The Watchful Christian
Central Thought: A watchful Christian is always prepared.
Text: Mark 13:32-37; Luke 12:15; Acts 20:28-31; 1 Corinthians 10:12; Romans 12:2, 13:11-14; 1 John 2:15-17; Matthew 25:1-3
To be watchful means to be alert, sober, careful, to be on guard, to be clear minded and examine things carefully before taking action. The Scriptures repeatedly enjoin us to “watch!”, “take heed”, “be on guard”, and son on. This is because we have an adversary who seeks to “steal, kill and destroy”, all that we are and have in Christ Jesus. There would be no need for the warning if there were no risks of great harm befalling us if we behave otherwise.
1. Why do we need to be watchful? Luke 12:35-36; 2 Peter 3:10-14; Ephesians 5:25-27
It is for our good that the Lord enjoins us to be watchful. We need to be watchful so that we do not lose the salvation we have received of God. We live in perilous times, and the Scriptures warn that “the love of many will wax cold and many will fall away from the faith”. It behooves the believer therefore to watch. The Lord had emphasized the essence of living and warned that we “take heed and beware of covetousness”, because “a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesses”, Luke 12:15.
Furthermore, the Lord is coming soon? We do not know the hour he will come for a people without blemish. Hence, we must make it our singular objective to please Him at all times and in all things. We need to keep a close watch on our lives and doctrine so as to be acceptable to Him at His coming.
2. What are we to be on the watch against?
a. Satan, 1 Peter 5:8
The devil does not want anyone to make eternity with God; seeking for whom to devour, he tries to hinder the believer from being watchful. John 10:10 explains his aim. This goes beyond the physical, he also targets the believer’s spiritual stand with God. The devil uses people and devices, 2 Corinthians 11:14-15; 1 Timothy 4:1, e.g. false teachers, false doctrine, to weaken the believer’s faith. Hence, we should be like the Berean Christians, Acts 17:10-11, study and rightly divide the Word of Truth, 2 Timothy 2:15.
b. Sin, Ephesians 4:22, 3:7; Colossians 3:5-10; Galatians 5:19-21
Whatever is contrary to the Word of God is sin. The believer must be careful of the times we live, wherein sin and sinners are celebrated while holy and righteous people are ridiculed. Where civilization and “modern” Christianity have departed from the paths of holiness and righteousness. We must remember that God and His standards are the same forever, and cannot be reduced to suit the convenience of any man, where “it does not matter” is the order of the day. Scripture admonishes that, we be in the world but not of the world, 1 John 2:15. Like Demas, some Christians have turned to the world, 2 Timothy 4:10. We live in an era where pre-marital sex is condoned in the name of courtship, and in the name of joke, believers now tell lies, even use vulgar words with selfish ambition, etc. Where is the love of God we read about in Acts 4:32, Romans 13:8-14?
c. Self, 1 John 2:16; Matthew 26:41
Self entails:
- The Lust of the eyes which is the desire to possess everything one set his eyes on, by any means which is contrary to godliness with contentment, 1 Timothy 6:6
- The lust of the flesh which is to crave to satisfy carnal desires; it is desiring anything in excess, to the detriment of the Christians faith.
- The pride of life, which is, being full of self, believing that whatever one achieves is by one’s own strength, wisdom, etc., thereby looking down on others.
The believer must be careful not to be carried away by the crave of wealth and possessions, Luke 12:15-21. The use of the tongue is another aspect of self that the Christian must watch. Let our words be with grace seasoned with salt, Colossians 4:6. We should also watch the friends we keep, for “evil communication corrupts good manners”, 1 Corinthians 15:33. The believer should also be modest in his/her dressing and should seek to please the Lord.
3. The consequences of not being watchful. Psalm 9:17; Revelation 3:3; Matthew 25:13
Such a believer is taken unawares. He becomes an easy prey to strange doctrines. The confusion and misdirection in the present day church over basic scriptural doctrines, e.g. issue of dressing, making money by any means – even if the congregation has to be manipulated, issues of ordination, etc., could be attributed to the lack of vigilance. Lastly, eternity in hell is a consequence of not being watchful.
4. How can we remain watchful?
a. Being fully committed to God, Romans 12:1-2
We are to present ourselves in total surrender to God and refuse to conform to the world’s system. Scripture says: be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
b. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, Colossians 3:16
The Word of God must be studied daily with the objective of obedience. As we increase in the knowledge of God’s Word, we grow in the ability to understand what would please God and are able to detect distortions of God’s Word easily. Nobody outgrows the need for daily study of God’s Word.
c. Be filled with the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 5:17
Every Christian must receive the in-filling of the Holy Spirit soon after salvation and yield to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He guides us into all truth and in every area of life, so we should remain continually filled with the Holy Spirit.
d. Devotion to the assembly of the brethren, Hebrews 10:25; Acts 4:32-35
We must each be active in a Bible-believing Assembly of God’s people and keep ourselves open to teaching, rebuke and correction, on the truth of God’s word.
e. Test all things/spirits, 1 John 4:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 5:21
The watchful Christian does not believe or copy things merely because it is in vogue. Every teaching or practice must be weighed against the teaching of Scriptures. Anything not in agreement with the Word of God must be rejected.
f. Be prayerful, Matthew 24:42: Colossians 4:2
In prayer, we commune with God, place our cares and needs at His feet and receive grace to help us in the heavenly race. We cannot be watchful in our own strength, hence we are exhorted to watch and pray always. In prayer, we are equipped to handle every challenge that comes our way.
Daily Living Application:
We are required to keep a close watch over our lives and doctrine. We must constantly ensure that we are not yielding to sin, given to a life of greed or walking in agreement with the principles of the world’s evil system. Daily, new teachings are spewed out of Pentecostal altars, many by leaders eager to draw disciples to themselves or keep the ones they have. God holds us responsible for ensuring that our lives please Him and that we remain blameless at His appearing. The consequences of ignoring this injunction are terrible and everlasting. Christian be watchful!
Memory Verse:
Mark 13:33 – “Take heed, watch and pray for ye know not when the time is.”