For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light-for the fruit of light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth-discerning what is pleasing to the Lord. Don’t participate in fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. Everything exposed to the light is clear, for what makes everything clear is light. Therefore it is said:  Get up sleeper, rise up from the dead, and the Messiah will shine on you.  Ephesians 5:8-13 HCSB

As someone who has been a light sleeper all my life, I appreciate a good night’s sleep. I truly appreciate a deep sleep that goes uninterrupted. Sleep is a good thing. It provides healing and restoration. But just like everything else, you can have too much of a good thing. In our passage today, Paul is talking about the darkness and the deeds done in darkness. Often times criminals like to operate in the dark so they are not exposed. As sinners, we walk in darkness. But here Paul is telling the Ephesians that they must walk as children of the light because the light produces goodness, righteousness and truth which helps us to discern what is pleasing to God. We benefit from paying attention to his words. He warns against participating in the fruitless works of darkness. He also encourages us to expose these works and then he tells us that light makes everything clear. He then says, “Get up sleeper, rise from the dead and the Messiah will shine on you.”

As you read the last part of this passage, what goes through your mind? Do you consider yourself to be sleeping? Would you describe yourself as dead? Do you need to wake up? Do you need to come to life?

If you are not following Christ, you are walking in darkness. If you have not given your heart over to your Lord and Savior, then you are sleeping through these end times. Yesterday, we talked about being born again. If you have never experienced that new life in Christ, you are dead in your sins. It may sound harsh, but it’s true.

As sinners we walk in darkness. When we walk in darkness, even in familiar surroundings, we are taking a great risk. It can still be tricky and dangerous and can lead to injury. When we stay in the light, everything is clear to us. It’s time for us to wake up. It’s time for us to turn the lights on and look around us.

We are living in times described in Isaiah 5:20 which tells us “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” We are warned in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 that difficult times will come in the last days. We are told that people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of godliness but denying it’s power. Then we are told to avoid these people!

My friend, if you prefer to sleep through these end times, I must warn you that you may wake up and find that it is too late. It’s time to wake up, turn to God and trust in Him. We just read in 2 Timothy 3:5 that people will hold to the form of godliness but deny its power. If you are faking your Christianity, that won’t cut it. If you truly believe in God and love and know Him, then you understand His awesome power. You understand that He is a just God and will not allow the disobedient to go unpunished. He brought punishment against those with the flood. He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. You must understand that He will not allow the wicked in this world today to go unpunished. As evil and wickedness continues to spread, you can rest assured that God is in control. He’s got this.

We have a choice, we can stay in the dark and continue to sleep. We can stay dead in our sin. Or, we can turn to God and walk in the light with Him and be saved.

I beg of you to choose wisely before it’s too late.

Have a great day!