Awaken To The Times

Opening illustration: All of us are slaves to time. We wear wristwatches or have timers on our smart phones to keep us on schedule. We have digital clocks in our car and alarm clocks on our nightstands. Lots of people keep a Day-Timer nearby so they can keep track of their appointments and responsibilities.

I ate lunch with a man who put his cell phone on the table beside him when we sat down at the restaurant. And in case his phone didn’t work, he had a beeper and a pager attached to his belt. All to ensure that he stayed on schedule and didn’t miss any important messages. Not long ago, while waiting at an airport for my flight to leave, I decided to study the faces of the people hurrying past me. I was struck by something that wouldn’t have been true 25 years ago. At least half the people had cell phones clued to their faces, and some people who appeared to be talking to themselves had a Bluetooth for hands-free conversation.

Time is money. Researchers tell us that time is the new currency. Today time is more important than money. People will spend money to save time whereas an earlier generation raised during the Depression would spend time to save money. In a world where most of us feel stressed out, we value our free time more than a few extra dollars in our pocket.

Since 1947, a magazine called the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has kept the “Doomsday Clock,” a symbolic clock to show how close we are to global catastrophe. As the situation in the world gets better or worse, the hands of the clock are set closer or further away from midnight. The closest it ever came to ‘doomsday’ was two minutes until midnight during 1953; shortly after the United States and Soviet Union each tested hydrogen bombs. With 17 minutes the farthest it has been when the Cold War between USA and Russia was officially over. In 2002 the clock was set at seven minutes till midnight. With the present global situation, it is set at five minutes to midnight.

Introduction: How Much Time Do You Have Left?

Life is so uncertain. No one knows how long they have to live. However, the statisticians have figured out the average life expectancy for people of every age. There is a website called “Death Clock” that will tell you how long you will live according to the charts. It even gives you a projected date of death. I entered a few dates to see what it says about a few well-known people:

• Tiger Woods–October 11, 2049

• Tom Hanks–April 20, 2030

• Arnold Schwarzenegger–May 11, 2021

• Donald Trump–March 25, 2020

• Paris Hilton–April 30, 2060

• Billy Graham–August 18, 1992!

That means that Dr. Graham has outlived his projected date of death by almost 26 years, for which we can be thankful. I checked my projected date of death. It is Thursday, November 22nd, 2035.

That takes your breath away if you think about it. I realize that date is based only on certain mathematical calculations, but it is sobering to think that if it is correct, I have less than twenty years to live. Some may say this is morbid, but I think it’s the ultimate reality check. Psalm 90: 12 says, “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Martin Luther said we should live with the day of our death constantly before our eyes. It keeps us from the ultimate folly–thinking we will live forever and therefore giving us excuses to put off doing what we know we ought to do. There is an urgency for the times we live in.

What time it is?

1. Get up … from slumber (vs. 11-12a)

What do Christians look like who are "asleep" in this way? I believe such "spiritual slumber" shows itself in a slackening of the intensity of their faith. They may read their Bibles, but not with much excitement or application. They don't "tremble" at God's word (Isaiah 66:2). They may pray, but not with much earnestness, or effectiveness, or expectation (James 5:16). They may go to church, but only as "spectators" and "consumers", and not as a properly working part of the Body that contributes to its growth (Ephesians 4:16). They may be around non-believers, but they're not excited enough about their own faith to present it to others as "ambassadors of Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:20). They're saved; but are just sort of taking a "spiritual siesta" all the time.

"Sleep" is the perfect word to use to describe the state of a passive, uninvolved, indifferent Christian. Great potential is there in them; but there's nothing happening.

That is why the author of Hebrews says, "You should be teachers by now, but you are not, you are dull of hearing." That is why James said, "You know, if you are not a doer of the Word of God, you have deceived yourself. You have deluded yourself. You think you know the truth. You came to church. You said you heard it, but you didn’t hear it. You were asleep." When you are asleep you are dull of hearing.