Wake Up Call

Bible passages: Read Matthew 25:1-13 and Revelation 3:1-6

A 65 year old Polish railway worker, named Jan Grzebski, ‘woke up’ after 19 years in a coma. He had been hit by a train in 1988 and had been unconscious since the accident. Doctors gave up on him, and if it hadn’t been for the devotion of his wife, Gertruda, who moved him every hour to prevent bedsores, he would certainly have died. The world had changed almost beyond recognition in those years: he woke up in a post-communist world in Poland, with a market economy in place of a state controlled society; people with cellphones, where before there had been bread-queues; no Berlin Wall; freedom of expression where before it had been repressed.
The worst part of an experience like Jan’s must be the sense of having missed out on so many personal experiences: seeing his family, friends; missing out some of the best years of his life. Imagine what it would have been like if you had missed the last 20 years.
The passages we look at today, contain the call to ‘wake up’. Are you aware of ‘sleeping through‘ the days of your life, where they pass without much significance? Are you, perhaps aware that people and things which once were important to you are now forgotten about?

(Read Matthew 25:1-13) Jesus told this story to illustrate what humankind will be like when He returns to usher in His kingdom. The event is likened to the coming of a Bridegroom; the context, a celebration; is that how you view the coming of Jesus? In the other passage we shall read, his coming is likened to that of a thief (1 Thessalonians 5:2). What are the different associations you have with the images of Jesus as a bridegroom or a thief?
How it shall be for us, when He comes depends on our readiness to meet him.
How does the parable of the ten virgins tell us of the need to prepare for the Lord’s return? Five did not have oil, which probably stands for saving faith/grace. How is it possible to be active/busy in the Lord’s work, but not have an inner faith in the Lord?
What is one of the signs of being in this condition according to v12? Often we think about how we know the Lord, how would you answer the question, ’Do you think the Lord knows you and how do you think that?’ How does this passage tell us that saving faith is not transferrable? (ie it has to be our own decision, cf John 1:12) How can we prepare ourselves for Jesus’ return? What do you think it means to be constantly ready for Christ’s return and in a state of constant obedience?

(Read Revelation 3:1-6) Is the image of Jesus at the start of this letter an image for comfort, challenge, or both? Discuss how important ‘reputation’ is to you? How important is it to you, what other people think of you at work, home, at leisure, in the Church? What kind of ‘reputation’ would you want in each setting? Interestingly, Sardis, was famed for having a fantastic Gymnasium, which was more than just a healthclub, but also the hub of society and being a member was the way to get on in the world. Can you think of how there may be equivalents for us today, where being a member of that club, or group, may be too important to us?

How, exactly, can a person be ‘dead’ when they are physically alive? How can we deceive ourselves about the reality of our situation? What do you think it means to be ‘dead’ to God and ‘alive’ to God? What steps can we take to ensure that we are truly alive to God? (Look at v2-3) What does this mean? (Look at Matthew 23:27-28) How does this warn us against simply relying on our reputation, appearances from men, before God? Can you understand why the Pharisees reacted so strongly to these words of Jesus, do you?

(Look at v4-6) The images of being dressed in white, fill our thoughts about heaven. What does it mean to you to have every stain, blemish removed by God’s grace?
Look at (Isaiah 1:15-20) to see how the work is two sided, God’s grace and our lifestyle response.

How wonderful is the promise of v5? Look at Luke 12:8-9 and make sure that the Lord knows you as his own, for we never know when we shall stand before Him.