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24 "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
28 "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
32 "But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake."
It's hard to stay awake when you're really tired isn't it? Even when you're driving, and you know that you have to stay away to stay on the road, you can feel yourself dozing off. It's pretty dangerous isn't it? It is almost inevitable that we will all fall asleep.
That's what makes this message from Jesus so hard to hear today. We all fall prey to sin and our own human nature. We fall asleep from time to time. We get weak in faith, and sometimes, unfortunately, people fall from faith.
This is what keeps most pastors up at night. We are called to be in charge of people's souls. If you've ever wondered why I keep bugging people about worship attendance and being active in the fellowship of the church, it is this. I don't want people to lose their faith.
The less a person is in worship and the less he or she is around other Christians, the more space there is left for the devil to slip in and change ways of thinking. The more a person is away from the Lord, the better chance there is that they fall too far away and never come back. I've seen it happen way too much, and there's nothing that gives me more heartburn and heartache than that.
I pray that all of you reading this today take it to heart, and know exactly how important worship, Bible Study, Christian fellowship, prayer, and the Sacraments are for you. It is, quite literally, a matter of eternal life or death.
As you read this passage, you should also be so very thankful that, by faith, you are part of the elect that will be gathered from the four winds. You are a chosen one! You are a child of God by virtue off the faith that was given you in your baptism and strengthened daily through the Word, the Lord's Supper, and the mutual encouragement of the brothers and sisters in Christ! You are saved if you remain in faith!
Don't take it for granted! Don't take your faith for granted. Nurture it! Grow in it! Live in it! Love Him! Follow Him!
Prayer: Lord, keep me awake until you return that my faith may not fall asleep and that I may be prepared for your arrival. Amen.
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