THE CHURCH AWAKENED – Charles Spurgeon
The Church Awakened
“Therefore He says: ‘Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.’” — Ephesians 5:14.
We have not time this evening to delve into the question of where this quotation came from. There does not appear to be an exact match in the Old Testament, but we must remember that the apostle frequently quotes the spirit of texts rather than their exact words. In the 8th and 10th chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrews, we find him quoting the same passage, though not in the same words, showing us that, as an inspired man, he felt able to deal more with the spirit of a passage than with the precise wording. Therefore, while there may not be a verbatim passage in the Old Testament, several texts capture the spirit of the exhortation. Paul was justified in saying, “God has said so-and-so.” Furthermore, the passage may not be a quotation at all. The apostle might mean that Christ said it to him or through him—that Christ intended even then, while Paul was writing, to deliver the words he wrote: “He said such-and-such.” However, we have no time to explore that matter further. What is more important, perhaps, is the question: To whom is this text addressed?
Addressing the Church of God
Nine times out of ten, when this text is preached, it is taken as though it were addressed to the ungodly. It is indeed a very appropriate text to address the ungodly, but I do not see that the context permits it in this case. There are some who would think it altogether unscriptural and unsound to address these words to those who have no spiritual life. We are not among them. If we see a person as deadly asleep, we believe that we are commissioned by God to preach the gospel to them and say, “Awake, you who sleep.” Although we are more and more persuaded of the need for moral sensibility in humanity and the desperate nature of its depravity, we are not among those who fear to preach to dead sinners. We dare to say even to the dead, “Thus says the Lord, you dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord, you dry bones, live!”
We can, therefore, very well take this text and address it to the ungodly. But this is not intended to be a sermon for the unconverted. It seems to me that this passage was directed to the church of God at Ephesus. It was the language of Paul, warning God’s people not to fall into the same habits as the children of darkness but to come out and show themselves to be God’s people.
I know the objection will be raised that the people are told to come forth from the dead. Yet I do not see this as an obstacle at all, for although the people of God may not be spiritually dead in the same sense as the ungodly, how often do we speak of ourselves as feeling spiritually dead? We speak of our graces and our piety as though they have become cold and lifeless. It is comparative death that the apostle means here, and we may use the words in the same way we would in everyday conversation. Though there are some quivers of spiritual life in the breast of every believer, there are multitudes who are outwardly dead in terms of their usefulness. There are Christians, and even churches, that we can truthfully say are “dead.” Therefore, we might very well use the text, “Awake, you who sleep,” in this context.
State of Mind of Christians
Let us now turn to the first point: The state of mind into which a Christian may sometimes fall. The state of mind into which a genuine Christian may fall is one of sleep, and if a genuine Christian can fall asleep, how much more might a spurious one? A Christian can be asleep and not even realize it. Indeed, if he were aware of it, he would not be asleep. It is a part of sleep for a person to be unconscious, and when a Christian begins to slumber, he might even dream that he is rich and increased in goods. Yet he is not likely to lament, “I am asleep,” for if he could say, “I am asleep,” that would be a sign that he was awake. The fear of being asleep, the very dread of it, would at least indicate a degree of wakefulness.
Many times, when young people come to me and say, “Oh, sir, I am afraid I am a hypocrite,” my answer is often, “Then I am not afraid of it, for when you are afraid of such a sin, it is unlikely that you are guilty of it.” Similarly, some of you tonight may be in a very sleepy state, but you may not realize it because you are asleep.
A Christian who is asleep may be kept in good company by his neighbors. His fellow Christians might not accuse him of sleepiness, for they are probably in the same state. If you gather a group of people who are asleep, they are unlikely to rebuke one another. Thus, this state of mind becomes very dangerous and insidious. A person might be in a church where nearly all the members are asleep, and they might even mock those churches in the neighborhood that are more zealous, calling them fanatical or overly enthusiastic. When all the people around you are sleeping, it becomes harder to recognize the danger.
Moreover, a person who is asleep may have taken care to prevent anyone from waking them up. If you subscribe to certain doctrinal views, you might very easily drift into sleep, and your doctrines may stand as sentinels at the doors to prevent anyone from disturbing your slumber. Beware of Antinomianism! If you take even a small sip of this doctrine, it can send you into a sleep so deep that you may never wake up. If you fall into certain hyper-Calvinistic views, you will develop ready arguments against the earnest servants of God, accusing them of being unorthodox while you consider yourself to be sound—though you may be only sound asleep.
This sleepiness in the Christian is exceedingly dangerous, too, because a person can do many things while asleep that may appear to others as if they were awake. For instance, some people talk in their sleep, and many professors will speak as if they were the most active, earnest, and gracious individuals. Yet, I tell you, I have heard people pray in their sleep. I do not mean natural sleep but spiritual sleep. I could tell by the way they prayed, the monotonous tone and repeated phrases, that they were not awake to the duty. They were merely going through the motions.
The Perils of Spiritual Sleep
A Christian who is asleep can also walk in their sleep, even in dangerous places where a waking person would never go. There is a strange, almost fatal security in this sleep. Some Christians, though outwardly moral and good, are not awake to the interests of Christ’s kingdom. They may be good, respectable people in the eyes of men, but they are not awake enough to care about the work of Christ. They may walk near the fire of sin without being burned, but they are dangerously close to it, and their inactivity in the things of God makes them a burden to the church.
Moreover, these individuals can dream in their sleep—dreaming of all kinds of plans, schemes, and inventions. They may dream of building churches or starting ministries, but nothing ever comes of these dreams. These plans, though often good, never materialize into action. It becomes even more dangerous when these dreamers manage to inspire others to do the work that they themselves, in their sleep, are too lethargic to complete. They walk, talk, and dream, but their actions never reflect their words.
The Wake-Up Call
The worst part of this state is that those who are asleep in the church fill their positions well enough. They seem to fit into their roles without much issue, and they are often the last people to leave. This is especially dangerous in positions of leadership, where a sleeping minister or church officer can create a sense of security while the army remains unguarded. I fear that half of Christian people today are in this sleepy state, and if they were told so to their face, they would be offended.
It is a deceptive state because the person who is asleep does not realize they are asleep. This unconsciousness is one of the most dangerous aspects of spiritual slumber. The Christian who is asleep often takes everything for granted and is indifferent to the state of others. They may be indifferent to the salvation of souls and unconcerned about the kingdom of God. The best arguments are lost on a sleeping person. Even good works and good deeds can be overlooked, because the person is simply not awake to the needs around them.
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, let us reflect on the state of our own hearts and recognize if we have fallen into a spiritual slumber. Let us not be satisfied with mere outward appearances but instead seek to awaken ourselves and stir our hearts to action. As Christians, we are called to be vigilant and alert, not to let ourselves fall into the deadly sleep of indifference and inactivity. May we heed the words of Christ: “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” Let us seek to live as those who are awake, actively pursuing the work of the kingdom of God, and let us never grow complacent in our service to Him.