Bulletins - Zion East Prospect Church

- - Matthew 24:36–44ESV
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,[a] but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (ESV)

ME: ORIENTATION: FIND COMMON GROUND WITH THE AUDIENCE
Pace maker
What has you all charged up with?
God, self or news.
If it was your turn to be it you had to be ready for people wanting to come and tag the tree, pole or fire hydrant.
WE: IDENTIFICATION (MAKE IT CLEAR THAT YOU STRUGGLE)

WE: IDENTIFICATION (MAKE IT CLEAR THAT YOU STRUGGLE)
The news station I was watching was preparing and telling people how to have a great thanksgiving by not talking about politics or religion.
How not to offend others and have pleasant conversation.
How not to offend others.
People are into themselves and more resentful of others.
They were further talking about getting into debt, thus talking about spending big on themselves.

My sister was talking about black Friday sales where art Walmart people were hitting others with there carts and hitting you cutting in front of you and she said beeping there horns

In our text: wars, destruction of the temple, persecution, killed. What will Jesus do about it.
We have Christians self absorbed in his return to get them out of trouble.

Jesus is not literally asking us to stay awake! What does he mean?

GOD: ILLUMINATION (THE GOAL IS TO RESOLVE THE TENSION

1) Don't go through life like a sleepwalker

, without seeing or noticing what's going on all around us. It's time for us to open not only our eyes, but also our spirits so that we can be aware of how God is moving and guiding us through our lives.

Jesus is warning against being "asleep at the switch," an expression that originated in the railroad industry. It refers to someone who has missed something important, has not noticed some critical detail or who might be placing themselves or others in danger because of a lack of attention. If an engineer dozes off while tending the switches (controls) that guide the train, it could easily cause a crash. It's vital to "stay awake."

2) Jesus calls us to attention with his urgent message, "Stay awake!" so that we will be ready to respond to the needs around us. We need to stay alert .
Oh how easy it is to get lost, or caught up, or numbed up.

Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. (ESV)

(3) so that we can notice God at work in our midst. Advent is a time

Do we really see what is happening?
(4) to wake up our spirits so that we can be aware of God's presence in our lives.

Maybe Jesus is not so much telling us to never shut our eyes as
(5) to avoid closing down our spirits.
We can easily move through our day as though in a dream. We can interact with screens from morning to night while completely avoiding any interaction with another human being, not to mention the Holy One.

We can be plugged into one device or another and fill our eyes and minds with news and images, never leaving room for a whisper of the Spirit or a nudge from a guiding and loving God.
We can be lulled into complacency by watching endless loops of music videos or reruns of our favorite TV shows.
We immerse ourselves in an ocean of blogs that invite us to click from one link to another.
Minutes and even hours can go by before we realize that this was perhaps not the best use of our time.
Wake up! What did we miss while we were gazing at yet another episode of Dr. Who or filling another basket of vegetables on Farmville? In an age when it is possible to have your eyes glued to some screen or another almost 24/7, it may be time to wake up to other possibilities.

(6) to expect the unexpected. Jesus talks about a God who will surprise us by coming when we're not looking or arriving in a guise that we do not expect. This powerful Advent passage reminds us to be aware that the God who came into the world as a baby so many years ago still wishes to enter our lives today. Too often we find ourselves with the innkeepers who turn away the Christ with the words, "no room." Our minds are full, our calendars are packed, our expectations are low, so we're not actively looking and seeking for the living Christ in our midst. We're too busy and our minds are too occupied; without even noticing we push Jesus away. And Jesus cries, "Wake up!"

Jesus commands us to be watchful and

(6) to expect the unexpected.
Jesus talks about a God who will surprise us by coming when we're not looking or arriving in a guise that we do not expect.

This powerful Advent passage reminds us to be aware that the God who came into the world as a baby so many years ago still wishes to enter our lives today.
Too often we find ourselves with the innkeepers who turn away the Christ with the words, "no room."
Our minds are full, our calendars are packed, our expectations are low, so we're not actively looking and seeking for the living Christ in our midst.
We're too busy and our minds are too occupied; without even noticing we push Jesus away. And Jesus cries, "Wake up!"

(7) to open our hearts and minds to the arrival of the Christ.
If Jesus knocks on the door of our lives, we want to be awake enough to invite him inside.

Churches often get lulled into the complacency of "we have always done it that way."

Are we going through life the same way?
Are we actively looking for the Christ in the person that we greet at the store or on the street or even in our home?
Will we be alert enough to recognize the surprising Christ who arrived not in a palace but in a tucked-away manger?
How will the Christ come to us, and will we recognize him when he does?
What can we do during Advent to be more intentional about welcoming the Christ into our lives?

Just as employers implore their workers to make changes in their lives so that they can be more alert during office hours, Jesus calls us to be aware of the changes we need to make in our lives.

Jesus' words sound almost like a plaintive entreaty when we consider what we might be missing.
- Wake up -- God is all around you.
- Wake up -- you are not alone.
- Wake up -- there is comfort right at hand.
- Wake up -- strength will be provided.
- Wake up -- don't miss the blessings that are right here.
- Wake up -- God is Emmanuel. Do you see God, right here, right now?

YOU: APPLICATION (TELL PEOPLE WHAT TO DO AND WHAT THEY HAVE HEARD)
Conclusion:
What miracles are we missing simply because we are too distracted to notice? What blessings are we passing by because our minds are consumed with endless details? Are we blindly stumbling through our lives unaware of God's presence all around us?
Jesus' words sound almost like a plaintive entreaty when we consider what we might be missing.
- Wake up -- God is all around you.
- Wake up -- you are not alone.
- Wake up -- there is comfort right at hand.
- Wake up -- strength will be provided.
- Wake up -- don't miss the blessings that are right here.
- Wake up -- God is Emmanuel. Do you see God, right here, right now?

The Heart of the matter is a matter of the heart

Living for Christ in repentance, forgiveness, and faith produces fruit.

Matthew 24:36–44ESV

1) Don't go through life like a sleepwalker

​

, without seeing or noticing what's going on all around us. It's time for us to open not only our eyes, but also our spirits so that we can be aware of how God is moving and guiding us through our lives.