Wake Up Church

17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

God is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh. His anointing oil is available for those who eagerly await His coming.

I believe that we are on the edge of a powerful move of God upon the earth. Are you awake and willing to enter into what God is doing today. Don’t be content to rest on past revivals. Don’t miss the visitation that is happening right now!

This sermon was written at the same time as the World Economic Forum was meeting in Davos, Switzerland -- January 2023.

Up to 1000 private jets were flown into Davos bringing participants from around the world. Many requesting that only unvaccinated pilots be used.[1]

· When asked by the New York Times editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal about what to expect in 2023 WEF founder Klaus Schwab said:

I wouldn’t relate it only to ’23. We are in a restructuring of the global economy. When you have a restructuring in a company, you write off the costs on your balance sheet, and shareholders are suffering and sometimes employees have to go. But when you have a restructuring of an economy, it bites into the purchasing power of the people. We should not look at the global economy with a crisis mindset and a short-term approach. We have to manage in a strategic way this transformation period, which may last three, four, five years and will be socially very painful.

The company is not just an economic unit: it's a social organism.

2 Timothy 3:1–5 (NKJV)

Perilous Times and Perilous Men

3 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

Some of WEF goals By 2030

· The WEF plans to remove the United States as a dominant power.

· All countries will have to pay Carbon emission Taxes.

· We will not be allowed to own anything.

· Eating meat will be discouraged, if not eliminated, replaced with proteins made from bugs and plants.

It wouldn't be a World Economic Forum summit if bugs didn't take center stage. Siemens AG Chairman Jim Hagemann said he was inspired by his 24-year-old daughter to stop eating meat to fight climate change and urged one million people to stop eating meat to balance out jet emissions—like the jets his fellow attendees used to travel to the conference?

Here's what he said:

If a billion people stop eating meat, I tell you, it has a big impact. Not only does it have a big impact on the current food system, but it will also inspire innovation of food systems."

Of course, finding "alternative sources of protein" means... you guessed it... BUGS. The EU is already cutting down on cattle farms and promoting the building of insect farms to initiate this "protein transition."[2]

John Kerry wants to be our savior:

When you start to think about it, it's pretty extraordinary that we — select group of human beings because of whatever touched us at some point in our lives — are able to sit in a room and come together and actually talk about saving the planet [...] I mean, it's so almost extraterrestrialto think about saving the planet [...] if you say that to most people, most people think you're just a crazy, tree-hugging, lefty liberal, you know, do-gooder, or whatever, and there's no relationship. But really, that's where we are.[3]

It's time for the Church to wake-up! Press into God’s Spirit Revival is at hand. Jesus is coming! Are you ready? Are you alert and expecting?

I. Being Alert

Jim Wilson, who wrote Sleepwalking on a Cliff said:

Have you ever had a dream where you are free-falling, only to wake up in bed? Ryan Campbell wasn’t dreaming when he fell down a 60-foot cliff in the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky, but he was sleeping. Thankfully, he suffered only minor injuries.

While fully awake people can fall, the likelihood increases if you’re sleepwalking while camping near a cliff. Being alert is more than merely being awake; it is watchful diligence.[4]

A. the parable of the Ten Virgins is a call to be Awake and Alert

Matthew 25:1-13

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. [5]

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1. Are you flowing with divine oil or are you pretending?

George Whitefield the great preacher of the American Revolution in the 16-century said:

They would go to church, say over several manuals of prayers, come perhaps into a field to hear a sermon, give at a collection, and receive the sacrament constantly, nay, oftener than once a month. But then here lay the mistake; they had no oil in their lamps, no principle of grace, no living faith in their hearts, without which, though we should give all our goods to feed the poor, and our bodies to be burnt, it would profit us nothing.[6]

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There are Christians today that are merely going through the motions. They have no passion for revival. They are asleep in the light!

2. It’s time for believers to be willing to be scandalized!

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How many of you heard of the man at the Mall of America being asked to leave for wearing a Jesus Saves shirt? He was willing to become a scandal:

A security guard speaking to the man is heard saying, "You can take the shirt off... or you can leave the mall. Those are your only options right now."

Later in the two-minute clip, the man asked, "What is wrong with my t-shirt?"

"It is religious soliciting. There is no soliciting allowed on mall property, which is private property," the guard said. The security guard is also heard telling the man that people are offended by his shirt and that if he takes it off, he can continue shopping.[7]

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Whitefield goes on to say:

The only question is, what will become of the Almost Christian, one that is content to go, as he thinks, in a middle way to heaven, without being profane on the one hand, or, as he falsely imagines, righteous over-much on the other?[8]

Our Call is to be Alert and Watchful. To seek the Anointing to minister to this generation.

Jack Hayford says:

Watchfulness does not mean idleness, but a faithful discharge of one’s responsibilities. The wise use of gifts and abilities entrusted to us results in greater opportunities, while their neglect results not only in the loss of more opportunities, but of that which was entrusted to us.[9]

1 Thessalonians 5:6 (ESV)

6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.

B. Being Awake or Being Woke

All ten of the virgins fell asleep. Five slept without oil and five had an abundance of oil. The church must wake up and be alert.

The world is desperately attempting to bring about the WOKE culture. We are in a conflict between Being Woke and Being Awake!

1. Both the Wise and the Foolish Virgins thought they were being righteous

The difference is one is depending upon their own righteousness the other depends upon an abundance of oil (Holy Spirit).

· Being Woke you lose Grace, Love, and Forgiveness

Those without the Oil of the Spirit must continually try to earn righteousness by works. Wokeness believe that the sins of the past are never forgiven. Those who never committed these sins must pay in reparations to those who were never sinned against. It has no Grace and is fueled by greed.

· Being Awake you understand that true forgiveness is only found in the Blood of Jesus Christ

Justice can only come when we are Justified by the Blood of Christ. Being Awake and being Filled with the Spirit is the only way to heal the sins of our past.

· Being Woke separates us by race, identity groups, and victim status

Your value is determined by what a racial category or ethnicity – by your victim status.

· Being Awake you understand that we are all one in Christ!

Galatians 3:26–28 (NIV)

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Do you have an abundance of oil?

2. Give us some of your oil!

John Piper says it’s not to teach us selfishness that the wise do not share their oil:

A life of foolishness deepens foolishness. When the shout goes out that the bridegroom is here, they trim their empty lamps. Still no oil. Just outward form. They trim their empty lamps when the cry rings out! This is deep folly. They have neglected the means appointed for doing their duty, and not even the shout wakens them to their empty lamps—not at first anyway. They trim their empty—their useless—lamps.

And then they ask the impossible. Give us from your oil. The fact that the five wise virgins won’t give them any oil is not meant to teach selfishness. It’s meant to teach the impossibility of borrowing faith. It’s meant to teach the impossibility of borrowing the power of the Holy Spirit—the impossibility borrowing obedience and faithfulness. It’s too late.[10]

You can’t use your grandmother’s oil. You must have your own.

II. They Rose and Trimmed their Lamps

Matthew 25:6–7 (ESV)

6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps.

A. Trimming their lamps is the call to Cosmic Revival

trimmed,kosmeo (kos-meh-oh); Strong’s #2885: Compare “cosmetic.” To beautify, arrange, decorate, furnish, embellish, adorn, put in order. Here is a picture of revival before the Second Coming of Christ.[11]

Jesus is coming with a shout. The call to come out and meet Him is the call to COSMIC REVIVAL.

Are you ready to meet with Jesus? The Bridegroom is coming!

Charles Finney said:

A revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God.[12]

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B. How was kosméō used?

kosméō [to order], kósmos [world], kósmios [well-mannered], kosmikós [earthly, worldly]

kosméō. This verb means “to order,” hence “to command” or “to regulate,” also “to adorn,” “to furnish,” and “to bring honor to.”[13]

1. Trimming your lamp requires:

· Alertness – You are Aware and Awake to what God is doing

· Arrangement – You have your life together. It is in order

· Adornment – You are clothed in His righteousness and with His presence

2. Nonbiblical Usage of kósmos

1. Of uncertain etymology, kósmos has various senses connected with “order.” It thus denotes “what is well assembled or constructed from its individual parts.”

2. When what is constructed consists of people, we find the sense of “human order,” e.g., of rowers, of an army, or of a city or state.

3. The general sense of “order” (e.g., “right order”) is also common.

4. Since what is well ordered is also beautiful, kósmos may denote “adornment” (women, buildings, walls, cultic actions, etc.).

5. kósmos as “World.” I. The Greek View.

a. The senses previously mentioned all merge in that of the cosmic order. The use of kósmos for the universe is widespread and goes back to an early period. The idea is that there is an order of things that corresponds to the order of human law. Individual things are at odds, as people engage in disputes, but an immanent cosmic norm holds things together as law does society. The world itself is thus viewed as an ordered society.

b. The first use of kósmos for the universe refers to the order that constitutes it a totalityrather than to the universe itself. Only later does the term come to mean the totality that is constituted by this order. When exactly the word acquires the spatial sense is much debated. The idea of a cosmos in the spatial sense is undoubtedly present in the fifth century B.C.; questions of space and infinity arise already in the natural philosophy of this period.[14]

The Revival that is coming – that we must press into – is one of totality

· It is Comprehensive

· It impacts Everything – The whole Enchilada

· It is Cosmic

Psalm 85:4–7 (ESV)

4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us! 5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations? 6 Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? 7 Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.

Isaiah 57:15 (ESV)

15 For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:

“I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.

Revelation 3:1–6 (ESV)

To the Church in Sardis

3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “ ‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

III. Jesus is coming – Are eagerly waiting?

The verb for “eagerly waits” (apekdechomai) is used seven times in the New Testament, each time to refer to Christ’s return[15]

Three times in Romans 8 vs.13,23,25

Romans 8:18–25 (ESV)

Future Glory

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present timeare not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaningtogether in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

1 Corinthians 1:7 (NIV)

7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

Galatians 5:5–6 (ESV)

5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

Philippians 3:20–21 (ESV)

20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Hebrews 9:27–28 (ESV)

27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Are you eagerly waiting for Him. Are you alert and ready?

[1]https://sandrarose.com/2023/01/billionaires-requesting-unvaccinated-pilots-for-private-jets-video/ [2]https://www.glennbeck.com/contributor/here-are-5-ridiculous-moments-from-the-davos-summit [3]ibid [4]Jim L. Wilson‍, “Sleepwalking off a Cliff,” in 300 Illustrations for Preachers, ed. Elliot Ritzema (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015). [5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version(Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mt 25:1–13. [6]George Whitefield, Selected Sermons of George Whitefield(Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1999). [7]https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/mall-of-america-man-wearing-jesus-saves-shirt-was-not-kicked-out/89-be3f1eea-af7b-4a7b-8c5b-b46e1308786b [8]George Whitefield, Selected Sermons of George Whitefield(Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1999). [9]Jack W. Hayford, ed., Spirit Filled Life Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997), Mt 25:14. [10]John Piper, Sermons from John Piper (2000–2014)(Minneapolis, MN: Desiring God, 2014). [11]Jack W. Hayford, ed., Spirit Filled Life Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1997), Mt 25:12. [12]Elliot Ritzema, ed., 300 Quotations for Preachers(Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012). [13]Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, and Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1985), 459. [14]Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich, and Geoffrey William Bromiley, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1985), 460. [15]John A. Witmer, “Romans,”in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 472.

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