Key Verse: Matthew 24 ESV

Matthew 26:40; Ecclesiastes 5:12 (ESV); Psalm 4:8 (ESV); John 11:11 (ESV)

Sleep is a big theme in the Bible. Adam was put to sleep by God. Sleep is a necessary part of physical life.  Sleep is a gift from God. It is a picture of death.

Ice-breaker question:

Q. What are your thoughts on sleeping, do you look forward to it or are you a restless sleeper?

Scripture often refers to the END TIMES as SLEEPY TIMES for many who THINK they are AWAKE:

Every time Jesus talks about His return he mentions something to do with waking up.  Jesus is saying that He does not know how many of His people will be ready for His return.  A lot of church people will be sleeping when He comes.

Mark 13:35–37 (ESV)

STAY AWAKE!

Romans 13:11 (ESV); Revelation 3:1–3 (ESV)

We are closer to the return of Jesus.  Deception and depravity are happening all over our world. Jesus wants His church alive and awake and expecting His return!  Jesus is not talking to the world, He is talking to church people.

Matthew 25:5 (ESV)

They all went to bed.

Q. What have you allowed (either in the past or present) to keep you from ‘staying awake’ when it comes to church? (Example: Pastor Tim mentioned that many stopped coming to church because of Covid, even now that church is open)

Matthew 26:40 ESV, Matthew 24:37 ESV

Sleeping Pills for the Second Coming:

1. Crazy APPETITES

Matthew 24:37-38 (ESV)

Jesus gave us what to look for regarding His return.  ‘Like the time of Noah’.  Those days are similar to the Day of His return. People will be consumed with a multiple of appetites: eating, drinking, marrying, etc.  People were eating, consuming, and getting.   One appetite that is very similar to the time of Noah today, is a sexually immoral appetite.

Genesis 6:1-2 (ESV); Genesis 6:5 (ESV)

This was a spiritually disjointed union.  They were righteous sons looking to hedonistic women and they lusted after them. There was polygamy, incest, and all kinds of sexual immorality.   Today we see what Noah saw.  This appetite never gets satisfied and leads from one thing to another.

Q. What appetite(s) are you consumed with? (examples: food, drink, smartphone, sports, kids, work, something else) and what can you do to work on your spiritual appetite?

Psalm 34:8 (ESV); Psalm 42:2 (ESV); Matthew 5:6 (ESV)

We need to develop a taste for the things of God.

Sleeping Pills for the Second Coming:

2. Crazy ACHIEVEMENT

Many people in the world today are being lulled into sleep because of their achievements in their lives.

Matthew 24:37 (ESV); Genesis 4:22 (NLT); Genesis 6:4 (ESV)

In the time of Noah as much as it was immoral it was a time of incredible advancement.  They became experts. They were men of fame and incredible achievement, celebrities.  We are in a celebrity cult culture.  There is nothing wrong with achievement, but there is something terribly when we let our achievement put us asleep in the Spirit.  We cannot let what we can do overrule who we belong to.

Q. What achievements have got in the way of your walk with Jesus?

Matthew 24:40 (ESV); Daniel 12:4 (ESV)

Putting all of our efforts into what we can produce in our highly technological times. This what is happening now.

Sleeping Pills for the Second Coming:

3. Crazy ACQUISITION

Getting stuff and having stuff.

Matthew 24:43 – 44 (ESV)

This is the only time in the entire New Testament that Jesus uses the phrase ‘master of the house’ to not refer to Himself.  He is saying there is coming a time right around His coming that we will think we are masters of our own house.  We will have so much, we will think we have plenty and everything is at our fingertips.   This is our age.

Q. How would you react if you knew a thief would try to burglarize your home tonight?

Luke 12:19-20 (ESV)

Sleeping Pills for the Second Coming:

4. Crazy ANTAGONISM

A time of people being at each other’s throats.  This is happening now.

Matthew 24:48 (ESV)

Q. How might a non-Christian look at your life and have a hard time believing you are a Christian?

Ephesians 5:14 (ESV)

SERMON IN A SENTENCE: WAKE UP, JESUS IS COMING!