Paul commands Christians to do three things: wake up, stand up, and watch out! All three are in the imperative in the Greek. This sermon explains these commands in the context of the age we live in and explains why they apply to living with the return of Christ in view. Paul is using irony because he has told Christians that they are alive from the dead (Ephesians 2:5) but here commands them to arise from the dead. This means to live out the reality of what God has done for us. Likewise, “sleepers” are Christians who are not paying attention to the hour they are living in and the need for gospel diligence. We must not allow the pagan culture to determine what we believe or who we serve. We need “focused moral attention” to live so as to please Christ and not man. The text speaks of redeeming the time and we make specific applications to the evil days we are living in and how we need to refuse to bow to the pagan culture. Christians bow their knees only to Christ! We are here to honor Christ and preach His gospel to everyone.

Sermon handout and slides available under the Downloads tab.