Wake UP

Today, we begin a new series of lesson obviously called Seven-Ups, and we'll get to that in just a second. But everything in that song. I have decided to follow Jesus. And at the end of the song that says no turning back. No turning back. I'm reminded of what happened in the days of the Roman Empire and how the Romans had gone to England. And they came upon the shores of the Great Clips of English, and they had to bring all their ladders and stuff to climb up. Those steep cliffs in order to attack. Great Britain as the soldier, the Roman soldiers were getting off their ships and onto the shore and climbing up to the top of the cliffs. When they were all assembled at the top of the cliffs. They realize that the ships that they had. Come on. We're burning.

And so we get the expression don't burn your Bridges while it comes from. Don't burn your ships that brought you and the Roman Commander at the time said we are going to fight and we're going to fight to the death and he burned all the boats in the fridge brought them there and there's no turning back. No turning back. And you know, I remember when I was a younger man. Another Christian and I had began to fall away again to go after the things of the world. But I remember there's a song that I can come out in the early 80s by REO, Speedwagon. I don't know if you know that but the REO Speedwagon was was a big-time group for my generation. Probably not so much these days but in any event, the song was something like this. It's time to bring the ship into the shores and throw away yours forever. I want you thinking about that song. Because I was also into history and that that was a history major. And that's what I wanted to do become a history teacher, and now I remember listen to that song and thinking about the Roman Empire, thinking about the burning of the bridges and thinking about the Rubicon River and thinking about how there's another, if you ever heard the expression, don't show us cross the Rubicon for the Rubicon was a river and, and the Army had to go across this River. And when the Army across the river, the general said, You have crossed the Rubicon. There's no turning back. And so when we talked our own Rubicon, you can't go back. I want to bring you or shipping to the shores and you do yours forever. You have one focus in mind and that is exactly that. And so I thought to myself, you know, there's a lot of scripture No songs, a lot of a scriptural understanding in those songs. And the fact is when you put Jesus Christ on in baptism, there's no turning back. There's no turning back. You crossed the Rubicon. You said? Yes to. Jesus Christ. You married Jesus Christ. You cannot divorce. Jesus Christ. And so the only way to go now is

those thoughts in mind as we think about today's lesson as we think about those Seven-Ups, and today we're going to be talking about one of The Seven-Ups, but

Where are we? You have to turn forward.

These are 7 months will be discussing before we get into the Life of Christ. And so need to wake up. So this morning we were talking about waking up and don't need to dress them. We need to have clothes. We need to give up. We need to look up. We need to reach that we need to lift.

And this is all part of a revolution in Jesus Christ brought to this earth, and these are the concepts and principles associated with that particular Revolution.

I love that. I love that. It's been there done that kind of a thing as sleeping and hear the clappy going on and you want to be a part of it and you don't want to make it look like you've been sleeping. So you're just happen along with me. Have no idea what's going on. What does a Revolution going on? In many of us are sleeping? Many of us are sleeping in one of the great things that Martin Luther King used to talk about was a revolution. Revolution. I need to said the same thing many today or sleeping through a revolution. One of the great individuals and institutions find themselves in a great period of change and yet fail to achieve the New Attitudes in the outlooks that the new situation demands, there is nothing more tragic than to sleep through a revolution. And he will also begin to talk about the story of Rip Van Winkle. You remember that story, Rip Van Winkle, Rip Van Winkles. A story that took place was written by Washington Irving from New York and Washington Irving lives on the Hudson River. And his writings focused upon things around the Hudson River in the Catskill Mountains. And so Rip Van Winkle, the story about this guy who got up one morning, went to the top of the mountain and fell asleep, and he did so for 20 years. And so when he when he went up to the Mountain King George, the third was the king in charge, but when he woke up 28, 20 years later, George Washington was now the president of the United States of America. And so the point is is that he slept through a revolution. Slept through Revolution and just decide to just down the river a little ways from where this imaginary story took place was not one other maginary story from a real town called Sleepy Hollow. so, Washington, Irving, wrote those, but I will get it to Sleepy Hollow thing. But now we have to understand that we need to wake up. That's the point of the stories. That's the point of what we read in Ephesians chapter 5:2 getting it first because we were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, walk is Children of life. And except for the fruit of the spirit is all good. His righteousness and Truth finding out what is acceptable to the Lord and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose ourselves to send, we can't tie ourselves to sinners. That's what he's talking about. He said you can't be or policy. Don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers.

Give me the site, don't be yoked on believer. You said don't be unequally yoked to unbelievers. You have to live in a world where there are many unbelievers whether it be in school or work, but you can't chop off your head. So you have to live with unbelievers, but he said don't let them influence you. Don't let them bring you down to their level. Don't be unequally yoked with an unbeliever. And so he says that that we need to expose all the unfruitful works of darkness. And that means there's talking about Christians and he's talking about Christians who were sleeping. And he says, Paul said it this way in Romans chapter 16 and 17 Mark, then that cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctor what you have learned and avoid them. And so that's the idea of exposing send along with the scanner. People have to mark. Those people, people have to know those people, we call that church discipline. And so Paul's riding say, listen before, that can happen, encourage the people to wake up, come to their senses. Much like the prodigal son did what he realize, where he was woke up, and came to his senses. And so, with us, we also need to wake up and come to our senses. So for us as Christians that, yes, we need to sleep physically, but it is possible that spiritually we can be in a slumber. We could be sleeping. So the question is, are we awake this morning? Not physically, but spiritually, already, awake, this morning. Are we not in off? Where are we sound asleep? and so, these are the things that we need to explore this morning and noticed, the Paul writes in 1st Corinthians chapter 15 is awake to righteousness and do not

What song was saying? What are you saying that? We can't send it all the way to righteousness and do not go out of your way to spend. Do not put that in your heart. Do not even think about it. For something to have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your sake and you know what happens, when people send you don't, why people send Well, because they want to in the first place, but second place, they don't know God's word. The Paul, he was telling us, these people don't have a knowledge of God and want to send. And where do we get the knowledge of God? Obviously God's word, right? Well again, that's why we have Bible study, if that's why, you know, the first century Christians didn't have our luxury of having this book. They had to be in the presence of somebody to hear a message. I didn't think they could just take this book home. And if there were Scrolls, those Scrolls were expensive and only for the wealthy, and only for the rich. So, the modern Christians are the, the average person I should say couldn't bring home a book that they can look over and say, no, they had to be in the presence of someone all the time.

And so, again, we need to awake to righteousness and do not send. And we do not send me, do not go out of our way to send, because we know what God says. We know what God says in. Every situation, we my financial You said, well, he has not, he can't be talking about this situation or that situation. Yes. He is because you talkin through principles principles that were applicable today, even as they were back then. They're still relevant. And so he says, I speak this to your shame because you're lacking the knowledge of God With Jesus. When sitting Remember being tempted by the devil, in the desert. It is written. The devil would catch on East Side. It is written. Now if Jesus had to learn the Bible so I can to put that in his heart and then turn around and in a situation where he help you recall about the Bible, the passages and say I can't do that because it is written. What makes us think that we don't have to do that? We need to do that. David said that word have I treated that Heart By Heart that I might not sin against me. So it is appropriate. It is a responsibility and it doesn't come in for us to have the word of Christ dwelling. In our hearts. Richly that we need to do always in Romans 13:1. And do this knowing the time that now it is high time. Time to bring the ship into the shore and throw away. The oars if not high time to awake out of sleep. For now, your salvation is nearer than when we first believed everyday, your salvation is nearer. Original, we know every day. That's a

But along with that everyday salvation is, there is well, we like to think about the good. And so when you bring your ship into the shore or you throw away, the oars from blowing out to be associated with the world and you turned to Jesus and you turned in his word. It doesn't matter. What tomorrow may bring. It doesn't matter when Jesus Christ returns. You're just knowing that, you know, you're in Christ Jesus. That makes all the difference in the world, brother. You don't have to worry about. Am I going to die? What's going to happen? When I die? A lot of people ask that question. I heard a lot of questions and Hospital. Say the same thing. I'll have I done enough. I don't know if I'm going to go to heaven. It's a brother-sister. What are you thinking? You'll never do enough. In fact, you can't do enough to go to heaven, but you can do the best that you can do and rely upon Christ. Jesus, for the rest of the way. That's what we need to do. And Paul 29th that down notifications chapter 5. Wake you sleeping or rise from the dead and Christ will give you light and not as he says light and not life. He's already given them life but to sustain the life that they have now, they needs a lot. And we just did a series of lessons from the book of 1st John. And what is the Bible there? Tell us. But if we walk in the what in the life, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ. His son cleanses us from all sing. But Wings predicated upon walking in black. And what does that mean? Walking in? The light of God's work? That's how God has given us a word which illuminates our minds, which helps us to understand what we need to do. So Christ gives us life.

When we are walking in the next. Next verse says, walking circumspectly, walking upright, walking up to the standards of God.

And so it is imperative upon each of us to understand that there's a revolution in. This is exactly what Paul says. I know the this is fine print. I guess we'll call it but in Colossians chapter 1, beginning of R12, you know, this passage. Well, he says giving thanks to the father who has qualified US to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of his son, the son of his love, and who we have Redemption through his blood, the Forgiveness of sins. And because of that, he says this, he has that had all the body. The church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. That is all things. He may have the preeminent.

In all things in Christ Jesus. He says everything must come first. Everything is talking about our spiritual lives.

If there's a thing that I have to do in my lifetime, if there's something I have to do today, I have to do Jesus thing first. That's what that means. And so the kingdom must come first. That's simply what Jesus said, right? He said, the kingdom must come first in your life. So, as Paul continues, when he says, Christ must have their preeminent, you think about the power of that flow? If each of us learn to give Christ to preeminence in our relationship to one another where that might lead us. If we decided to give Christ to preeminence in our personal evangelism, just think where, that might lead us. If we were to give Christ a preeminence and everything, we do, including, where we work, and where we go to school and how we live with other people. What does Jesus say about living with other people?

Then come first, you come last that's putting Christ first, that's giving him the preeminence. And so it is even when it comes to learning more about Jesus. We have all this time in our lives. We need to set aside time brother. We need to set aside time to read his word to study his word because that's how we roll.

There's no other way to grow intimately was Christ except through his work. It's always set aside time for my. Only a few show up. Preeminence, give Christ the preeminence and let's see how good things can turn out. Let's see how good things in this community. Let's see how good things in this world can turn out. You imagine being kind to a stranger. Why are we to be kind to a stranger? Because Jesus wants us to be kind to a stranger. Give him the pre-eminence. When you look in your, it's the little things in life. It's the little things in life, you know, when you're coming out of the heart, Super grocery store and you come and you're walking through the parking lot and you see some papers on the ground or you see a plastic bottle on the ground. Take it to the trash. It's the little things that people see you do. That makes them want to do the same. We all want to do it. We all the trash on the ground. But yeah, we're too involved with our show, so stupid now and pick it up and throw it away.

How many grocery carts are all scattered about? And you got a place where the carts go. You mean to tell me. You can't take 10 more seconds out of your busy schedule to push that car into where they belong. It makes no sense to me. I don't care. Of course, you know, the expression common sense is not what it used to be today. Kindness is not what it is or what? It should be today. It's the little things that Jesus is saying you need to do the little things, the little things in life.

And so he says give him the pre-eminence Colossians 1:27 and all of it and you who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by Wicked works. What did Paul say in Ephesians 5:8 for you were once in darkness, but now, like in the Lord, what was children of light? Says, you are once alienated and enemies in your mind by Wicked works. You were once the darkness has reconciled in the death to present you, holy and blameless and above reproach in his side. If indeed you continue in the faith, word of God. Grounded and steadfast and are not moved away from the Hulk which you heard. He saying, you've been reconciled to God. You have grace and grace, and more grace, and price about him in your life because you have been to Jesus Christ. If there if indeed you continue in the word of God, the thing. Well, how do you continue in the word of God? The thing grounded steadfast and are not moved away. That's the idea need to be grounded, grounded. Tell me right now. Is this word and like many of you I was there. How's your spies reading? I think I told this story before I hated to read. I'd never liked reading. And when I was a little kid. I thought there was something wrong with me then, call me today or whatever. They want to call it, but I just didn't like reading. But once you came along and said, he likes football. Give me a ride to stall deck boat, so they had to order more because those are the things that I would read in the Bible. You don't have the kind of Christian. I didn't like reading the Bible. But you know what, 21 * me to have it and it's so true. Stopping, you created heaven. It becomes part of who you are. So I began reading, forget, and begin reading and now I can't. You just can't put it down. Because you can grow into a faction within you. Learned your love God, you love God, word. But you don't learn to love God and you don't learn to love God's word until you begin to do it, do it. You can do it. I think there's a football movie like that, with, you can do it. You can do it. We all can do it. And so, how do you think about? That idea. Who's this? Remember this guy? One of them best middle linebackers. The game of football has ever seen. I don't care what you think about his Antics and I don't care about the idea that Bo Jackson kind of mowed him down at his first opening game. He was, he had a lot of injuries, but he was one of the Premier linebackers of all the time until I'm sure but that's the bottom.

That's true might not ever be as good as the boss. But you know what? You can be good. What about this? Who's that guy? Who is that guy? Who Tom Brady? Right? They called the goat, and when's that I don't agree. When kids look at the goat when they look at Tom Brady, they say if I play football, I can never be as good. That's true, but still can be good. Just think about how many quarterbacks have ever played the game of football and never measured up to the talent and the success, you play the game, they love. The men made something of themselves. They focus that they made it to the top. Now, there's going to be people at the top or even better than you. We have to understand that. we have to understand, there's people who are Better looking more successful. All of that physical stuff that comes through life, but it doesn't matter you to be the best that you can be. That's what Jesus is saying throughout the scriptures. And so he's the greatest of all time according to folks but not to me. This guy is the greatest of all time and you know who that is. Don't you Rodger the Dodger Starbucks? That's right. If he were to play in the offenses that they run. Now, today, remember, back in the day. They didn't run the ball that much in the reason they run the ball all that much because the rules are different. Batman 1 receiver went out on a on a plane. He was going down the field to catch the ball under could push him around. Ryan Higa knock his lights out if you wanted to. And that's when they had head-slapping on the line of scrimmage, now. I was getting ahead by me. I was getting up all the pile and a guy was pushed over. And his knee, hit the side of my head and how is rupee. I mean, I just I had a concussion. And I had to be helped off to the sideline, because there's that soft cushion of the helmet. Was just the center. That one little area of the helmet. That wasn't protecting the brain. Of course, you've probably heard about that in recent years, about the CTE and all these other things, but then he meant there was all sorts of things that they do and more violent. So that's why I'm saying if Rodger could have played in today's environment things. I think would look different and and I would think he would be the greatest of all time and there is just because I want to show you more of Rodger Staubach, but then people think about the Apostle Paul get project met. You think about the greatest missionary of all time the greatest

And look at the coloring there. You got the blue. You got the white, you got the rent. Those are the missionary trips, three of them with Paul trip, around the Mediterranean. A lot of people say, you know, I'm not Paul I can never be Paul. That's right. You can never meet all but you can still be good and what Christ wants you to do?

Well, I don't know enough to evangelize. Yes, you do. Yes, you do. And that is all you need to do is say come to church. Come to bible class. Do you want to study the Bible? We can have our preachers or Elders or somebody from the congregation? What will have a Bible study?

Well, maybe a little longer with me, but alright. It's not that difficult just like door knocking people are.

You go and knock on the door. Knock knock. They say hello, you know, that most of the time, no one says they want you to go away right after they were in their pajamas. All right.

Wow. Not hard at all folks. and so, We need to do good. We need to be the best that we can be. Remember. She doesn't do it or he doesn't do it. I'm not going to do it. It's not about you. You are the one who's going to stand before Jesus one day.

Are you going to discuss your heart with you? And there's nothing that you can say, there's no excuse that you can make. What do you want to have? To be honest? I certainly on that day and someone we think about all of this, we think about awake. You who sleep or rise from the dead in Christ will give you light.

It has me closed. Want to ask a few questions are broke down.

Can a person be saved who refuses to obey?

Bible tells us, he's the author of Eternal salvation to all those who obey him there. For those who are bad. Have the chance at Salvation. No one else does. Can a person be saved? Who refuses to work?

God shows. No partiality. And that whoever Works righteousness is accepted for 10:35.

You need to quit saying that the Bible tells us the next chapter 10. Jesus. Whenever we're doing good. Now, he could do that and he had to do that. What Makes Us think that we don't have any? He's our example. We need to follow him. And if he did good we need to do good everywhere we go. Can a person be saved without being in Christ Jesus?

We are all children of God by the faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as the baptizing to Christ and put on Christ. You have to be immersed in water for the Forgiveness of your sins to be in Christ. That's exactly what Paul said. No other person is. As sincere as folklore. And a side of the situation, b, b. It does not Trump the truth of What God Says. For as many of you have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Anyone else has not put on fries. So simple as that. Can a person be saved without the blood of Christ, why you can't add you into the blood of Christ without entering into Christ. So yeah, a person must have the blood of Christ in there lad to be safe and can one who is not forgiven be safe. If that was the case that Jesus was wrong. When he said he that believes and is baptized shall be saying, Peter was wrong when he says repent and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, if everyone is a center and they're still safe. What's the point of that? What's the point of those passages? And I was talking about now evangelism, personal evangelism. Where's the best place to start with personal evangelism?

First hear your heart. The second place is your home. Your home. Many of us have brothers and sisters. I'm talking about physical brothers and sisters who are not Christians. If they ever were Christians, they're not Christians. They're not following Christ. Then, if you have parents who are not Christians. Venom, do you have children? Who are not Christians. Don't really make a difference. If you can answer this question, honestly. Does it matter what church someone goes to?

I'm asking that an awesome Siri doesn't matter what you believe. Does Doctor Who really matter?

The doctor, I mean, teaching does teaching really matter. Does it really matter?

We need to go and focus upon what we need to do. A lot of you have children parents friends, close one's relatives who ever start with a Wandering Way. In Zen Den, sit down, son. I miss you being at church son. I want you to but you know that I love you still, but you're outside of Christ now. I need to keep pressing the manor. Until finally, one day, it dawned on me that I needed to bring the ship into the shore.

Rolling with you more forever.

b, b stands for