SO THEN LET US NOT SLEEP AS
OTHERS DO: ara oun me katheudomen (1PPAS) os oi loipoi: (Proverbs
19:15;
Isaiah 56:10;
Jonah 1:6;
Matthew 13:25;
25:5;
Mark 14:37;
Luke 22:46;
Romans 13:11-14;
1 Corinthians 15:34;
Ephesians 5:14)
So then - That is, because
of the marked difference in the basic nature of day people and night
people, Paul presents a description of one's expected conduct. One's
true nature is inseparable from one's conduct. Conduct always reflects
and reveals one's true nature, either a child of God or a child of the
Devil.
Sleep (2518) (katheudo from katá = an intensifies
meaning + heúdo = to sleep) to sleep,
fall asleep, be fast asleep. To sleep the sleep of death. To be
spiritually asleep, secure and unconcerned in sin, indolent and
careless in the performance of duty
Others (loiipoy) the rest. Paul makes a sharp distinction between
Christians and all others.
BUT LET US BE ALERT AND SOBER:
alla gregoromen (1PPAS) kai nephomen. (3PPAI): (Matthew
24:42;
25:13;
26:38,40,41;
Mark 13:34,35,37;
14:38;
Luke 12:37,39;
Luke 21:36;
22:46;
Acts 20:31;
1 Corinthians 16:13;
Ephesians 6:18;
Colossians 4:2;
2 Timothy 4:5;
1 Peter 4:7;
Revelation 3:2;
16:15)
(8;
Philippians 4:5;
1 Timothy 2:9,15;
3:2,11;
Titus 2:6,12;
1 Peter 1:13;
5:8)
Alert (1127)
(gregoreuo
from egeiro = to arise, arouse, rouse from sleep, waken)
means to be watchful or to refrain from physical sleep. Later
gregoreuo came to used in the moral and religious sphere and was
used to call for one to be on the alert (quick to perceive and
act) in a constant state of readiness (being on the lookout
especially for danger or opportunity) and vigilant (alertly
watchful especially to avoid danger this word suggesting intense,
unremitting, wary watchfulness; keenly alert to or heedful of trouble
or danger as others are sleeping or unsuspicious).
Gregoreuo conveys the idea
of a sleeping man rousing himself, so that he is mentally alert and in
a state of mind opposite to that which characterizes one's mind while
in sleep.
The
present tense
calls for the saints to be in a
continual state of alertness in light of the imminent return of our
Lord. They are to continually take heed lest through remissness
and indolence destructive calamity should suddenly overtake them.
Don't misunderstand. Paul states that they are not destined for wrath
which would include the Day of the Lord, but his point is that they
should now live like that.
Secular Greek
used gregoreuo to describe people carefully crossing a river
while stepping on slippery stones. If they did not pay strict
attention to their steps, they would end up in the water. So the idea
of vigilance is to stay alert and cautious.
Most of the NT
uses are in reference to the Christians’ being spiritually awake and
alert, as opposed to being spiritually indifferent and listless or
asleep.
Most of the NT
uses of gregoreuo are in the latter part of Gospels in the
context of Jesus' imminent crucifixion and departure and the
exhortation to His disciples to be on the alert for His
imminent future return.
Thus our Lord
declared...
Therefore
be on the alert
(gregoreuo -
present imperative),
for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But be sure of
this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the
night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert
(gregoreuo) and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. (Mt
24:42-43)
Jesus
concluded the parable of the 10 virgins with the warning
Be on the alert
(gregoreuo -
present imperative)
then, for you do not know the day nor the hour. (Mt
25:13)
Jesus
used gregoreuo in His exhortation to the disciples in the
Garden of Gethsemane in His hour of greatest attack by the Devil gives
good advice for saints of all ages...
My soul is deeply grieved, to the
point of death; remain here and keep watch (gregoreuo) with
Me." (Mt
26:38)...And He came to the disciples and found them
sleeping, and said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch
(gregoreuo) with Me for one hour?" (Mt
26:40) and finally warning them to "Keep
watching (gregoreuo -
present imperative
= continuously = make this your lifestyle) and
praying
(present
imperative),
that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the
flesh is weak." (Mt
26:41)
Gregoreuo
is used three times in Mark 13 (this should get our attention!) which
closes with an exhortation to watchfulness and prayer in view of the
Lord’s Return. Jesus' addressing His disciples, Peter and James and
John and Andrew, on the Mount of Olives tells them a parable of the
doorkeeper, declaring that
It is like a man, away on a
journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge,
assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to
stay on the alert (gregoreuo). Therefore,
be on the alert
(gregoreuo -
present imperative)--
for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in
the evening, at midnight, at cockcrowing, or in the morning-- lest he
come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all,
'Be on the alert
(gregoreuo -
present imperative)!'
(Mk
13:34-37) (Comment: Marvin Vincent
comments on the significance of Jesus' using the illustration of an
awake, alert doorkeeper in this parable writing that "In the
temple, during the night, the captain of the temple made his rounds,
and the guards had to rise at his approach and salute him in a
particular manner. Any guard (doorkeeper) found asleep on duty was
beaten, or his garments were set on fire. Compare
Revelation 16:15: "Blessed
is he that watched and keepeth his garments." The preparations for the
morning service required all to be early astir. The superintending
priest might knock at the door at any moment. The Rabbis use almost
the very words in which Scripture describes the unexpected coming of
the Master. "Sometimes he came at the cockcrowing, sometimes a little
earlier, sometimes a little later. He came and knocked and they opened
to him" -- Edersheim, The Temple.")
Luke
records a similar admonition from Jesus Who declared...
Blessed are those slaves whom the
master shall find on the alert (gregoreuo -
present tense)
when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve,
and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.
38 Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and
finds them so, blessed are those slaves. And be sure of this, that if
the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he
would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 40 "You too,
be
(present
imperative)
ready (prepared); for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do
not expect." (Luke 12:37-40)
In Paul's last
meeting with the Ephesian elders he warned them of the inherent and
certain dangers...
Therefore
be on the alert
(gregoreuo -
present imperative),
remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not
cease to admonish each one with tears. (Acts 20:31)
In his final
exhortation in the first letter to the Corinthians Paul commanded them
to...
Be on the alert
(gregoreuo),
stand firm in the faith, act
like men, be strong. (1
Corinthians 16:13 ) (Note: all 4 verbs call for a continual
action on the believer's part -
present imperative)
1 Co 16:13
In the final NT
use of gregoreuo Jesus gives one final encouraging admonition
declaring...
Behold, I am coming like a thief.
Blessed is the one who stays awake (gregoreuo) and keeps his
garments, lest he walk about naked and men see his shame. (See note
Revelation 16:15) (Comment:
Stay alert beloved so that you might not be ashamed when He comes.)
Do most saints
really believe what Jesus so clearly declared, not just while on earth
but after His resurrection? Saints are not to be looking for the Day
of the Lord (for the Antichrist) but for the Lord of the Day (for
Christ), and His sudden swooping down to sweep us (as His Bride) off
of our feet, literally and figuratively, taking us home to enjoy the
Marriage Supper of the Lamb! Hallelujah! Oh, beloved, in light of such
a blessed, sure, glorious hope, should we not all live as if every day
were our last!
As Augustine
wisely stated
The last day is a secret, that
every day may be watched (Comment: That we may be looking for
Him every day and live accordingly).
Wiersbe writes that believers are to...
Live expectantly. This does not mean putting on a
white sheet and sitting atop a mountain. That is the very attitude God
condemned (Acts 1:10–11). But it does mean living in the light of His
return, realizing that our works will be judged and that our
opportunities for service on earth will end. It means to live “with
eternity’s values in view.” Believers who live in the expectation of
the Lord’s return will certainly enjoy a better life than Christians
who compromise with the world. At the end of each chapter in this
letter, Paul pointed out the practical results of living expectantly.
Take time now to review those verses and to examine your heart. (Wiersbe,
W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor
or
Logos)
Thus believers are to be like
soldiers "in active service" (see note
2 Timothy 2:4), like shepherds watching over their
"spiritual" flock (Acts 20:28, 31) constantly vigilant and watchful
(Mt 24:42). How does one stay "watchful"? (see note
Colossians 4:2).
Why do we need to "keep awake"? (see note
1 Peter 5:8;
Acts 20:31 [see Acts 20:30], Mt 25:13 26:41) What's the
"reward" for maintaining vigilance until He returns? (Lu 12:37,39)
Staying alert involves the duty of vigilance catalyzed by frequent fellowship
and
communion (abiding) with the Father in His Word, being taught of His
Spirit Who even stimulates us to prayer mindful of the day or hour
when the Son of man shall arrive
Sober (3525)(nepho
cp nephaleos = "wineless," "unmixed with wine") in the
physical sense literally was used to refer to either complete
abstinence or in a relative sense to refer to temperance (drinking but
not to the point of intoxication).
The
present tense
calls for this to be the saint's
continual state.
Nepho is the antithesis of
mental "fuzziness". The Greek culture highly valued sober
judgment in both individual and public life.
Our English counterpart is to be
levelheaded, well-balanced, and in control of one’s faculties. By
extension it includes the ideas of being stable, unwavering,
steadfast.
To be sober-minded means to live
with your eyes open and with a calm, steady state of mind that
evaluates things correctly, so that it is not thrown off balance.
Soberness is an attitude of
self-discipline that avoids the extremes of the 'reckless
irresponsibility of self indulgence on the one hand, and of religious
ecstasy on the other.'
Nepho conveys the idea of
freedom from excitability (a contrast to the excitement of
drunkenness) and thus means to be calm and collected in spirit,
temperate (marked by moderation, keeping within limits, not
extreme or excessive), not given to excessive indulgence in drink or
any other activity, dispassionate (not influenced by strong
feeling; especially not affected by personal or emotional
involvement), circumspect (careful to consider all
circumstances and possible consequences, prudently watchful and
discreet in the face of danger or risk), with equanimity
(evenness of mind especially under stress and suggests a habit of mind
that is only rarely disturbed under great strain), cool (marked
by steady dispassionate calmness and self-control) and unimpassioned.
In the NT
nepho is used only figuratively meaning to be free from every form
of mental and spiritual "intoxication". The idea then is to be calm
and collected in spirit, circumspect, self-controlled, well-balanced,
clear headed. Be self-possessed (for believers a more accurate
description would be "Spirit" possessed) under all circumstances. It
speaks of exercising self-restraint (enabled by the Spirit) and being
free from excess, from evil passion, from rashness, etc.
William
Hendricksen adds that
The sober person lives
deeply. His pleasures are not primarily those of the senses, like the
pleasures of the drunkard for instance, but those of the soul. He is
by no means a Stoic. On the contrary, with a full measure of joyful
anticipation he looks forward to the return of the Lord (see note
1 Peter 1:13-14).
But he does not run away from his task! Note how both here and also in
1 Peter 5:8 the two verbs to be watchful and to be sober are used as
synonyms. (Hendricksen,
W. New Testament Commentary: Exposition of Thessalonians, Timothy, and
Titus. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1981).
Here are the 6
uses of nepho in Scripture (none in Lxx) (note some are
discussed in more detail below)...
1Thessalonians 5:6
so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and
sober....5:8
But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the
breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
2 Timothy 4:5 (note)
But you, be
sober
(present
imperative) in
all things, endure
(aorist
imperative)
hardship, do
(aorist
imperative) the
work of an evangelist,
fulfill (aorist
imperative) your
ministry.
1 Peter 1:13 (note)
Therefore, gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit,
fix your hope
(aorist
imperative)
completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of
Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 4:7 (note)
The end of all things is at hand; therefore,
be of sound judgment
(aorist
imperative) and
sober spirit
(aorist
imperative) or
the purpose of prayer.
1 Peter 5:8
(note) Be
of sober spirit, (aorist
imperative)
be on the alert
(aorist
imperative). Your
adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour.
Stay sober even in regard to
"Christian things" for it is easy to be carried away and become
intoxicated by the newest craze or technique, whether it's casting out
demons, preaching pop psychology with a token sprinkling of the Name
"Jesus" and/or Scripture (often taken out of
context
which leaves the Scripture dangerously wide open to misinterpretation
and the even more tragic result of misapplication!), subtly drifting
toward non-Biblical practices of "new age like" mysticism in prayer
(such as visualizing Jesus coming to you, etc), removing the Cross
from behind the stage (which often no longer has a pulpit for
preaching the Gospel), no longer preaching a Gospel that calls sinners
to repent and believe and confess (just close your eyes and hold up
your hands and no one will see if you "confess" Christ as Lord and
Savior!), no longer encouraging the saints to bring their "big, heavy"
Bibles to worship service, removing the hymns (especially those that
mention the "blood", the precious blood as of a lamb, the foundational
new covenant in His blood!) from the worship service (or singing a
token hymn to keep the old folks happy) or singing secular songs in an
attempt to "make the Gospel" modern and relevant to the world.
Remember that the Church of Jesus Christ is called to be
purifying her garments, coming out from the world, not becoming like
the world (see notes
Revelation 19:7;
19:8). And when she does seek
to be conformed to the image of her Bridegroom (Whom the world hated
and still hates) she will be less like the world, and paradoxically
will have the most impact on the world! In many modern churches I fear
there is a drift toward the world and not toward heaven. Let us be
sober. Not judgmental. Not legalistic. But Biblically sound and sober
doing all things for the glory of God our Father.
John MacArthur has an interesting comment observing that..
Night people can only be night people. They are not human chameleons
who can suddenly become day
people. Furthermore night people cannot do the deeds of the day people. But
tragically the reverse prescription can exist so that day people
can do the deeds of the night! We can reach back to old patterns of
behavior, the dirty paths we used to walk on, but when we do we are
the most miserable of people because we have not only our innate
conscience screaming at us, but even more impacting, we have the still
small voice of the Spirit reminding us of our wayward ways. Obviously
day people because of Romans 6 (eg, see note
Romans 6:4)
which teaches that
Sin
is no longer our master (see notes
Romans 6:11;
6:12;
6:13),
do not have to carry out night deeds. Certainly to do so is not consistent with our new nature,
identity and sphere of life in Christ (see note
Colossians 3:3).
And to do so as the habit of one's life without ever having
experienced freedom brings into question the validity of one's new
birth (see notes
Ephesians 5:1;
5:2;
5:3;
5:4;
5:5;
5:6). We are day people
living in the light, but we can do the deeds of darkness but when we do
such deeds, we do them in broad light and with full understanding of
God's righteous anger against sin (regardless of who commits it).
Paul is emphasizing that there is no place for
night life and the deeds of darkness among believers who are day people.
Paul wants the believer's behavior to be
consistent with his or her new nature. He wants the believer's behavior
to be distinctive so that others
know we are of the day. And because we know we are of the day, we do
not fear the Day of the Lord, nor do we fear God's wrath, His judgment
or the ultimate fate of night people -- eternal separation away from
the presence of the Lord.
Spurgeon sums up this verse noting that...
Watchfulness and sobriety are appropriate duties for the day. To be
ever serving our Lord with constancy, and to keep ourselves from the
fascinations of the world which make men’s minds drunk — may these two
things be our daily care.
><> ><> ><>
Our Daily Bread: A Daily Devotional
has an excellent
illustration of the believer living alert and sober...The ancient sport of falconry used
trained hawks or falcons in the pursuit of wild game. When the
"educated predator" was allowed to fly, however, it often rose too
high for human eyes to see it. So a hunter often carried a small caged
bird called a shrike. By watching the antics of the little
bird, the man could always tell where his hawk was, for the shrike
instinctively feared the predator and cocked its head to keep it in
view.
The Christian desperately needs the
alert perception of the shrike when it comes to detecting his
spiritual enemy....We're to be always on the alert. It would be nice
if God had giant sirens to warn us of an attack by the devil. But the
Lord doesn't operate that way. Instead, we must read
the Bible
regularly, meditate on its truths, maintain a prayerful attitude
throughout the day, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Only then will
we be sensitive to an imminent onslaught of the evil one, and be armed
by grace to meet it.
Is your spiritual "shrike system"
working well? --(M R De
Haan II)