lord has
been pleased to teach us something about that. 1 Peter 1.24, For
all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower
of grass. The grass withereth, and the
flower thereof falleth away. Let me tell you what every body,
but every believer especially knows. We're going to die. We're going to go the way of
all men. James 4.14 says, What is your life? It is even a vapor
that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away. And we know that while we're
in this fleeting world, There's two natures found within. Only a believer knows that, that
there's two natures there. And we're thankful that the Lord
has taught us that there's two natures there because we realize
where the battle's coming from. No believer excuses his sin. Every believer loathes the old
man that's found within, and we long to be separated from
the body of this death. The older we get, the tireder
we get of this world. And the Lord is preparing us. The Apostle Paul said in Romans
7.18, I know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwelleth no good
thing. Paul, an ever believer, knows
that there is an old corrupt nature that the Lord has not
been pleased to remove while we are in this life. But he also
knew in regenerating grace that there was a new man there. There
was a new imparted heart. And therefore, he said in Romans
7.22, for I delight in the law of God after the inward man. What is that, the inward man?
That's the new man that is the opposite of that carnal and corrupt
man. There's two men there. And every believer admits and
knows this. There's an old man that hates
God. And there's a new man that loves
Him. There's a new man that obeys.
That which is born of God, sin is not. He obeys. He trusts. He calls. He believes. He loves. And Paul
was thankful. I said a moment ago that the
Lord had taught him that every believer is thankful. That God
has taught him that. Romans 7.25, I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord, so with the mind, that is the understanding
and the characteristic of a new nature. With the mind, I myself
serve the law of God. What does that mean? We honor
it and admit by faith that it is just and holy. We don't say
we keep it, but we know that the law of God is right. He said, I thank God with the
new man, that mine, I serve the law of God, but with the flesh,
he said, I thank God that God has taught me something, that
I know that I'm serving the law of sin. Someone says, I don't
see myself, you know, with that much struggle. Well, a believer
does. We need to be continually reminded
not only who God is, but who we are. And that this side of
glory, it's going to be like that. And we're not going to
be separated from the body of this death until we die. Now
with these blessed revelations, concerning our struggle between
the old man and the new man, I want us to consider for just
a moment another blessed word in revelation from Almighty God,
and it's a warning. It's a warning against spiritual
drowsiness as the day of our departure grows near. What I just read. And that knowing the time, that now
it is high time to wake out of sleep, for now is our salvation
nearer than when we believed." Now let me tell you something
about a believer. A believer is spiritually alive,
and he therefore is awake. The bride in Song of Solomon
5.2 said, But my heart waketh. Only a believer
acknowledges that he sees that old sleep and awakeness. Let me ask you something. Have
you ever experienced, I know you have, have you ever thought
going to sleep? How many times have you sat somewhere
and you just You know, oh, it's the most painful. You're struggling trying to stay
awake. There's a battle against natural
sleep when you're wanting and need to be awake, but it's that
way spiritually. A believer acknowledges the reality
of sin that dwells within, that body of death that's always indifferent
toward the Lord. I sleep and none are exempt. Even the wise virgins, back in
the scriptures in Matthew 25, were found to slumber and sleep
as the bridegroom tarried. Oh, how often we're made to remember
that we do sleep. We find ourselves. We realize
something of our spiritual dozing. It's not the sleep of death because
the scripture says that we have passed from death unto life. You've been quickened. And you
hath be quickened, made alive, who were dead in trespasses and
sins. So a believer is awake to the
knowledge of Christ. He knows he is. But though spiritually
alive, we find ourselves indifferent, often indifferent, daydreaming. How many times have you found
yourself while we're sitting right here, and while we're,
here's what, we got a minute, we just got a minute to be together. How many times have we just drifted
off? But though a believer is said
to be knowingly seeing himself asleep, there's another truth.
But my heart waketh. My heart is awake spiritually. There's grace in the heart when
a man is truly found to be struggling with sin within. There's grace
in the heart when there is a struggle. Struggling not because the fear
of being caught, but the fear and the reverence that's due
unto the Lord. Listen to what David said. Let
me read you Isaiah Psalm 51. Here's what David did. Did David sin against God? Do we? What is the attitude of
a believer? Now let me, listen, listen to
what he says. Isaiah, I'm gonna get off of
Isaiah in a minute. Psalm 51, verse three and four. For I acknowledge my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only have
I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight, that thou mightest
be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
A believer is awake. But he knows himself to be sleeping. And when he's aroused, it's when
he's aroused. And let me say right here, every
believer is aroused. Every believer is awakened. And I'm going to make a few statements
on how God wakes us up. And guards against going to sleep.
Every believer is awakened. When a believer hears the Word
of God, he's awakened. What would you think if you came
in to wake somebody up and you couldn't wake them up? Wake up. Something's wrong. When
someone doesn't wake up, something's wrong. They could be dead. They could be in a coma. When
you can't arouse someone, every believer wakes up when they hear
the word of God. Every believer is quickened again. Startled back. And they admit,
I was asleep. I was asleep. They don't stay
in that state. indifferent, they do not. Every
believer, when you see someone and they're not aroused, something's
wrong. Every believer is gonna say a
Shulamite, Psalm 3-3, saw ye him whom my soul loveth. The Lord may withdraw himself,
and when God withdraws himself, you know it, you know it. When you come home and you call
for your spouse, your children or something, they're not there,
do you know it? Do you know they're not there? A believer, saw ye
him whom my soul loveth. There's that attitude of revival
and awakening and a realization. And knowing his people, knowing
that we are but dust. The Lord sends this word of exhortation
and encouragement. Paul says, knowing the time,
taking a proper view of the time, the shortness and the value of
time. Here's the fact. This life is
rapidly growing to a close. We're leaving. Lord, wake us
up. Lord, I don't. Lord, help me. It's time. High time to awake
out of sleep. This is the season right now.
Wake up. Lord, wake me up. Lord, help
me. I got an old man that does one
thing, wants to rebel against God. I got an old man that resists
what I'm hearing. I got an old man that does not
want to obey. No way to resist. Years ago, I was living in Louisiana. I was driving home one night.
It was Sunday night services. I was driving home. I had my
wife and my kids in the car. I was driving home. Dark. Headlights were on. I could see the road. The next
thing I knew, I heard my wife say, Marvin, are you awake? And I realized I was in the left
lane heading toward the ditch and never knew I went to sleep.
I never knew it. I never realized what was happening. It was season to awake out of
sleep. It was time. It was time. Now
is the time. Wake up now or we got a problem. These seasons of spiritual sleep,
they truly exist and they're realized by every believer because
he's alive. What believer won't admit, I know that I see myself asleep,
need an arousal. This old nature that wars and
lusts against the new man, that old nature that serves the law
of sin, that's painful, it's humbling, and we have to admit
it. I admit it. Only a believer admits. We're all guilty. I'm going to give us some safeguards
in closing. Safeguards against sleep, spiritual sleep. These
seasons are found when we're tempted. We've got an old man
that wants to do one thing, to obey the temptation. We're tempted
to give place to the cares of this world instead of the faithful
and continual hearing of the gospel. Let me tell you the only
thing that will keep a man awake, God's Word. This is it. You can tell somebody, we need
to wake up, you need to wake up. I told you last week, Paul
said to Timothy, Timothy, preach the Word. This Word is alive. This Word is sharper than any
two-edged sword. And when a believer hears the
Word of God, Spirit of God blessing that Word to that believer's
heart, he wakes up. And he said, I hear the voice
of my master. I hear the voice of the shepherd. That's the shepherd
calling. That's God speaking. God Almighty said, give, give
place to the hearing of the gospel. Nothing is more important. It's high time, high time to
wake out of sleep. Give a continual hearing to the
gospel. Let me tell you something else.
Search these scriptures daily. Daily. I must say, you know,
you mean every day? Yeah. Like those in Berea. They search
the scriptures daily. I had a man call me the other
day. It was just a blessing, encouraging
conversation. He called me. another state,
and he told me, he said, Marvin, I hear you often say, you know,
you talk about a word and you'll give a definition of the word,
and he said, it's always refreshing to go and look it up and find
out that that was what it was truly saying. That that's what
it meant. And I told him, I said, that's
an encouragement to me. Thank you. Thank you. Listen,
I'm telling you, make much of searching these scriptures daily. You find a time that's good for
you. You find a time that's good for
you. And I'll tell you another thing,
that's a safeguard against going to sleep spiritually. Enter into
your closet. The Lord said, and when you pray,
when you pray, when you pray, not if you pray, when you pray,
a believer prays. A believer, out of his heart,
he's going to call on the Lord. I know very little, as I told
you before, about praying. I can't tell you. I don't know
what to tell you about praying. But when you pray, we don't know
what to say, but the Spirit of God, it helpeth us. Let me tell
you how to stay awake. Make much of here in the Gospel. I'm telling you, the toys of
this life It's all going to burn up. It's all going to be over.
It's high time to awake out of sleep. Wake up. Proverbs 19.50,
slothfulness. Casteth into a deep sleep. Slothfulness toward hearing of
the Gospel. Slothfulness toward reading the
Scriptures. Slothfulness from meeting with
the Lord, praying, calling unto the Father. The Father that heareth
in secret rewards his people openly. Slothfulness casteth
into a deep sleep, and an idle soul shall suffer hunger. Proverbs 20, 13, love not sleep,
lest thou come to poverty. Open thine eyes, and thou shalt
be satisfied with bread. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians
5, 6, therefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch
and be sober. And what does the scripture say
in closing concerning the reason for being awakened out of sleep? For now is our salvation nearer
than when we believe. The time of our departure draws
near. This is as close as it's ever
been. Somebody said, well, that's pretty obvious. No, but we need
to hear that because the scripture said it. The Lord is at hand. It's just a few more setting
suns and then time, and as I said, all the pleasures and cares and
toys of this world is going to be gone. Eternity. All of its promises
for God's people is soon going to be ushered in. We will then
at that time hear Him say, enter in. Enter into the kingdom. A prayer for you from the foundation
of the world. Lord, wake us up. We're so prone
to slumber, care of this world, insensitivity to each other.
You know who God's people are going to spend eternity with?
God and God's people. That's who it's going to be.
We're going to have fellowship. God's people are all going to
be together. That's the way it started right now. Lord, wake
us up. Oh, for Christ's sake and our
good. Amen. All right.