1Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. I Thessalonians 5:1-6

Though we may believe paying for the best education or setting up a good business or career for our children is preparing them well for life, this is the serpent’s wisdom. For us, God’s love is the best; the serpent’s, the worst. The most important thing we can do for our children is to nurture their love of God – to ensure they are alert and sober. God’s love is his sacrifice for our eternal salvation and our receiving and giving this salvation to our neighbors. 

Loving God, ourselves, our neighbors, and all creation comes down to one thing: obeying God’s commandments. Following the Truth that is directed to each of us at each present moment is receiving God’s salvation. God has a personal truth for each of us. The path of Abraham is to follow as God is directing us to do at each moment – even if it causes us trouble with others and this world. When we meet each moment of each day, we must choose to obey God’s commandments rather than acting on our own. We must not proceed without consulting with God on what He wants us to do, following his purpose at that moment. When we try to make others happy and follow our directives based on worldly values, we follow the path of Lot. When we realize this, we must repent and correct the course, and God will pull us out of sin and save us.

As we live each day, we must consider what is the right and wrong way to act in each situation we face. This is how we stay alert and sober. Our conscience guides us first and then, at the next level, God’s inspiration through the Holy Spirit gives us wisdom and informs our conscience. When we receive God’s love through obeying his commandments, this love comes to us and to those all around us. Maintaining our own personal truth of what God is specifically destined for us will help us to earn our salvation and benefit those around us. Actively keeping this truth is staying awake. The sleeping person is one who does not keep his personal truth with God but is focused on satisfying his own desires and needs of this world. Only those who diligently work to keep awake can experience real joy. Keeping God’s love will keep us joyful all the time. The sleeping person has no real happiness. When we keep the serpent’s love, it is only superficial and passing, ultimately leading to misery.

When we lose track of our path, we find our faith by reading the Bible, praying, and contemplation. The Bible contains all the answers and information we need. Look to it for all the answers to your questions. Then we pray and contemplate the word we receive from the Bible. Step by step our conscience becomes more enlightened and our vision clearer. Contemplation is to consider the Word of the Bible in the context of what we experience in this world. If I say this or do this, will it benefit or block mine or another’s salvation? When we seek to be closer and closer to God, demons will give up against us. Joy for the believer is obeying God’s commandments, building our salvation, and obeying our personal truth with God. This is what it means to be alert and sober.

Click for Korean sermon https://soundcloud.com/yhpaik/1983-5-10-mixdown