HOW WOULD YOU RATHER BE FOUND…?

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Ezekiel 33: 1- 9; 1 Peter 4:7

MEMORY VERSE

1 Peter 4:7

But the end of all

Things is at hand:

be ye therefore

sober, and watch

unto prayer.

Introduction:

Almost everyone here is in the field of working except those who are still studying. I remember my first job outside the Christian world or company. There was really a huge difference; that was a great adjustment for me. The way the employees talked, the way they dressed, the way they treated people, the songs they sang, the program they made, and everything. I endured all those because of God’s guidance. I saw that job as a part of my journey that you needed to overcome. It was a two-month tutorial, but the company will lessen their teachers after a month because other students will go back to their country. I didn’t expect to be chosen for a 1-month extension because I know that was my first-time teaching tutorial to Koreans. When my name was called to stay for a month I was wondering why, then before the meeting ended, the meeting facilitator gave a

thankful message to those who gave their best. He had shown a booklet that was left by one of the students who already went back to Korea. That booklet was one of the activities we made for my students to understand vocabulary. He mentioned my name and gave thanks; now I know why I was chosen. In the field of work, it’s quite a difference when we work with and without the presence of our boss. Some don’t work hard when their bosses aren’t there. Another experience in my previous work was on how to deal with your fellow teachers. I saw them talking and when I approached them, they stopped; they were talking about me but one thing that I learned was to be patient and let God do it for you. Before I leave the company, they have treated me well. Being a Christian employees, you need to work with or without your boss because you are paid for it.  If you do this, you have no problem with always paying attention to your boss’s presence.

Our lesson for today titled, “HOW WOULD YOU RATHER BE FOUND…? AT JESUS’S SECOND COMING?

If you ask yourself, “How would I rather be found at Jesus Christ’s Second Coming?” Maybe we are: eating, drinking at our favorite place, gossiping at a salon or barber (anywhere else), playing our favorite sports, shouting at our loved ones, sleeping, posing at a camera, shopping, singing of your fleshly desires, sharing the gospel, worshipping and many more. Our memory verse for today says, “…watch unto prayer.” Another verse from Revelation 3:3 “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.”

Like what we heard from our pastor’s sermon, Christians have a warfare to accomplish in this world. That’s why we need to watch; a Christian should watch. According to Ephesians 6: 12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Let me ask you and I need your ideas; base from personal experience, how can you say that you’re in the battle or warfare? (allow few people to respond)

Israel has always had many enemies (then and now, unfortunately) and historically the city of Jerusalem had thick high walls around the entire city. In fact, many great cities in olden days had walls around them for protection. For example, we read in scripture about the walls surrounding Babylon and the great walls of Jericho. Now Israel’s watchmen were guards who would stand upon the walls of Jerusalem and in the towers and look out upon the land. The Hebrew word for watchman is ‘tsaphah’ and it has the meaning ‘to lean forward, to peer into the distance; by implication means to observe, behold, spy out, wait for, keep the watch.’ So they would be in their towers and upon the walls and would literally be peering forward, looking out into the distance, on the watch for messengers, unusual activity, or most importantly, any sign of an enemy or approaching army.

http://jesusplusnothing.com/studies/online/Isaiah56-10-12.htm

How would you rather be found at Jesus coming? It is so blessed to be found we are WATCHING unto PRAYER!

LESSON POINTS:

As part of our watching let’s consider these points:

I.             WATCHING IS OPPOSED TO INSECURITY AND SLEEPING (JUDGES 18:7-10; 1 PETER 5:8)

§  The watchman must keep his eyes open but sometimes when we cease from our labor and our life is in better condition we begin to sleep and not watching like what happened to the people of Laish. Let’s read Judges 18:7-10. These verses explain why Laish was vulnerable to an attack. However, in looking at these verses, we are not just reading something of historical note. As we consider these points, we can make a spiritual application. Peter wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant; because of your adversary the devil as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8). With the devil seeking a suitable target, we do not want to be in the same vulnerable state as the inhabitants of Laish against the Danites.  

-       The people of Laish were secure and thought they were in no danger. We must never allow ourselves to become complacent. Paul wrote, “Wherefore let him that thinketh standeth take heed lest ye fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). If we believe that there is no danger around us, we are more susceptible to the devil’s attacks.

-       The people of Laish were unsuspecting and not watching for threats. We already noticed Peter’s warning about how the devil “the devil as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). John warned that “many deceivers are entered into the world” and said, “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward” (2 John 7-8).

-       The people of Laish were isolated and far from help. We need encouragement and strength from our brethren. The Hebrew writer explained that “lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” can develop within us (Hebrews 3:12). To help prevent this from happening, we are to “But exhort one another daily,” (Hebrews 3:13) and “provoke unto love and to good works…but exhorting one another” (Hebrews 10:24-25). If we are isolated from faithful brethren, we are vulnerable (from google search).

§  We are all prone to danger and we must be aware of this. All of us feel this way; being complacent in our spiritual condition. We think we are always okay and not being observant of the possible snare of the enemy. Before we recognize it, we are already there with the enemy. (Optional: give your own testimony about this)

II.            TO WATCH IS TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS (ISAIAH 56:10)

§  Isaiah 56:10 says, “His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.”

You can probably imagine how the the job interview went for one of the watchmen described above...

Do you think such a person’s description would get the job? Not exactly attributes that look good on the CV, are they? Yet that was God’s assessment of Israel’s

watchmen in the days of Isaiah! Now obviously God was talking about more than just the watchmen upon the walls here. This was His assessment concerning Israel’s spiritual leaders at the time of Isaiah. This was His assessment of those whose responsibility it was to spiritually guard God’s very own people. Let’s quickly run through those impressive attributes again:

§  This is a special point of the watchman’s duty, to let nothing pass without observation, whatever object would come in, to ask at it from whence, and whither. The heart is a highway-side that all things travel through. If the Christian then is not exact in this to know what comes in, and what is its errand, he may be surprised. He should observe all the motions of the enemy. He must know his own spirit, or his thoughts, he should also observe all the Lord’s movements and dealings. It concerns him also to know what is his enemy or friend.

III.          THE WATCHMAN GIVES WARNING (EZEKIEL 3:17; 33:4,8)

§  The job of the watchmen really just two-fold – Firstly to see the enemy and then, secondly, to alert the people of the coming danger. When they saw the work of an enemy but do nothing, their blood shall be upon the watchman’s head. In today's church time what watching means and who are watchful in the church. They are not the people who judge everyone but see the dangers. They are the leaders and pastors; also, we have our own responsibility to watch our own selves. When we see things lead people away from the Lord, we should warn them through God’s word. It’s blessed, using God’s word, that you have the discernment to see what is good and evil in a hidden situation or agenda.

§  Have you experienced something unusual situations and you use your discernment through the dealing of God with His word? Are we watchful about the possible dangers the church may encounter or the dividers of the church?

IV.          THERE MUST NO INTERRUPTION IN THIS WATCHING (MARK 14:38)

§  How easy it is to sleep or become careless in our Christian walk. Temptation strikes when we are most vulnerable. When we neglect certain areas of our spiritual lives—such as prayer and Bible study—we become drowsy and let our guard down, making us easy targets for our enemy, Satan, to strike (1 Peter 5:8).

We need to be alert to the possibilities of an attack and pray to maintain vigilance. If we remain watchful and pray—for ourselves and for others—the Spirit will enable us to resist temptation. https://odb.org/2016/08/24/watch-and-pray/

§  One of the main tasks of the watchmen in the Old Testament was to be on the lookout for any signs of disturbance or the activities and schemes of the enemy. Remember in the days of Nehemiah, when the wall was being rebuilt, there were still gaps in the wall that were called ‘the exposed places’. Obviously, this was a very tempting area through which to attack for any half-serious enemy. So let’s ask ourselves – what is our/your exposed place? What is the area that the enemy is more likely to attack you in? What is the area of weakness that you repeatedly trip up in? You will have one. We are all hopelessly flawed. We have common struggles yet we all have specific individual struggles in particular areas of weakness which the enemy will love to exploit. 

What was Nehemiah’s advice? Everyone be on the watch. Everyone be on guard. And specifically, at the exposed places! Where are you weakest? Some have problems with greed and the pleasures of this world. Some with lust. Some with pride and some with fear... I’m hoping that you haven’t been nodding at all of those! Whatever your exposed place or places are, be aware that that is an area that the enemy would like to exploit. Be on the watch.

http://jesusplusnothing.com/studies/online/Isaiah56-10-12.htm

WE HAVE SEEN THE ROLE OF WATCHMAN IN THE BIBLE AND WE’RE REMINDED TO BE WATCHFUL UNTO PRAYER. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

        1.    TO WATCH UNTO PRAYER IS TO BE SPIRITUALLY ALERT

        2.    TO WATCH UNTO PRAYER IS TO BE SPIRITUALLY AWAKE

-       As we live closer to the time of Christ's return, we must not be in a state of spiritual stupor or slumber. When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He came to His disciples expecting to find them awake and praying for Him, but instead He found them all asleep! Then He chided them, 'What, could ye not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.' (Matthew 26:40,41).

When Jesus returns from Heaven soon, will He also find us in a state of slumber? How shameful it would be for us if He were to find us in this state! 

CONCLUSION:

How long has it been since you last had real quality quiet time with the Lord? How long has it been since you last experienced God's presence in your life in a wonderful way? How long has it been since your Bible study was a great delight to you and were discovering marvelous gems from God's Word that thrilled your soul? How long has it been since you were moved to tears by the thought of the grace of the Lord to you, a sinner? If it has been a long time and cannot even remember when it was, it is certainly high time for you to wake up from your spiritual slumber, and to watch unto prayer!

This is not the time to be spiritually asleep, but the time to be fully revived. This is the time for us all to lay aside every sin and anything in our lives that may hinder our spiritual growth, and run the race that is set before us. This is the time for us to draw closer to God, and to seek His face. Please do not say to yourself that this can wait a little longer, since after all, the Lord has been so patient and with His children. The Lord is indeed longsuffering toward us, but that does not give us an excuse to try His patience further, and expect Him to wait a little longer. According to Romans 2:4, the goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering of God must lead us to swift repentance.

Let us begin today to change our lifestyle. Ask the Lord right now to help you to change to a lifestyle that is characterized by sober-mindedness and a fully alert and revived spiritual life! And, that is not all that should change in our lifestyle. We go on now to look at the change that should take place:

https://www.lifebpc.com/resources/treasury-of-sermons/74-1-2-peter/623-1-peter-4-7-11-what-should-our-lifestyle-be-in-these-last-days