Opening illustration: Where was the church when prayer was taken out of schools in 1962? Or when abortion was legalized in 1973? Or when same-sex marriage started to gain momentum to the point that Christian businesses are persecuted for refusing to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple?
Put another way, when did the church fall asleep? What caused the church to fall asleep? And how can we wake up the so-called sleeping giant? I don't have all the answers, but what I do know is the church didn't fall asleep overnight. Of course, Samson was living in compromise, which opened the door to Delilah's seduction.
Paul clearly warned us not to be ignorant of the devil's devices (2 Corinthians 2:11), which implies the Lord will reveal the enemy's devices, schemes, plots and plans if we walk in connection with His heart—and that's where many of us miss it. If we are living in compromise, we're likely to become spiritually drowsy—but we won't fall right to sleep any more than we enter deep sleep the second our head hits the pillow.
Even if the enemy does lull us to sleep through weariness, apathy, compromise or blatant sin that threatens to sear our conscience like a hot iron, the Holy Spirit is simultaneously working to convict our hearts so we'll wake up. Of course, it's easier to wake up when you are just drifting off than when you are in a dream state where reality is skewed.
Let us delve into God’s Word and go to Judges 16 and catch up with Samson’s narrative which apparently is a fair representation of the church today. Are we to remain sleeping or wake up the sleeping giant?
Introduction: Samson had the Nazarite call and so did Jesus. His strength was not attributed to the long hair he supported but the Spirit of God prevailing over him. He was supposed to be anointed, dedicated and given up to God living in the world but not be of it. Purity and holiness were supposed to be his top priority in his life. The alluring world had impacted him so much that he had literally given up his calling.
You've heard it said the enemy doesn't fight fair. Well, that's a spiritual warfare understatement if I've ever heard one. The devil is a dirty fighter—and he's just as subtle as he is dirty. He never sleeps or slumbers, but he works to put us to sleep through apathy, complacency and waves of weariness.
Indeed, Satan has been working since the Second Great Awakening to put the church back into a deep sleep. He had some stops and starts. The Azusa Street Revival, the birthplace of the modern Pentecostal Movement, revived the saints at the beginning of the 20th century. But that slumbering spirit crept back in unawares.
We were sleeping when prayer was taken out of schools, and we were sleeping when abortion was legalized. Some segments of the church are waking up and fighting in the culture wars, but the majority is still listening to the enemy's lullabies (Judges 16:19). Our scripture passage is more or less a vivid depiction of the contemporary church.
How the Enemy Has Slowly Rocked the Church to Sleep?
1. Allured by Enticing Words (vs. 10-17)
Proverbs 7:21-27 “With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, With her flattering lips she seduced him. Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, Or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, Till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did not know it would cost his life. Now therefore, listen to me, my children; Pay attention to the words of my mouth: Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths; For she has cast down many wounded, And all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, Descending to the chambers of death.”
Psalm 5:8-9 “Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; Their inward part is destruction; Their throat is an open tomb; They flatter with their tongue.”
We're like modern-day Samson’s, seduced and lulled to sleep by devilish Delilahs and losing our power to combat the enemy's onslaught. Of course, we haven't really lost our power. But by compromising with the spirit of the world, much of the church has effectively and willfully taken off its armor and laid down its weapons because it makes it more comfortable to sleep through the noise of sin that's erupting all around us.
Many in the church have taken off the belt of truth and embraced lies that it's OK to practice homosexuality or to neglect prayer or to lie around with people to whom you're not married. Many in the church have set down the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and picked up pornography. Many others have traded church service for occultic entertainment like Harry Potter or danced to the demonic beats of modern music.
Many in the church have taken off the breastplate of righteousness, compromising who they are in Christ to avoid conflict in the workplace—or in the church, or even in the pulpit. Lay members laugh at dirty jokes to fit in or turn Sunday morning worship into a worldly event, or preach a nice, kind message to keep tithes up. Many have traded their shoes of peace for some chic fashion designer's shoes of the season while neglecting to bring an offering to God. Oh, sure, many are still wearing helmets of salvation, but they sometimes wish they could hide that hat because they don't want to seem uncool in a contemporary society that shuns Christ.
This is the first stage of slumber for the church. Your eyes are closed and, according to WebMD, there's a reduction of activity. From a spiritual sense, this activity reduction could be caused by weariness, apathy, compromise or sin. Our eyes are closed. We don't want to see it—we may even justify it. The good news is it's easy to wake up without much difficulty during stage 1. The bad news is this stage doesn't last long, so the opportunity to shake yourself loose from weariness, apathy, compromise or sin is short.
2. Embracing Harlotry (vs. 1, 4-5, 15-17)
Proverbs 6:24-29 says, “To keep you from the evil woman, From the flattering tongue of a seductress. Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, Nor let her allure you with her eyelids. For by means of a harlot A man is reduced to a crust of bread (what do we do with the crust of bread?); And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. (If your life is precious to God, why are meddling with it? Remember your life is precious and can easily be destroyed just for experiencing momentary fleshly pleasures. Samson is a perfect example.) Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not be seared? So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife; Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.”
Much of the church is playing the harlot—forsaking the Bridegroom for sin. Harlotry was ultimately Samson's downfall. The Bible says Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there and had sex with her (Judges 16:1). Samson was literally sleeping with the enemy as he followed the passions of his flesh rather than the God he served.
The Word of God tells us that he met Delilah, with whom he fell in love—but her motives toward him were not pure. The Philistines—enemies of Israel—offered her 1,100 pieces of silver if she could persuade him to share the source of his great strength so they could overpower him, bind him, afflict him (Judges 16:4-5). She asked him time and time again, and he lied to her time and time again, foiling the enemy's plans to capture him until finally she wore him down and he told her the truth.
This is a key strategy of the enemy. Daniel 7:25 reveals the enemy wearies the saints but we know that those who wait on the Lord shall not grow weary (Isaiah 40:31). Samson didn't wait on the Lord. He had the call of a Nazarite, the judge of Israel and God’s anointing but he just messed it up by trading it in for the pleasures of the flesh. He allowed the devil's words to press him "so that his soul was vexed to death" (1 Judges 16:17). That's what we do many a times—we allow the enemy's persistent words to vex our hearts until we fail to fight back.
This is the second stage of slumber. Stage 2 is a light sleep. WebMD reports there are peaks and valleys, or positive and negative waves, as the heart rate slows and body temperature decreases. At this point, experts say, the body prepares to enter deep sleep. Catch that! Your heart rate slows and your body temperature decreases. Can you see the spiritual parallel? In Stage 2, your heart is not on fire for Jesus as it once was. Your love is growing cold. You are in a very, very dangerous place.
3. Being Easily Deceived (vs. 18-21)
2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” Let us not forget that Satan has 7,000 years of experience doing what he does best. We have no chance, just like Eve fell, we can too so when we have Christ, we have the potential to stay strong and fight the winning battle.
James 1:16 “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”
After she got what she wanted from Samson—just a little compromise—she was able to lull him to sleep on her knees. He was sleeping so deeply that a man came in and shaved off seven locks of his hair. The Bible says then she began to torment him, and he lost his strength.
When the Philistines broke in, he thought he could break free as in times past—but he was deceived. "Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison" (Judges 16:21-22).
This is the final two stages of slumber. Stages 3 and 4 are what WebMD calls the "deep-sleep stages." This is when you dream; this is when you are disconnected from reality. You don't see things as they really are—or you don't see anything at all. During stage 3 you may sleepwalk. It looks like you're going along with the church crowd, but you are actually sound asleep. In stage 4, voluntary muscles become paralyzed. You may not hear sounds in the waking world or respond to activity in the environment around you. If you are awakened, you may be disoriented. These are the stages of gradual demise.
Samson compromised. Samson was lulled to sleep by his enemy. Samson was left completely blind. That's the condition much of the church is in today. But there is good news. We can pray for another Great Awakening. We can pray that God will wake us up and give us another chance. We can pray like Samson did:
"O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!" (Judges 16:28). Samson repented. Samson defeated the enemy of his people. Not a good ending … sends chills up my spine after reading the consequences of sleeping in and with sin. We cannot take the example of Samson and justify our lifestyle … check out the dire results. Samson died doing the will of God. If Samson can do it, so can we. It starts on our knees, making an appeal to heaven for a compromising nation that needs to turn back to God. Amen!
Application: (So what should the church do?)
The church needs to wake up, open its eyes wide, pray and take acts of courage to ignite revival, awakening, reformation and transformation for the glory of God in our nation. We cannot be like the disciples who fell asleep at critical times—even while the Son of Man was being betrayed into the hands of sinners (Matthew 26:45).
Antichrist spirits are rising, persecuting Christ and His church while we snooze. Some may be sleeping from sorrow (Luke 22:45). Others may be slumbering after devilish Delilahs found a way to lull them to sleep through a compromised life. Still others may be sleeping because the devil has brought weariness to their soul and they failed to respond to Christ's invitation to come to Him for rest (see Matthew 11:28).
No matter whether you are in a deep sleep or just dozing off, I offer you this admonishment: "Now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11). And for those of you—the remnant within the remnant—who are wide awake, sounding the alarm, and interceding for the slumbering masses, take heart in these words from revivalist Leonard Ravenhill:
"Some Christians have already hung their harps on the willows, and yet others seem to delight in speaking of the Church's present lapse as a proof of divine inspiration. But I myself believe that if the Church will only obey the conditions, she can have a revival any time she wants it. The problem of the Church is the problem in the garden of Gethsemane—sleep! For while men sleep, the enemy sows his seed through his cults. Lest men sleep the sleep of eternal death, Oh arm of the Lord, Oh Church of the living God, awake!"
What steps are we going to take to make sure that the church wakes up?
