Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Discover the powerful call to vigilance. Jesus commands us to “stay awake and be watchful” so that we are always ready for His return. In this message, learn how being alert—watching rather than merely predicting—produces obedience and prevents disobedience. Drawing on teachings from Luke 21 and other prophetic scriptures, this sermon challenges us to live each day in anticipation of Christ’s imminent return. Learn how spiritual watchfulness can transform your life and prepare your heart for the blessed hope of His coming.
Table of contents
I was always happy to see my students read C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I taught elementary school. I loved the allusions to Christianity, and Aslan remains one of my favorite fictional pictures or types of Christ. Consider this exchange between Susan and Mr. Beaver about Aslan:
“Who is Aslan?” asked Susan.
“Aslan?” said Mr. Beaver, “Why don’t you know? He’s the King. It is he, not you, that will save Mr. Tumnus.”
“Isis he a man?” asked Lucy.
“Aslan a man!” said Mr. Beaver sternly. “Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-Beyond-the-Sea. Don’t you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lionthe Lion, the great Lion.”
“Ooh!” said Susan. “I’d thought he was a man. Is hequite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver, “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”
“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”
“I’m longing to see him,” said Peter, “even if I do feel frightened when it comes to the point.”1
I like how Mr. Beaver describes Aslan: not safe but good. I also like how Susan describes seeing Aslan as frightened but still longing to see him. As we come to the end of the Olivet Discourse and think about Christ’s return, maybe this is how we feel about seeing Him, too.
Later in the book, I believe C.S. Lewis was trying to convey a lesson about readiness when Peter faces his first battle against a monstrous wolf that threatens all the creatures and the children. Peter is afraid, yet he charges at the monster anyway and kills it after a fierce struggle. Out of breath but relieved, Peter turns and sees Aslan “close at hand.” Aslan immediately says, “You have forgotten to clean your sword.” Blushing, Peter notices that the sword is “smeared with the wolf’s hair and blood,” so he bends to wipe it clean. After this, Aslan knights Peter and says, “Rise up, Sir Peter Wolf’s-Bane. And whatever happens, never forget to wipe your sword.”
I believe Aslan was trying to teach Peter a lesson about being prepared. Jesus does the same in this morning’s verses. Of all the ways Jesus could conclude the Olivet Discourse, He tells us to do two things: stay awake and be watchful.
Jesus Said We Can Tell When His Return Is Near
Consider this theme that sets up this morning’s verses. In Luke 21:8-11 Jesus looked to the far future and described the birth pains that precede His Second Coming, or precede the birth. He said there would be false christs, wars, and tumults. Then, in Luke 21:25-27 He described more signs associated with His Second Coming:
Luke 21:25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
These are called signs because, like our signs, they point to something, in this case, Christ’s return. They help us identify when the Second Coming is close. Jesus is so intent on us looking for His return that in the following verses, He preached the parable of the fig tree, which is all about looking for His return.
Toward the end of the Olivet Discourse, Jesus made two statements about knowing when His return is near:
Luke 21:28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Luke 21:31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
So, Jesus told us we can tell when He will be returning. How do we reconcile this with Jesus also saying:
Matthew 24:36 “Concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only…42 Stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming…44 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Jesus said nobody knows, not even Him, during His First Coming. The Parable of the Ten Virgins is primarily about preparing for Christ to come for His bride. We don’t know when that will happen. The bridegroom comes, the foolish virgins aren’t ready, and Jesus ends the parable this way:
Matthew 25:11 [The foolish] virgins [said], “Lord, lord, open to us.” 12 But he answered, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.” 13 Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
Be Watchful Versus Predicting
So, on the one hand, Jesus says we can tell when His return is near, but on the other hand, He says nobody knows. How do we resolve this tension? We should focus on being watchful versus predicting. This is why the most common simile for Jesus’s return is a thief in the night:
1 Thessalonians 5:2 The day of the Lord will come LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT.
2 Peter 3:10 The day of the Lord will come LIKE A THIEF…
Revelation 3:3 I will come LIKE A THIEF, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.
Revelation 16:15 “Behold, I am coming LIKE A THIEF! Blessed is the one who stays awake.
We don’t know when a thief will strike, but if we did, we would do two things: stay awake and be watchful.
Similarly, we don’t know when Christ will return, but if we know He will, we will do two things: stay awake and be watchful, which is precisely what Jesus says in the following verses:
Luke 21:34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Avoiding Being Weighed Down By Dissipation, Drunkenness, and the Cares of this Life
Jesus listed three things that can make us unprepared for His return: dissipation, or some Bibles say carousing, drunkenness, and the cares of this life. We know what drunkenness is. Let’s talk about the other two. The Greek word for dissipation is kraipalē; this is the only place it occurs in Scripture and refers to the hangover caused by drunkenness.
Of all the things Jesus could list that would keep us from being prepared for His return, why did He mention these two? Jesus is talking about staying awake and being watchful, and being drunk or hungover is the opposite.
Jesus also mentioned the cares of this life, which might seem strange because it is reasonable to care about this life. He’s likely warning against caring too much about this life. If we are too focused on this life, we won’t think about Christ’s return.
Being Watchful for Christ’s Return Produces Obedience
We might expect Jesus to tell us to be watchful for His return, but instead, He told us to watch ourselves. There is a strong relationship between being watchful for Christ’s return and watching ourselves:
1 John 3:2 We know that when [Christ] appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Everyone who looks forward to Christ’s appearing or returning will purify themselves. D.L. Moody wrote, “The moment a man realizes that Jesus Christ is coming back again to receive His followers to Himself, this world loses its hold upon him. Gas stocks, water stocks, and stocks in banks and railroads are a very much less consequence to him than. His heart is free, and he looks for the blessed appearing of his Lord, who, at His coming, will take him into His blessed kingdom.”2
When we think about resisting temptation and overcoming sin, we know we have many tools:
- we read or memorize verses that convict us about that sin
- we pray that God helps us resist that temptation
- we reach out to someone to help us be accountable
Focusing on Christ’s return should be added to the list because it is a strong deterrent to sin. Anyone looking forward to Christ’s return will, as Jesus said, be watchful themselves.
I still remember my first pastor’s wife saying, “If Christ returned during my lifetime, would I want Him to see me doing whatever I am doing?” I didn’t take that to mean that she thought she had to be praying or reading the Bible every minute, but I did take it to mean that she didn’t want to be doing anything she would be ashamed of when she met Christ.
Ignoring Christ’s Return Leads to Disobedience
The other side is that if we don’t believe Jesus could return soon, it will also impact our lives. This isn’t just my opinion; it’s precisely what Jesus taught earlier. In the Parable of the Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant look at what contributes to the unfaithful servant’s behavior:
Luke 12:45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk,
This servant was evil because He thought Jesus wasn’t returning soon. The unfaithful servant even does what Jesus said people would do when they disregard His return: get drunk. When people don’t believe Jesus is returning soon, their lives can begin to deteriorate spiritually. David Guzik wrote, “Jesus…connected the readiness for His return to a life of love, spiritual focus, and self-control. Likewise, the heart that says, ‘My master is delaying his coming’ is connected to this kind of low and fruitless life.”
Pray (Stay Awake) to Escape Temptation
The second thing Jesus says to be prepared for His return:
Luke 21:36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
What things is Jesus discussing us escaping from? The things described in verse 34 that could hinder us from being prepared for Christ’s return are dissipation, drunkenness, and preoccupation with this life.
The word that would be better understood as “in order that.” It’s as if Jesus said, “Pray in order that you may have the strength to escape all these things.” One purpose of prayer is to gain the spiritual strength to escape or resist temptation. Jesus also says we are to pray in order that we have the strength to stand before the Son of Man. What does that mean?
Philippians 2:11 at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Everyone will stand before Christ. Some will have bowed the knee willingly during this life, while others will be forced to do so in the next life. So, it is not a question of whether we will stand before Jesus. When we do so, it is just a question of our relationship to Him: will He be our Savior or Judge?
This verse is referring to standing before Christ as our Savior and hearing these words:
Luke 19:17 Well done, good servant!
Versus standing before Jesus as our judge and hearing these words:
Luke 13:27 I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’
Christ Expects Us to Stay Awake Spiritually
Jesus said, “But stay awake at all times, praying.” The mention of praying tells us this is about being spiritually awake versus physically awake. Let’s talk about what it does and doesn’t mean to be spiritually awake.
In this context, it doesn’t mean understanding spiritual truths, as important as that is. It doesn’t mean being regenerated or spiritually alive, as crucial as that is, too. Instead, it means looking forward to Christ’s return and living in light of its reality. It means being vigilant against anything distracting us from being prepared to meet Christ.
We can’t avoid temptation, but being spiritually awake means avoiding compromising or sinful situations that would make us ashamed if Christ returned.
The Relationship Between Staying Awake and Praying
Jesus said, “Stay awake at all times, praying,” because there is a strong relationship between staying awake and praying. There is a perfect physical illustration of this. The context is Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane with the disciples:
Luke 22:40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
In Luke, Jesus told them to pray, but in the parallel accounts in Matthew 26:38 and Mark 14:34, He told them to “keep watch” because watching is synonymous with praying, which is what Jesus does:
Luke 22:41 And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed…45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
Again, in Luke’s gospel, Jesus rebuked them for sleeping and not praying, but in the parallel accounts in Matthew 26:40 and Mark 14:37, Jesus rebuked them for sleeping and not keeping watch because praying and watching are synonymous. The disciples’ physical sleep is a picture of their spiritual sleep. When they fell asleep physically, it pictured them falling asleep spiritually. Their failure to be watchful is a failure to pray.
Can we see why remaining physically awake is a fitting picture of remaining spiritually awake or praying? Sometimes, when we’re praying, it’s hard to stay physically awake…like it was for the disciples. And, just as it is easy to fall asleep at times physically, it is easy to fall asleep spiritually.
When people physically fall asleep at the wrong time, we don’t usually rebuke them because we know it’s not something they’re doing on purpose. Similarly, when we spiritually fall asleep ,it isn’t something we do on purpose. We don’t say, “Okay, I don’t want to be spiritually awake anymore.” Instead, how does it happen? It happens if we let our guard down. This is why we must be intentional and vigilant.
Every Generation Is Supposed to Believe They’re the Last
Now, because we’ve reached the end of the Olivet Discourse, a lengthy teaching about Christ’s return, I’d like to address something you may have wondered about. Christians talk about Jesus coming back soon, but He hasn’t yet. It almost turns into a boy-who-cried-wolf-type scenario. Whenever we hear about Christ returning, we roll our eyes and think, “Okay, one more person who will be wrong just like everyone else who has said the same thing.”
I want to discourage you from this for one crucial reason: Jesus taught He was coming soon, and many others said the same:
- Paul: 1 Thessalonians 5:2 You are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
- The author of Hebrews: Hebrews 10:37 Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay.
- James: James 5:8 Establish your hearts, for THE COMING OF THE LORD IS AT HAND.
- John: Revelation 16:15 “Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”
So, here’s the obvious question: How do we explain that Jesus and so many New Testament authors described Jesus returning soon, yet it has been 2,000 years? God wants us to live as though Christ is returning soon. The most straightforward place to resolve this is 2 Peter 3:
2 Peter 3:3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
There were scoffers, and what were they scoffing at? Christ returning! If people were scoffing in Peter’s day, only years after Christ’s ascension, how much more should we expect them to scoff in our day, when it has been 2000 years?
But the fact that people were scoffing in Peter’s day doesn’t help us understand things. It just tells us there have always been scoffers. So, let’s look at a few things Peter told his readers in his day about Christ returning that also help us understand why He hasn’t returned yet in our day:
2 Peter 3:8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
It has been 2000 years for us, but only two days for God. Time passes differently for Him. In light of eternity, it hasn’t been that long.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
The Lord isn’t slow to fulfill his promise to return. Instead, he’s waiting for more people to repent and be saved. I became a Christian in my early twenties. I’m thankful Christ didn’t return before that.
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Here it is again: the Lord will return like a thief. The Bible presents Christ’s return as something imminent. Let me be clear about what this does and doesn’t mean:
- It doesn’t mean it will happen soon, which is why first-century authors could talk about Christ returning at any moment.
- It does mean it can happen without anything preceding it.
That means every generation must live as though it were the last. God wants us to believe this and live in light of this reality, and that’s why New Testament authors preached Christ’s imminent return, and so has every faithful preacher since.
Christ Returns Soon or Quickly?
Revelation 1:1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that MUST SOON TAKE PLACE.
The words that soon take place are significant because they affect how people view Revelation. Some people – known as preterists – say these words mean the events within Revelation must occur soon after the book was written. So they see the events of Revelation fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. But the Greek word for soon is tachos. It’s related to our word “tachometer,” meaning “quickness or speed.”
In other words:
- This doesn’t refer to when Jesus will return: soon after John wrote this.
- It’s referring to how Jesus will return: quickly, swiftly, unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.
It’s the same word in:
Revelation 22:6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon (tachos) take place.”
It doesn’t mean the events in Revelation will happen shortly, but they’ll happen suddenly or quickly. This is why some Bibles, like the New King James, have an asterisk that says soon can also be translated as quickly or swiftly.
Regardless of When Jesus Returns
We don’t want to be taken by surprise. Even if Jesus isn’t returning next week, next month, next year, or perhaps even in our lifetimes, we should stay awake and be watchful. We should live like He is returning soon because we will meet Him regardless of when he returns. It could be when He returns during our lifetimes or the day of our deaths. But we will meet him, and we want to be ready. And the only way to be prepared is to live like we can meet him anytime.
