Romans 13:11-14 - Part 1

Well, a very good morning to you all. It's very good to be here this day. I missed last week's service, not because I was sick, although I think a lot of people believe that to be the case, which is normally the case, so I can understand why, but I had a family, a whole family that was very, very sick, but we're doing much better today, and I do appreciate your prayers.

I'm very, very thankful this morning to be here with you all, not to be sick. I'm very, very thankful for our glorious God who sent us a Savior to redeem our souls, that we might even come together and worship this day in spirit and in truth.

I'm thankful this day to celebrate the first year birthday, I guess I should say, birthday of our little guy, Judah. Today is his birthday, and we're so blessed to have him, and I'm thankful today for God's written word to us.

We are continuing our study through Romans, so you can go ahead and turn there to the book of Romans, chapter 13.

Romans 13 · chapter mention

And we've been working our way through now this practical working out of these doctrines that he's presented to us in the first 11 chapters.

We've come to chapter 12 and seen that our reasonable service is the sacrifice of our whole selves now to God in light of these glorious truths of the gospel, this salvation that we have by faith through grace.

And he's gone on to talk about how we can sum up then our godliness, what that should look like in the little phrase at the beginning of verse 9 of chapter 12.

Let love be genuine.

And he begins to expand upon that, abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good, and he works that out even more practically going through the end of chapter 12 and into the beginning of 13.

A couple of weeks ago when I was with you, we talked about verses 8 through 10, when he starts out to say,

Oh, no one anything except to love one another.

He goes on to say that love is the fulfilling of the commandment, that if we love genuinely, as he said in verse 9 of chapter 12, then we're fulfilling the commandment.

We are living as God would have us live.

And he even expresses to us that this is a continuing debt of love.

In light of what God has done for us, we're to be moved to continue on and on and on to love others, both in practical ways and with the gospel itself.

Today we're going to look at verses 11 through 14, and we're going to address a particular part of it today, and we're going to deal with the rest of it next week.

I think there's too much richness in it to try to cram it into one, but join with me in reading.

We're going to read verse 8 all the way through the end of the chapter, through verse 14, to set some context for us.

Owe no one anything except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

For the commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,

and any other commandment are summed up in this word, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Love does no wrong to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

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,

but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.

Join me in praying for God's blessing on this time.

Father, we praise you for your written word.

It is a grace to us.

We praise you also for the preaching of your word, not because I have any good in and of myself,

but that the proclamation of your written word, the explanation of what it means, has in it power.

And I pray, God, by your spirit, that you will ignite my tongue,

and you will soften all of our hearts to receive the truths contained herein,

and that apply them to our lives, that you might find us more obedient,

being transformed in the image of your son as a result of our activity together in these coming moments.

We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.

So Paul has laid out for us this continuing debt of love,

not a love by the world's standards,

not our romantic comedy version of love,

but a much, much higher version of love,

an idealistic version of love.

He says that it's a genuine love,

a love that's rooted in the gospel truth,

that seeks the great end of other people before yourself,

that wants the best for all that you encounter.

He says that's the fulfilling of the law,

but then in verse 11, he begins to explain to us further

how it is we're going to love this way

by saying simply, besides this.

So love is the fulfilling of the law,

which is a great motivation in and of itself to love,

but then he says, besides this, you know the time.

He goes on to further explain that,

but what an interesting little phrase here.

Besides this,

so another reason we ought to love this way

is because we know the time.

So I'm going to ask two questions this morning.

The first is, what does he even mean?

What does Paul mean by knowing the time?

And some clues to that are in the following verses.

He qualifies it.

What does he mean by the time in 11b through 12a?

If you will allow me to break these verses up in that way.

He does so with a metaphor

that seeks to explain the reality of the time

that we all know.

The metaphor.

Look at it firstly.

In 12a, he says,

The night is far gone.

The day is at hand.

And then in 11b,

The hours come for you to wake from sleep.

So he's using this analogy to say to us,

Listen, the night is gone.

The night is over.

It is now the daytime.

And as those who know the time,

speaking to believers in this case,

those who are found in Christ,

it's time for you to wake up.

We ought not slumber any longer.

We've been made alive in Christ,

and now we ought to be about the activity of love.

You can see also Ephesians 5, 1-21,

verse 14,

Awake, O sleeper,

and rise from the dead,

that Christ may shine on you.

Speaking to those believers

who had become lackadaisical in their Christian living,

who had ceased pursuing Christ

by loving those around them.

Wake up.

It's not nighttime any longer.

It's now the day.

Walk as one who is awake in the daytime.

So this metaphor,

to help us better understand

understand the time

that he's talking about,

which helps us to understand

a reality

found in 11c,

the third portion of verse 11.

He says,

For salvation is nearer to us now

than when we first believed.

What does he mean by that?

So, we're to wake up,

be in the day,

walk, begin to move,

and be active

in this activity of genuine love.

Because salvation is nearer to us now

than when we first believed.

Is Paul here suggesting

that we must live in a certain way

in order to obtain salvation?

Is it coming,

and if we're not living the right way,

we won't be able to grab hold of it?

Right?

No.

Clear and emphatic answer to that.

He's not saying at all

that it's our work

that brings us salvation.

Look back in the book of Romans,

the first 11 chapters,

to be certain,

but just focus your attention

on Romans 5, 1 and 2,

where he says,

Therefore,

since we have been justified

by faith,

not by works,

we've been justified by faith,

we have peace with God

through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through Him,

we also have obtained access

by faith

into this grace

in which we stand.

Right?

So then what does he mean?

Right?

Look at the rest of verse 2,

and we rejoice

in the hope

of the glory of God.

So we have been redeemed,

but we are waiting

for the full consummation

of that to happen.

Right?

We are waiting

for the full realization

of us being delivered

from this world,

from the weight

and the baggage

of our sinful flesh.

Right?

The very end

of chapter 5, verse 2,

and we rejoice

in the hope

of the glory of God.

Right?

We long for that day

when our full salvation

will be finished.

There's a picture

all throughout the scriptures

in talking of the kingdom of God,

of what has arrived

and what is in the process

of being,

of arriving.

Right?

You have been sanctified

as a believer.

You've been set apart

for God,

but you are still

being sanctified

in that you're being

perfectly set apart

for God.

Right?

So that's what he's referring to

as he's saying

that it's coming.

It's on its way.

Salvation is close

at hand.

And what he's saying

is that the reality

that Paul's saying here

is that believers

know to be true

of the time

is that the kingdom

of God

is here.

It's arrived.

It's at hand.

We've arrived

at the juncture

between the passing away

of the reign

of sin

and death

to the reign

of Christ

and the subsequent

joy

and hope

and glory

that accompanies him.

Right?

We stand

between

those two ages,

those two worlds.

Paul said

in 1 Corinthians 10-11

that the Old Testament

and events

were written down

for our instruction

on whom

the end

of the ages

has come.

That is,

the transition

between this age

and the age to come

has arrived

in Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5-17

states,

If anyone is in Christ,

he is a new creation.

The old has passed away.

Behold,

the new has come.

So if you are found

in Christ

by your faith in Him,

then you are

a new creation.

The new creation.

It's come.

Colossians 1-13

reads,

God delivered us

from the domain

of darkness

and transferred us

to the kingdom

of His beloved Son.

So then,

the kingdom

of our great deliverer

has come.

Just as Jesus said

in Mark 1-15,

the time is fulfilled

and the kingdom of God

is at hand.

And now,

we,

as God's very own,

long to see

the full realization

of this kingdom.

Recall back in Romans 8-23,

it says that

we ourselves,

who have the first fruits

of the Spirit,

groan inwardly

as we wait eagerly

for adoption of Son,

the redemption

of our bodies.

That is the place

in which we exist

right now.

The time

that he's referring to.

Many of you

may not recognize,

know what

the Christ Family Church

logo looks like.

I'll encourage you

as you leave

to look up at the sign

on the hill,

the temporary sign,

temporary slash permanent sign

that's up on the hill.

You'll notice that

it's a silhouette of trees

with the rising sun.

That's meant to be

a picture of this time

that we all live in.

Those of us

who have been redeemed

standing together,

facing and awaiting

the coming of our King,

who is currently

in the process

of shedding light

on this world.

What happens though?

Why is something

a silhouette?

You're looking at

something from behind

and it's in silhouette.

It's because one side

of it is exposed

to the magnificent

light of the sun

and what's behind it

is not.

That's why it appears

dark to you.

There's no light

on the backside of it.

So we're in between

those two places.

This reign of sin

and death

where Satan prevails

in this world

and Christ,

who has come

and is ushering

in his kingdom.

kingdom.

It's not an

interstitial gap.

That term makes sense

to you, right?

Where there's this gap

where this kingdom

is done

and this kingdom

is coming

and we stand

in between it,

between two worlds

in that way.

But it looks

more like this.

It's a Venn diagram.

It's an overlap

of the two happening.

We live in a very

unique time,

the age of the church,

right?

When this world

and the things

of this world

still exist,

but yet the new world,

the new age,

is on its way.

This is the time

that he is talking about.

Turn with me

to 2 Peter 3.

Paul says,

besides this,

you,

believers,

those in Rome

who are believers

and now us,

those of us

who have Christ,

you know the time.

Peter wrote

some similar language.

Chapter 3 of 2 Peter

beginning in

verse 3.

Knowing this first of all,

that scoffers will come

in the last days

with scoffing,

following their own

sinful desires,

they will say,

where is the promise

of his coming?

For ever since

the fathers fell asleep,

all things are continuing

as they were

from the beginning

of creation.

Feels that way

sometimes,

doesn't it?

Right?

That the age

is not passing away

that we live in

in this world

and the age of Christ

is not coming,

it just seems to never come.

The world just seems

to get more and more

sinful and evil.

That's exactly what

Peter's writing about here.

It's exactly what he's saying,

that these scoffers

will come

and they will say,

nothing's changed.

Right?

You talk about this coming.

Nothing's coming.

Nothing's changing.

Nothing's getting better.

It's only getting worse.

Verse 5,

For they deliberately

overlooked this fact,

that the heavens existed

long ago,

and the earth was formed

out of water

and through water

by the word of God,

and that by means of these

the world that then existed

was deluged with water

and perished.

But by the same word,

the heavens and earth

that now exist

are stored up for fire,

being kept

until the day of judgment

and destruction

of the ungodly.

But do not overlook

this one fact, beloved,

that with the Lord

one day is as a thousand years

and a thousand years

as one day.

The Lord is not slow

to fulfill His promise

as some count slowness,

but is patient towards you,

not wishing that any

should perish,

but that all should

reach repentance.

But the day of the Lord

will come like a thief,

and the heavens will pass away

with a war,

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.

Peter says the same thing

to us here.

You know the time,

and when it doesn't feel like

the old age is passing away

and the new age is coming,

we can rest sure

that God is faithful

to His promises.

We can recognize

that we're finite

in our understanding of time,

yet God is infinite.

That's what He says, right?

The earth,

the heavens created,

existed long ago.

Long ago they existed.

Outside of even your scope

of eternity past,

they existed.

And God will in fact

bring His promises

to pass.

So how then should we live?

We should be living lives

of holiness and godliness,

waiting for and hastening

the coming day of our Lord.

What is Peter referring to?

God's time is God's time.

It is perfect.

It will come to pass

when it comes to pass.

Why would He even use

the word hastening?

It's our great goal,

our great mission as the church,

to find everybody

in this dark, dark world,

every corner of it,

every recess,

the place that they're hiding,

and share the good news

of Jesus Christ with them.

We want to try to press light

into every possible dark place

because when the church's numbers

are complete,

Christ will return.

So He's speaking in human terms,

right?

There's an urgency

that we should feel

to get it done.

God, He is patient.

He will accomplish His purpose.

It will come to pass

when He wants it to come to pass,

but we are to press on

to love genuinely,

to carry the gospel,

the greatest expression of love,

to everyone that we can

in the hopes

that it's going to happen soon.

It's that dark shadow

at our back

that should drive us

to the face of Christ.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus.

Look full in His wonderful face,

and the things of earth

will go strangely dim

in the light of His glorious grace.

That is the motivating factor.

So let's ask the second question,

even though I'm already

working on answering it.

So how does a knowledge

of the time motivate us

to love properly?

How is it that it does so?

So verse 12,

back in Romans 12b,

so then let us

cast off the works of darkness

and put on

the armor of light.

So we have this knowledge

of the time,

and He says,

so then.

So since we have this knowledge

of the time,

we understand the analogy,

right?

We ought to then

walk properly.

It's a casting off,

a throwing away

of the works of darkness

and a putting on

of the armor of light.

Right?

It's all these things

He's been discussing

in chapter 12

and this part of 13

up until now.

It's all those things

is what we ought to be

putting on.

Right?

He's simply adding

further clarity

to everything He has said

to the point so far

with a summary.

Right?

He's helping us to see

that as those of the light

we should walk in light.

Right?

The night is gone.

It's time to quit slumbering.

It's time to live in the day.

Not doing the things

that are hidden in darkness,

but doing the things

that happen in the light.

We're to cast off

the one thing.

Language is strong

in the Greek.

Throw it away.

It's not a, like,

take it off and put it down

to be picked back up later.

No, it's a casting off.

It's a throwing it away.

In disgust of it.

Getting it away from you.

And putting on

another thing.

We're to cast off

the works of the past age

and put on the works

of the age to come.

We're to cast off evil

and put on righteousness.

Right?

Paul, in fact,

further clarifies

what he means

by putting on

the armor of light

in verse 14

when he says,

put on the Lord

Jesus Christ.

We'll get into

more practically

what that looks like.

What that looks like.

When we are enthralled

with who Jesus Christ is,

the work of darkness

is no longer beautiful to us.

The work of light is.

We'll talk about this

more next week,

but when you find yourself

tempted by sin,

when you find yourself

loving it,

it's because you don't

love Christ

the way you ought.

It's because you don't

behold him

for who he truly is.

His person and his work

is drifting

from your heart.

put on Jesus Christ.

Right?

And you'll flee

from the works of darkness.

And you'll flee

to the works of light.

You will love it.

As Christian,

life is not easy.

We've been put in this

overlap.

Right?

We so desperately,

at least I hope you do,

want to be rid

of your flesh.

This baggage.

Paul in Romans chapter 7

Romans 7 · chapter mention

talks about this great

struggle in himself

and cries out at the end,

who will deliver me

from this body

of death?

He says,

praise be to Jesus Christ

our Lord.

Right?

What he's referring to

when he talks about

the body of death

was a old

Roman punishment.

If you murdered somebody,

they would tie that individual

to your back.

The dead body

to your back.

And as that flesh

rotted away,

that rot would spread

to your body

and it would kill you.

You have to carry around

the dead man

on your back.

And that's how Paul

refers to his flesh.

Right?

His flesh and it's killing me.

It's infecting

my new nature.

Right?

Who would deliver me

from it?

Jesus Christ.

Put on Jesus Christ.

Cast off the old.

Put on the new.

Remember in Romans 12, 2.

Not too long ago,

we talked about this.

Paul said,

do not be conformed

to this world.

Also could be translated

age.

Right?

It's the same word

used here

for the time.

Okay?

It's the same Greek word.

He's talking about

a period of time.

Don't be conformed

to this age

that we live in,

this time

that we live in,

the typical

cultural

normities.

Don't be conformed

to that,

but be transformed.

Be transformed.

Be different

then.

Because you don't

belong to this age

any longer.

In verse 1,

it's our reasonable

service because of

who we are.

Because of who we are.

Because Christ has

redeemed us.

It's our reasonable

service,

our spiritual worship,

to offer up

our whole bodies

as living

sacrifices.

So our knowledge

of the time

includes in it

the knowledge

of who we are.

and that's the

motivating factor.

Understanding

the time

that you all

know includes,

if you properly

understand it,

it includes

who you are

in the time.

One who's been

freed from the

bondage of sin.

Body of flesh,

carrying it around,

absolutely.

Temptation at

every turn,

absolutely.

Failure at

every turn,

yes.

Right?

But you've been

set free from

that bondage.

You don't have

to go on

sinning.

You've been

given life

in Christ.

You've been

given His Spirit

to abide in you

and motivate

proper living

out of you.

So many

Christians

these days

are woe

is me,

Christians.

My flesh,

always at my

heels,

always tempting

me.

You've been

set free.

Live in that.

You were a

child of light.

Walk as

children of

light.

You don't

have to be

a slave

to your

sin.

We've been

redeemed,

bought with

a price.

The blood

of Jesus

Christ.

So it's

knowing who

we are.

It's the

recognition of

this reality

that we live

in this

overlap,

but that we've

been set

apart to

walk in

the way

of our

Lord.

Ephesians

5,

7,

and 8

says,

Do not

become

partakers

with them,

for at

one time

you were

darkness,

but now

you are

light in

the Lord.

Walk

as

children

of

light.

We close

with a

passage from

1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5,

and please

turn there

with me.

I'm going to

read verses 1

through 9

together.

1 Thessalonians

1 Thessalonians 5:1–9

5,

verses 1

through 9.

Now,

concerning the

times and the

seasons,

brothers,

you have no

need to have

anything written

to you.

You catch

that?

Besides this,

you know

the time.

You have

no need

to have

anything

written to

you,

for you

yourselves

are fully

aware that

the day

of the

Lord will

come like

a thief

in the

night.

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.

But you

were not

in darkness,

brothers,

for that day

to 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.

He's not

speaking of

literal sleep,

right?

Do not

sleep as

others do,

but let

us keep

awake

and be

sober.

For those

who sleep

sleep at

night,

and those

who get

drunk

are drunk

at night.

But since

we belong

to the

day,

let us

be

sober,

having

put on

the breastplate

of faith

and love,

and for

a helmet

the hope

of salvation.

For God

has not

destined us

for wrath,

but to

obtain salvation

through our

Lord,

Jesus Christ.

The day

of salvation

is nearer

now than

when we

first

believe.

I can't

begin to

tell you

when the

world's

going to

end.

I wouldn't

be so

arrogant

to even

try.

I would

be wrong,

I can

guarantee

you that.

But I

can say

with confidence

to you,

it's nearer

now than

it was when

you first

believed.

We get

a little

bit closer

to it

as each

day passes.

And the

reality of

that,

that we

are children

of light,

we have

been redeemed,

we are

God's

own,

because of

what he's

done for

us,

and he's

coming back

to finish

it.

This world

will someday

pass away,

and he will

restore it,

we will have

a new

heaven,

and a new

earth,

that we

will abide

in forever.

Those that

don't know

Christ will

abide in

eternal

destruction.

The lake

of fire,

a miserable

place,

more for

its separation

from God

than from

its physical

torture.

That's the

reality of

what's to

come.

And that

is why

the knowledge

of the

time,

where we

are,

and what

we know

is coming,

should

motivate us

to genuine

love.

It's a

response

to the

great

love

that has

been shown

to us

in Jesus

Christ.

It's being

poured out

into us,

and it

should overflow

in everything

that we

do.

Let's pray

together.

together.