WAKE-UP, CLEAN-UP, DRESS-UP
Rom. 13:11-14 MSG
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. I heard about this old country farmer. He’s taking his nephew camping for the first time. His nephew had five degrees. He’s one of the smartest men alive. They set up their tent and quickly fell asleep.
2. In the middle of the night, the farmer woke up his nephew. He said, “Look up! What do you see?” The nephew said, “I see millions of stars.” The farmer said, “I know that but what does that tell you?”
3. He said, “Astronomically, it tells me there are billions of galaxies. Meteorologically, it tells me it’s going to be a beautiful day. Theologically, it tells me God is a great creator. What does that tell you?” The farmer shook his head and said, ”It tells me somebody stole our tent.”
B. ILLUS: WARBLER BIRDS DETECT STORMS
1. In East Tennessee there's a bird known as the Golden Winged Warbler. These birds recently did something unusual a few days before a supercell storm hit—they started fleeing their nests.
2. Researchers were testing whether the warblers, which weigh "less than two nickels," could carry geolocators on their backs. They can. With a big storm brewing, the birds took off from their breeding ground and travelled 900 miles in five days to avoid the tornado-producing storms.
3. The Warblers apparently knew in advance that the storm was coming. Scientists believe that there's some kind of infrasound frequency that alerts them that the storms are coming.
4. LESSON? If we know that the storms of judgment are coming, we should find a refuge. [Science Daily, Cell Press journal, Current Biology 12-18].
C. TEXT
“But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!” Romans 13:11-14 MSG
D. DANGERS OF GETTING SLEEPY
1. IT LEADS TO ACCIDENTS- Studies show that driving after considerable sleep loss is just as dangerous as driving drunk because your reaction times are impacted just as badly.
2. HURTS THE LEARNING PROCESS- When you’re sleepy you can’t focus and you can’t store memory well.
3. IMPAIRS JUDGMENT- When you’re sleepy you can’t reason well, correctly react to situations, or make correct decisions.
4. NOT ALERT TO DANGER – I once knew a girl who sleepwalked out into middle of a street and laid down. She was lucky a car didn’t run her over.
5. DISTRACTED BY DREAMS – for Christians, spiritual things don’t seem real & they think this world is all there is.
6. People BECOME INACTIVE when they get sleepy.
7. Paul gives us 3 steps for us to take to be ready for Jesus’ coming: “WAKE-UP, CLEAN-UP, DRESS-UP”
I. WAKE-UP
“But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed.”
A. MANY HAVE BECOME DISTRACTED and weren’t ready when Jesus came back. Biblical examples are:
1. the five foolish virgins who ran out of oil (Mt. 15:1)
2. the rich man and Lazarus (rich man was completely selfish, Lk. 16:19-31).
3. the disobedient steward who forgot his orders (Mt. 24:45, 48-51),
4. the branch that didn’t abide in the Vine, Jn. 15:6.
5. those who said ‘Lord, Lord,’ but had deceived themselves into thinking they were doing their Master’s will, but weren’t (Mt. 7:21).
B. ILLUS.: EXPECTING JESUS (2ND COMING)
1. A man named Paul was awaiting for a technician to arrive to repair his refrigerator. He was surprised to get a text from the appliance company which read, “Jesus is on his way and is expected to arrive at approximately 11:35 a.m.” Paul soon discovered the technician’s name was indeed Jesus (Hay-SOOS).
2. We, of course, don’t know the “day or hour” of Jesus’ return (Mt. 24:36). What difference might it make in our day-to-day priorities if we DID know the moment our Savior was coming back? Maybe we would intensify our diligence in serving the Lord!
3. Jesus warned us to be ready for His return: “keep watch because you do not know what day your Lord will come,” “the Son of Man will come at an hour when you don’t expect Him,” Matt. 24:42,44.
4. So we won’t get an alert on our phone on the day Jesus is coming back; this means we have to stay alert and busy until He comes! [Cindy Kasper, Daily Bread 6-13-24]
C. 7 SIGNS OF THE END:
1. FALSE CHRISTS/ PROPHETS. Over 1,100 claims “I am Christ” in the last 50 years. Over 25 million Americans are part of cults.
2. EARTHQUAKES/ DISASTERS. Scientists have noted a sharp increase in earthquakes in the last 10 years.
3. INCREASE IN WICKEDNESS. We all are aware of the tide of wickedness sweeping western civilization and the entire world. Riots, murder, 75 million abortions, sexual vice, drugs, gambling…
4. WORLDWIDE EVANGELISM. 70% of all the Evangelism since Christ has occurred in the last 100 years! AI is helping translate the Bible into the remaining languages; they will soon ALL have the Bible in their own language. The End is Near!
5. KNOWLEDGE SHALL INCREASE (Dan. 12:4) Half of Man’s knowledge was gained in the last 15 years and is doubling every 5 years. Computers & television will enable the world to see the 2 witnesses dead in Jerusalem & throw a party. (Rev. 11:9-10).
6. KEY END-TIME PLAYERS
a. ISRAEL IN HER HOMELAND AGAIN. Isaiah 11:11 return the second time -- 1948. Luke 21:24, Jerusalem recovered, 1967. Temple rebuilt, Antichrist will defile it (2 Thess. 2:4).
b. RISE OF E.U. Daniel’s 10-toed Empire (Dan. 2)
c. RISE of the ASIAN SUPERARMY, 200 million, in Rev. 9:16. Rev. 16:12, “that the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared.”
d. RUSSIA as the aggressive Bear of prophecy
7. The Lord Jesus said, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” Lk. 21:28.
II. CLEAN-UP
Paul writes in Rom. 13, “We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight.”
A. TOXIC ASSETS.
1. The 2009 economic crisis was brought about by toxic assets. Toxic assets are loans that banks made that turned negative (lost their value).
2. Toxic assets can also be spiritual. A toxic asset is anything we think is good but is actually hurting us spiritually. Pornography, drugs or alcohol, illicit relationships are all deadly. But so are many things we see as benefiting us.
3. A house or a car can be a toxic when it takes over your life and pushes God out. A job can be spiritually toxic. Money, education, family and friends, beauty or handsomeness—CAN BE great assets unless you allow them to take God's place in your life.
B. HARMLESS LITTLE SIN
1. Ken Henderson, a traveling salesman, came to Kennett, Missouri, in January 2011, selling exotic animals. He had 50 baby alligators, each the size of a pencil. Everyone in the small Missouri town was soon enamored of the cute reptiles. He sold a lot of them, and then moved on.
2. But a year later, the little creatures weren’t so cute; they had grown to about 3 feet in long. They were eating several pounds of meat every day. One lady who had bought two of them, was known to take them out for walks on leashes.
3. She thought they were harmless, until they started jumping toward her and snapping at her hands and arms. An expert said, "As they grow in size, their disposition changes. Like a lion cub as he gets big, it's wild instincts grow. They really aren’t suitable as pets." [Houston Chronicle, A4, "Gators as pets prove to be a pain." April 7, 2012].
4. It’s the SAME WITH SIN. It looks harmless at first; you can’t see how it could hurt you. But in time its true nature begins to take control, and what you thought you could control, soon grows into a life-threatening danger, not only to you, but everyone around you!
III. DRESS-UP IN JESUS
In Romans 13, Paul continues, “Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!”
A. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO CLOTHE YOURSELF WITH CHRIST?
1. We all know what it means to clothe yourselves. Hopefully we’re all clothed here today. Some people give more thought to what they wear than others. It only takes me about 10 seconds to decide what I’m going to wear. But the Scripture says: “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.”
2. We’re to put on the HOLY NATURE of Jesus, being washed white in His blood. We’re to put on the LOVE of Jesus; put on His FORGIVING nature; make the same CHOICES and have the same PRIORITIES as Jesus. And we’re to put on the MISSION of Jesus – to reach lost souls.
3. In Col. 3:12-13 Paul says, “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another....”
B. DRESS LIKE WHO YOU ARE
1. Benjamin Franklin said, “He is ill clothed, who is bare of virtue.” Have you ever been working outside, gotten your clothes all dirty, then put clean clothes on top of your dirty clothes? Not a good idea (P-U!) If we’re going to put on Christ (Romans 13:12-14), we need to remember to take off the old clothes!
2. There was a King who put on peasant clothes and walked around among the common people. He bumped someone and they yelled at him. He said, “How dare you speak to your King like that?” The man said, “If you’re a king, you should dress like a king!” That’s true; if you’re a child of God, you should dress like one.
C. CLOTHED WITH JESUS
1. The Book of Judges makes an unusual description when it says in the Hebrew, “But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with Himself and took possession of him” Judges 6:34, AMP Classic.
2. Gideon’s victory was due to the fact he was clothed with the Holy Spirit. Likewise, we’re supposed to be clothed with the Lord Jesus Christ! That will ensure that we arrive in Heaven in victory!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION:
1. In 1979, speaker Dennis Waitley found himself racing to catch a flight. He was on his way from Chicago to Los Angeles & had to board DC10 flight 191 to deliver a speech.
2. But this time he didn't get there on time. Furious to see the gate agent lock the door just as he arrived, he pleaded with her to open the gate and let him board. She refused and fuming, Waitley left the boarding area to lodge a complaint about her.
3. Twenty minutes later, the news came through the terminal that the plane he had missed had just crashed on take-off, killing all on board.
4. Instantly, his anger and disappointment turned to shock, and later to gratitude. Instead of returning the unused ticket for a refund, he decided to keep it as a silent reminder.
5. Whenever he has trials or difficult circumstances, he takes out the ticket and remembers how God saved his life! No matter how tough it gets for you now, some day, when you stand in heaven, you’ll look back and thank God for saving you from eternal destruction!
B. THE CALL
1. Folks, Jesus is coming back soon! Jesus must sit on the throne of our hearts and govern our lives, words, decisions, actions, entertainments, etc.
2. Jesus said, ‘One will be taken and the other left.’ “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Mt. 24:44.
3. Are you ready for Jesus’ coming? PRAYER
