Eph.5:14 – – Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Apparently Paul was speaking as a prophet to the church in Ephesus, “Wherefore He saith”, as it says in the KJV, compelling them to awake from their spiritual slumber and renew their walk with the Lord. The church in Ephesus was about ten years old when Paul wrote this letter and he is calling this congregation to the place of fervency they had experienced in the beginning. Paul goes on later in this chapter to describe how to renew that first love fervency.
Eph.5:18,19 – “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord…”. Here is how the ESV EXPOSITORY COMMENTARY describes this passage.
“The first line (“Awake, O sleeper”) is used figuratively of those who are slumbering in moral and spiritual indolence. Although some view this line (as well as the next) as a reference to conversion, it is better to see it as an exhortation to disobedient or wayward believers. The second line (“and arise from the dead”) is parallel to the first and thus has a similar meaning. That is, “the dead” is used metaphorically for those who sleep. Believers have died to sin and therefore must not let sin enslave them. Throughout the entire context of Ephesians 5:3–14, Paul has been encouraging and warning believers to walk not in darkness but in light. The third line (“and Christ will shine on you”) is a promise given to those who obey by putting away sin and following the example of Christ. The result is that the risen and ascended Lord will shine on them, which signifies “the empowering presence of the Lord that directs, encourages, sustains, and helps them in their journey of discipleship.”
All of us have fallen into some degree of spiritual slumber from time to time, unfortunately churches and regions also experience this spiritual sleep. We live in a critical time in history where the church is wide awake in different parts of the world and sound asleep in others. Maybe we should all receive this word from Paul as a Word from the Lord and wake from our sleep so that the glory of Christ can shine on us.