Sermon On Spiritual Awakening

Casandra Brené Brown, a female American professor and author once remarked: “Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning and purpose to our lives.” Ephesians 5:14 reminds us: “For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

A Spiritual Awakening is reputed to be a profound experience that has often been correlated to a unique interrelation with the Divine, a deeper understanding of the nature of life, or a sense of inner growth and transformation. It can take many forms and is frequently regarded as engendering a state of sublime peace and calmness that may help in attaining clear-mindedness and a greater knowledge of God. Some have suggested that it comes in deferred stages, others would disagree that it can be instantaneous. It can affect people in many different ways and the full implications may be difficult to comprehend. The term can relate to various religious experiences that may be encountered in life. It could be considered as a new sense of being, it has been equated to “Nirvana”, “Enlightenment” or even “Bliss.” It could advocate the belief of a heavenly experience or presence never before felt in life. However, in shrewdness of mind and under certain circumstances, an element of caution is always recommended as 2 Corinthians 11:14 warns: “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

The phenomenon appertaining to some new religions of today which recommend a change in religious life or a different thought process, is that inaccurate or twisted facts, supposedly previously undiscovered, may be highlighted that are actually contrary to true biblical interpretations or meanings. They may infer the promise of an eradication of problems currently being experienced and bring forth new light and reasoning to tempt a change of heart or mind in those who may feel unsure. Jeremiah 29:8 reminds us: “For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream.”

Fervor or zeal will undoubtedly accompany presentations, hoping to attract an influx of new followers into a recently formed sect, which may adversely focus on incidents or beliefs mentioned in the Bible, these misleadingly encourage a new hope. Whether these marked revelations are esoteric or otherwise can remain disturbing for those of discernment, or even create confusion over what is actually true or false. They may be proposed or disclosed in such a way that could be interpreted as hiding the prescribed truths or knowledge of Biblical facts or ethics. James 1:22-25 reminds us: “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

Biblical texts can sometimes be intricate or complex in nature and not easy to readily

understand. They may contain hidden undertones which allow misinterpretation to follow and new thoughts to erupt which deviate from the original intentions of the passage.

Jeremiah 14:14 confirms: And the Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.”

Dreams can play an important role in certain religions and in human life. They are sometimes regarded as a prominent element of spiritual awakening. Depending on the content, dreams can be seen as a direct communication with God. The Bible confirms several instances, where ordinary mortals have been directly communicated with by a divine source. One particular example are the dreams of Joseph narrated in Genesis 37:1-11 which reminds us: “Jacob lived in the land of his father's sojournings, in the land of Canaan. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors. But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.”