WHO IS THIS MELCHISEDEC #38
AWAKE, THOU THAT SLEEPEST:
January 24, 2001
Brian Kocourek
Ephesians 5:14. “Awake, thou that
sleepest, and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light;”
ISAIAH 60:1 ¶ Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the
glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover
the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee,
and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3And the Gentiles shall come to thy
light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
In examining these words, we shall first of all examine who these
sleepers are, in which this verse speaks of: Secondly. We shall examine what
this exhortation means, “Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead:” And, Thirdly. We will
examine the promise that is made to those who do awake and arise: which promise
is, that “Christ
shall give thee light.”
Who are these sleepers spoken of here. By sleep is signified the
natural state of man; that deep sleep of the soul, into which the sinful nature
lays dormant; that laziness of spirit, and stupidity, that insensibility of
your real condition, in which every man comes into the world, and continues
till the voice of God awakes him.
MATTHEW 25:1 ¶ Then shall the kingdom of
heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to
meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five [were] foolish. 3
They that [were] foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the
wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom
tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made,
Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose,
and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your
oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, [Not so];
lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell,
and buy for yourselves. 10 And while
they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with
him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other
virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I
say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day
nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
Now, “they that sleep, sleep in the night.” That's what God says in his word and that is
what we do. We do not sleep during the day, when the light is brightest it is
hard to sleep. It is easy to sleep where there is no light.
I THESSALONIANS 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we
are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 ¶
Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be
sober. 7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are
drunken in the night.
The state of nature is a state of utter darkness; a state wherein
“darkness
covers the earth, and gross darkness the people.” As we read earlier. The poor unawakened sinner, no matter what
knowledge he might possess as to other things, he has no knowledge of himself:
Knowledge of ourselves comes from Knowing God. We read in Colossians 3:4 When Christ, [who is] our
life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. This tells us that When Christ Manifests
in His true character we shall do the same. Again we see in 1 John 3: 1-2 the
same thing. 1
¶ Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:
therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are
we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that,
when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Here we see it is the seeing Him manifested in His true character,
that brings us into manifestation of our true character.
In this respect “the sinner knoweth nothing as he ought to know.” He knows not that was
placed on earth for trying and testing. He sees no necessity for the one thing needful, which is to be born again.
It takes light to bring anything into manifestation.
EPHESIANS 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for
whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
Let's turn off the lights in here. Dwayne, would you turn them off
in the back, Paul would you turn them off in the front. Ok, Now it is pitch black
in here. Now if I told you all that you have ten seconds to get out the door,
you would panic because you can't even see the door much less get to it without
stumbling around in the dark looking for it. Ok, let's put the lights back on,
thank you.
The sinner does not know his condition because he can't see his
condition. Revelations 3:14 tells us, REVELATION 3:14 ¶ And unto the angel of the
church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and
true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold
nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm,
and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou
sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and
knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and
naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest
be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame
of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou
mayest see.
He is full of all sorts of diseases, he's miserable, he's blind,
he's naked, and he doesn't even know his own condition. He can know all sorts
of things but he does not know his own condition. He thinks of himself in
perfect health, and does not realize the dire situation he is in. Bound by
satan, He is in miserable and doesn't
know it. He dreams that he's free and at liberty, and yet does not know that it
is but a dream.
The sinner is one who sleeps, and therefore, a sinner is satisfied
in his sins; he's content to remain in his fallen condition. To live and die
without the image of God; ignorant both of his disease, and of the only remedy
to heal it. Warned, yet never regarded the warning voice of God, “to flee from the wrath to come;” one who cannot perceive
the danger of hell-fire, or he would cry out in the earnestness of his soul,
“What must I do to be saved?” like so many that were written of in the
scriptures.
The "fool has said in his own heart, there is no God." Even the foolish virgin had been awakened out from their sleep,
but these have never been awakened. And they sleep on.
Let's look at what the scripture speaks about those who sleep.
ISAIAH 29:9 ¶ Stay yourselves, and
wonder; cry ye out, and cry: they are drunken, but not with wine; they stagger,
but not with strong drink. 10 For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit
of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the
seers hath he covered. 11 And the vision of all is become unto you as the words
of a book that is sealed, which [men] deliver to one that is learned, saying,
Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it [is] sealed: 12 And the
book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee:
and he saith, I am not learned. 13
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near [me] with
their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far
from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
Now,
let's hold our finger here and we will turn back one chapter to Isaiah 28 and
reading from verse 8.
ISAIAH 28:8 For all tables are full of vomit [and] filthiness, [so that there
is] no place [clean]. 9 ¶ Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom
shall he make to understand doctrine? That's the message! [them that
are] weaned from the milk, [and] drawn from the breasts. 10 For precept [must
be] upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a
little, [and] there a little: 11 For with stammering lips and another tongue
will he speak to this people. 12 To whom he said, This [is] the rest
[wherewith] ye may cause the weary to rest; and this [is] the refreshing: yet
they would not hear. 13 But the word of
the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon
line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little; that they might go,
and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken.
Now, I like how the NIV translates this
passage. 8 All the tables are covered with vomit and there is not a
spot without filth. 9 "Who is it he is trying to teach? To whom is he
explaining his message? To children weaned from their milk, to those just taken
from the breast? 10 For it is: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule, rule on
rule; a little here, a little there." 11 Very well
then, with foreign lips and strange tongues God will speak to this people, 12 to whom he
said, "This is the resting place, let the weary rest"; and,
"This is the place of repose"-- but they would not listen. 13 So then,
the word of the LORD to them will become: Do and do, do and do, rule on rule,
rule on rule; a little here, a little there-- so that they will go and fall
backward, be injured and snared and captured.
There you
are, it says the word of the Lord becomes to them just do and do, rule on rule,
conduct and order and morals etc. And what do they do, they go backwards.
14 Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among
this people, [even] a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their
wise [men] shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent [men] shall be
hid. 15 Woe unto them that seek deep to
hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they
say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us? 16
Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the
potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or
shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? 17
¶ [Is] it not yet a very little while,
and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall
be esteemed as a forest? 18 And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of
the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of
darkness. 19 The meek also shall increase [their] joy in the LORD, and the poor
among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 20 For the terrible one is
brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity
are cut off:21 That make a man an
offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and
turn aside the just for a thing of nought. 22
Therefore thus saith the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the
house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax
pale. 23 But when he seeth his
children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my
name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. 24
They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that
murmured shall learn doctrine.
5. This sleeper when he sleeps, is usually the deepest sleep of all:
Whether he be of the Laodicean spirit, “neither cold nor hot,” or of a quiet,
rational, inoffensive, good-natured religious person walking after the religion
of his fathers; or whether he be zealous and orthodox, or a real Pharisee; in
other words, one that justifies himself; one that labors to establish his own
righteousness, as the ground of his acceptance with God.
6. This is he, who, “having a form of godliness, denies the power
thereof;” and probably hates it and speaks against it, and lives in a delusion
as that person who eats in their dreams and awakens hungry, or who drink in
their dreams and awakens thirsty. They are living in a delusion. Meanwhile, the
wretched self-deceiver thanks God, that he is “not as other men are;
adulterers, unjust, extortioners:” No, he doeth no wrong to any man. He “fasts
twice in a week,” uses all the means of grace, is constant at church and
sacrament; yea, and “gives tithes of all that he has;” does all the good that
he can: “Touching the righteousness of the law,” he is “blameless:” He wants
nothing of godliness, and resists the power; (the Word) is religious, but lacks
the spirit; thinks he is a Christian, but hates the truth, hates the life and
yet claims he has it.
7. But know ye not, that, however highly esteemed among men such a
Christian as this may be, he is an abomination in the sight of God, and an heir
of every woe which the Son of God, yesterday, today, and forever, denounces
against “Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites?” He hath “made clean the outside of
the cup and the platter,” but within is full of all filthiness. “An evil
disease cleaveth still unto him, so that his inward parts are very wickedness.”
This is why the inner man must be renewed or born again.
Our Lord fitly compares him to a “painted epulcher,” which
“appears beautiful without;” but, nevertheless, is “full of dead men’s bones,
and of all uncleanness.” The bones, indeed, are no longer dry; the sinews and
flesh are come upon them, and the skin covers them above. But there is no
breath in them, no Spirit of the living God. And, “if any man have not the
Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” “Ye are Christ’s, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwell in you:” But, if not, God knoweth that ye abide in death,
even until now.
8. This is another character of the sleeper here spoken to. He
abides in death, though he knows it not. He is dead unto God, “dead in
trespasses and sins.” For, “to be carnally minded is death.” Even as it is
written, “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death
passed upon all men,” not only temporal death, but likewise spiritual and
eternal. “In that day that thou eatest,” said God to Adam, “thou shalt surely
die:” Not bodily, (unless as he then became mortal,) but spiritually: Thou
shalt lose the life of thy soul; thou shalt die to God; shalt be separated from
him, thy essential life and happiness.
9. Thus first was dissolved
the vital union of our soul with God; insomuch that “in the midst of” natural
“life, we are” now in spiritual “death.” And herein we remain till the Second
Adam becomes a quickening Spirit to us, till he raises the dead, the dead in
sin, in pleasure, riches, or honors. But,.93 before any dead soul can live, he
“hears” (hearkens to) “the voice of the Son of God.” John 11:25 He is made
sensible of his lost estate, and receives the sentence of death in himself. He
knows himself to be “dead while he liveth;” dead to God, and all the things of
God; having no more power to perform the actions of a living Christian, than a
dead body to perform the functions of a living man.
10. And most certain it is,
that one dead in sin has not “senses exercised to discern spiritual good and
evil.” “Having eyes, he sees not; he hath ears, and hears not.” We doth not
taste and see that the Lord is gracious.” He “hath not seen God at any time,”
nor “heard his voice,” nor “handled the word of life.” In vain is the name of
Jesus “like ointment poured forth, and all his garments smell of myrrh, aloes,
and cassia.” The soul that sleepeth in death, hath no perception of any objects
of this kind. His heart is “past feeling,” and under standeth none of these
things. He has religion in his 5 outer senses, and 5 inner senses, yet has no
sense for the word.
11. And hence, having no spiritual senses, no inlets of spiritual
knowledge, the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; nay,
he is so far from receiving them, that whatsoever is spiritually discerned is
mere foolishness unto him. He is not content with being utterly ignorant of
spiritual things, but he denies the very existence of them. And spiritual
sensation itself is to him the foolishness of folly. “How,” saith he, “can
these things be? How can any man know that he is alive to God?” Even as you
know that your body is now alive. Faith is the life of the soul; and if ye have
this life abiding in you, ye want no marks to evidence it to yourself, but elegcov Pneumatov, that divine consciousness,
that witness of God, which is more and greater than ten thousand human
witnesses.