Watchfulness in a World on the Brink
Revelation 16:15
A woman was taking her mother out for a drive and her mother scolded her every time she went over the speed limit. But it was HER car, and she was determined to drive as fast as she wanted to. Then she saw the flashing red and blue lights in the rearview mirror, and the policeman pulled her over and gave her a ticket. After the policeman left, she complained to her mother “That the policeman should have let me OFF WITH A WARNING.” But her mother smiled and said: “Joan - I gave you the warning. He gave you the ticket.”
Today, we’re beginning a series on the book of Revelation. Revelation is a massive book talking about the war between Good and Evil - between the forces of Satan, and the forces of Christ. And just in case you’ve never read the book… I’m gonna give the plot away – JESUS wins… Satan loses!
Now Revelation is also a book dedicated to assuring us that Jesus is coming back - and when He does, we who belong to Him, will live in a beautiful world where “(God) will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.” Revelation 21:4
WE LIKE THAT!
WE WANT THAT!
But we need to understand that Revelation is not just a book of comfort - it’s also a book of warning.
In the first 3 chapters Jesus warns several churches about some of the bad choices they’ve made. And now - right here in the middle of Revelation – Revelation 16:15 you and I are being WARNED. Addressing Christians, Jesus declared:
“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”
How do I know that Jesus is addressing Christians?
Well, because this is one of 4 times in the New Testament That talks about this. In Matthew 24:42-44:
“Jesus tells His followers: “Stay awake, for you do not know on what day YOUR LORD IS COMING. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
And in 2nd Peter 3:42-44 we Christians are told:
“The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought YOU to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise – we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.”
ILLUS: I read the story of a Mother who caught her young son eating out of the sugar bowl. She told him:
“Don’t you ever let me catch you doing that again.” And her boy innocently replied: “I’ll try Mommy. But you often quietly sneak up on me.”
THAT LITTLE BOY HAD BEEN CAUGHT BY SURPRISE!
And when Jesus comes back, He’s gonna catch a lot of people by surprise. Now, it’s true that NON-Christians will be caught by surprise when Jesus returns because they’re basically not looking for Him to come back anyway. But it’s the church goers - the people who SAY that they believe in Christ - who need to realize that Jesus will come back when they’re not looking for Him. And for some of these folks, that’s NOT GOING TO BE a pleasant experience.
Again, I refer to Revelation 16:15:
“Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”
This verse calls believers to watchfulness, readiness, and faithful living in a world that is spiritually dark and morally chaotic. The blessing is not for the clever, the powerful, or the well-connected—but for the one who stays awake and keeps his garments.
Right in the middle of demonic deception, global conflict, and the gathering at Armageddon, Jesus breaks in with a personal warning: “Behold, I come as a thief.”
This echoes His earlier warnings In 1st Thessalonians 5:2-3 we read:
"2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."
AND
Mark 13:33-36:
32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake.[a] For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants[b] in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows,[c] or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
A thief does not announce his arrival.
A thief does not give a countdown.
A thief comes when people are distracted, sleeping, or unprepared.
Jesus is not calling us to fear His coming—He is calling us to be ready for it.
“Blessed Is He That Watcheth”
To watch means
• Staying spiritually awake in a world that lulls people to sleep with comfort, entertainment, and compromise.
• Living with expectation, not lack of concern.
Commentators note that this warning is given because the powers of evil are active and subtle.
Watching is not passive—it is active, intentional, disciplined.
How Do We “Watch” Today?
A. Guard Your Heart
Stay alert to the subtle drift of sin, compromise, and spiritual laziness.
B. Stay in the Word
Scripture keeps your garments clean and your eyes open.
C. Pray with Expectation
Prayer keeps your heart awake and your spirit aligned.
D. Live as if Jesus Could Come Today
Not in fear—but in readiness, joy, and purpose.
Revelation 16:15 is not a threat—it is an invitation.
An invitation to:
• Wake up
• Clean up
• Look up
• Stand up
• Live up to your calling in Christ—Blessed is the one who watches. Blessed is the one who keeps his garments. Blessed is the one who is ready when the King appears.
I read the story of a little girl who’d heard in church about the Jesus’ return and she asked her mother:
“Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?”
“Yes dear.”
“Could he come this week?”
“Well, yes.”
“Could He come today?”
“Yes honey.”
“Could he come in the next hour?”
“Yes, He could that.”
“In a few minutes?”
About this time the mother kind of laughed: “Of course, dear.” The little girl paused and then said: “Mommy, would you comb my hair?”
Now notice, that little girl took Jesus coming back seriously.
She was AWAKE to the truth that Jesus was gonna return, and she wanted to be ready for Him when He did.
But she wasn’t afraid of Jesus coming back.
She had a sweet gentle faith that EAGERLY anticipated Jesus’ coming. She literally had a child-like faith.
I find it intriguing that in Revelation 16:15: we are told that we should be keeping (our) garments on, that (we) may not go about naked and be seen exposed!" In other words, don’t get caught with your pants down!
Now, what’s that all about?
Why is Jesus talking about what we wear?
Jesus is talking about the SPIRITUAL clothes we wear.
In Scripture, garments symbolize:
• Righteousness (Revelation 19:8)
• Character
• Faithfulness
• Identity in Christ
To “keep your garments” means:
• Maintaining purity
• Walking in obedience
• Staying clothed in Christ’s righteousness, not your own
John Gill notes that to be found “naked” means to be exposed as one who lacked genuine righteousness or abandoned good works. In other words: Don’t let the world strip you of what Christ has clothed you with.
The Shame of Nakedness — A Warning to the Complacent “Lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.”
This is not about physical nakedness—it is spiritual exposure.
It is the shame of:
• A wasted life
• A faith that was only outward
This is the shame of being unprepared when Christ returns. So, what kind of SPIRITUAL garments should we be wearing?
Well, we should be wearing the Breastplate of FAITH and LOVE, and the helmet of the HOPE of our salvation. In other words – when people look at you and I - those are the messages they ought to see in our lives. When they look at us they should see our FAITH in Christ… and our LOVE for others. And they should be impressed by the fact that our HOPE of salvation isn’t based on our own personal righteousness… but on the blood of Jesus.
In 1st Thessalonians 5:4-9 we’re told “You are not in darkness, brothers, for that day will surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober… Let us… put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.”
A preacher told about working in a machine shop for 4 1/2 years alongside a fellow named George.
George’s job was to sweep and clean the shop.
And he said George loved Jesus, and he loved singing hymns as he worked. Many of them had to do with the 2nd coming of Christ, such as
“In the Sweet By and By” and “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder.”
Well, late one Friday afternoon about 10 minutes to quitting time, the preacher said he looked at George and said, “George, are you ready?” And George said “Uh-huh.”
But he was all dirty. He was just obviously not ready.
And the preacher said, “Just look at you.
You’re not ready to go home” And George said, “Yeah, I’m ready.”
I said “Look at you! Man, you’re not ready.
You’ve gotta go clean up.” And George said, “let me show you something”… and he unzipped his coveralls and underneath the coveralls were the neatest, cleanest clothes you ever saw. HE WAS READY.
All he had to do when the whistle blew was just unzip and step out of that coverall and walk over, and punch the clock… and he was gone. He said, “You see, I stay ready to keep from having to get ready – just like I’m ready for Jesus!”
Well, how do you get ready to go to heaven?
What garments do you put on… so that, when the whistle blows and you punch that final time clock you’ll be ready go home to be with Jesus?
Well, you need to believe that Jesus is who He said He was.
He’s the God in the flesh who became a man so that He could die for our sin. And you should repent of your past and determine not to live like that anymore.
And you should confess Jesus as Lord and Master and turn your whole life over to Him.
And then you get baptized into Christ.
As Galatians 3:27 “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
INVITATION:
