A young fellow named Eutychus, seeking some fresh air, moves to an open window. Paul keeps on talking. Eutychus perches in the open window itself. Paul keeps talking. Eutychus drifts off to sleep. Paul continues talking until Eutychus, now overcome by deep sleep, drops out of the window and falls three stories to the ground, where he is found dead.
Paul went down to where Eutychus was, knelt down beside him, and put his arms around him. He said to the other believers, “Don’t worry. He is alive now.” (Acts 20:7-10, VOICE and ERV)
“If all the people who fell asleep in church on
Sunday morning were laid out end to end…they would be a great deal more
comfortable.” (Abraham Lincoln)
One day Mrs. Jones went to have a talk with the minister at her church. "Pastor Bob," she said, "I have a problem, my husband keeps falling asleep during your sermons. It's very embarrassing. What should I do?"
"I have an idea," said the minister. "Take this hatpin with you. I will be able to tell when Mr. Jones is sleeping, and I will motion to you at specific times. When I motion, you give him a good poke in the leg."
In church the following Sunday, Mr. Jones dozed off. Noticing this, the minister put his plan to work. "And who made the ultimate sacrifice for you?" he said, nodding to Mrs. Jones.
"Jesus" Mr. Jones cried as his wife jabbed him in the leg with the hatpin.
"Yes, you are right, Mr. Jones," said the minister. Soon, Mr. Jones nodded off again. Again, the minister noticed. "Who is your redeemer?" he asked the congregation, motioning towards Mrs. Jones.
"God" Mr. Jones cried out as he was stuck again with the hatpin.
"Right again," said the minister, smiling. Before long, Mr. Jones again winked off. However, this time the minister did not notice. As he picked up the tempo of his sermon, he made a few motions that Mrs. Jones mistook as signals to bayonet her husband with the hatpin again.
Pastor Bob asked, "What did Eve say to Adam after she bore him countless sons and daughters?"
Mrs. Jones poked her husband, who yelled, "You stick that thing in me one more time, and I'll poke you on that behind of yours."
My wife, Bobbi, has watched me fall asleep in every
church we’ve attended. It turns out to be embarrassing for both the waker and the sleeper with
little to laugh about from both individuals involved. (Falling asleep in both the elevated choir lofts at college and my home church meant large congregations saw me nodding off as I valiantly tried to fight dozing off.) Taking blog sermon notes has kept me awake at my current church.
There are Christians worldwide that have fallen into a variety of temptations because spiritually they’ve been sound asleep for a long time. Everyone everywhere should watch and pray.[ii]
There are Christians worldwide that have fallen into a variety of temptations because spiritually they’ve been sound asleep for a long time. Everyone everywhere should watch and pray.[ii]
· Watch
o
Watch out for the devil’s
strategies, which include the tactics of doubt, deception,
distraction, discouragement, disillusionment, and downplay (your sin).
o “It’s my
duty to make sure that Satan does
not win even a small victory over us, for we don’t want to be naïve and then fall prey to his schemes.” (2
Corinthians 2:11, VOICE)
o
“One
of Satan's most deceptive and powerful ways of defeating us is to get us to
believe a lie. And the biggest lie is that there are no consequences to our own
doing. Satan will give you whatever you ask for if it will lead you where he
ultimately wants you.” (Charles Stanley)
o
Watch out for vulnerable
situations the Devil will take advantage of in your life.
o “Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to
pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping.” (1
Peter 5:8, MSG)
o
“Satan
tries to counterfeit the work of God, and by doing this, he may deceive many.
To make us lose hope, feel miserable like [him], and believe that we are beyond
forgiveness, Satan might even misuse words from the scriptures that emphasize
the justice of God in order to imply that there is no mercy.” (Dieter F.
Uchtdorf)
o
Watch out for God’s exit
sign (escape hatch) from your temptation (sin) and the
devil.
o
“No testing has
come to you that other people do not have. But God will not fail you. He will
not allow the testing to be too hard for you. No. When the testing comes, God
will make a way out for you, so that you can go through the testing.” (1
Corinthians 10:13, (New Testament) (WE)
o “The devil doesn't come dressed in a
red cape and pointy horns. He comes as everything you've ever wished for.”
(Tucker Max)
· Pray
o
Pray for
submission to God’s plan for your
life.
o
“Bring
about Your kingdom. Manifest Your will here on earth, as it is manifest in Heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, VOICE)
o
“Let God have your life; He can do more with it than you
can.” (Dwight L. Moody)
o
Pray the
scripture
o
“I
have taken your words to heart so I would not sin against you.”
(Psalm 119:11, ICB)
o
“The greatest tragedy of life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered
prayer.” (F.B. Meyer)
o “But grow in
grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be
glory both now and until the day of eternity. Amen. “(2
Peter 3:18, JUB)
“In my deepest, darkest
moments, what really got me through was a prayer. Sometimes my prayer was 'Help
me.' Sometimes a prayer was 'Thank you.' What I've discovered is that intimate
connection and communication with my Creator will always get me through because
I know my support, my help, is just a prayer away.”
(Iyanla Vanzant)[iii]
[i] Adapted from “Joke: Sleeping in Church”
www.ba-bamail.com
[ii] Matthew 26:36-46(GW)
Then Jesus
went with the disciples to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, “Stay
here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and
Zebedee’s two sons (James and John) with him. He was beginning to feel deep
anguish. Then he said to them, “My anguish is so great that I
feel as if I’m dying. Wait here, and stay awake with me.”After walking a little farther, he quickly bowed with his face to the ground and prayed, “Father, if it’s possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. But let your will be done rather than mine.” (Jesus was sweating blood during His stressful prayer time as recorded in Luke 22:44 in this painful condition, which was known as “Hematidrosis.”)
When he went back to the disciples, he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour? Stay awake, and pray that you won’t be tempted. You want to do what’s right, but you’re weak.”
Then he went away a second time and prayed, “Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, let your will be done.” He found them asleep again because they couldn’t keep their eyes open. After leaving them again, he went away and prayed the same prayer a third time. 45 Then he came back to the disciples and said to them, “You might as well sleep now. The time is near for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners. 46 Get up! Let’s go! The one who is betraying me is near.”
[iii] Inspired by the sermon Questions
Jesus Asked: Are You Asleep? (Installment six) Sunday, April 9, 2017
Dave Jansen CenterPoint Gahanna Church Gahanna, OH
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