The command to "watch" is written about 24 times in the New Testament. What does it mean, why is God concerned that we watch and what happens if we don't?

1. Keep Watching
The world is at war. We are in WWIII already—a global, guerrilla war
by Islamic Fundamentalists against all non-Muslims, especially
Christians and Jews.
This is just the modern continuation of what Muhammed started in
Saudi Arabia in the early 600’s. Islam was the greatest military
aggressor against Christianity for 1000 years after the death of
Muhammed. Islam tried to invade Christian Europe three times in that
1000 years—once through Spain and twice via Austria. The Ottoman
turk Empire was finally defeated at the gates of Vienna In September
1683 by the Polish King, John III Sobieski, with his winged Hussar
calvary. The Turks were winning that battle until September 11.
This reality alone will change our world more and more. This global
war will provide all mankind with more reason to seek the ONLY stable
Person in this world: God.
This war will give Christians unparalleled opportunities to demonstrate
the love, compassion, courage and power that God provides to His
children to make Jesus famous!
This is a time to draw closer to God, to get hotter for God, to surrender
all of our lives to God.
This is a time to pay close attention to God.
When the Bible repeats something several times, you know it is
important!
One of the key commands: Keep Watching!
I believe that the Lord told me to warn you today that this command
( imperative mood) is for today for all of us.
We live in dangerous times. Times of great conflict spiritually and
physically. Anything could happen at any time in the world.

2. Keep Watching
1 to watch
2 metaph. give strict attention to, be cautious, active
1 to take heed lest through remission and indolence some
destructive calamity suddenly overtake one
Greek γρηγορέω (grēgoreō),
which occurs 24 times in 22 verses in the Greek concordance
! Mat 24:42: End of world
“Therefore be on the alert, G1127 for you do not know which day your
Lord is coming.
! Mat 24:43: Jesus will come unexpected
“But fnbe sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what
time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the
alert G1127 and would not have allowed his house to be fnbroken into.
! Mat 25:13: 10 Virgins & Wedding Feast
“Be on the alert G1127 then, for you do not know the day nor the
hour.
! Mat 26:41: In Garden
“Keep watching G1127 and praying that you may not enter into
temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
! Mar 13:35; End of World
“Therefore, be on the alert— G1127 for you do not know when the
fnmaster of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight,
or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—
! Mar 13:37
“What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’” G1127

3. Keep Watching
! Act 20:31: Paul to a church he founded
“Therefore be on the alert, G1127 remembering that night and day for
a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with
tears.
! 1Co 16:13: Paul to Corinthians
Be on the alert, G1127 stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
! Col 4:2: Paul to Collosians
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert G1127 in it with an attitude
of thanksgiving;
! 1Th 5:6: Paul to Church in Thesolonika
so then let us not sleep as fnothers do, but let us be alert G1127 and
fnsober.
! 1Pe 5:8: Devil looking to devour
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. G1127 Your adversary, the devil,
prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
! Rev 3:2: Spirit to sleepy church
‘Wake G1127 up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were
about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of
My God.
! Rev 3:3: To sinful church
‘So remember fnwhat you have received and heard; and keep it, and
repent. Therefore if you do not wake G1127 up, I will come like a thief,
and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.
! Rev 16:15: To all Christians
(“Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who
stays awake G1127 and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk
about naked and men will not see his shame.”)
Why Does God want us spiritually awake?

4. Keep Watching
1. To protect us from evil ( devil, temptation)
2. So we are ready when He comes to visit us. We will lose blessings
if we are not ready ( 5 foolish virgins)
What Does it mean to Be Awake! How do we obey this command
from God so He can bless us greatly as He desires?
1. Don’t be a third soil Christian. Don’t live for the things of this
world. Do not let the “deceitfulness of riches or the cares and
worries of the world” choke out your focus on God and His
Kingdom
1. Instead, obey Matt 6:33: Seek first the Kingdom of God and all
these things shall be added to you—all you need to live and
more!
1. SPEND TIME WITH GOD EVERY MORNING BEFORE
SCHOOL OR WORK. SEEK HIM FIRST! TALK TO HIM
THROUGHOUT THE DAY. MAKE TIME FOR GOD. PUT HIM ON
YOUR DAILY CALENDAR.
IF YOU HAVE NOT SCHEDULED TIME FOR GOD EACH DAY,
WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT HE IS TO
YOU?
IF WE ONLY SPEND TIME WITH HIM WHEN IT IS CONVENIENT,
WHEN WE HAVE DONE ALL WE WANT TO DO, WE ARE SEEKING
HIM, BUT NOT SEEKING HIM FIRST IN OUR LIVES.
2. ASK GOD FOR HIS WILL AND WISDOM ABOUT
EVERYTHING. HE PROMISES TO GIVE WISDOM IF WE ASK WITH
FAITH. (James 1)
3. SEEK TO ENJOY GOD MORE THAN ANY EARTHLY THING.
IF WE ENJOY GOD A LOT, THE THINGS OF EARTH WILL GROW
STRANGELY DIM IN THE LIGHT OF HIS GLORY AND LOVE—AS
THE SONG SAYS.

5. Keep Watching
2. Be HOT for God: Jesus says that He does not like lukewarm faith.
Speaking to the Laodician Church in the Book of Revelation 3:15-16,
Jesus warns them:
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you
were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor
cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. “
A faith that is lukewarm values the things of this world more than our
relationship with God.
A lukewarm faith is a casual, self-focused faith belonging to someone
who relates to God mainly to have God serve them
A lukewarm faith does not pray much, serve others much or have
much compassion for the lost.
A lukewarm faith lives life as if God was nice to have around but not
as important as what we wanted out of life.
And God is not harsh when He commands this kind of hot attention
from us. Just the opposite.
God’s overriding purposes are always to heal, protect, provide, bless
and enhance our lives as His beloved children.
He has to have us keep our eyes on Him continually to do that.
Our choices to focus our lives on things other than God can limit
God’s desires to bless and protect us.
I am a deep desire to be a protector for my kids—like most dad’s. I
could easily die for any of my children is that would save their lives.
When my kids were small, I told them that they must learn to listen for
my voice and obey me instantly when I needed to warn them of
danger—or I could not protect them.

6. Keep Watching
If we were crossing a street and I yelled “Stop” they had to obey or
they could be injured or killed.
If I saw a danger—like a snake in the grass— that they did not see
and I could not explain it in time to protect them, they had to be paying
attention to to so I could warn them in time.
There are many dangers in this world far worse than a speeding car or
a snake in the grass.
This world has things that can not only kill our bodies, but our joy, our
peace, our wisdom, our hope and even our souls forever. As our
Heavenly Father, God has to have our attention continually in order to
protect and bless us.
God has many children and He wants to use them all to build His
kingdom on earth. He wants to bless others through His children.
When God looks to use someone to do something for Him—to heal
someone, to prophesy to someone, to teach someone— whom does
He chose?
The child who is looking at Him, the child who is paying attention
to Him. The child who is watching Him.
Dear Friends, God has such great plans for each of us and the devil is
prowling around us seeking to ruin our lives as the Bible says. God’s
solution is that we keep watch! That we turn our eyes upon Jesus, that
we wait on the Lord in prayer, that we mediate on His word, that we
worship Him even on our beds, that we invite Him into every situation
of our lives.
God wants us to watch Him so he can watch over us to bless and
protect us—and sue Us to bless and protect others. It’s that simple—
and that critical.
His eye is on the sparrow… but He will help the sparrow more
whose eye is on Him.