Waiting for Our Lord’s Return
By W. S. Sadler
SOWING FOR WATCHFULNESS.—No. 1.
Waiting for Our Lord’s Return.
“WHAT I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” Mark 13:37. There will be just two classes of professed Christians in the world at the time of Christ’s second coming,—those who will say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will ‘save us;’” and those of another class who will be saying, “My Lord ‘delayeth His coming.’” The latter class have failed to watch; or they have watched so carelessly that they have fallen asleep. Christ says, “What I say unto you I say to all, Watch.” Watching is the most intense occupation that mortals are ever called upon to engage in. To watch means that all the energy of body, soul, and spirit must be centered upon the thing we are watching for. Peter, who was so zealous to declare his devotion and allegiance to the Master, but a few hours later was found sleeping while his Master prayed. On waking him up the Saviour said, “What, could ye ‘not watch with Me one hour?’” Peter had declared his great love for Christ, but he had failed to watch with Him. Did you ever wait at the station for the train,—watching, watching, watching? And did not the time seem very long? It is necessary that you should not stray away from the station; for the train may come and go during the few minutes you have ceased your watchfulness. There is a constant tendency, when we have watched for something about so long, to allow our interest and enthusiasm to diminish. It is to forestall this human tendency to lose interest in the great event of Christ’s second coming, that the Lord has shown all through the Scriptures the admonition to watch, watch, WATCH! It seems to be the all-important word to the Christian, particularly to those living in the time immediately preceding the second coming of Christ. Said the Lord to the children of Israel: “Only take heed to thyself, and keep ‘thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have ‘seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life.’” Deut. 4:9. The object of our watchfulness is to retain the light and truth which have been shed across our pathway, and to prevent our falling into slumbers of negligence and forgetfulness. We are bidden to watch, for watchfulness is necessary for the soul’s activity. If we fail to watch, we soon fall asleep morally; we become inactive, and fail to receive what God has to give us; and in turn we fail to communicate to others that which heaven desired to communicate to us. The Christian life should be one of constant activity, ceaseless shining, and perpetual watching. If we are unable to put that diligence into our watchfulness that would enable us to overcome some besetting sin, to recognize and constantly keep under some short-coming in our character, how shall we expect to be able to watch for that great event which is the end of the Christian’s hope? The great mistake we make, the great reason for our forgetting the foundation hope of our religion, the cause of our saying, “My Lord delayeth His coming”—is that we have failed to watch in the minor details of life. We have failed to watch for truth; we fail to keep our souls diligently; we too easily forget the things which “our eyes have seen.” We must accept the things of God one by one, truth by truth, and principle by principle; and in this way maintain our watchfulness. If we are faithful in these smaller matters, we will be found awake and on the right side when our Lord comes. Day by day there must be put into our religion that reality and intensity which will keep us awake. Can you blame a man for anything that happens while he is asleep? You may blame him for being asleep, but it is impossible to blame him for the thing of which he was not conscious. The only thing that will keep us awake is doing something. Christian activity—working for others—this is the secret of being ready to meet our Lord when He comes. If we allow the activities of the soul to cease; if we stop our labor for others, we will soon fall asleep. In a crisis, when it is necessary to keep awake, it is important to keep moving, to “keep thy soul with all diligence.” “Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments which I command ‘you this day, that ye may be strong, and go in and possess the land, ‘whither ye go to possess it.’” Deut. 11:8. We must conduct ourselves in the waiting time in such a manner as will give strength to our spiritual experiences. It is just as necessary for us to be strong in the time which precedes our Lord’s return as it was for the children of Israel to be strong before going in to possess the earthly Canaan. Strong, vigorous men are not so likely to fall asleep on duty as the weak, fearful, and untrained. We know that strong, hearty men can remain awake on long watches much better than can feeble ones. We must see to it that our characters have woven into them all the elements of divine strength. The soul that is strong in faith and active in work is the one who can watch. You can not simply take hold of the mind, as it were, and say, “I ‘will watch.” Peter tried that. I imagine he bestirred himself with vigor, when he said, “Tho I should die with Thee, yet will I not deny ‘Thee.’” Yet it was the same Peter who fell asleep in the garden, and subsequently denied his Lord. We can make the same resolutions that Peter did, but unless we have beneath them a stronger foundation, they will not be any stronger than Peter’s were. As far as human eyes could see, Peter heard and saw as great, or greater, things than we have seen and heard, but they failed to suffice in the final test, because his faith was not strong, because he failed to watch. If he had strengthened his faith, he could have watched. What will it mean to us to fall asleep in the final hour? Peter had another chance; for when he was converted he could go and strengthen his brethren; but our last opportunity is fast approaching, and what shall we do if we are found asleep? To sleep then on a single point of duty was serious; to be asleep now is fatal. W. S. SADLER.