Wake Up! Time is Short! Put on Christ!
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Wake Up! Did you get up this morning after that “extra” hour of sleep? Maybe you forgot to turn your clock back an hour and you arrived before everyone else this morning. Maybe not today, but have you ever woken up and went some place way to early for something? Maybe it was even the wrong day. More likely though you, as well as I have, been late somewhere because we overslept. Maybe you forgot to set your alarm clock or maybe you hit snooze one too many times or accidently turned off the alarm. Maybe when you looked at the clock it truly was a wake-up call! A rude wake-up call! The Apostle Paul concludes this section of Romans by giving a wake-up call to the church. A call we should answer as well to: Wake Up! Time is Short! Put on Christ!
The Apostle Paul had just finished up telling us to love our neighbor. In chapter 12 he told us to love our enemies, now he tells us to wake-up.
Verse 11
Verse 11
And do this, knowing the time (Kairos), that now it is high time (hour) to awake out of sleep! (NKJV)
The NLT puts it this way: This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up!
NET: And do this because we know the time, that it is already the hour for us to awake from sleep
Why are we loving our neighbor? Why are we loving our enemy? Why are trying to be a testimony to the world around us? Because time is running out.
“If that admonition was urgent during Paul’s day, how much more urgent is it today! It has always been urgent and will always continue to be urgent until the Lord returns, when our opportunities for earthly faithfulness, obedience, and evangelism will end and judgment will fall” (MAC).
The first word Paul uses that we have translated time, is not time like two o’clock follows one o’clock. It is the Greek word Kairos (vs. chronos). It means age or era or season. Paul has used this word in Romans 3:26 (to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.); Romans 5:6 (For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.); Romans 8:18 (For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.)
Jesus used this word when confronting the Pharisees about how they can see the red sky at night and saying good weather, but bad weather if it is red in the morning. (Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; 3 and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times) Matthew 16:1-3 As well as the clouds rising, “54 Then He also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is. 55 And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is. 56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?” (Luke 12:54-56).
The second word translated as time here is a different Greek word, hora- where we get the word, hour from. That is what is means. The hour is here. “Do this, knowing the season, that now it is the hour to wake up from sleep!”
Paul goes on to say that our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
This goes back to Romans 8:23 where Paul writes, “Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.”
This concludes in Romans 8:29-30. It is progressive sanctification. The day we are delivered from this body of death (Romans 7:24-25). Our souls have been redeemed, but these bodies are still sinful and still commit sin.
Soon, as believers in Jesus Christ, we will be face to face with Him either by our death or by His return. Time is short! Wake up!
Verse 12
Verse 12
The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living (NLT)
That hint of light on the horizon after a long night. The start of a new day. Have you ever been awake all night for whatever reason and then you seen the light starting to glow. The sun starting to come over the horizon. The Apostle Paul uses this as he continues on talking about the day of salvation. The day when we are home with Him. Time is running out. We are to Wake-up!
“Paul’s declaration that the night is almost gone, and the day is at hand means that man’s time of spiritual unbelief, rebellion, and sin is about to end and God’s time of judgment, glory, and righteousness is about to begin” (MAC).
John 1:1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
John 3:18-21, ““He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.””
John 9:5, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
Matthew 5:14, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”
The darkness of this world will soon be exposed by the light. We as believers in Jesus Christ are to be light, we are the light of the world, because Jesus was the light of the world and we are to reflect Him.
Paul continues on when he says let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light!
This is common theme with Paul. Put off…put on. I mentioned this in the sermon on thought life. When you arrest your thoughts (2 Corinthians 10:5), what are you replacing them with? Paul says here to cast off the works of darkness.
As I read earlier the NLT translation puts it remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes. This is your dirty laundry.
Isaiah 64:6, “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.” Filthy rags – menstrual rags.
Remove all the junk from our life. What is the motivation behind what we do? Why do we do it? It breaks my heart seeing brothers and sisters in Christ fighting over politics or other things on Facebook with others. How does that show Christ to the world? If you “win” a political debate, but that person is turned off by Christ, is it worth it?
What do I spend my time on? What do I spend my money on? What do I spend my thought life on? Is it causing me to put on more clothes of darkness and allowing the world to squeeze me into its mold (Romans 12:2) or am I doing things that equip me to live for Jesus Christ and be light in the darkness?
Paul tells the Roman believers to put on the armor of light. It can also be translated as instruments or tools of light. In Ephesians 6:10-18 Paul digs in even deeper talking about the spiritual warfare we are going through and the armor of God.
In Romans 6:12-14 Paul wrote, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”
Are we using the bodies (Romans 12:1), the talents, the gifts, and everything else God has given to us for His glory? Are we putting on the armor of light?
Verse 13
Verse 13
He moves on to verse 13 he re-emphasizes our conduct as believers, what does it look like to put off? How is our walk? How is our conduct?
“imagery of “walking” as a way of speaking about one’s daily conduct”(Moo).
Do your actions, words, thoughts, and conduct show a true picture of Christ? Boy, I know somedays at work as hard as I try I do not think I am doing it. When things get stressful and you have had it up to here. It is hard to have that conduct.
The NLT says, “Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.”
A common question is: If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?
Who are you in public? Who are you in private? Who are you when you lie down to sleep at night? Where does your mind go when you see someone you don’t like? Who are you when you on are on the internet or watching TV?
Are we, including me, asking Christ to help us cast off those deed of darkness and put on Jesus Christ and His light?
Verse 14
Verse 14
The Apostle Paul concludes by stressing this. PUT ON! (Command) the Lord Jesus Christ! NLT says Clothe yourself! Get dressed in Jesus Christ.
John uses the same word in Revelation 19:14 talking about the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ, “And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.”
When we accept Jesus Christ we have put off the old man/self (Romans 6:3-6) and now we are “new creations in Christ” and as Galatians 3:27 says, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” He has taken away our shame, guilt, and sin. We have put on His righteousness, salvation, and eternal life.
Why would we want to go back? Make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts.
Command make no…don’t even think about it. Don’t leave a crack open.
Put on Christ…Cast off fleshly lusts/desires.
Are you putting on Christ and casting off the desires of our sinful old self that still wars within us?
Conclusion
Conclusion
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you cannot cast off the desires of the flesh, because Christ does not live in you. That is the first thing that needs to happen. Without Christ you are still in darkness and when Christ returns or you die, you will not have the blood of Jesus Christ paying for your sin, you will be paying for your sin in the terminal place called hell forever. Turn to Jesus Christ today.
Charles Thomas Studd, better known as CT Studd was a missionary from late 1800s to the early 1900s. He wrote a poem entitled: Only One Life
Two little lines I heard one day, travelling along life’s busy way; bringing conviction to my heart, and from my mind would not depart; only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, soon will its fleeting hours be done; then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, and stand before His judgement seat; only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, the still small voice, gently pleads for a better choice; bidding me selfish aims to leave, and to God’s holy will to cleave; only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, a few brief years, each with its burdens, hopes, and fears; each with its days I must fulfil, living for self or in His will; only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.
When this bright world would tempt me sore, when Satan would a victory score; when self would seek to have its way, then help me Lord with joy to say; only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.
Give me Father, a purpose deep, in joy or sorrow Thy word to keep; faithful and true whate’er the strife, pleasing Thee in my daily life; only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.
Oh let my love with fervour burn, and from the world now let me turn; living for Thee, and Thee alone,bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne; only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, now let me say, “Thy will be done”; and when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say “‘Twas worth it all”; only one life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Our life is short. I remember a missionary at a missions conference back in high school giving the illustration of a line. In mathematics a line goes in both directions forever. That is eternity. Our life here on this planet is so finite. Just a tiny dot on that line. Whether it is 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 years! That is nothing in light of eternity. Are we, am I, living for the dot more than the line? Where is our focus in light of eternity? Now that does not mean we are to kick back and wait to die or wait for Christ to return. No, we have a job to do. The Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Love God, Love people. Part of that love is sharing Jesus Christ and to be His witnesses. Why do you go to work? Why do you earn money? Why do you live where you live? Are we doing it all for God’s glory? What is the motivation behind everything we do? We go to work to earn money to support our families, but also to be light at that work place. Are we presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice that is holy and acceptable to God’s service each and every day (Romans 12:1) or is our spiritual life different from the rest of our life? What is your motivation? Wake up! Time is Short! Put on Christ!