Have you sometimes crossed a street and someone yells, “Watch out!”? There is a car coming, and if you do not jump out of the way, you can get killed or at least hurt. Or on a construction site, someone yells, “Watch out, a piece of lumber is falling from the top?”
Normally we are watching traffic, we look both directions before we cross a busy street. When we do a business deal we watch that we do not get cheated. If you mountain climb you watch carefully where you set your feet so that you do not fall down. Our whole life we are constantly watching for danger, and yet accidents do happen, people get hurt and killed, property damage happens.
If we are careful and keep our eyes open, we can prevent many mishaps. But for invisible dangers, how can we watch for them? A ship hits a hidden rock and this is the most dangerous. Sometimes we do not see a poison in our food. In religion we are surrounded by a thousand dangers.
On the highways nobody will purposely try to hit you with their cars. But, in religion, Christians have to watch someone who is purposely trying to hurt or kill them if he only has a chance. If a real lion is near you, you would watch that it would not kill you; but, an invisible lion is more dangerous, and that is Satan; we do not see him.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8. And in every careless moment, he will attack you.
God had told Adam and Eve to watch for Satan, to be careful about him, but in a careless moment, they both fell victim to him.
Balaam did not watch well enough and he also fell a victim to Satan, and lost his life here and his eternal life. Judas did not watch, and lost all for his carelessness. Peter did not watch and he therefore denied the Lord three times.
There are thousands of examples we could find where a Christian, by carelessness, lost his faith. The Seventh-day Adventists did not watch in the time of the war and therefore the church joined with the governments in fighting in the war, and disfellowshipped faithful members from the church. “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41. We have good intentions to be faithful, to obey God, but the flesh is weak.
To illustrate the need of watching and being vigilant, Jesus spoke six parables.
First parable: “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. 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 ye 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. And what I say unto you I say to all, Watch.” Mark 13:33–37
Jesus spoke of the nighttime when people normally sleep, and told His followers to watch through the night, lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping.
Second parable: “But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an your as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 24:43–44. The Master of the house is to watch that the thief may not come in, in the night, and steal.
Third parable: “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler of his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, my lord delayeth his coming: And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 24:45–51
Fourth parable: The ten virgins. “Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.” Matthew 25:1–13. They all waited for the Lord to come, but some were careless and did not watch for themselves.
Fifth parable: Talents. “For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliverdst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.” Matthew 25:14–28. The man with one talent neglected to use his talent, and was cast into outer darkness.
Think if one of us had a talent, that is, some ability, and we would not use it right to the honour of God, what will happen to us then?
Sixth parable: “And the King shall answer, and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me. Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, yet cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me not in: naked, and ye clothed Me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited Me not. Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto Thee? Then shall He answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me.” Matthew 25:40–45. Something we neglected to do for the least of the brethren, was not done to Christ.
Do we learn from these six parables, how important it is for us to be sober and vigilant, to keep our eyes open and watch for the enemy, not once in a while but constantly, every moment?
The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. “Peter answered and said unto Him, Though all men shall be offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night before the cock crow, thou shalt deny Me thrice. Peter said unto Him, Though I should die with Thee, yet will I not deny Thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.” Matthew 26:33–35
Can we say the same as Peter, though we should die, we will not be offended? You can call us by bad names, you can insult us, take our property away, you can even kill us, but we will not be offended. Yet, how often our weak flesh makes us feel hurt and offended and become even revengeful and bitter.
Satan tries to divide our church. We must watch to preserve unity and love in the church. Division can begin with something small. Maybe you do not like one member in the church. You might not hate him, but you do not love him either. You do not want to speak to him nor invite him to your house or visit him. This is just a little beginning, later you put him down when talking to others. It may begin with just a feeling in your heart. But the end result is that the church can be divided. Satan has gained the victory, because we did not watch the little beginnings of bitterness, just a little root of bitterness.
Unity and love among the church members is so important that we cannot take chances in this regard. If you think that someone does not like you, do not take it lightly. Do not ignore this little danger signal. Look for him purposely, go to him, talk to him, invite him to your home, and do not give up until he is your friend again. Then you answer the prayer of Jesus, that they may be one as Jesus and His Father are one.
Sister White had a vision. An angel called three times: “Draw together, draw together, draw together.” Unity is strength.
Many things we leave until later—not today, sometimes later we will do it. Watch your time, not one minute is to be wasted. Watch for opportunities to do good, to help someone, to be kind to someone. Watch for your feelings, your mind, if a little anger, a little careless attitude comes in, it is Satan now tempting you. If Bible reading is neglected, you are in great danger. If you would rather stay home than go to church, Satan has hypnotized you. Watch for a missionary spirit, that it is now needed more than ever before.
Last night I had a dream. There was a meeting for lost sons and daughters. I spoke to them about the love of God. About 20 young people were present. I said to the children and young people, Watch that you do not slowly separate away from the truth, from the church, from God. It is called backsliding—drifting away little by little and finally losing your faith. When we resist the Holy Spirit and refuse to obey, and say, “not yet, not yet. I am not ready to make a full surrender yet.” If you do not turn around, one day religion becomes foolishness to you. You do not believe the Bible anymore, and the Holy Spirit does not speak to you anymore.
In Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, pages 200–215, the whole chapter speaks of watching. Christ is an example to us. Jesus fasted 40 days in the wilderness for a good reason, to deny Himself, to put this human flesh into obedience to the spirit and mind. But our tables are frequently spread with luxuries, neither healthful nor necessary, only to gratify the appetite, because we love these things more than we love self-denial. Jesus laboured earnestly to do good to others—to help them, to save them. How often do we neglect missionary work and care for ourselves and our families only?
Jesus prayed constantly, often through the whole night. Our prayers are often short and few, and only occasionally. Jesus submitted to the will of God, His Father. In the end of His prayer He said, “Not My will but Thy will be done.” How often do we forget to ask God that His will be done in our lives, but insist that our will only be done?
“Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him: but I will maintain mine own ways before Him.” Job 13:15. If it is God’s will that I die a martyr’s death, I will still trust Him and obey Him.
Keep your eyes on Jesus, all the time. If you turn them away, even for a moment, you will fall. Satan is determined to keep you out of heaven. When we understand the magnitude of Christ’s sacrifice, Him dying in man’s stead, then pride and self-esteem cannot flourish in the heart that keeps fresh the memory of the scenes of Calvary. There Christ has shown that His love to us was stronger than death.
When we become involved in worldly enterprises, and we are interested in the exciting amusements, we become cold-hearted, like frozen, to the cause of God and to the lost suffering humanity.
Why was the death of Christ so different from the death of the martyrs who also were tortured and put to death? The bodily pain was but a small part of the agony of Jesus. The sins of the world were upon Him, also the sense of His Father’s wrath, as He suffered the penalty of the law transgressed. It was these that crushed His divine soul.
“Legions of evil angels were all about the Son of God, yet the holy angels were bidden not to break their ranks and engage in conflict with the taunting, reviling foe. Heavenly angels were not permitted to minister unto the anguished spirit of the Son of God. It was in this terrible hour of darkness, the face of His Father hidden, legions of evil angels enshrouding Him, the sins of the world were upon Him, that the words were wrenched from His lips: ‘My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?’” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 214
When we contemplate these scenes at Calvary, and understand the cost of redemption, the price that He paid for us, can we then remain indifferent and careless? Can we still turn to the world, enjoy the pleasures of sin, even for a moment?
“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” Luke 21:36
Are we worthy to escape the punishment of the wicked? Are we worthy to stand before the Son of man? If our sacrifice for Him is less than His sacrifice was for us, are we worthy to stand before Him, or would we be ashamed like Adam and Eve, and try to hide ourselves from His presence?
“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.” Revelation 16:15
Are our garments of righteousness clean, without spot or wrinkle? Are we reflecting the image of Jesus fully?
How many will wake up suddenly and realize that their lamps have gone out? The oil is gone, the Holy Spirit has been grieved and has finally left the soul, never to return. An empty formal religion is all that is left. And it is just because we did not watch and pray in this solemn time of preparation and waiting.
When the enemy comes to you with temptations, to gratify appetite, or to gratify your eyes with worldly amusements, or your ears, to waste time in vanity, then quickly turn your eyes to Calvary, to the suffering Saviour and pray earnestly for help. God has promised to send rather every angel from heaven to your help than let you perish and fall into sin.
One hour without watching and praying, and you will fall into sin. Let there not be one hour without prayer. Watch every moment for the enemy. He may come as a friend to you. He may offer something that you would enjoy very much. Do not take the counsel of Jesus lightly. Watch and pray or all will be lost. Amen.
Timo Martin