In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of preparing oneself for the coming of Jesus. Using the analogy of preparing one's house and yard for an important guest, the speaker urges the audience to examine their lives and ensure they are living in a way that would please Jesus. The speaker highlights the need to wake up from spiritual slumber and be aware of the imminent return of Jesus. The sermon also emphasizes the importance of living a righteous and holy life, avoiding sinful behaviors such as drunkenness, sexual immorality, quarreling, and jealousy. The speaker encourages the audience to constantly engage with scripture, pray without ceasing, and walk worthily as Christians, so that others may recognize the presence of saints in their lives.

We ask you, Lord, you Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ, to be with us. Work by your holy word in our midst. Amen. Romans chapter 13 is our text. From verse 11. Besides this, you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep, for salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone, the day is at hand, so then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. We'll read thus far. Shall we end in verse 13? Now you've heard that there's almost two and a half weeks till Christmas. Two and a half weeks before Jesus comes to you. Now actually, of course, he comes even now to you, but I'm just adapting it so that you would understand it. If in two and a half weeks Jesus comes to you, if it was indeed two and a half weeks before Jesus comes to you, how would you then live? What would your yard look like? Some would clean up and make the yard clean. Some would clean up their house, dust it, make sure that there's a bed with the finest linen for him. Some would go to the shop seeking the best of food so that you can do the very best for him. You would tell your children, be on your best behaviour, make sure that everything is right, because he comes to us. You would tell your children, be on your best behaviour, make sure that everything is right, because he comes to us. What's at your door, how you would behave? But that's for the 25th. So what's the date today? Now I'm telling you who got the date wrong the previous time, what's the date today? She says the 7th. 7th? Is she correct? They all agree she's right this time. Alright, now you can come, you can say which Bible you want. She wants a Zulu Bible. She says thank you. Okay. Now let's return to our text. Verse 11. And this is the 13th chapter of Romans. Verse 11. I only have a few points that I'd like to touch upon today. Verse 12. It says do this for the hour has come for you to wake from your sleep. Verse 13. There is something we must do now to wake up from our sleep. He's not just referring to bodily sleep. 7, 8, 9, 10. And if it speaks of the night, it's not referring to the evening at 7, 8, 9, 10 o'clock. 7, 8, 9, 10. For here in Africa the sun rises at approximately 6 and goes down at 6. 7, 8, 9, 10. I remember when I was in Northern Ireland overseas. I was with my wife. The sun there at 12 at night there was still light. Only about 2 did it go down properly. And we said this is an astonishing picture. And then at 3 or 4 the sun is up again. But my wife she had an aunt overseas where we visited. We said to that aunt that Northern Ireland is amazing. The sun goes down so late and then it comes up so quickly again. Then she asked us well when does your sun come up? And we said round about 6. She asked when does it set? We said approximately 6 again. She laughed. She laughed and said how can you survive in such a country? We were laughing at them. She laughed at us. How can you possibly survive there? You see in the far north Norway, yes. In the far north of Norway you'll find that for summer the sun is up for 3 months and in winter it is down and gone for 3 months. We had to close the windows with shutters to make it dark. And in the north of Siberia their winter or their sun is 6 months and their night, their day is 6 months and their night 6 months. You could say just a day in the year. Well 7th day Adventists would have trouble. Do you understand? Are there any 7th day Adventists here? You would find it difficult there. Because the many months that it's either light or dark well you can only then keep the Sabbath for a day in the year. You'd have to wait years for it to be Sabbath or wait many months for it to be Sabbath. Maybe even the Shembe people would find it difficult. All those who keep that Saturday Sabbath No. But there is something that God demands that we do. So that each person as they leave the service they would recognize there's something that God wants them to do. What does He require? He wants us to wake out of our sleep. There are some people who might have their eyes open and be bodily awake but spiritually they fast asleep. There are different traditions held regarding Christmas. Some would clean the yard and make things very nice. Some they would get their Christmas box present. Some they would use the Christmas tree. As children when we were small we loved it when Christmas came around again. We loved it. We children would get crackers especially the things that you pour. For us we didn't have fireworks. We felt like it wasn't really a proper Christmas. There are others who celebrate it by getting drunk and they make lots of beer. A certain white person who came here to Kwasi Zabantu with him, Christmas here at Kwasi Zabantu it was his first time that he was actually able to be aware and conscious. Because all the 25 years before he was fast asleep. Because he said he told us that when Christmas season had started he would start drinking a lot and by the time Christmas day was there he was paralytic drunk. Let us awake. Oh, and he said he would only awake for New Year. And he told us that 25 years 25 years And he told us that for the first time here at Kwasi Zabantu he was conscious of Christmas because for the 25 Christmases before he was asleep, he was paralytic drunk. You see those who are asleep there are those who think well Christmas is the time to really booze. For another person their way of celebrating is to buy special food and they buy all sorts of food to celebrate with their family and neighbours. With some they choose that time as their special time to sin. Some light candles, some put up decorations even cities are full of Christmas decorations but all those people are fast asleep and God says to them, wake up. They do not know. They do not know that the time has come what Christmas really means at all. Now Christmas has been celebrated for a long time roughly 2000 years with people not knowing what it is really all about. They are not even aware of it. This is why it is important to have a strong heart and to be strong at heart to be strong at heart if you are a strong heart you are a strong heart and if you are not strong you are not strong He just ran him over, and he was just in pieces all over. The word... says, do this, wake up out of your sleep. says, do this, wake up out of your sleep. Look at the Christ child in the manger, God manifests in the flesh, God sending his only begotten son to become a person. Born of Mary, she was still young, he wasn't born from an old woman. Some theologians reckon she could have been about sixteen. Some say maybe seventeen. Because it is still Jewish custom today that girls get married early, even seventeen years of age is quite normal. His only begotten son, the Father sending him, born in the flesh of human flesh, there in that dark, dingy stable that smelts so bad, not in a palace like kings are born in, that are lit up. The son of our Father in heaven has been born. God the Father sending his son to be just like us, being our brother, being your brother. Do you see it? Is this illuminated for you, that you should be able to, through this miracle, wake up out of your sleep? All created things were made by him, through him, unto him, this son of God. How marvellous it is. You see, if you're asleep, you're unaware of your surroundings, the rats can come in, vermin can come and eat things in the room, a thief can come in, but you're not conscious of it, you're asleep. But if it dawns on you and you realise and are woken up by the fact that God is now manifest in the flesh, our flesh, our humanness. I remember as a child, if we had a big celebration, whether a wedding, or went to the beach to swim there, any special event, we as children would be so excited we couldn't sleep the night before, we would want the dawn to come quickly to be able to celebrate. But if we have... If we have such a great event to celebrate, God manifest in the flesh, surely it should chase away all sleepiness. For if there is some great event that you're about to experience, it chases sleep away. If you're about to experience such a great event, it chases sleep away. If you're about to experience such a great event, it chases sleep away. If Jesus comes to you, even if it's not on the 25th, but even now, wouldn't you celebrate? Wouldn't you stop and turn away from all the immorality, all the orgies, all the sinful things you've been busy with, because God manifests in the flesh. Jesus, the Son of God, who has the same Father through Him with us, so that He is then called our brother. If you're about to experience such a great event, it chases sleep away. Surely this, the greatest celebration, Jesus coming to you, He, the Son of God, creator of heaven and earth, all things created by Him, He who is eternal, coming specifically to you and me. Surely this, the greatest celebration, Jesus coming to you, He, the Son of God, creator of heaven and earth, all things created by Him, He who is eternal, coming specifically to you and me. We shop, we buy all sorts of presents, then the shops are closed, we celebrate, and yet we miss out on the real thing. Because of this neglect of the reality of what is happening, by being busy, we become lazy, and in our laziness we ignore this great event. And lukewarm, thank you. And we slacken spiritually. I would be glad if I could have addressed you in German now. The accursed lukewarmness, sinfulness, ignoring such a great gift God has given for us. No wonder we are doomed by that. What has caused it? Why is it that we pay special attention to the different celebrations and yet we ignore this greatest event and we take no notice of it? God says, enough. The time for sleeping has finished. We must awake now. Don't assume that you can wake up when you're old, because remember, even children, young people die. I should have today actually been down in the Tugela Valley, Makogo, where we have a mission, where our Induna there, the headman, had passed away, but he hadn't even married yet, but he passed away. He had visited me just the week before we had, we sat down, we ate together. I didn't know he was ill. He then became suddenly very ill. I asked him to take him to the hospital. Once he got there, he suddenly passed away. A person who witnessed that came to me and said they were astonished, they were frightened by the fact that death can come so suddenly and now, even now as we speak, he is being buried down there in the Tugela. He was buried down there in the Tugela. He was buried down there in the Tugela. Yesterday when I went to visit there at the home, he didn't really have much of a home yet. In the one hut I went into and the ladies were busy praying, I was standing up, it's difficult for me now to just kneel down, but then the one lady came to me holding my hand, praying for a long time. She was kneeling, I had sent food, they were all in shock. She was kneeling as she prayed, holding my hand, and I realized what a terrible shock this was for everybody. She prayed earnestly. And she prayed, and then she prayed for me earnestly, saying, Lord, here is your servant, he is 80 years old already. Lord, wouldn't you make it possible that like Abraham you would reach 130 years? Yes. There is a Jewish custom where if they say goodbye to each other, they say 120, because it is connected to the years of Moses. But this Zulu lady who prayed for me, she added another 10 and said 130. But we never know, a person may not get to 100, may not get to 80. I was going with my son-in-law from overseas, Artur, when we got to Makoko just before, a person stopped us and said, please come into my home, there is a meal we have arranged for you, or something that we have arranged for you. And instead of going into the home, we actually sat under a thorn tree. That person said, you have done so much for us, wouldn't you please have something to eat and to drink? There were no chairs, somebody ran off and fetched some crockety chairs that were a bit loose. Then another person ran and fetched vodka, and another bottle of booze that I didn't recognise the name of, and another bottle of liquor, and said, please, wouldn't you drink? I excused myself, I said, sorry, I don't drink vodka, I don't drink liquor, I don't smoke, I'm not immoral. They said, oh, is that why you don't get old? That person said, well, we'll never get to your age because we like these things. Well, there was goat meat prepared. Now, I don't know whether those slaughtering that goat were intoxicated, but I think they'd left things out, there were bits of hair and skin still on it. I thought to my son-in-law, he's from overseas, he doesn't know this type of thing. I said, give me a knife, and I skinned a piece for him off the leg, and I gave him that. I explained, look, we're in Africa now, my son-in-law. In Africa, you eat the animal even if there's skin on. He was amazed. So I ate a bit, and we left quite soon thanking them. They said to me, you can't leave without having drunk something. I said, I'm thirsty, and I would gladly drink something if they asked me whether I'd like. There was a certain word. You who drink alcohol or booze, what is the name? There's vodka plus? What are the other names? What are the other words? I said, if it's coke, I'll gladly drink it. And they were glad, and they went and fetched a bottle of Coca-Cola which we drank. We thanked very much. We forgive them, they are asleep. They do not know this Christ child given by God. 2000 years since Jesus came, and yet in our nation there are so many who do not yet know him, they are still fast asleep. Some white people went down to the Tugela and fished. And while they were fishing, some locals came. Then they asked those looking on, do you know Jesus? Not me, those people. They asked them, do you know Jesus? I said, no we don't. He's never been here. We don't know that man. They thought he was just another human, not knowing the Jesus who died on the cross and rose the third day. The guilt being upon us, we who are Christians, why is it that there are so many who have never heard of Jesus, aren't we asleep too? Let me leave that point and go to another. It says, therefore let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Do you know the works of darkness? If it's dark, you don't see, you don't see any light, you don't see the sun or the moon. Jesus is absent. For there is the prince of darkness propagating his work. The prince of darkness also has his abode, his place where he stays propagating his works. There where Satan rules, there are orgies, drunkenness, sensuality, immorality, filth, friction, jealousies. Lies, pride, unbelief. In his place, celebrating, and he has his people with whom he celebrates and does these works. Now the word tells us we must cast off the works of darkness. Have we done that? You whites here, let me ask you. Have you cast off the works of darkness of your drinking, smoking, being immoral? The prince of this world, Satan, he is ruling. Evil thoughts, looking at pornography, looking there where you should not look. Job said, I have a covenant with my eyes not to look at a virgin, and I will not allow evil lustful thoughts. Thoughts that are evil. There where Satan dances in happiness, propagating his work. Is the devil your abode? And are you the abode of the devil in your thoughts? There where the devil rules. I say in your mind, is that where the devil does his dirty work? Are you a hut for the devil? Or has Jesus come in with his light? Darkness is there. You've got a wife, but you look at another wife. You've got children, you don't nourish them. You go with a woman who's got illegitimate children, and you support them. You celebrate Christmas, but you are wild, uncontrolled, full of filth, swearing, and Satan is your Christmas present. And your life is just a pigsty. I've asked the whites, the Germans, English, Afrikaans, whether Satan rules in them or whether it is Jesus. Let me ask you, black people, are you the house of Satan, liars, pride, only interested in your own thing? God says, wake up out of that. If you leave here not having woken up, woe to you. You can go out the gate, leave. And you reject heaven and go straight to hell. We are commanded, cast off the evil works of darkness. When you've cast them off, then put on the armor of righteousness. So casting off the works of darkness, put on the armor of light. It's not enough just to reject evil deeds. You need to, otherwise Satan will come back again. You need to be given weapons of light. Some people say, I've made a decision for the Lord. I've confessed my sins, but nothing changes. It just doesn't work. Well, you have not put on the armor of light. That's why. So if you turn from darkness, you must take up the weapons of light. You can't go to war unarmed. You see, he will tempt you again. Remember, if you're found without weapons of light, Satan has got his own weapons. Here is a weapon, the Bible, a great weapon, a sword, sharper than any two edged sword. It cuts on both sides. Read the Bible. Allow God to speak to you, for he speaks to us through his word. That is a weapon. Daily, you should take the word of the Lord. Never neglect the word of God, the scriptures, even for one day. The Bible also says, do not neglect the fellowship of the saints, going to services, being in the company of God's children. That strengthens you, for we cannot live by bread alone. Hearing the word of God and doing it, take faith, the shield of faith by which you can defend yourself against all the fiery dots of Satan. Can you go to war without your weapons, without your shield, your spear, without your appropriate weapons? You would say that person isn't right in the head. He will become food for the birds. That is why you should be feeding on scripture day and night. You should be praying ceaselessly, all the time, in the morning, asking the Lord to be with you, reading his word. Otherwise, Satan, even when you go to sleep, asking God to protect you, for Satan might attack you in dreams. Finally, the last point for time has gone on. Walk worthily. Walk properly, as a Christian, walk properly, so that even if people come into your home, that they might recognize saints live here. They should not find you walking improperly, flirting around, messing around, lying, being stubborn, doing all these things. Let it be manifest that you are a child of the light, not of the darkness. Not that you are a man of darkness, but a man who lives one that is shining bright. There is a song that we used to sing long ago. If each one had a window to his mind, and everybody could peep in, he would run to the shops to buy something to cover up, so that nobody would look inside and see what there is. If each one had a window to his mind, and everybody could peep in, he would run to the shops to buy something to cover up, so that nobody would look inside and see what there is. If your thoughts were visible, you would run to buy something that would make them invisible. Do you know that God can see right into your mind? Before God, you were made out of glass. God sees everything about you. You are a complete window made of glass. God sees every bit of you. Before God, you are made out of glass. He can see right through you. If people could see like God sees, and you were made of glass, what would it be like? Does God see you walking? Does God see you walking properly? Now, I address this to young people as well. I don't want you to go out here and not know what has been said, still being asleep. I hate to think that you'd walk out of this auditorium, and you haven't heard what it's all about, that you're made out of glass before God. And one day, He'll just reveal your whole life before heaven and earth. Will that be a day of joy to you, or will you be ashamed? He sees every single thought. He knows what you are. If Jesus had to suddenly appear, what would your thoughts be like? Because the Bible says He's a judge of your thoughts. Even your thoughts will be judged. And what is hidden in your life, He'll shout upon the mountaintops and the housetops. That's why walk worthily. As is fitting for a true child of God. Shall we pray? I ask you, O God, that these words would not have been in vain, but rather do a deep work in our hearts. Work in a wonderful way, O Lord, that we would truly be children of light, casting off the works of darkness, being ready and having the weapons of light and good works, and faith to extinguish every fiery arrow of Satan. Amen.