Over this Christmas break I did a good amount of traveling. I went to a small town called Arriba, CO. I went there to pick-up and drop off two of our sons for Christmas.
From Leon to Arriba is 436.43 Miles and it takes about 6 hours and 37 minutes one way. So just driving time alone, not including stops is over 13 hours of driving. After doing this drive I am amazed at how truck driver can make their long trips. I thank God that He called me to be a preacher. I do not think I could handle being a truck driver. I kept falling asleep all throughout the drive. God was watching over me because I think I was asleep at the wheel more than I was awake at the wheel.
Looking back at the drive I believe God gave me a message to share with each of you today. He led me to….
1 Thessalonians 5:6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.
I want to encourage you this morning to stay alert and focused in you Christian life. Life is not easy and it can become long and boring at times. Looking back at my drive all I can say is:…
I.IT’S A LONG RIDE
A.My drive last week was a long boring drawn out thing. I had already made this drive the week prior and found myself falling asleep because none of it was keeping my attention. It was a long ride and boredom set in.
1.I believe we are our own worst enemies when it comes to being bored in this life. We have tainted our very lives with too much of a good thing and have lost our focus on the simpler things in life. I am reminded of:
Proverbs 25: 16-17 16 If you find honey, eat just enough— too much of it, and you will vomit. 17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house— too much of you, and they will hate you.
2.Many children in today’s world have a room full of action figures, video games, cable TV, VCR, a huge collection of video tapes, every piece of sports equipment known to man, their own telephone, a fully loaded computer with Internet access — but they don’t have anything to do. They say their bored.
3. Boredom is the plague of every parent with a child out of school. The cries of “I’m bored” seem to begin just hours after school lets out.
4.We all want the next best thing in life. It seems that we are all addicts of technology; we live in a fast paced world of fast food, Microwaves, PPV, and the internet. We have become numb and bored with life unless we have that quick fix that excites the flesh.
5.Life is much like a long ride. After a while we become bored and un- interested with the simple things in life and we forget what brings true pleasure and excitement in this life. And if we are not alert, we fall asleep to that which is important. We need to……..
Mark 13:33-36 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.
6.The time, that day or hour of which Jesus speaks is, of course, the Last Day when Jesus, "the Son of Man” will come.
7.I think about that glorious day when He comes back for us and I for one do not want to be caught sleeping because I allowed the things of this world to blind me. I also think that in order for us to stay awake, we need to…
II.SET SOME GOALS
A.I was falling asleep during my drive and I knew I had to do something to keep awake. I told myself that I would stop in the next town and get something to drink or eat. This inspired me, it gave me something to look forward to and as I continued driving I found the drive to be somewhat better as I had some goals set during the drive. Isn’t this how life is as well?
1.Looking at the current time of the year we see this to be very prevalent in our society. We get excited as we look to the Christmas season, we look forward to seeing our loved ones, we look forward to the gathering, the food, the pure excitement of it all keeps our focus.
2.But as soon as it’s over what do we look forward to? It’s cold, the days are shorter, family and friends go back to their everyday routine and we feel as if we have nothing to look forward to.
Illustration: A few years ago a lady committed suicide, leaving behind this note. "I decided that unless life was worth living I would just quit living."
3.I believe many of us have already committed suicide to a certain degree. We have stopped living because we have allowed the depressions of this world to step in and rob us of the joy that comes when we truly live for Jesus.
4.Do we remember the goal that we set in our minds? The goal that Christ gave to us that created that pure joy and excitement in our hearts that gave us purpose and direction in this lost world.
Philippians 3:12-14 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
5.Realize here that Paul is in prison, chained to a Roman guard, under horrible conditions. Yet despite that, he writes these wonderfully positive words.
6. Now stop for a moment & ask yourself What is it that Paul is reaching for? What is his goal? Paul’s goal is the resurrection from the dead. His goal is eternal life with Jesus. That is what he is reaching for & striving for every day. His goal is heaven.
Illustration: The little goals I set before me as I was driving really helped get me through the difficulties and they helped to keep my focus on my main goal, my final destination. I wanted to make it home!!!
7.Now here is the point. If our main goal is heaven, if our main goal is eternal life with Jesus Christ, then we need have some stops along the way, some short term goals that will keep us awake and focused on the main goal.
1.Make the goal of attending church each week.
a.HEBREWS 10:25 ‘Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.’
b.In this one verse, we are warned to not stop meeting with other Christians. There are some who will only sacrifice enough of their time to attend one service per month. Once that person gets into a habit of forsaking another meeting, it becomes easier to not attend other church functions.
Have you ever noticed how long one hour in church is, but how short it is when watching your favorite movie? And how thrilling it is when a ballgame goes into extra innings, but how agitating it is when the service goes five minutes longer than usual?
d.Did you know that most people who have fallen away from going to church have done so, not because they were let down or hurt while going to church, but they gradually started missing services until they finally saw it too difficult to go at all?
e.God knows that every time you attend a service, you are giving up something else. You give up sleeping late to be here Sunday morning. You might also be giving up a good fishing trip with the guys, or seeing a particular football game that is on during the time of service.
f.It’s a matter of discipline. We need to discipline ourselves to be here, not only to complete our weekly check list but to gain inspiration, guidance and to have something to look forward to each week.
2.Make the goal of doing devotions each day.
Illustration: I have often related this to working out or dieting. I can remember back to my wrestling days. My goal was to be the best I could be and I knew that sacrifices came with that. I knew I had to change my diet and work out every day in order to achieve my goal. Each year I would fight to discipline myself to this. It was so very hard to implement working out and eating right into my daily routine. But I found out that it too was hard to stop.
If I would skip one day from working out and or would eat a candy bar, I felt horrible and my day would not be the same as I felt guilt and lost throughout the day. You see I had begun a good habit in my life and even though it was tough to start, it was even tougher to quit.
a.Once you make the goal of implementing into your daily schedule devotion time, you will realize that it is a good habit and your day just isn’t the same without it.
b.Just like working out and eating healthy is good for you, so are your daily devotions. It is a good idea to take care of ourselves physically but it is an even better thing to take care of ourselves spiritually. And this cannot be done just once a week in Church. It is an ongoing effort that requires our attention each and every day.
3.Make the goal of finding a ministry area to serve in.
I Pet. 4:9-11 “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.”
a. Generally, churches have more people than they do jobs but not everyone offers to serve in some form. However, there are ways to serve in the church. Let me name some and you can determine if you are involved in serving or can get involved.
b. Can you play a musical instrument? If so, have you offered your services? Can you sing? If you can’t sing a solo (and few can), then why not perform a special?
c. Can you……., well, let’s just watch a clip on this one. VIDEO: “Nursery”
d. Can you teach a class? Obviously, not everybody can, but some can and don’t. I’ve seen capable people in every church who wouldn’t commit themselves to teach whether children or adults.
Illustration: One time, as I began my ministry in Hawaii, I taught children’s church. It was an eye-opening experience for a young preacher in his 20’s? I found out about attention span. There is none!
e. Could you give one Sunday a month to help? These children don’t care how old you are or who you are, as long as you love them and show them attention. Give them a high-five, a hug (if possible), a video, and play with them, read to them, etc.
f. Can you pray? Sure you can. And everyone should be praying for God to bless our worship and classes. Even though we humans may not see this service, the Lord does.
g.Set some goals in the area of serving and not only will you receive a blessing but others will as well. Serving will enhance your Christian Journey and keep you focused.
h.The last thing I found out that helped me to stay awake during the drive was to,……..
III.ROLL THE WINDOW DOWN
A.My drive got to be too tough and I had to do something drastic in order to stay awake. I rolled the window down and let the cold air hit my face.
1.This was a wakeup call. I needed something to simply slap me in the face and wake me up! I was falling asleep as I was driving. I could have died because I was not alert, focused, I wasn’t awake, I wasn’t doing my job.
Friends, let me ask you this morning, are you awake? Are you aware of the dangers around you? Are you awake? Can you see the signs? Spiritually, have you dozed off? If so, it is time to roll the window down and get a wakeup call.
Here are my favorite “Wakeup Call” verses:
“The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.” Romans 13:11-12
“Why are you sleeping?” Jesus asked his disciples. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Luke 22:4
“How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest — and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.” Proverbs 6:9-11
“Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.” Revelation 3:3
2.I believe these verses are like rolling down the window. They are meant to wake us up when we find ourselves dozing and becoming complacent.
Conclusion:
Sometimes life seems to drag on and we get into a groove. We allow the important things to become dull in our lives. We allow ourselves to fall asleep and the kicker is this: most of us have no idea we are even sleeping because we are living in a dream world that tells us that we don’t need to focus our lives on Jesus but on ourselves.
IT’S TIME WE WAKEUP! Why are we so afraid to say anything to our friends, family, to anyone for that matter. We need to help them roll the window down and let God’s Word breathe on their face. But its starts with us. Have you dozed off? Are you asleep?
