“Hypersomnia” is the opposite of insomnia. It is a sleep disorder where a person can sleep for eleven hours, or more. Symptoms include excessive daytime sleepiness, long unrefreshing naps, and brain fog. On the spiritual level, how on earth can a believer escape the pervasive drowsiness, and incredible dullness within the prevailing religious culture? With the sleep of death all around us, how can we keep fully awake? Is it even possible to remain conscious when spiritual hypersomnia seems to have overtaken the nation? The Apostle Paul gives insight, wisdom, and exhortation on the subject of spiritual consciousness; and the needed vigilance to live victorious lives. Let’s consider five divine directives from Romans chapter thirteen.
WAKE UP—“It is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (v. 11). Strange things can happen when you are snoozing. People talk in their sleep. Others walk in their sleep. I’ve heard of some who took a bath in their sleep! And all kinds of things go unnoticed when you are asleep or slumbering spiritually. On the contrary, when you are wide awake; you become keenly aware of things overlooked while you were snoozing. Spiritual consciousness means your eyes are wide-open to the reality of Christ’s imminent return, which may happen any moment. Our glorification is “nearer than when we believed.” One of these days, time will be finished, and Christ will come back to set up His Kingdom. It’s later than it’s ever been before. The King is coming. In light of the impending rapture of the church, we must… WAKE UP!
LOOK UP—“The night is far spent (almost gone), the day is at hand” (v. 12). History is in its final stages. Therefore, we should be “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). You can take this “hope” to the bank—for it is a certainty. And this is one expectation you cannot afford to forget. The rapture should be a motivating factor in our lives. Every breath we draw takes us nearer and nearer to the consummation of life as we know it. Jesus said, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up… your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28). Look around, and you may be discouraged. Look in, and you may be disheartened. But you will be ready if you… LOOK UP!
CLEAN UP—“Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness (remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes), and let us put on the armor of light” (v. 12). When your clothes get dirty, you remove them, and put on clean ones. Night is the time when people get into all kinds of mischief. But God calls on us to put off the deeds of darkness. We are children of the light (John 12:36, Eph. 5:8, 1 Thes.5:5).
The urgency of the end times requires that we maintain clear heads, clean hearts, and clean hands. The armor of light is the only means to vanquish the encroaching darkness and stay pure. In verse 13 we are told to clean up by putting away “rioting (wild partying)… drunkenness… chambering (sexual promiscuity)… wantonness (immoral living)… strife (quarreling) and envying (jealousy).” God’s people are called to be holy just like He is holy, so we must… CLEAN UP!
SUIT UP—“Put… on the Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 14). The replacement for our filthy garments is the armor of light—the LORD JESUS CHRIST. There is no darkness in Him. You must be arrayed and covered with His character: His unselfishness, His mercy, and His purity. Only His righteousness can cover man’s moral deformities. Christ alone can defend us from divine justice and secure us from the wrath to come. Ancient Jews often used the phrase “putting on the Shekinah,” or the Divine majesty. This signified the soul’s being clothed with immortality and rendered fit for eternal glory. A person “puts on” Christ by receiving and believing the Gospel, and then daily appropriating His life as our life. To stand in the heated battles of life, daily we must… SUIT UP!
GROW UP—“Make no provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (v. 14). That simply means don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires. Let’s say you’re going on a trip, and you’re packing. As you get ready, you’re making “provision” for what you’re going to need while away from home. So you spend time thinking through what you should pack. You must “plan” for your necessities. To grow up means, you are taking measures to prevent sin. You do not plan for sin, or offer any opportunity for it. To make provision for the flesh is to expect to fail. That’s like an alcoholic who’s trying to stay sober, but he tucks away a little alcohol in his secret stash, just in case he needs it. He’s making provision for the flesh, and he will not remain sober for long. He will fall. Whatever your sin of choice may happen to be, refuse to plan for it. Instead, plan for victory. The most basic remedy against sin is to… GROW UP!
Acting on these biblical appeals can help us maintain spiritual consciousness, and alertness. We must stay “WIDE AWAKE” in a “FAST ASLEEP” world, and these encouragements will greatly assist us.
Harold Vaughan
*Thoughts and outline gleaned from a sermon by Pastor Wayne Wyatt of Gospel Light Baptist Church in Roanoke, VA.
