I Didn’t Know I Fell Asleep

TL;DR Summary

Pastor Robert Madu delivers a compelling message at Elevation Church, focusing on the story of Eutychus from Acts 20:7-12. He uses this narrative to illustrate how easy it is for believers to become spiritually complacent and fall asleep in their faith. Pastor Madu emphasizes the importance of staying vigilant and attentive to God’s word, drawing parallels between physical sleep and spiritual slumber. This sermon serves as a wake-up call for Christians to remain engaged and active in their spiritual journey.

The core message revolves around the dangers of spiritual sleep and the need for believers to be aware of their spiritual state. Pastor Madu references Acts 20:7-12, where Eutychus falls asleep during Paul’s sermon and falls from a window, only to be revived by Paul. He explains that just as Eutychus physically fell asleep, Christians can spiritually fall asleep by losing their passion for prayer, neglecting the Word, and becoming complacent in their faith. The sermon encourages believers to examine their spiritual lives and ensure they are not sitting in “dangerous places” that lead to spiritual lethargy.

Pastor Madu challenges listeners to reflect on their spiritual condition and encourages them to seek community and accountability to stay spiritually awake. He urges believers to surround themselves with others who can help them stay vigilant and avoid spiritual pitfalls. The message concludes with an uplifting reminder that no matter how far one has fallen, God is always ready to revive and restore. This sermon calls for a renewed commitment to faith, urging believers to wake up and embrace the abundant life that God offers.

Full Sermon Transcript

[Music] oh my soul the Lord oh my [Music] soul the the how you feeling Elevation Church I tell you what I I count up the highest honor and the privil highest privilege really to be back here at elevation I do not take this lightly um Tiffany took the words right out of my mouth I’m not a guest here I am family I hope you know that I’m your cousin from the great country of Texas and uh it’s an honor to be here especially because of what this house means to me the impact that that this house has made on my life on my wife’s life on our Church’s life and so it’s always an honor to come back and uh to make a deposit into this amazing church do you know how blessed you are to be a part of this church come on I hope you know that that deserves more than a golf clap you are not just blessed you’re spoiled you’re absolutely spoiled and I hope you know the grass doesn’t get greener anywhere else you’re at the right church at the right time at the right place and this is just evidence of God’s hand in his favor but also because you have incredible leaders and incredible pastors and in this month that we take a moment to pause and appreciate pastors how many you know we have to pause to appreciate Pastor Steph and Holly feric for who they are I’m telling you the leaders they are and the people they are come on would you just let them know how much you love and appreciate them elevation you can do better than that across every location let’s give honor to where honor is due please don’t ever take the gift God has given you for granted I uh I fall short of words to adequately Express what Pastor Steph and Holly mean to my wife and I um but I’ll Ste something I heard a Swifty say True Story I Heard a Swifty say uh recently I feel sorry for Taylor Swift I said what like yeah I feel I feel sorry for Taylor Swift because Taylor Swift doesn’t know what it’s like to experience a Taylor Swift concert that’s what I heard a Swifty say so I’ll say that I feel sorry for Pastor Stephen and Holly fery because they don’t know what it’s like to experience their leadership and to be on the other side of the incredible songs and the sermons and so I love them I’m thankful for all of the pastors that serve here at elevation can we just thank God for them for every pastor at every location to the man the myth the legend chunks I celebrate you I’m thankful for who you are and uh I’m just going to pretend like I’m at home cuz I am is that cool I’m act like I’m at Social Dallas and I want to jump straight into the word of God today I want you to go with me to the book of Acts Acts chapter 20 and I want to look at verses 7 through 12 Acts chapter 20 we start at verse number 7 and we’ll land at verse number 12 I have to get excused absences uh from my wife to be at any other church and so I’m glad that she gave me this excused absence but uh I am family can I show you my family it’s been a while this is the Muk crew let me show you my family I got that picture of my fam there they are look at that y’all woo you wonder why I have this glow emanating from my face it’s not just because I use exfoliating skin products it’s cuz I am a blessed man that is the Muk crew and those are our three little humans and uh I’m I’m EXC excited to preach let’s let’s let’s go to work go to Acts chapter 20 and we’re going to start at verse number 7 and we’ll land at verse number 12 when you’re ready to read it say yeah yeah if you need a little time to find the book of Acts say hold up I heard that hold up I’m going wait for you I’m going wait for you Acts chapter 20 and we’ll start at verse number seven and it says on the first day of the week we came together to break bread Paul spoke to the people and because he intended to leave the next day kept on talking until midnight how many you would stay here if I just kept preaching till midnight anybody y’all lying don’t lie some of y’all going to leave to catch a brunch he says there were many lamps in the upstairs room where they were meeting and seated in a window window was a young man named udcus who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on and when he was sound asleep he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead and Paul went down threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him don’t be alarmed he said he’s alive then he went upstairs again and broke bread and eight you know you gangster when you do a resurrection don’t even wash your hands and go right upstairs and break bread and eat says the people took the young after talking till daylight he left and the people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted can you say Amen thank you so much what A peculiar passage of scripture I’ve been upset obsessed with this scripture for a long time especially about this young dude named udus because he made the Bible y’all not for something he said but for what he did homeboy made the Bible from falling asleep in church falling out of a window and dying he didn’t even say anything but if udus could come back today I think he would tell you what my is today he would say to you I didn’t know I fell asleep I didn’t know I fell asleep would you help me preach and look at your neighbor whichever one you like the best across every location just say neighbor neighbor oh neighbor neighbor sometimes you don’t know when you’re asleep as come on find another neighbor in case that neighbor was stuck up come on find another neighbor come on say other neighbor neb you’re my second option but don’t sleep on this message give God some praise if you got expectation for him to speak today father have your way speak to our hearts today in Jesus name amen I didn’t know I fell asleep when I read this text it immediately took me back to a moment in church that I will never forget this happened a few years ago actually during the first year of our marriage some of you would know that before we planted our church social Dallas uh I traveled for 16 years uh as an evangelist had an itinerate Ministry preaching at churches all across the nation and preaching from Genesis all the way to the maps in the back and I remember we had just gotten we just gotten married and it was a crazy week of traveling we’re newly ways and I was actually trying trying to show my new bride it’s real out here in these Ministry streets it’s not vacation I’m living out of a suitcase and going from City to city and it was a crazy week we’re in a different city every single night and then Saturday night we get into Midian Virginia I’ll never forget it and the pastor picked us up and he said hey I just want to let you know that tomorrow we have three Sunday morning Services says the first one starts at 8 a.m. so I looked at my bride my new bride and I said babe it’s been a crazy week I said you do not have to go to all three of these Services I said why don’t you just pick one or come to the last one you don’t have to come to all three now keep in mind this is the first year of our marriage okay now we got 11 years in we got double digits on the board if I asked her today she’d be like I wasn’t planning on coming all three I’ll come to the last one and catch you at lunch but when you are newly wear it’s different so she’s like babe no I’ll come to all three we can’t be disconnected said all right it’s going to be early morning and so we get to the church I’ll never forget it it’s the first service of the day and I’m preaching and I’m getting ready to land the sermon land the plane my wife who is on the front row I look at my peripheral and I see her eyes are closed so my first thought is my first thought is see I picked the right one she is praying for her man right now she knows that this is the most important part in the sermon that I’m about to land the plane and she is preparing the atmosphere with the gift of intercession she is praying for me then all of a sudden I noticed her eyes were all the way in the back of her head and her mouth was open then she started rocking like this and going back and forth and I said wait a minute we Pentecostal but we ain’t that Pentecostal why is she rocking back and forth and before you know it she is sound asleep on the front row of the church and I’m panicking cuz I notice it and then I notice other people noticing her and then I just panicked I just called the worship team came back out I said come back out come back out and everybody stand everybody everybody stand to your feet she woke up and stood and I prayed the prayer and oo when I went back to the Green Room I was living at you I said babe what is wrong with you I told you you didn’t have to come did you notice everybody noticing you fall asleep and she said in that sweet voice babe I’m sorry I couldn’t help it and I didn’t know I was falling asleep when I look back I shouldn’t have got mad but come on let’s be honest this happened to the best of us hasn’t it oh come on I don’t care how saved how spiritual you are you could have floated in here had communion for breakfast I promise you you have had you a sleepy Sunday how many you honest across every location to admit youve had a Sunday where you oh you were dozing you’re like look I’m here at least I made it that’s the win today I’m I’m not impressed with people that tell me they have never fallen asleep in church if you’ve never fallen asleep in church all you telling me is you don’t come to church consistently that’s all you letting me know of course you can stay awake you just come on Easter and Christmas those of us who fall asleep are faithful we keep showing up even when we worked late last night and so uh it’s not a big deal in fact you want to sleep today is cool cuz it’s happened to the best of us and I didn’t come all the way from Dallas to Charlotte to tell you that if you fall asle sleep in church you’re going to die it’s not my assignment today nor do I think that’s the reason that this story is in the Bible but the question I have been asking myself is why is this story in the Bible come on of all the things that Dr Luke could have put pen to paper to write about why do we need to know about this young dude named uus that fell asleep in church of all the things to put in the book of Acts why do we need to know about this young dude named udus falling asleep in church of all the things he could have written about in the book of Acts you understand that the book of Acts is giving us the first 30 years of the history of the early church it’s not telling us everything that happened it’s just telling us snapshots that happened just a few of the events that happened I love the book of Acts read it when you get to the crib because the book of Acts lets me know that God will always keep his promise because you understand that he gave those in the Upper Room a promise he said and the Holy Spirit will come upon you and you’ll receive power to be my witnesses to Jerusalem Juda Samaria and to the ends of the Earth think about that that something that started with a small group of 120 in an upper room began to spread around the world and the gospel is still being preached today I want to pause right here and tell somebody don’t despise Small Beginnings how many you know you can start small but if the Holy Spirit starts blowing on the thing that small how you know it has the power to go around the world don’t despise Small Beginnings because when God starts something small if the Holy Spirit gets on it it can get big look at what you sitting in here today at Elevation Church this didn’t start with all these campuses and packing out Arenas how many you thankful that some families and pastor stepen and Holly were faithful to step out and all of a sudden because the Holy Spirit blew on something to change the game but I’m trying to figure out why we got to know about Paul and ticus this don’t make sense to me I get knowing about Paul and ananas come on you you know Paul is like some of y’all he he went from ratchet to righteous he had a testimony he he actually persecuted the church before he started building the church God knocked him off his high horse and a light blinded him only God could use a light to Blind you and a light blinded him and he needed ananas because when God is taking you from who you were to who you’re going to be you needed ananas to lay their hands on you and show you the way I get Paul and ananas I get Paul and Barnabas cuz come on God didn’t just save you for you to come to church and sit on your Blessed assurance and do nothing come on you got to get plugged in you have a purpose he created you on purpose for purpose so I get Paul and Barnabas you need Barnabas Barnabas is the one that got connected to Paul on his first missionary journey I get Paul and Silas cuz how you know when you’re in a dark place you need somebody that will praise God with you I need somebody that when I say h they say luah when I say praise up they say Lord I get Paul and Silas but Paul and udus why do I need to know that he fell asleep in church surely the message is don’t sleep in church surely that can’t be the message surely the message isn’t preach short I beh himly come against that that can’t be the message of this text I had a bible college professor he said you should preach 15 minutes or less 15 minutes he said yes the Mind cannot retain what the seed cannot endure preach 15 minutes or less I’m thinking well you born you should preach 15 minutes to last surely the message is not preach short and surely the message can be that the Apostle Paul was a boring Communicator because if he was a boring Communicator I believe the text would have said everybody fell asleep but everybody didn’t fall asleep udus is the only one that started dozing off in the room that means I don’t know how many people are in the room but uus was the only one that was sleeping that means everybody else in the room must have been leaning in going Paul if you got more to say we got more to receive if you’re going to pour out we’re ready to receive it I want to pause right here and thank God that first of all Paul had the depth of content to keep preaching past midnight but I want to shout out the other people in the room that had the depth of capacity to receive what Paul was pouring out oh see sometimes we think that God has doesn’t have enough content to pour out to us but sometimes it has nothing to do with what God wants to pour out but everything to do with your capacity to receive what God wants to pour out is there anybody in here that knows that God has so much more that he wants to pour out but some of us keep coming to him with a little saucer saying God I I’m ready to receive so I want to shout out the other people in the room that had the depth of capacity to receive what Paul had I want to shout out the other people in the room that said Paul if you got something to say I am ready with anticipation and I’m ready to hear it is there anybody in here that says I came to receive something from God I actually have expectation sometimes we think the problem is with the seed and it has nothing to do with the seed but everything to do with the soil that receives it that’s why when Jesus told the parable of the sewer the thing that was constant was the seed but the only thing that changed was the the soil cuz often times the problem is not with the person that has the microphone woo it’s with the people that have the capacity to receive it so sometimes I preach a message and it’ll be terrible and somebody be like ohoo that’s the best message you ever preached I’ll be like no fam that’s the best time you ever listen I know that wasn’t the best one but sometimes when you actually have the capacity to receive it it’ll hit the ground better and I know this room had capacity to receive in fact they had something that I call proof of expectation they had proof that they were expecting God to speak to them through Paul proof of expectation I don’t ask church people anymore do you have expectation because everybody’s like yeah I got expectation I ask them show me the proof of your expectation prove to me that you’re actually expecting God to do something in your life is there anybody in here that actually has proof of your expectation somebody will say I got expectation I’m believing God for a house really are you actually sewing right now are you giving nah I’m just expecting a house really okay have you downloaded Zillow no not yet but I’m just expecting a house y me yo you got to have proof of your expectation and I’m telling you the people in this room they had proof of expectation that God was going to do something can you prove it in the text I will uh verse number eight of Acts chapter 20 I want you to see something if you read too fast you’ll miss it it says there were many lamps in the upstairs room where they were meeting there were how many lamps how many many many there were so many lamps in that upstairs room that lets me know the people in the room had expectation to receive because this how went down I don’t think Paul planned to preach law we never do I think he Jed off and it kept going and kept going and kept going all throughout the middle of the night but guess what the people in the room already knew that that this meeting might go long and Paul’s going to pour out to us and we might not ever see him again so before they ever got in the room they set the atmosphere of that room and put many lamps in there I’m talking to some of y’all you got to start setting the atmosphere with some expectation I’m talking to some of y’all you got to start praising God on your way to church don’t wait till you get in the building you ought to start praising all the way on your way to church the lamps were proof of their expectation they had many lamps you know how long it took them to set up all those lamps so y’all know Paul might get longwinded tonight let’s just set them all up setting up all these lamps as proof that they had expectation for something to happen that I not only that wait a minute you have to also have oil in those lamps it’s not enough just to have the lamps you better have some oil you remember when Jesus told the parable about the five foolish bridesmaids and the five wise ones and remember all of them pulled a uus and fell asleep and when the bridegroom came the only thing that separated the wise one from the foolish ones were the ones that have enough oil that were in their lamps is there anybody in there say I don’t just have the lamps I got some oil I got some anointing I am expecting God do something those lamps stood as proof that they had expectation for God to speak to them in that upper real not only does those lamps stand as proof of their expectation it also shows the power of Illumination anytime you see a lamp in the Bible it is a picture of the word of God how many you have realized that life is above your pay grade and you need a word from God you need his word for direction this is what he says your word is a lamp unto my feet it’s a light unto my path this is the power of the word of God I need his word for direction oh it’s a lamp unto my feet meaning that often times his word will just tell you the next step often when God speaks to you he’s not going to give you a 20-year plan I know that messes up you planners he was not giving you a 20-year plan but he will tell you this is what you do next this is what you do next take this step and some of you haven’t taken that step you’re like God I need a new word he’s like do the last one I told you the lamps proved that his word is Illumination in that room and so all of them had tiptoe anticipation that God was going to speak to the great Apostle Paul and I have to be honest with you and tell you something I don’t usually like to brag about places that I go but uh I’ve been to this Upper Room I’ve been to this room i’ I’ve I’ve been to this room I’ve seen this upper room where they gathered I was there I was there y’all now not in reality in my exegetical imagination but I went to traz and I worked all day I worked long and hard all day and I was filled with excitement because everybody was talking about how Paul was going to show up at this undisclosed location and they said he was going to be the the great Apostle Paul so after working all day I went straight from work to this upper room I remember it y’all I remember walking up the flight of stairs three stories I remember walking in the room was packed with people I remember the smell in that room cuz not everybody took a bath I could tell and the room was so packed but nobody cared about the smell cuz they were just actually excited to hear Paul preach I was there in the room as we began to take the bread and we began to have communion and we remember the sacrifice of what Jesus did I remember the room and I remember that moment when Paul walked in the whole room got quiet I don’t know if you’ve ever met your Heroes but I remember seeing Paul walk in the room I remember seeing the scars that were showing through his tunic because in his body he bore the scars of what he had suffered for the gospel and there I was listening to the Apostle Paul preached and I was trying to take it all in it was like drinking from a fire hydrant he just had dep of wisdom and Revelation and there I am listening to the Apostle Paul and I was so leaned in nobody ever spoke like him and I was with him for the first 45 minutes I was with him for the first hour but after an hour and 15 minutes I said bro you got to land this planate but he kept on preaching kept on preaching then my knees got tired so I said I may as well sit down looks like it’s going to be a long message and I sat down and I was good for the first hour and 15 minutes but then an hour and 30 minutes he still preaching y’all at an hour 30 I had to go to the bathroom I had too much of the juice so I got up and I left and I went to the bathroom and when I came back from the bathroom somebody stole my seat I said ain’t that messed up and Paul is still preaching so I just stayed in the back and two hours in now he taking questions I’m like Paul come on bro and he keeps going and going and then it was hot cuz I know the lamb were in the room and I started getting lightheaded and my stomach was full and it kep he’s 2 hours and 38 minutes and and so finally I was getting hot so I just went by a window I went by the window to just get a little air from my tunic and I started airing out my tunic just a little bit and then when he’s three hours in I had to just sit in the window and then he kept going and now he’s three 3 and a half hours in and the lamps in the room kept flickering and my stomach was [Music] full I the preach [Applause] Paul I was trying I to go I I just okay I walking then I started looking out the window I said Lord what’s going on out here because this is going to be going on for a long time H I just laid my head on the window LD and I’m trying got do you see how it happens do you see nobody intends to fall asleep nobody plans on going going to sleep I went through all that to show you let’s not be so quick to throw a stone at uus when it’s happened to the best of us but my issue with uus is not really his sleeping my issue is with where he chose to sit of all the places that were in that upstairs room why in the world would you sit in an open wind on the ledge of an open wind my issue is not with his sleep my issue is with his seat lud UD I almost said ludicrous cuz it is ludicrous udic why are you sitting on the ledge of an open window that’s a dangerous place to sit ticus I think you should have chose another seat of all the seats because when you sit in an open window when you’re in church but you’re still got open Windows when you’re in church and yes you got your attendance but God doesn’t have your in attention when you’re in church but you still got open windows it’s only a matter of time before you go from a window to a fall because you got to be careful where you sit in the house of God you got to be careful when you have open Windows my issue with ticus is why would you sit in such a dangerous place and I’m wondering if there’s anybody in here who’s just like uus and oh you’re in church oh I understand uus is not in the club udcus came to a campus he was there but he picked a dangerous place to sin udus had some open windows in his life even though he was in in the house of God here’s the thing your intention will get you in the room but it’s your attention that will keep you in the room it is not enough just to come to church you got to be careful where you sit and some of you in here today have some open windows and God just told me to ask you is that the best place for you to sit is that the best place you know you’re sitting in an open window when you’re trying to see how close you can get to the edge of sin without it being sin when you’re asking questions like what what what is lying really I mean mean what’s cheating really it’s it’s an open window cuz you’re trying to see how close you can get to the ledge and God told me to tell somebody in this place today it is a horrible thing to fight sleep in a window seat you need to get off of the window seat get away from the Edge you should go to a wall and stand up on something that’s silid don’t fight sleep in a window seat that’s a horrible place to try to fight the war of falling asleep the issue wasn’t his sleep it was where he was sitting can we be honest have you ever been fighting sleep I’m talking about in the natural you ever been fighting it you ever see how stupid you look fighting sleep hitting yourself doing whatever you can I’m the worst I’m telling you my wife is scared to drive with me I’m telling for me all long drives and the engine just droning and if there’s no scenery I am dangerous behind the wheel if it is more than a 2hour drive cuz I’ll just I see why he went by the window cuz that’s what I do I open up the windows when I’m about to fall asleep and I’ll stick my head out the window ah just fighting see you ever been fighting see I’m telling I am dangerous on highway just doing whatever I can to stay awake y’all I like hip hop but when I’m telling you when I’m driving I’ll listen to whatever I got to listen to to stay awake if you ever seen me on the highway with my head out the window talk about since You’ been gone like was that Pastor Robert y try to stay awake it’s a horrible thing to fight sleep in a window seat and all of us disciples have been there haven’t we you remember when the disciples were with Jesus Peter James and John In The Garden of Gethsemane and he told them watch and pray stay here just pray with me and what did they start doing they pulled a uus falling asleep do you remember what Jesus said to him he went up to him called him out first y’all sleeping you know they did like we do no man we just praying for you Yeshua he said uh watch and pray he says be careful that you don’t fall into temptation that’s an awkward thing to say for somebody that’s sleeping y’all got real spiritual with like M yeah what what does Temptation have to do with sleeping it seems like he just said be careful that you do not fall into a Temperpedic what does Temptation have to do with sleeping he says more he says the spirit is willing but the father leous weight he’s given us a metaphor the great teacher that in the same way in the natural when you’re fighting to stay awake that is the war between your flesh and your spirit he’s trying to let you know that we live in a culture that is always trying to put you to sleep and you got to do whatever you can to fight to stay awake you cannot go to sleep I don’t know who this is for but this is your wakeup call today because the enemy is trying to get you to fight to sleep that’s what he’s given us the metaphor that is hard to stay awake and I came to tell you that the disciples with the best intentions often fall yeah asleep the disciples with the best hearts are often fall asleep don’t forget what happened in that passage when the disciples were sleeping it says that Jesus was sorrowful to death but another translation says even the disciples were sorrowful sometimes sorrow makes you sleepy cuz you’ve been through so much and you’ve been fighting to stay away but the pain starts lulling you to sleep and God God says you got to keep on fighting and don’t let the culture and the things around you put you to sleep I love the Bible because it flows so well together the Bible is replete with examples and scriptures about our need to stay vigilant to stay awake first Thessalonians 5: [Music] 5-6 says you are all children of the light and children of the day we do not belong to the night or to the darkness so then let us not be like the others who are asleep but let us be awake and sober Paul says in Romans 13: 11 and 12 and do this understanding the present time the hour has already come for you to wake up from your Slumber because our Salvation is nearer now than when we first believ the night is nearly over the day is almost here so let us put aside the Deeds of the darkness and put on the armor of light light 1 Peter 5’8 says be alert and of sober mind your enemy the devil prows around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour I’m trying to show you the Bible has always been telling us as Believers stay awake CU it’s so easy to fall asleep I know some of y’all are super spiritual you’re like I would never get sleepy you know how long I’ve been coming to Elevation I have scriptures memorized I’m a child of the most high God I’m telling you it’s easier to fall asleep than you realize I would never okay you remember in Luke Chapter n when the disciples three of them same three that fell asleep go up to the Mount of transfiguration with Jesus and something powerful happens as Jesus starts praying he starts glowing in the dark can you imagine being with Jesus on the mountain top and his clothes get brighter than anybody could bleach it something crazyer happens Moses and Elijah show up on the mountain y’all I’m thinking if I’m on a mountain toop with Jesus and Moses and Elijah show up and he is glowing in the dark oh I am wide awake I am not missing this at all matter of fact I’m going to have my phone recorded the whole thing saying oh wait till they see this when I get off this mountain they ain’t going to believe Jesus but guess what happened to the disciples who are on a mountain with glow in the dark Jesus and Moses and Elijah two people who were dead look at what happens in Luke Chapter 9:32 it says Peters and his companions were very sleepy but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men standing with him they fell asleep on a Mountaintop with two people who came back from the dead you going to sit up here and tell me me that you don’t get sleepy that you don’t get weary even the disciples with the best intentions the best hearts fall asleep I guess the question that I’m asking you today is that if I don’t know when I’m falling asleep in the natural you realize you don’t know when you’re sleeping if I don’t know when I’m falling asleep in the natural until somebody wakes me up could it be possible you don’t know when you’re falling asleep spiritually you don’t even know you could be asleep spiritually for years and it’s not until somebody says wake up you realize I’ve been sleeping till somebody says wake up you realize I just been going through the motions and checking the Box thinking the church is just the country club that I come to it can be years till somebody says wake up and you realize I’ve never even shared my faith with somebody at all I think I’m in the witness protection program and I’m just going to work as a secret believer you don’t know when you’re asleep till somebody says Wake up I want to give you a few signs as somebody comes to play softly to let you know I’m landing the plane I I wrote down some signs that you’re getting spiritually sleepy this is an exhaustive list but some things I just thought about you know you’re getting sleepy spiritually when you have little or no desire to pray that’s why Jesus told the disciples Watch and Pray watch and pray pray is what keeps us Vigilant is what keeps us awake and attentive to the purposes and the plans of God you know you’re getting sleepy spiritually if you have a loss of appetite for the word of God if you’re losing your appetite for the word that might be a sign you’re getting sleepy anybody in there ever tried to eat healthy after eating bad ain’t it crazy how it’s nasty at first but if you stay consistent you start craving what you like come on the first time you eat that kale you’re like this is ridiculous you stay consistent you’re like you know what let me get that kale today I’m feeling it it’s the same with the word of God you start craving what you eat you know you’re getting sleepy spiritually if you’re no longer convicted of willful sin when it doesn’t feel anymore like a sin and you don’t have conviction that’s a sign you know you’re getting sleepy when you have a desire to be served rather than serving others you might be getting sleepy if you’re easily offended you might be getting sleepy if you’re avoiding accountability you might begin sleepy if you’re consistently comparing yourself to other people you might be getting sleepy if you’re spreading or entertaining gossip that’s why some us sleep with our mouth open always got something to say about somebody else it’s a sign getting sleepy you might be getting sleepy hear me if you’ve isolated yourself from the community of Believers the enemy wants you to be isolated so you can go to sleep and this is my issue with this text this is my indictment against the people that are were in that room that day because if udcus is sitting in a window seat if ticus is sitting there in that window seat I just want to know how come nobody in that room walked up to ticus and said hey man I see you dozing that’s not a good place to sit how come nobody in that room said uus I wouldn’t sit there stand over here by me how come nobody in that room just took a moment to say ticus I’ve been there before and I worked all day too stand right next to me and let’s keep each other awake the Bible even says he was a young person how come no older person somebody from another generation could have just gone up to uus and said uus that’s a horrible place to sit let me tell you something I used to be young you better stand over here by me I’m trying to tell somebody this is why you need the church this is why you need Community because we don’t know when we’re getting sleepy we don’t know when we’re dozing off so I need somebody around me to say you got so much purpose on your life you can’t sit there you got too much anointing on your life you can’t go there no you can’t can’t date them no you can’t live that low your calling is too high I need somebody to tell me when I’m falling asleep is there anybody in that room that had enough concern to say ticus don’t sit there ticus there’s another place matter of fact ticus here lean hold me let’s stay awake I know you wanted to be here ticus the fact that you’re in the room shows me how much you love God get just tired you worked all day and Paul’s going a long time so just stand by me and don’t sit in the window seat this is why we need the church cuz I don’t know when I’m dozing off I need somebody to tell me wake up nobody saw udus sitting in the window and I’m even wondering if they knew when he fell out out the window I’m curious were they so enamored by the great preaching of the Apostle Paul that they didn’t even notice that Jus fell out the window have you noticed the people that used to be in church that aren’t here anymore and the Reason God put you in their life so you can call them back in the room are you so concerned with your own life and your own blessing and what you need from God that you don’t even notice unicus is falling out of the window I wonder if it took the commotion outside to get the room to actually notice ticus is gone and here’s how else I know something happened in the room that breaks my heart I think the people in the room when they notice uus was down there didn’t do anything they just looked out the window I’ll tell you how I know it in a moment what is is that what church people do today I love the church is it crazy how sometimes when somebody who’s falling out the window we will stay in the room look out the window and go oh can you believe that shouldn’t have sat there I wouldn’t have sat there I would never do that in fact let me text somebody just so they can be praying for ticus and let them know what happened ain’t it crazy how sometimes people who have fallen away we stand at a distance and look out the window talking about how they fa talking about how they shouldn’t have sat there but thank God for the Apostle Paul thank God for Paul because the Bible says perhaps the most powerful words in that passage why everybody else was in the room looking at ticus through the window the Bible says what Paul did the Bible says that Paul went down Paul is showing you what a Believer is supposed to do Paul is showing you what Ministry really is that when somebody is fallen out of a window and gone down and made a bad decision you don’t stand in judgment from the window the Bible says that Paul went down you want to know what Ministry looks like Ministry doesn’t start on a platform or a stage Ministry is coming down to where people are who have fallen and are broken and you got to let them know we serve a god who’s the resurrection and the life y’all think his life is over but it’s not over ticus you can live again and I don’t know who this message is for but maybe other people have told you that the marriage is over the business is over your child and life is over but I came to tell you the devil is a liar God is not done until God is done he can raise anything back to life he is the resurrection and the life I’m telling you I’m learning more and more every day Ministry is not about being up there looking pretty and preaching Ministry is when you do like the Apostle Paul who went down threw himself on the young man and said he’s not dead there’s still life in him isn’t this what our savior did for us and when we were Fallen stuck in our sin he did not try to redeem us from Heaven the king of glory came down put on human skin to feel what we feel and go through what we go through and when Humanity had no hope we were all unicus he said I’ll throw my life on a cross and I’ll get up from the grave so that when I get up it’s proof that no matter what has held you down you can get up too it’s crazy because this says that this Gathering was on the first day of the week Sunday just like this this is a change this is the first biblically recorded gathering on a Sunday the Sabbath used to be a Saturday why is it changing because they changed it to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and didn’t it just like Jesus to give them a Resurrection on the day they are celebrating the power of his resurrection I say that to say uus all hope is not lost you are not defined by your mistake even uus life became a testimony God still in the business of raising things that were dead back to life I didn’t know I fell asleep but also didn’t know that even after I fell God could bring me back to life I’m going to ask every head be bowed and eyes be closed today Father I thank you today for your word Lord I Thank you that you don’t give up on us that when everybody else says it’s over just like the Apostle Paul you come down to where we are and say no there’s still life there father today I’m praying for my brother my sister I don’t know what location I don’t know if they’re eam but I do know you’re speaking to them and today is not just another sermon it’s their wakeup call God God we’re so weak we’re made of Flesh we don’t know when we’re dosing off God I thank you that you always give us wakeup calls God thank you for community that will help us to wake up that will tell us don’t sit there it’s a dangerous place to sit Lord let us be attentive to what it is you’re doing in us and what you want to do through US heads are bad eyes are closed today but I’m wondering if this is somebody’s wakeup call whether in this room or watching online and you need to surrender your life to this beautiful savior Hear Me Maybe you think you got to get yourself together to come to him but you can’t get yourself together ticus didn’t have time to get himself together you don’t clean yourself up to come to a savior you just come to him as you are and so with heads bowed and eyes closed across every location if you’ve never surrendered your life life to Jesus today’s your day to come home he’s the resurrection and the life doesn’t matter what the enemy is telling you it’s dead he can breathe life back into it and he didn’t come just to make bad people good now he came to make dead people come alive you can have eternal life today said with heads bowed and eyes closed if that’s you you say Pastor Robert include me in this closing prayer I need to surrender my life to Jesus would you just lift up your hand high enough and long enough to where I could see it thank you yeah hands are going up all over this room wherever you’re watching across every location thank you Jesus thank you God can we just pray this prayer as one big family I’m going to give you the words would you just say it from your heart would you say this say Jesus Jesus I need you I need you I cannot do life I cannot do life without you without you because you are my life you are my life Jesus I believe Jesus I that you are the Son of God you the son of God you liveed the life you that I was supposed to live I you died the death youed the that I was supposed to die you took my place took my place so my response my response is to give you all of me give you all of me forgive me of my sin for me of my make me brand new Make Me From This Moment forward this I’m walking with you in Jesus name amen amen amen amen come on if you me you prayed can we give King Jesus praise today oh come on you can do better than that can you praise him like you know you got your breath back you got your life back come on give him a real real Resurrection praise today hey thank you for watching the Elevation Church YouTube I want you to subscribe that way you can know when we go live and post new content make sure leave me a comment let me know what spoke to you today where you’re watching from and what we can pray for you about and if you’d like like to support the ministry financially you can click the give button now and help us continue reaching people around the world for Jesus Christ thanks again I’ll see you next time