Open—Ethan Porter
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Can we turn to Romans chapter 13?
If I could share something personal, there's a there's a verse in this chapter that I haven't been able to stop thinking about for.
Months now.
Recently I was had made plans to.
Go to a Bible study with someone and they were going to come pick me up. It was a Saturday morning and.
I was never very good growing up at being on time to things, but since I've spent some time on my own I've discovered.
The.
There's a secret that I didn't know that if you give yourself plenty of time to get ready, it's a little less stressful. And I knew this person was going to be there at a certain time to pick me up and I was ready well in advance and so.
I had a moment to sit on the couch by the window where I could see if they'd pull up and just have a little quick rest before they got there.
Knowing that they were going to come pick me up, my ride was all set. I didn't need to drive myself. I really didn't need to do anything.
Most of us.
Believe and know.
The Lords coming for us, he's going to call us home very soon.
Human nature would suggest to us there's absolutely nothing for us to worry about.
Which is true, since we trust the Lord so.
Maybe now is a good time for us all to.
Just rest a little bit knowing that our ride is coming soon.
Let's see what this verse says.
Romans 13, verse 11.
And that knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep for now as our salvation nearer than when we believed.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor.
Of light.
Salvation in verse 11. I have to believe it's referring to the resurrection.
The final piece, as it were, of our salvation.
For now, it's nearer than when we believed. We were saved when we believed but.
The salvation of our bodies, the resurrection, it's nearer now than when we believed. This is not of reason to take our rest. It's not a reason to take a break and begin to fall asleep, as it were. It's high time to awake out of sleep.
Let's turn to Luke chapter 12.
I.
I don't know where you are at personally. Maybe you're very well studied in the scripture. Maybe you only know a little bit. Maybe you're young. Maybe you're old. I.
Whatever the case.
Any of us.
Has this danger to fall into a wrong way of thinking about our lives here?
Verse 16.
Luke, chapter 12.
They spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do? Because I have no room where to bestow my fruits. And he said, This will I do. I will pull down my barns and build greater. And they were alive. He stole all my fruits and my goods, and I will say to my soul, Soul.
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Now has much goods laid out.
For many years take thine, ease, eat, drink, be merry. The goddess said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. Then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?
No, this is not the way we normally.
Apply this parable, but in verse 19 it says.
Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease.
Eat, drink and be merry. Could say repose thyself.
Take a break.
You've got a lot of goods. Everything is good right now.
You've stored up a lot.
Take a break.
What could be the harm?
Like I said, I don't know what your situation is, but.
If things are going well, that's not a time to go to sleep.
And maybe things aren't going well for you. That's not a time to sleep either. Cast yourself on the Lord. Study His word. Get to know it. Because.
No one knows what's going to happen tomorrow.
And.
I really appreciate what her brother was sharing before this and.
The Lord is looking for something from us during our time here, our time here. It matters. That's why we're here. And if we begin to go to sleep, we're going to miss out on spending our time here the way that He wants us to.
And if we go to sleep spiritually, we won't be prepared when they attack. The enemy comes and it will come and it will come again as long as we're here.
Let's just turn to Revelation Chapter 3.
Someone that's asleep is unaware of what's going on around them.
In fact, someone that's asleep might be unaware of something that's happening to them.
Or where they are.
Verse 14.
And under the Angel of the Church, the Laodiceans write these things, saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou art cold or hot.
So then, because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth, because thou sayest I am rich and increase with goods, and have need of nothing.
And knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked.
Notwithstanding the proper address of bad doctrine or bad situations that exist in Christianity.
If you read these verses.
About the Laodiceans.
And you look at anyone else or anywhere else before you look at yourself. You do not understand why these verses were written.
Someone that's asleep doesn't know what kind of state they're in.
Don't fall asleep.
Keep a watch. The Laodiceans believed were rich were increased with goods. We have need of nothing.
I would suggest maybe even they thought it was time to rest.
It's not.
It's not a time to rest.
Someone that's awake.
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They know what's going on, they're alert, they're keeping an eye out.
And we need to.
Watch our own state.
And perhaps the state of our assembly, but.
We need to watch our own state.
And we need to be honest with ourselves about what kind of state we're in. And more importantly, we need to be honest with God.
And before God, about what kind of state?
We're in so that we don't end up believing that everything's going well, that we're rich, an increase with goods, and we don't know that we're wretched and poor.
So you do examine yourself.
You'll find, perhaps, that you are in a state of great need.
Verse 18 I council lead to buy me gold dried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear, and anoint thine eyes with eye cells that don't Maya see as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore.
And repent.
So the Lord provides a solution for one that finds themselves in this position, and I'm sure.
That I'm only scratching the surface of.
These three things in verse 18.
But we have truth.
Elsewhere, we're told to buy the truth and not sell it.
We have.
A clean testimony and walk.
And we have.
Ourselves, that we might see to continue to be aware and no longer go back to that state of blindness. To be able to see and to be aware and alert and awake. As many as I love, I rebuke and chase and be zealous therefore, and repent.
If you're the Lord's, he loves you, He will rebuke you. He will chasten you.
And the only responsibility you have with regards to that is to be zealous and repent. Except what the Lord is bringing before you. Be honest with yourself and with Him about your state.
Knowing the time.
High time to awake out of sleep for now. Is our salvation near than when we believe?