Have you ever been traveling on business or on a tight
schedule? As a pastor at times I have found myself at conferences and when the
day is over I go back to my hotel room and call the front desk to ask for a
wakeup call. Most adults have done that at one time or another just to make
sure we do not over sleep so we ready for the demanding schedule of the next
morning. Some people are night owls, others are early birds, but we all have
had those longs days when we are just wiped out from the activity of day and we
look forward to a good sleep. But because we have to be ready early we need
that wake up call from someone else so we make sure we are up in time to be
ready for the next day. Just last week I had planned to be up to attend a 6:30
a.m. prayer meeting. It was about a 15 minute drive away. I set my alarm for 5
a.m. and even a second follow up wake up call for 5:30. That morning when I
finally realized what time it was I had had sleep through 1 of my wakeup alarms
and then had to decide if I would push it and still make it in time or just
forget it? I decided to go for it and rushed through the bathroom, dressed and
out the door. When I arrived it was 6:30 exactly. I was close to being late,
but I wasn’t. I must admit there have been others times and more then I really
want to admit when I was not early or on time, but late. Sometimes it’s just
not right to enter certain things late and almost better to just skip. The
point is a wakeup call is to help prepare us to be READY and up in time from
any deep sleep we might find ourselves in.
In Noah’s Day
before the flood the scriptures tell us that Noah was a preacher of
righteousness and preached God’s wakeup call of judgment right up until the
‘Day’ that they entered the Ark. 2 Peter 2:5 if he
did not spare the ancient world when
he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but
protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others. We see that before every judgment in history God
gives a wakeup call so people can
prepare for what is next.
Amos 3:7 Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the
prophets.
Before the Flood there was righteous Noah a
preacher preparing himself & preaching to people a message. There is no
question people knew about the flood mentioned by the mere fact that he was
building a huge vessel that expecting to float. The people of that time were
warned and given opportunity to change. When God decided to finally judge Sodom and
Gomorrah he let Abram know about it first and he finally went to warn the
people there but could only seem to convince Lot and his family to flee the
calamity coming there.
Are we living in a time and season that God
is speaking to the church? What are our warnings today? Are we acting like the earth is our home
or heaven is our home? Are we truly awake yet? Are God’s people and spiritual
matters our top priorities? Or are we self-consumed and with no time to read, pray and connect in worship and
fellowship with His people and what his prophets are saying today? Are we talking and
witnessing to those we know and love with a message of urgency?
When 9/11 happened was it a wakeup call for
America and the world to get ready?
Are you more prepared to stay on earth then to
leave for glory?
Keith
Green is a deceased Christian artist from the 80’s who sang a song to describe
what I believe is the condition in large part of the present state of church of
our time.
“Do you see, do you see, all the people sinking down,
Don't you care, don't you care, are you gonna let them drown,
How can you be so numb, not to care if they come,
You close your eyes and pretend the job's done.
Oh Bless me Lord, bless me Lord, you know it's all I ever hear,
No one aches, no one hurts, no one even sheds one tear,
But He cries, He weeps, He bleeds, and He cares for your needs,
And you just lay back and keep soaking it in, oh, can't you see
it's such sin?
Cause He brings people to your door,
And you turn them away, as you smile and say,
God bless you, be at peace, and all Heaven just weeps,
Cause Jesus came to your door, you've left Him out on the streets.
Open up, open up, and give yourself away,
You've seen the need, you hear the cry, so how can you delay,
God's calling and you're the one, but like Jonah you run,
He's told you to speak, but you keep holding it in,
Oh, can't you see it's such sin?
The world is sleeping in the dark,
That the church can't fight, cause it's asleep in the light,
How can you be so dead, when you've been so well fed,
Jesus rose from the grave, and you, you can't even get out of bed,
Oh, Jesus rose from the dead, come on, get out of your bed.
How can you be so numb, not to care if they come,
You close your eyes and pretend the job's done,
You close your eyes and pretend the job's done,
Don't close your eyes, don't pretend the job's done.
Come away, come away, come away with Me, My love,
Come away, from this mess, come away with Me, My love.
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