"ASLEEP IN THE BATTLE" Mark McCool TEXT: MATTHEW 26:36-45 (see Mark 14:32-41) I. INTRODUCTION We have just read one of the most dramatic and moving moments of all time. Of all the great plays and dramas that have been written or acted out , there is none that equals the depths of emotion as this. Of all the literary works that have been penned by the likes of Shakespeare, Poe, and Faulkner, there will never be any written that portray the power of destiny and leave the lingering traces of tradgedy as this story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. For here in our text we find Jesus as the main character enguaged in the most critical spiritual battle ever fought. And with Him is the supporting cast of Peter, James, and John - otherwise known as the Inner Circle. And as we diligently look into this text, we find that from this so-called supporting cast there was not much support at all! For we read that as Jesus told his disciples to wait upon him while he ventured apart to pray, that the intensity of the burden of His mission as the Son of God begins to grow extreme. For He said: "My soul is exeeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me." And he went a short distance apart and fell down praying, "O my Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." It is then that Jesus arose from praying and he came to check on his supporting crew of disciples. And instead of finding them watching and praying, he finds them fast asleep! Then he shook them and said, "Could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." And in the depth of this mood we see Jesus in a battle! It is here in the dark shadows of intense warfare that we see Jesus in the Garden, crying out in agony! So much so, that in Luke 22:44 we read that, "And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground." Oh! How the battle rages while men's souls were in the balance, and He alone must become the ransom for their redemption! And Jesus rose up again from the battle only to find that those whom He had chosen as reinforcements were again asleep in the battle! But this time the response of Jesus was, "Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners." What a tradgedy! To be asleep in the most critical time of battle! Not realizing what the unseen future held for them! Sleeping when they should have been awake and praying! Asleep, when they had been told what was about to happen! How could they do such a thing?! But I would submit to you that before we criticize their failings that we should look close see more than three AWOL disciples sleeping while the battle is raging! For in this sober setting we should see ourselves! For I am afraid that we too, who are enlistments in His Kingdom, and have dared to identify with the banner of the Cross, have been found asleep in the most critical times of spiritual battle! II. BODY It seems that we are living in the throes of a lethargic dream - unaware of the importance of our purpose for being called to the Kingdom for such a time as this! It seems that when there should be an aliveness about us, and an excitement about our mission and calling, that we are drowsy and incoherant! When millions of lost souls are being weighed in the balance of eternal destiny and are found wanting, that we, who are the instruments for the reaping of God's harvest in this end time, are idle to His work, and too lazy to be stirred about the lateness of the hour! I'm afraid that we are asleep in the battle! Illustration Napoleon Bonaparte made a lone surprise visit very early in the morning before the light of day where his outpost sentries were posted on the vital positions of his battlefield. Stealthily he moved along in the gray light of dawn to check on their alertness. As he crept up to each post, one sentry after another immediately challenged him. But finally, he stole up to a strategic spot that was to be well guarded, and there was no challenge from the sentry. As he moved closer, he saw a pair of boots protruding from under a shock of corn, and the sentry's rifle propped beside them. Napoleon made no comment. He just picked up the rifle and stood guard in the sleeping sentry's place waiting for him to wake up. Finally, the corn stirred, and the sentry jumped up grabbing for his gun where he had left it only to find that it was gone! And it was then in his shame he saw that he was not alone. For standing before him was Napoleon, his commander and general! Can you imagine the shock he must have felt - caught sleeping when he should have been watching! And I wonder how it's going to be when the Lord of Glory returns! What will it be like when He finds us sleeping in the midst of the battle! Jesus warned us in Mark 13:34-36, "For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping." Church, we must wake up and realize that we are in a battle! We are in the midst of a critical cause! And God has left the Church with the authority to do His work and to accomplish His will! And we will be accountable for what we have done and how we have done it! It's time to shake ourselves and get awake! Lest we be found asleep in the midst of the battle! We have prayed for revival! We have prayed for God to save our loved ones! We have pleaded for more time to work! But it seems that all we have done is use the time He has given us to sleep away another day! We say we desire revival! We say we want souls! But we find that we aren't having it! We're not getting the job done that He called us to do! Proverbs 13:4 says, "The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing!" The reason we don't have it is not because we lack desire! It is because we're too lazy to go out and do the work! We want it, but not bad enough to work for it! For we are enslaved by a lazy, complacent, slumbering spirit of ease and comfort! Amos 6:1 says, "Woe unto them that are at ease in Zion!" At ease is a military term. It means to relax soldier - take it easy! It's the posture of unreadiness for battle! But Proverbs 13:4 also says, "But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat!" If we will be diligent, then friend, we will see revival! We must not fall asleep in the midst of the battle! In Luke 9:32, we read that the disciples were heavy with sleep while on the Mount of Transfiguration. They were about to sleep right through a powerful move of God! They were on the verge of missing Jesus reveal His true identity! These disciples were fast asleep, and it wasn't until they were awake that they were able to see it! How many times have we been fast asleep to what God was doing in our midst, and like Jacob upon Mt. Bethel, finally awake from our dreams of promise and greatness, only to say, "the LORD is in this place, and I knew it not!" May I suggest to you that God is working in realms unseen to us because our faith is inactive? We are on the verge of a mighty move of God in this end time! We are on the verge of a breakthrough within this Church! We can't afford to be found asleep in the midst of the battle! And friend, living for God is a battle! Prayer is a battle! Fasting is a battle! Witnessing and soulwinning is a battle! And the non-chalant, low-morale attitude of soldiers in the heat of battle spell defeat when victory could be theirs! We are asleep and the enemy takes advantage of our lethargy! Matthew 13:25 - "But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way!" Much of our problems today within churches is caused by sleeping church members that were not aware of the present danger of the enemy! The enemy sowed tares so that the good crop that was intended to provide food would be hindered in growth, and hinder the reapers in the time of harvest! It was very simple: attack the food source, and you hinder the work of God! Why is it that people do everything that they can to hinder the work of God while they disguise themselves as children of God? They're nothing more than tares! They are tares that hinder, but they are tares that are going to someday burn! But many of our problems would be solved and the enemy abated if we would not have been asleep in the battle! III. CLOSE Illustration The battles of centuries ago depended highly upon the dependability of sentries. The sentry must realize that the entire military unit depended upon his watchfulness. The sleepy-eyed sentry who left the door open to the inner wall of the Byzantium in 1453 A.D. didn't realize that his mistake would change the history of the world. For upon that night, what would become the Hammer and Sickle of Communism replaced the Cross of Christianity! * A sleepy-eyed sentry is of no use in the day of battle! * PRAYERLESSNESS - NEGLECT - and a LACK OF BURDEN are sure signs of a sleeping church! * This spirit of LAODOCEAN LUKEWARMNESS IS BREEDING A WORLDLY CHURCH! * You and I can't afford to fall asleep! We are in a day of battle! * What will invade the Church and our homes depend upon our watchfulness! Your heart and your life is the door of entry for the enemy to come in and destroy all the victory and revival that can be yours! * Therefore, let me ask you this question: Are you asleep in the midst of this battle?