LOOK #16

Awake Thou that sleepest

April 19, 1992

Brian Kocourek

 

 This is a beautiful Easter morning, and all throughout this nation, today, this day,  millions  of people are gathered to­gether, in their churches, to worship God, in the same old way, that they have always worshiped Him. Millions, times millions of people, will come to church today.  People, who do not do so, each Sunday. But because it is Easter, they will come,  and, they will partake, in services, across the nation, and (we'll be nice today, and say, that their purpose, is to Honor the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.)

 

Across this nation, today, many a history lesson, will be taught, about the lowly Nazarene, named Jesus, who lived almost 2 thou­sand years ago. They will talk, about the suffering Jesus, the One,  who had to die, and  the agony that he went through on Calvary. They will talk, about the doom, and the despair he felt, in those waning moments before he was crucified. They will talk about the rejection he felt, even by those who were closest to Him.

 

And yet do they really know what this resurrection is all about?

 

Do they really believe, what they hear, year in and year out. Or is it, as we said earlier,  just a history lesson. Is it just, some sort, of ancient right, that we speak about once a year, and then we go about our business as usual, the rest of the year. Is Easter just a religious duty, just an obligation, or is there something here, that the world has missed, altogether, year in and year out.

 

Is it just a tale, that we hear, or perhaps could there be more, much more, about this event, that has shaped the history of man, more than all the other events, put together, in the history of man.

 

To be more blunt, or more crass, perhaps, Let me use, that good old American expression, that says:  WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME!

 

Because really, that is what it's all about, isn't it. I don't want to sound disrespectful, but that is why Easter is only a tradition and not a reality to the people. "Because it is some­thing, that happened, nearly  2 thousand years ago, to a man, called Jesus. And the world contends, that if you live a good life, then just maybe, perhaps maybe, after you die, you may also have a possibility, of being raised one day, back to life. But who knows if that is true, It isn't in the immediate future, so why think about it."

 

That is exactly, how the world thinks, and that is why Easter, and not only Easter, but every Sunday, has become, just a tradi­tion to keep, for the sake of the kids. And the world is lost, and it is dying, in this sinful condition of unbelief, and the sad thing is, that they don't even know it.

LOOK #16

PG. 2

 

People don't go to church to be evil, but to become a better people. But what do they walk away with?

 

1) Perhaps a lecture on how to be a nice person,

 

2) Perhaps a discourse on how to get along with unfriendly people, or people who are hard to get along with.

 

3)  Maybe they will even leave with a nice warm feeling that perhaps someone really does love them.

 

 

What a sad condition the church is in today. They have lost the Vision. They are so unaware of what God is doing today, that Christianity has just become a tradition that conservatives do, and those who want their children to be brought up right.

 

REV 3:14-22 (READ)

What a sad commentary about the church in these last days. She is wretched, ( deeply distressed or unhappy)

 

She's miserable (why? because she see's her hopeless condition.

 

She's poor (oh, not in material things, but the church is spirit­ually lacking),

 

She's blind ( the word actually implies that she's smoked up, unclear in her thinking)   and She is naked, (she is stripped completely from any clothing of His righteousness.) She is altogether laid bare and empty lying in her shame before all the world to see. And yet she doesn't even realize it.

 

Notice vs 18 ( anoint your eyes with eye-salve. (to see what?) The answer is in vs 20. He is at the door while she is in this condition.

 

Brother and sister, our only hope is a Resurrection. Our only hope is the One who is the Resurrection and the Life.

 

Now to get a better picture of this condition we see here and our need for Him who is the Resurrection and The Life, let's turn to:

 

JOHN 11: 1-44 (READ) Let's read again VS 39-40, 43-44

Look at Lazarus condition, He was dead four days already. And the church has been asleep or spiritually dead for 2,000 years now, but something is fixing to awake her out of here sleep. Notice in vs (40) The very Doxa of God was manifested. And what did it produce? LIFE. resurrection power and resurrection LIFE.

 

Paul said in Ephesians 5  "AWAKE THOU THAT SLEEPEST, AND ARISE FROM THE DEAD, AND CHRIST SHALL GIVE THEE LIGHT."

 

It was prophesied in the book of Isaiah 700 years before Christ's 1st coming and 2700 years ago these words:

 

ISA 60:1-3A "ARISE AND SHINE FOR THY LIGHT IS COME, AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD IS RISEN UPON THEE. FOR, BEHOLD, THE  DARKNESS SHALL COVER THE EARTH, AND GROSS DARKNESS SHALL COVER THE PEOPLE: BUT THE LORD SHALL ARISE UPON THEE, AND HIS GLORY SHALL BE SEEN UPON THEE. AND THE GENTILES SHALL COME TO THY LIGHT.

 

We see this setting again in MATT 25 when speaking of the condi­tion of both the wise and foolish virgins who had drifted off to sleep while awaiting the coming of the Lord.

 

MATT 25: 1-13 (read)

Notice the similarity that we see here and in REV 3. The Message that goes forth is "BEHOLD, HERE I AM". But the ones who had no oil also had smoked up lamps that could give no light and there­fore they could not see whether they had any oil or not and therefore were not ready when The One standing at the door was ready.

 

Now let's go back to REV 3 and examine this further. Now, remem­ber the condition of the church at the time of the PRESENCE of this ONE Who is at the door. She is wretched, Miserable, Poor, blind, and naked. And because of her wealth in material things she is not even aware of her condition that stinks unto death.

 

But in JOEL we see the promise as we saw on ISAIAH that says:

 

AND I WILL RESTORE TO YOU THE YEARS THAT THE LOCUST HATH EATEN, THE CANKERWORM, AND THE CATERPILLAR, AND THE PALMERWORM,...AND YE SHALL EAT IN PLENTY, AND BE SATISFIED... Oh brother, dead men can't eat! But look at Lazarus. The next time you here of him in the scripture he was sitting and eating with Jesus.

 

JOHN 12:1-2 (read)

 

Remember the other person Jesus raised from the dead, the little girl in Mark 5 and Luke 8, let's see what Jesus did right after she was raised awaked or raised from the dead.

 

MARK 5: 21-24, skip up to 35-43. He commanded them to give her something to eat. And it wasn't to be just milk either for in Luke 8 it says, "AND HER SPIRIT CAME AGAIN, AND SHE AROSE STRAIGHTAWAY: AND HE COMMANDED TO GIVE HER MEAT.

 

JOEL 2:25, 26 (read) AND MY PEOPLE SHALL NEVER BE ASHAMED. AND YE SHALL KNOW THAT I AM IN THE MIDST OF THEE, AND THAT I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND NONE ELSE: AND MY PEOPLE SHALL NEVER BE ASHAMED.

 

WHY? Because He says, YOU WILL KNOW THAT I AM IN THE MIDST OF THEE."

 

REV 3:18 (Read) what does it mean to be clothed? What is our clothing ? what is this garment?

 

PSALM 132:9  LET THY PRIESTS BE CLOTHED WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS (RIGHT WISE NESS); AND LET THY SAINTS SHOUT FOR JOY.

 

I PETER 2:9 tells us  YE ARE A CHOSEN GENERATION, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, PECULIAR PEOPLE THAT YE SHOULD SHOW FORTH THE PRAISES OF HIM WHO HATH CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT:

 

REV 3: 18 To be clothed in HIS RIGHT-WISE-NESS that the shame of our naked­ness, our complete destitution, does not manifest. This tells us that the bride as the body of Christ had to receive something from Him to hide what was so evident, and that is our own help­lessness. What the canker worm didn't eat the Locust did, and what the locust left the palmerworm finished off until the bride tree was just down to the roots. But I SHALL RESTORE SAITH THE LORD"

 

Lazarus was a type of the bride tree who lay in the grave four days and the body worms had already began to do their damage and his eyes had already begun to sink in and his flesh had begun to rot and smell, yet "I WILL RESTORE SAITH THE LORD" for "I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE, AND HE THAT BELIEVETH IN ME THOUGH HE WERE DEAD YET SHALL HE LIVE."

 

REV 3:18  "AND ANOINT THINE EYES WITH EYESALVE, THAT THOU MAYEST SEE."  "That thou mayest see," see what? Verse 20 (read)

 

THE RESURRECTED ONE HIMSELF. HE'S HERE!

 

Now what is this eye-salve that will give her the hope of seeing Him. Remember, He is the Word. In James 5 it tells us who this one is at the Door. BEHOLD THE JUDGE STANDETH AT THE DOOR. And in John 12:48 Jesus tells us that the Word will be the Judge in the last days. So it is the Word at the Door. Now isn't it strange that the word of God is likened to the manna that fell. And also the meal offering is a type of the Word. And the meal barrel in the days of Elijah that never went empty during the famine?

 

The word used in REV 3 for eyesalve is KOLLOURION which according to VINES denotes a coarse bread roll or an eyesalve shaped like a bread roll.

 

In REV 3 he is telling the church to place the Word up to their eyes so that they can not see anything but the one Who is stand­ing at the door. And that is Christ the Word.

 

I COR 13:12  FOR NOW WE SEE THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, BUT THEN FACE TO FACE.

 

When? At the time HE is standing at the door.

 

II COR 3:7 - 18 (read)

 

We began this morning by looking at what the world sees and how they view this Easter with historical eyesight, but as you can see, we are beholding Him in plain view, LO HE IS THE MIGHTY CONQUEROR, SINCE HE RENT THE VAIL IN TWO. And we are being changed into His Image.

 

Let's bow our heads in prayer.