Our New Year Wake-Up Call

A New Year Wake-Up Call

As we enter the New Year, we can progress in our relationship with God and our actions for Him. We are at a critical juncture in our history. You may know the current tyranny and think this is old news. On the other hand, you may not be aware and are wondering what I am talking about. Knowledge without action is pointless. We must act when we become aware of our circumstances.

In the first chapter of Matthew, an angel visits Joseph in a dream and urges him to marry his betrothed virgin bride. You may recall that Joseph was a righteous man who intended to end the engagement quietly when he discovered Mary was pregnant. He wanted to end the relationship without making it a public scandal and shaming her. We might say that Joseph was asleep to the will of God until the angel intervened. Let's look at Matthew 1:24 in three different Bible versions:

• Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife. (NKJV)

• When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife. (ESV)

• When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. (NLT)

This account gives us at least two levels of discussion. One is Joseph and his physical sleep. Being prompted by the angel in his dream, he acted immediately when he physically awakened. This reminds me of Abraham’s immediate response when God called him to sacrifice Isaac in Genesis 22:3 (ESV):

3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac.

Sometimes, God requires us to wait for His will to unfold before us before we act. When God speaks, however, there is no time to waste. God spoke to Abraham, commanding him to offer Isaac. He responded, “Hineni” or “Here am I,” and obeyed. God spoke through His angel to Joseph, and he obeyed.

There is a second level. That is a spiritual awakening. Joseph not only woke physically from sleep to do what God ordained but was spiritually stirred by what he had learned in his dream.

When we “wake up” to the realities of this world, we become aware that evil is prevalent, and we must act to oppose it. We are God’s co-workers and ambassadors in this world to fight the spiritual battles with Him just as when the children of Israel entered Canaan to conquer. Our weapons are on a different scale, but it is a battle nonetheless.

Saul of Tarsus comes to mind when I think about a spiritual awakening. Years ago, I preached a sermon entitled “What the Blind Man Saw,” in which I discussed the fact that Saul was blind to the will of God while he had his sight but saw God’s will when he was blinded on the Damascus road. He finally woke up to the reality of Jesus as our savior and Messiah and acted immediately. God sent Ananias to Saul to heal and teach him. He asked the soon-to-be apostle, “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” Saul became the renowned apostle Paul and shared the good news of Jesus throughout the nations upon learning the truth about Jesus.

Benjamin Franklin wrote a pamphlet called Information to Those Who Would Remove to America. It was intended to be a guide for Europeans who were thinking of relocating to this new republic. In it, he said:

Hence bad Examples to Youth are more rare in America, which must be a comfortable Consideration to Parents. To this may be truly added that serious Religion under its various Denominations, is not only tolerated but respected and practiced. Atheism is unknown there, Infidelity rare & secret, so that Persons may live to a great Age in that Country without having their Piety shock’d by meeting with either an Atheist or an Infidel. And the Divine Being seems to have manifested his Approbation of the mutual Forbearance and Kindness with which the different Sects treat each other, by the remarkable Prosperity with which he has been pleased to favor the whole Country.

The two Great Awakenings of Colonial America had a dynamic and pervasive positive influence on American society. Franklin saw the results of the first and encouraged Europeans to come to America and share in the blessings. Evangelists like George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards dramatically impacted and unified the American colonies by preaching to the masses. The Great Awakening reinvigorated Christianity during its significant decline. During the Great Awakening era, preachers woke their churches to realize their unalienable rights in the face of tyranny and to make personal connections to God instead of vicariously relying on their pastors. The main themes of their sermons were: