Watch And Be Sober

Watch and Be Sober

“Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.”

—I Thessalonians 5:6 (KJV)

Introduction

History has shown us the danger of being caught unprepared.

On December 7, 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor struck suddenly.

On September 11, 2001, the Twin Towers fell in an unexpected wave of terror.

Both moments shook our nation and exposed how complacency can invite disaster.

Paul gives us the same warning in Scripture:

“Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” (I Thessalonians 5:6)

Christians cannot afford to drift into slumber when the world around us grows darker.

The devil is prowling, nations are shaking, and Christ’s return draws near.

This message calls us to spiritual alertness and sobriety.

1. The Call to Sobriety and Watchfulness

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (I Peter 5:8 KJV)

Paul gives this charge because the days are evil and the times are perilous.

The devil never sleeps.

He is always on the prowl, looking for the careless, the prayerless, and the spiritually distracted. If soldiers sleep at their posts, the whole camp is in danger.

If Christians sleep in their walk with God,

their homes, their churches, and their souls become vulnerable.

Sobriety means having a clear mind,

free from the intoxicating distractions of sin, pleasure, and worldliness.

Watching means staying alert, prayerful,

and prepared for both the trials of life and the coming of the Lord.

Jesus told of ten virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom.

Five were wise and brought oil in their lamps.

Five were foolish and unprepared.

At midnight, the cry was made, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh!”

The wise entered in, but the foolish were left behind.

“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 25:13 KJV)

Many today are like the foolish virgins

—going about daily life without oil in their lamps,

without prayer,

without the Spirit’s fire.

But Christ is coming.

Only the watchful and prepared will enter in.

“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” (Matthew 25:13 KJV)

2. Historical Warnings—Lessons Not to Be Forgotten

“For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” (I Thessalonians 5:3 KJV)

History teaches that when men ignore warnings, disaster strikes.

Both Pearl Harbor and 9/11 illustrate what happens when warning signs are ignored.

In both cases, danger was near, but too many were unprepared.

Likewise, Jesus warned:

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” (Matthew 24:42 KJV)

The people in Noah’s day lived as though judgment would never come.

They ate, drank, and married until the flood swept them away (Matthew 24:38–39).

The cry of “peace and safety” lulls nations and souls into complacency,

but Paul warns:

“For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.” (I Thessalonians 5:3 KJV)

Biblical Example: Belshazzar’s Feast (Daniel 5:1–31)

King Belshazzar held a drunken feast, mocking God by drinking from the holy vessels of the temple.

While he boasted in false security, the armies of the Medes and Persians were already breaking through the gates.

That very night the hand of God wrote on the wall:

“Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” (Daniel 5:27 KJV).

Before dawn, Belshazzar was slain and Babylon fell.

Application: Like Belshazzar,

King Belshazzar held a drunken feast,

He was mocking God by drinking from the holy vessels of the temple.

While he boasted in false security,

the armies of the Medes and Persians were already breaking through the gates.

That very night the hand of God wrote on the wall: “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” (Daniel 5:27 KJV).

Before dawn, Belshazzar was slain and Babylon fell.

Application: Like Belshazzar, nations and people who ignore God’s warnings will be overtaken by sudden judgment.

False peace is more dangerous than open war.

3. A Nation and a Church in Need of Awakening

“But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” I Peter 4:7

Even now, America drifts in a fog of humanism and spiritual indifference.

Leaders call for vigilance against terrorism,

but few call for repentance before Almighty God.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12 KJV)

A nation that forgets God will not stand long.

The same is true for churches and families.