"ARISE"    Eph. 5:14

⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), ¹⁰finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. ¹¹And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹²For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. ¹³But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. ¹⁴Therefore He says:

    “Awake, you who sleep,

    Arise from the dead,

    And Christ will give you light.”

INTRO:  

 

1.       The word "Arise" is used many times throughout the Bible.

 

2.       It is an active verb and suggests action on the part of the ones involved.

 

3.       Let us notice a couple of examples found in the Old Testament:

 

A.   Gen. 19:15.

¹⁵When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.”

 

B.    Joshua 1:2.

¹After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: ²“Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel.

 

4.       We too, need to realize that we must arise and do certain things in

          order to be pleasing unto God.

 

I.       WE NEED TO ARISE AND STUDY THE WORD OF GOD.

 

A.               That we might stand approved in His sight, and might be able to

 

                   “rightly divide the word of truth,” 2 Tim. 2:15.

 

B.         That we might know of Jesus.  John 5:39.

 

Jesus said, ⁹You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me

 

C.        That we might not perish for the lack of knowledge, Hos. 4:6.

 

                                                ⁶My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

 

D.        That we might come unto God.  John 6:44-45.

 

Jesus said, No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁴⁵It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

 

E.         That we might be noble in His sight.  Acts 17:11.

 

 (BEREANS) were more NOBLE than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

 

F.         That we might have God-pleasing faith. 

 

Rom. 10:17; (FAITH comes by hearing the word of God)

 

Heb. 11:6.  (w/o faith it is impossible to please God)

 

II.               WE NEED TO ARISE AND ACCEPT THE TRUTH AND BE WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE FOR IT.  Prov. 23:23.

 

                                 “BUY THE TRUTH & SELL IT NOT”

 

A.               Because it makes us free from sin. 

John 8:31-32; Rom. 6:16-18.

 

          B.      Because it sanctifies us, John 17:17; 1 Tim. 4:5.

 

III.    WE NEED TO ARISE AND BE BAPTIZED, THEREBY WASHING AWAY OUR SINS AND ENTERING THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

 

A.                Baptism washes away our sins.  Acts 22:16; “ARISE & be baptized & wash away your sins” 

 

B.                It saves, 1 Pet. 3:21.

 

C.               Thereby we enter the kingdom. 

           John 3:5; 1 Cor. 12:13; Acts 2:47; Rom. 6:3,4.

 

IV.     WE NEED TO ARISE AND GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND

          PREACH THE GOSPEL OF REPENTANCE AND REMISSION

          OF SINS TO EVERY CREATURE.

 

A.               The gospel must be heard and believed for salvation,

Mk. 16:15,16

 

B.                Repentance comes before forgiveness of sins,

Lk. 13:3; 24:44-47; Acts  17:30,31; 2 Pet. 3:9;

 

C.      Baptism also comes before forgiveness of sins, Mk. 16:15,16; Acts 2:38.

 

V.      WE NEED TO ARISE AND TEACH BY BOTH WORD AND DEED.

 

A.      Our words and actions must comply with the authority of Christ, Col.  3:17; Acts 1:1.

 

          B.      Our life must be one of good example, 1 Tim. 4:11-16.

 

1.       To our children, our mates, our relatives, our brethren in Christ and others.

 

VI.     WE NEED TO ARISE AND DEPART FROM THE LAND OF SIN THAT WE MIGHT LIVE AND NOT DIE.

 

A.      We have examples of such in the Old Testament, Gen. 31:13; 43: 8; 2 Cor. 6:17,18; Isa. 52:11; Ezk. 20:34,41.

 

VII.        WE NEED TO ARISE AND SAVE SOULS. 

Jdgs. 10:1; Dan. 12:3

 

VIII. WE ALL NEED TO ARISE TOGETHER LIKE ONE MAN IN OUR FIGHT AGAINST SIN AND SATAN. 

Jdgs. 20:8-11.

 

VIII.     ALL THAT ARE COURAGEOUS AND VALIANT AMONG US WILL ARISE AND DO OUR DUTY. 

1 Sam. 31:12.

 

IX.            THE TRUE SERVANTS OF GOD WILL ARISE AND BUILD. 

Neh. 2:20.

 

XI.     WHEN ONE RECOGNIZES HIS SINFUL CONDITION HE NEEDS TO ARISE AND GO TO HIS FATHER. 

Lk. 15:18

 

XII.   FALSE TEACHERS WILL ARISE AMONG US. 

Acts 20:30.

 

CONCLUSION:  Yes, we must awake and arise in order for Christ to shine upon us.  Eph. 5:14.  (Page 1-Title)