Awake You that Sleep Ephesians 5:14

As Paul the apostle continued to give instructions to the Ephesian church members, he shared how “all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light”. In chapter five and verse fourteen of his letter, Paul charged the Ephesians to “awake you that sleep” where we read:

Wherefore he says, Awake you that sleep,

and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.

The verse begins, “Wherefore he says, Awake you that sleep,...” Paul began with the word “Wherefore” which is a conclusion word that means “on account of, for which cause and consequently” “he says” or “speaks, affirms over, maintains, teaches, exhorts, advises, commands and directs”, “Awake you” which means “arouse from sleep, raise up, produce cause to rise or appear, ” “that sleep” which literally means “to fall asleep or drop off to sleep” and metaphorically means “to yield to sloth and sin and be indifferent to one's salvation”. Paul's exhortation was for the Ephesian church members to “wake up” and be “the light” they are supposed to be.

The verse goes on to say, “...and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.” Paul continued “and arise” or “cause to rise up, raise up from laying down and cause to be born, appear and bring forward” “from the dead” which literally means “one that has breathed his last, lifeless, deceased, departed, destitute of life, without life and inanimate” and metaphorically means “spiritually dead or destitute of a life that recognizes and is devoted to God because they are given up to trespasses and sins, “and Christ” which refers to “the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God” “shall give you light” which is the Greek phrase “epiphauskō soi epiphauskō” and means “to shine upon in the manner in which Christ will pour upon you the divine truth as the sun gives light to men aroused from sleep”.

When we think through these words of Paul, we understand his call for the church to be “awakened” from their “sleep” or spiritual “indifference”. Lethargy and apathy are traits that come upon people as they are lulled to “sleep” by life and normal activities. There is a great battle between “light” and “darkness”, and if the church is asleep, it will not be effective shining “the light” of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. May we, as were the Ephesian church members, be challenged to “wake up”, and as we do, Jesus will provide in and through us all the “light” we need to shine.

Next time Paul tells the Ephesians to “walk circumspectly”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.