Jesus Asked, "Are You Still Sleeping?"

The Grace Awakening: Crushed Into Oil, Awakened By His Strength

“Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, ‘So, could you not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’”
— Matthew 26:40-41

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
— 2 Corinthians 12:9

The Question That Awakens

“Are you still sleeping?”

This isn’t condemnation. It’s an invitation.

An invitation to confess the truth: Yes, Lord, I am sleeping. I have always been asleep. My flesh cannot stay awake. Please, King Jesus—awaken me.

This is the Grace Awakening.

Not the awakening TO our strength, but the awakening TO our utter weakness—and His unlimited grace that meets us there.

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The Three Comings of Jesus

Before we dig deeper into the Garden, let’s establish the prophetic pattern:

Jesus Has Come—And Will Come—Three Times

First Coming: His Birth

- John 1:14: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
- Jesus came in the flesh to enter our weakness, bear our sin, and die to the flesh

Second Appearnce: The Harpazo (The Taking Away)

- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven… and we who are alive… will be caught up.”

- Jesus comes FOR His Bride, taking us away before the great tribulation

- This may be “the apostasy” (Greek: apostasia)—not “falling away” but “departure/taking away”

Third Appearance: The Second Coming and His Return as King

- Revelation 19:11-16: “Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True… King of kings and Lord of lords.”

- Jesus comes WITH His Bride to establish His Kingdom on earth

The Apostasia: Taking Away, Not Falling Away?

2 Thessalonians 2:3: “Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the apostasia comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed.”

The Greek word apostasia can mean:

- Departure
- Removal
- Taking away

What if Paul was saying: “That day will not come unless THE DEPARTURE [the Harpazo] comes first”?

Not a falling away from faith, but a taking away OF the faithful—the Bride caught up before the man of lawlessness is fully revealed.

The context fits: Paul just described the Harpazo in 1 Thessalonians 4. Now in 2 Thessalonians 2, he clarifies the sequence: First the departure (Harpazo), THEN the Day of the Lord and the revelation of the Antichrist.

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The Garden: The Grace Awakening Revealed

Now, with this framework, let’s return to Gethsemane—not as failure to condemn us, but as invitation to awaken us to Grace.

The Disciples: Prophetic Picture of the Flesh

The disciples walked with Jesus for three years:

- Watched Him perform countless miracles

- Heard His teachings directly

- Saw Lazarus raised from the dead

- Witnessed transfiguration, healings, demon-casting, water-walking

And when Jesus needed them most—they fell asleep.

This is not their unique failure. This is the UNIVERSAL testimony of ALL flesh.

Romans 7:18: “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.”

The Truth Foundation (Romans 7) Leads to Rescue (Romans 8)

You cannot receive the rescue of Romans 8 until you confess the truth of Romans 7:

Romans 7:24: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

This isn’t defeated Christianity. This is awakened Christianity.

This is Paul—apostle, church planter, Scripture writer, martyr—confessing: “My flesh is utterly wicked, completely incapable, and I cannot deliver myself.”

Romans 8:1-2: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

The rescue FOLLOWS the confession. Grace FLOODS the admission of weakness.

“Are You Still Sleeping?” = An Invitation to Confess

When Jesus asked, “Are you still sleeping?” He wasn’t surprised. He wasn’t angry. He was inviting confession.

The proper response is not: “No, Lord, I’m trying so hard to stay awake!”

The proper response is: “Yes, Lord. I am sleeping. My flesh cannot stay awake. I have NEVER been truly awakened. Please—AWAKEN ME.”

This is repentance: Agreeing with the truth about ourselves, forsaking all confidence in the flesh, crying out for His power alone.

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The Flesh Cannot Be Saved—And That’s the Point

No Confidence in the Flesh

Philippians 3:3: “For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.”

Not “little confidence.” Not “improving confidence.” NO confidence.

The flesh:

- Cannot be tamed
- Cannot be improved
- Cannot be trained to obey God
- Cannot stay awake spiritually
- Cannot save itself
- Must DIE

Romans 8:7-8: “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

“It CANNOT.” Not “it struggles to” or “it tries hard but fails sometimes.” CANNOT. Ever. Period.

The Disciples Prove It

If the disciples—who walked with Jesus Himself, saw His miracles, heard His words, were chosen personally by Him—could not stay awake for one hour in the flesh…

What makes you think YOU can?

This isn’t discouraging. This is LIBERATING.

Stop trying to improve your flesh. Stop working to make it obey. Stop believing it will get better.

Let it DIE. Offer it as a living sacrifice. Boast in its weakness so His power can rest on you.

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Paul’s Thorn: Grace Perfected in Weakness

The Thorn From Satan

2 Corinthians 12:7: “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.”

Paul received:

- A thorn IN the flesh
- FROM Satan
- To harass, torment, afflict him

And Paul prayed THREE TIMES for it to be removed.

(Notice the pattern: Three prayers—just like Jesus prayed three times in the Garden.)

Jesus’s Response

2 Corinthians 12:9: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”

Jesus didn’t remove the thorn.

Why? Because the weakness was the GIFT.

The thorn kept Paul:

- From pride
- From self-reliance
- From confidence in the flesh
- In constant dependence on Grace

The weakness was BY DESIGN. On purpose. Essential to the plan.

Paul’s Response to Jesus’s Response

2 Corinthians 12:9-10: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul didn’t just accept his weakness. He BOASTED in it. He was CONTENT with it. He REJOICED in it.

Why? Because weakness is the invitation for Grace.

The weaker we are, the more His power flows.

The more we confess our inability, the more His ability fills us.

The more we die to self, the more Christ lives through us.

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The Grace Awakening: Weakness IS the Gift

We Give Our Weakness as a Living Sacrifice

Romans 12:1-2: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

What do we sacrifice? Our WEAKNESS.

Not our strength. Not our goodness. Not our best effort.

Our weakness. Our inability. Our utter dependence.

This is worship: Laying our weakness on the altar and saying, “Lord, this is all I have. I am completely incapable. Glorify Yourself through my insufficiency.”

We Boast in Our Weakness

2 Corinthians 11:30: “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”

Galatians 6:14: “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

The world boasts in strength, achievement, capability, self-sufficiency.

We boast in weakness, inability, dependence, and the cross that killed our flesh.

Every Defeat Is an Invitation

Every time you fail—that’s Grace knocking.

Every time you fall short—that’s an opportunity to cry out.

Every time you’re weak—that’s when His power comes.

You cannot believe you need a Savior unless you’re absolutely convinced you cannot save yourself in any way, shape, or form.

Your weakness is not the obstacle to salvation. Your weakness is the PREREQUISITE for salvation.

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The Crushing That Produces Oil

Olive Oil: The Process

To produce olive oil:

Harvest the olives
CRUSH them completely
Press them under immense weight
Extract the pure oil

The olives must be CRUSHED. Completely. Utterly. No other way.

The Five Wise Virgins Had Oil

Matthew 25:1-13: The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Five wise had oil in their lamps.

Five foolish had no oil.

When the bridegroom came, the wise went in to the wedding feast. The foolish were shut out.

What is this oil?

The Oil Is NOT the Holy Spirit (Alone)

Many teach: “The oil is the Holy Spirit.”

But that’s incomplete.

All ten virgins were waiting for the bridegroom. All ten had lamps. All ten were “believers” in some sense.

So what separated the wise from the foolish?

The Oil Is REFINED FAITH—Produced Through Crushing

1 Peter 1:6-7: “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

The oil is:

- Faith that has been tested, tried, refined

- Faith that has been crushed under the weight of trials

- Faith that has been pressed through suffering

- Faith that has been purified through fire

- Faith that emerged from the death of self-reliance

This oil CANNOT be bought. It CANNOT be borrowed. It MUST be experienced.

The Crushing Creates the Oil

James 1:2-4: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

Trials → Testing → Faith refined → Oil produced

Every crushing: God pressing out the oil

Every trial: God refining the faith

Every weakness confessed: God releasing His grace

Every failure admitted: God demonstrating His sufficiency

This is why Paul REJOICED in his thorn, BOASTED in his weakness, was CONTENT with hardships.

Not masochism. Not self-hatred. But recognition: The crushing produces the oil. The weakness invites the grace. The dying to self releases the life of Christ.

The Oil Is HIS FAITH IN YOU

Here’s the revolutionary truth:

The oil isn’t even YOUR faith. It’s HIS faith given TO you.

Galatians 2:20: “The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God” (or “by the faith of the Son of God”).

Revelation 14:12: “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”

The oil is Jesus’s own faith—proven, tested, perfect—given to us, refined in us through crushing.

When we’re crushed, self-faith dies. His faith emerges. The oil flows.

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Peter: The Model of Crushing and Oil

Peter’s False Confidence

Matthew 26:33: “Peter answered him, ‘Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.’”

Matthew 26:35: “Peter said to him, ‘Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!’”

Confidence in the flesh. Self-reliance. “I will never… I will not…”

Peter’s Crushing

Matthew 26:69-75: Peter denied Jesus three times. Bitterly wept.

The crushing: Everything Peter believed about himself—shattered.

The death: All confidence in the flesh—destroyed.

The oil pressed out: Self-faith crushed; desperate need for Jesus revealed.

Peter’s Transformation

Acts 2: Same Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preaches boldly—3,000 saved.

Acts 4:13: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”

What changed?

Peter died. Christ lived. The crushing produced the oil. Self-confidence became Christ-confidence.

Acts 4:19-20: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

Not “I will never fall away” (flesh-confidence).

But “We cannot but speak” (Spirit-power flowing through crushed, oil-filled vessels).

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The Prayer: “Command Me to Come Up Here”

Peter Walking on Water

Matthew 14:28-29: “And Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.”

Notice:

- Peter didn’t jump out on his own initiative
- Peter didn’t trust his own ability
- Peter asked Jesus to COMMAND him
- Jesus said “COME”
- Then—and only then—Peter walked on water

This is the pattern for the Harpazo:

The Prayer of Faith: Command Us to Come Up Here

In confessing our utter weakness and complete dependence, we pray:

“Lord Jesus, I cannot stay awake in my own strength. My flesh is utterly weak. I have no confidence in myself. I have no ability to be ready. I am sleeping and cannot wake myself.

Therefore, in the same way Peter asked You to COMMAND him to come to You on the water, I ask You:

COMMAND me to COME UP HERE.

By Your grace working through love:

- Command me to STAY AWAKE
- Strengthen me to KEEP WATCHING
- Fill my lamp with OIL (refined faith through crushing)
- Set me APART from Babylon
- Make me HOLY (not by my effort but by Your work)
- Lead me INTO CHRIST through every storm, every failure, every crushing

COMMAND me: COME UP HERE!

Not by my strength. Not by my might. Not by my good deeds.

But by YOUR GRACE. By YOUR POWER. By YOUR COMMAND.

I offer You my weakness as a living sacrifice. I boast in my inability so Your ability can flow. I glory in my crushing so Your oil can fill my lamp.

COMMAND me, Lord—and I will come, not because I am strong, but because YOU are faithful.”

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The Oil: Never By Our Strength

Zechariah 4:6: “Then he said to me, ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.’”

NEVER by our strength.

NEVER by our might.

NEVER by our good deeds.

ALWAYS and ONLY by His Spirit, His grace, His power—released through our acknowledged weakness.

God Glorifies Himself Through Our Weakness

1 Corinthians 1:27-29: “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

Why does God use weakness? So HE gets all the glory.

If we could stay awake in our own strength, we’d boast.

If we could be ready through our own effort, we’d take credit.

If we could produce oil ourselves, we’d glory in our achievement.

But we can’t. And that’s the point.

So when the miracle happens—when we ARE ready, when our lamps ARE full, when we ARE caught up—EVERYONE will know:

It was ALL Him. ONLY Him. His grace. His power. His faithfulness.

To the praise of HIS glory.

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We Must See Ourselves as Dead

Pick Up Your Cross

Luke 9:23: “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’”

The cross is an instrument of DEATH.

Jesus isn’t saying “carry a burden.” He’s saying “DIE.”

- Die to self-reliance
- Die to flesh-confidence
- Die to the belief you can do this
- Die to every form of self-effort

See yourself as dead as Jesus on the cross.

Confession: We Have Nothing Good

Stop pretending we have anything good to offer.

Romans 7:18: “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.”

NOTHING GOOD.

Not “a little good.” Not “some good buried deep.” NOTHING.

Everything good we have is a gift of grace—received, not produced.

We don’t generate goodness. We don’t manufacture righteousness. We don’t create holiness.

We RECEIVE it. We ENJOY it. But we DO NOT PRODUCE it.

Like olive oil—we don’t make it. We’re CRUSHED, and HE makes it flow from us.

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The Awakening: Rejoice in Your Weakness!

The Call

REJOICE IN YOUR WEAKNESS!

Not in spite of your weakness—IN your weakness.

Because your weakness is:

- The invitation for His grace
- The opportunity for His power
- The platform for His glory
- The crushing that produces oil
- The death that releases resurrection life

2 Corinthians 12:10: “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

The Process

Awaken to your weakness - Confess it, own it, stop denying it

Awaken to His grace - His unlimited supply meeting your unlimited need

See His glory - Displayed through your weakness, not your strength

THIS IS THE GRACE AWAKENING.

Not awakening to what you can do. Awakening to what HE can do through your confessed inability.

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The Harpazo Has Come—And We’re Ready By Grace

The Truth About the Harpazo

The Harpazo isn’t in the future for those who are ready NOW.

The Harpazo is a present reality we’re awaiting to manifest physically.

We ARE seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).

We ARE hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).

We ARE already raised up (Ephesians 2:6).

The Harpazo is the PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION of what is ALREADY TRUE SPIRITUALLY.

Ready NOT By Our Strength

We are ready:

- Not because we stayed awake perfectly
- Not because we worked hard enough
- Not because our flesh improved
- But because HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT

We have oil in our lamps:

- Not because we produced it
- Not because we bought it
- Not because we deserved it
- But because we were CRUSHED and HE pressed out the oil of refined faith

We hear the trumpet:

- Not because our ears are sharp
- Not because we’re spiritually elite
- Not because we calculated correctly
- But because we belong to Him and His sheep hear His voice

The Confession That Prepares Us

“Lord, I am sleeping. I have never been truly awake. My flesh cannot stay awake. I am utterly weak and completely dependent on You.

Please—AWAKEN ME. COMMAND me to come up here. Fill my lamp with oil through the crushing You allow. Let my weakness be the platform for Your power.

I offer You my weakness as a living sacrifice. I boast in my inability. I rejoice in my crushing.

Not by my might. Not by my power. But by Your Spirit.

Come, Lord Jesus—and when You come, find me not trusting in my wakefulness, but trusting in Your faithfulness.

For I am Yours, and You will lose none.”

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A Prayer of the Grace Awakening

Lord Jesus,

You asked Your disciples: “Are you still sleeping?”

And today You ask me the same question.

My honest answer: Yes, Lord. I am sleeping. I have always been asleep in my flesh. My flesh cannot—CANNOT—stay awake.

I confess:

- I have no confidence in my flesh
- I have no strength to be ready
- I have no ability to stay vigilant
- I have no goodness to offer
- I have nothing but weakness

And I rejoice in this confession!

Because:

- My weakness is the invitation for Your grace
- My inability is the platform for Your power
- My crushing is the process that produces oil
- My death to self is the doorway to Your life

Thank You for Paul’s thorn. Thank You that You didn’t remove it. Thank You that You said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Thank You for the disciples falling asleep—proving that ALL flesh is weak, even those who walked with You.

Thank You for Peter’s denial—showing that self-confidence must be crushed before Christ-confidence can flow.

Thank You for crushing me. For pressing me. For refining my faith through trials. For producing oil in my lamp through suffering.

I offer You my weakness as a living sacrifice. I boast in my insufficiency. I glory in my dependence.

And now I pray, like Peter:

COMMAND me to COME UP HERE.

Not by my strength, but by Your grace.

Not by my wakefulness, but by Your faithfulness.

Not by my ability to stay ready, but by Your promise that You will lose none.

Fill my lamp with oil—not the oil I produce, but the oil that flows from being crushed and pressed by Your loving hand.

Give me the faith of Jesus—tested, tried, refined, pure—that I might have oil when the cry comes: “Behold, the Bridegroom!”

Awaken me to my weakness. Awaken me to Your grace. Let me see Your glory displayed through my confessed inability.

Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly.

And when You come, find me:

- Not boasting in my vigilance, but in Your faithfulness
- Not trusting my strength, but Your sufficiency
- Not confident in my flesh, but crucified with Christ
- Not producing oil, but crushed into oil by Your grace

The Harpazo has come in the Spirit. Soon it will manifest in the flesh.

And I will be ready—not because I am strong, but because YOU are faithful.

All glory to You. All power from You. All grace through You.

To the praise of YOUR glory—displayed perfectly through my weakness.

In Jesus’s name,

Amen.

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The Final Word: Awake to Grace

“Are you still sleeping?”

Answer: “Yes, Lord—and I cannot wake myself. But YOU can awaken me. COMMAND me, and I will rise. Not by my power, but by Yours.”

This is the Grace Awakening:

Awakening to our utter weakness, so His unlimited grace can flood in.

Awakening to our complete inability, so His perfect ability can flow through.

Awakening to our desperate need, so His abundant supply can fill us.

The crushing produces the oil.

The weakness invites the power.

The confession releases the grace.

REJOICE in your weakness!

BOAST in your inability!

GLORY in your crushing!

Because when you are weak, THEN you are strong—in Him, through Him, by Him, for His glory.

The Harpazo has come. The oil is being pressed out. The awakening is here.

Not by might. Not by power. But by HIS Spirit.

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
— 2 Corinthians 12:9

“When I am weak, then I am strong.”
— 2 Corinthians 12:10

Soli Deo Gloria — To God ALONE Be the Glory

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!

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