Be on the Alert (2-10-12)

1 Corinthians 16:13 - "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong."

Near the end of his letter to the Corinthians, Paul gives them several rapid fire exhortations on living the Christian life. The first of these exhortations is "be on the alert," also translated "be watchful," "be on your guard," and "watch." There are two major things in the New Testament for which we are instructed to be on the alert. The first has to do with the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the second concerns temptation.
So, concerning the second coming of Christ, the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 25:13 - "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour." Jesus said this right after telling His disciples a parable about ten virgins, five of whom were watchful, prudent, and five of whom were foolish. Christ is coming again, I don't know when but I believe that the time is very near. Jesus said that no one knows the day or the hour, but we do know that He will come, and so we are to be watchful, living in a constant readiness and expectation of the Lords return. We can see the events unfolding in the world around us and know for certain, as James says, that "the coming of the Lord is at hand." Paul sums this up very nicely in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 saying - "Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober." We need to be on the alert, watching for Christ to come again, and in all things we need to pray with the apostle John, "Even so come Lord Jesus." Expectantly awaiting His soon return.

The second issue we need to be on the alert about is temptation. When Jesus and His disciples went to the garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion, Jesus took Peter, James and John further than the rest of the disciples and told them to keep watch with Him. Well you know the account, the disciples fell asleep and Jesus returned to them and said to Peter in Matthew 26:40-41 - “So, you could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Jesus connects watchfulness with prayer and He says that both are essential to escaping temptation. We need to be on the alert and submit ourselves completely to the Holy Spirit so that He might overcome the temptation through us, because the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:8 - "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Satan loves to make Gods people fall into sin and he knows us very well. He knows the way that our sinful flesh works and so he goes about seeking inattentive or negligent Christians to devour. That's why we need to be watchful, on the alert, we need to be praying that God will protect us from the schemes of the devil and give us the wisdom to see when they are coming and the power to flee from them. Ephesians 6:18 says - "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints." Be on the alert and be watchful for the wiles of the devil as you watch and expectantly wait for the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Colossians 4:2 - "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving."