What Does Staying Awake for Christ's Return Really Mean? | Matthew 24:42

[00:00:00] Real Truth Daily

[00:00:03] This is Daily Truths with Dave Ahlman

[00:00:07] Hi everybody, welcome back to Daily Truths.

[00:00:09] Yesterday, actually the night before yesterday, I didn't sleep very well.

[00:00:14] I got about three or four hours of sleep.

[00:00:16] Some of you who are oldsters who are elderly know what it's like.

[00:00:19] We struggle sometimes getting to sleep, staying to sleep and yeah, it's kind of

[00:00:24] my problem sometimes.

[00:00:26] And I, you know, do some stuff to help me.

[00:00:28] But a couple nights ago it was just one of those nights.

[00:00:31] So when I was driving home from working at Mount Hope, Mount Hope Lutheran Church

[00:00:35] yesterday, I almost fell asleep many times.

[00:00:40] Every time I came to a stoplight, I basically dosed off.

[00:00:43] Thankfully my foot was still on the break.

[00:00:46] But after a while I thought, man, I've got to stay awake.

[00:00:48] So I got a coke, I pinched myself when I was driving.

[00:00:51] Have you ever been in that situation where you had to get home but you were so tired?

[00:00:55] So I did everything I could to try to not fall asleep at the wheel.

[00:01:00] I did everything I could to stay awake.

[00:01:06] Listen to what Jesus says in verse 42.

[00:01:10] And again, he's talking about end time theology.

[00:01:11] He's talking about what's going to happen when he comes back.

[00:01:14] And of course, the instantaneous thing that's going to occur when he comes back.

[00:01:19] This is what he says in verse 42.

[00:01:21] Therefore, stay awake for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

[00:01:28] We've talked about that, that nobody can predict when Jesus is going to be returning.

[00:01:32] And yet so many people try to do that.

[00:01:34] Now, what is Jesus saying when he says, stay awake until he returns?

[00:01:39] In other words, if he returns in our lifetime, what do we do, quote, to stay awake?

[00:01:46] Unquote.

[00:01:47] Well, there's many things.

[00:01:48] Number one, to always be in a repentant attitude and a trusting relationship with God through

[00:01:54] faith in Jesus Christ.

[00:01:56] To repent of our sin on a daily basis.

[00:01:59] And what that means is to feel sorrow of our sin, to basically confess our sin before

[00:02:03] the Lord and appropriate by faith the merits of Christ and that forgiveness and the promised

[00:02:09] eternal life that he earned for us through his life, death and resurrection.

[00:02:12] That's how we stay awake.

[00:02:14] But also, how else do we stay awake?

[00:02:16] Well, I love the mission statement of Peace Lutheran Church.

[00:02:20] It's awesome.

[00:02:21] Worship, connect and serve.

[00:02:22] And we said when I was a pastor there that that equips us to reach our community with

[00:02:27] the love of Jesus Christ.

[00:02:28] So staying awake consists of worshiping on a consistent basis, connecting with other

[00:02:34] Christians in a small group or Bible study, looking for opportunities to serve other people

[00:02:39] both in the church and in the community.

[00:02:42] And then bottom line is that equips us and prepares us to testify of the grace of God.

[00:02:48] Worship, connect and serve equipping us to share our faith.

[00:02:52] I love what it says at Mount Hope Lutheran Church.

[00:02:55] The mission statement there is grow in Christ, share his love.

[00:02:59] Grow in Christ, share his love.

[00:03:01] So bottom line is we prepare our hearts for the second coming of Christ by repentance

[00:03:06] and faith in Christ and looking for opportunities to testify the grace of God and what

[00:03:12] equips us to do that is worshiping on a consistent basis, connecting with other

[00:03:16] Christians and serving one another in love.

[00:03:19] Now, my wife is a great housekeeper.

[00:03:22] I've got to say that.

[00:03:23] And when we were into bias Nebraska, the office was in the home and we had

[00:03:30] three little kids at that time, actually two little kids at that time.

[00:03:34] And so my wife always had to be vigilant about making sure our home looked

[00:03:38] nice because my office was in the home and people showed up kind of out of

[00:03:43] nowhere without really telling us they were coming.

[00:03:46] So she always was prepared for any houseguess or might be by making the

[00:03:50] house look really, really good.

[00:03:52] She's really good at that.

[00:03:54] Well, what does it mean to have our house in order before Christ comes back?

[00:03:59] All the things we've talked about were always prepared by repentance

[00:04:03] and faith in Christ, knowing him, serving him, honoring him,

[00:04:07] obeying him and looking for opportunities to make him know.

[00:04:10] Now, this is a question I've been asked a lot down through the year as well.

[00:04:15] Pastor Dave, what if I'm out of weakness sitting when Christ comes back?

[00:04:18] Am I eternally separated from God?

[00:04:21] No, you have that faith relationship with Jesus.

[00:04:25] Look, we're going to sin.

[00:04:26] That's who we are.

[00:04:28] It's part of our DNA.

[00:04:29] It's part of our human nature.

[00:04:31] We can't get rid of it.

[00:04:32] And if we're sitting in the midst of the second coming of Christ,

[00:04:35] we're still under the blanket of God's grace,

[00:04:39] saved by grace through faith in Christ alone.

[00:04:41] You know what?

[00:04:42] That's really comforting for you today, right?

[00:04:44] You don't have to worry or sweat or be anxiety ridden.

[00:04:48] When Christ comes back through faith in what he's done,

[00:04:50] you will be ushered into the kingdom of heaven forever.

[00:04:55] That is really good news.

[00:04:59] But until he comes back, be awake.

[00:05:02] Be ready because as he said in this text,

[00:05:04] you never know what day he will return.

[00:05:09] And that is today's Daily Truth.

[00:05:11] Have a great day in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[00:05:14] Thank you for tuning in to Daily Truths with Dave Alman.

[00:05:17] Pastor Dave Alman is the pastor of Monhope Church in Boulder, Colorado.

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