How Long Wilt Thou Sleep?
By: Elder Dan Mena
Sleep is very necessary to renew and restore the human body but to some, sleep is like a drug. The more they sleep, the more they want to sleep. They have learned to hide their responsibilities in this oblivious state of unconsciousness. Some children refuse to wake up on a cold morning to go to school. Some husbands dislike the thoughts of waking to go to work, while some mothers turn over and go back to sleep to escape the mountains of housework waiting on them. Urgent necessities are delayed and disaster strikes because a slothful man hid behind the curtain called, sleep. Cities have been invaded, the critically ill have died, destruction has consumed nations because someone was sleeping, who should have been awake.
Jonah tried to hide from the call of God in his life. Because of fear, he buried his God given responsibility in the state of self induced slumber. He thought the call was like the night, that one can simply sleep away and when he awakens in the morning, lt.’s all gone. Saints go to sleep spiritually. They go down in the ships of Pleasure, employment, and education for months and years. They bury themselves away in the hold of spiritual indifference. How long will they hide from reality? How long will they deceive themselves into thinking that the state of unconsciousness will remove their responsibility? How long will they try to sweep disobedience to God under a rug of snug complacency?
The five foolish virgins slept away precious moments that they desperately needed to acquire oil in. They wasted the golden moments in slumber. They were NEVER able to buy back the time they squandered in paralyzed repose.
King Saul slept while his enemy cut off a portion of his garment, stole his staff and his precious cruse of water. Sleep made him susceptible to the wiles and tricks of the enemy. Sleep rendered him defenseless. His skill as a warrior and the delegated authority of leadership became useless while he slept. Peter, James, and John slept through their prayer time and were taken by surprise when the enemy invaded the garden.
Because of the defenseless state men are in while sleeping, it was imperative and essential that every ancient city had reliable watchmen. The lives of everyone in the city were at jeopardy if the watchman slept. He had to stay awake. He also had to expect responses of complacency, anger, and rejection from the sleeping citizens when he blew the trumpet.
The very nature of sleep produces that kind of reaction from people. It was normal for him to hear the sleepy cry, “Go Away! Leave us alone!” The friend at midnight who came to his neighbor for bread was prepared for this reaction from his friend. He would never have been refused during the day light but it was night now. Sleep seems to temporary change ones sense of values . The watchman knew he must persist and endure their anger until he could get them awake! He knew that only in their conscious and alert state would they realize the importance of a watchman. Not while they were sleeping. He knew he could not take personally their sleepy, groggy remarks of anger and discomfort, their references to his supposed insanity or unsympathetic tenacity. He knew if he could bring them from their unconscious condition they would understand, they would see and hear the enemy . He had to keep blowing the trumpet until responsible spiritual reason ruled the night in place of apathy.
Why are we hearing the cry, “Too radical! Too hard! Let up preacher!” Why are many simply rolling over and going to another church, covering their head with feather pillow preaching (give us angels, visions, and dreams)? They are asleep and more alarm clocks are smashed at 5:00 A.M. than any other time of the day.
Yes, because of the defenselessness and susceptibility we find ourselves in while sleeping, we need a watchman. It matters less how intelligent, wealthy or strong a man may be, some time and some where he will find himself a victim of sleep and must have a watchman.
Mom & Dad, don’t cry “Oh go away” when your watchman cries against the wicked, suggestive, and sinful music your children are listening to, or “Oh leave us alone” when he blows the trumpet against those wicked thought-producing twin enemies, television and video. Don’t get mad and move across to the other church when he warns against worldly styles, punk rock hairdos’, petting, dirty notes, secret phone calls, and sins of fornication, that are sweeping like avalanche upon young people today. Wake up parents! How long will you sleep!
The fields are past due for harvest. God has not called the spiritual farmer to get all caught up in the commodities markets, the investment nets, the commercial entanglements of this life. Will we never learn that they are all full of vanity and vexation?. They will consume your lifetime and frustrate your soul Somebody ring the bell, wake up the farmer. It’s time to fill up the tractor, fire up the combines, open the barn doors and bring out the grain trucks. Somebody open the silo and call all the neighbors.
Get on your work clothes. Put down the fishing pole. Run to the fields, everybody! It’s time to work.
The Above Material Was Taken From A Sermon By Elder Dan Mena. This Material May Be Used For Study And Research Purposes Only.
