Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / Romans

Romans 13:11-14

INTRO: Anyone here not a morning person? You know what I mean. You find it very difficult to wake up in the morning. You repeatedly hit the snooze button to give yourself another 9 minutes of rest and then another 9 minutes. Until finally you pick up the alarm and throw it against the wall...well, you would like to at least.

      You then lay there in a semi-conscious state, half in a dream and the other half realizing you had better get up or you will be late for work..or school. But you really don't want to wake up..It is soooo comfortable and warm and cozy in bed.

      There is a radio station in the Phila. area that has what it calls a 'Sousalarm'. At 7:15 am Monday thru Friday the radio station plays a loud Sousa march to help wake up it's listeners.

EXP: In our text this morning is something not unlike a Sousalarm. It is a loud call for Christians to awaken from the sleep that keeps them from living..from life in Christ and from service to Christ. It is telling us it is TIME to WAKE UP! And there is no time to hit the snooze button.

TRANS: Turn in your Bibles to Rom. 13:11 where we will find that God's people are to act......NOW!

I. Know the time. (Rom. 13:11a)
Read: Rom. 13:11a
    A. Definitions
        Knowing: has the idea that you had better make certain you know, knowing is critical.
        Time: is the Greek word Karios which is a special period of time, not a chronological sequence.

      What special period of time? According to commentators Jamison, Fausset & Brown, it is the final economy of God's grace...The day of salvation.

    B. Nature of the time.
      This is not a passage on eschatology, the end times, although some have interpreted it that way. I believe Paul is talking about our PRESENT TIME.  Paul knew that this time, this special period in salvation history will not last forever and when it is over, we will in fact run out of time. The opportunities that this time hold, will be gone forever.  What kind of time is it that we live in, this present time?

1. It is the time of evil
Read: Gal. 1:4a,  Eph. 4:15-16

      Read the newspapers, watch the news. Our time is evil and I believe it will only get worse. The Holy Spirit of God is restraining both the amount and the force of evil. But the time of His influence will one day run out. And there will be evil like never known before.

2. It is the time of God's favor
Read: 2 Cor. 6:2 'In the time of my favor I heard you and in the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.' (NIV)

      Although we live in an ever increasing evil time, there is still time to know and experience God's favor..His grace, His saving grace. God is alive and is moving in the world, seeking out those whom He will call unto Himself. He is drawing the sinner to Himself by His good favor..by His grace...for the salvation of their eternal souls. Now is the time of God's favor.

3. It is the time to proclaim the Gospel.
      Because it is the time of God's favor, now is the time to proclaim the Gospel of JC to the unbelieving world.

Read: Acts 1:6

      The disciples still didn't get it. They were looking for an earthly time of Christ's reign a time that Rome would be defeated.

Read: Acts 1:7-8

      Jesus told them that that time is yet to come, it is now the time to proclaim the gospel to an unbelieving world. The time of Jesus' return is coming, but until that time, you are to be His witnesses to all the world.

4. It is the time to repent and believe.
Read: Lk 19:41-44

      Jesus had given the people time to repent and turn to Him and be saved, but they would not. As a result the time of their opportunity to repent and believe was running out.  Jesus said that judgment was coming to Jerusalem for their sin because they wasted the time they had to repent and believe.

APP:  And judgment is coming to you too if you fail to repent and believe. If you are not trusting in Jesus Christ for your salvation. But there is good news! Today, now is the time of God's favor, of God's grace, of God's salvation in His Son, Jesus Christ. Judgment has not yet come, there is still time to turn from your life of sin and turn to Christ for salvation. Now is the time to repent and Believe.

Trans: Know that this is an evil time and yet a time of God's favor, a time to proclaim the gospel and a time to repent and believe. Be certain of it, make no mistake about it...Know it!

II. Awaken from your sleep. (Rom. 13:11b)
Read: Rom. 13:11b

      Paul is writing to those Believers who are sleeping their lives away instead of being awake and alive working for God's kingdom. He is writing to Christians who are in the sleep of false security, the sleep of idleness, the sleep of complacency and neglect, the sleep of indifference. Not unlike Jonah.

Read: Jonah 1:4-6

      Lives were threatened with death, the storm was great around them. All the men were praying in vain to their pagan gods...all the men except Jonah. The sailors were doing all they could to bring about their salvation from the storm. All the while Jonah slept and did nothing. Even though Jonah knew the One True God whom he could pray to, who could bring about their salvation and yet He did nothing..except sleep.

        When Jonah did wake up, he had an important message to tell the sailors. He told them in vs 9 of the One True God, in vs 12 he explained to them what was happening and he gave them the solution. Later, according to vs 16 the result of Jonah waking up was the salvation...literal and spiritual of the sailors who believed upon the One True God.
 

APP:  Each of us knows someone lost in the sea of sin. Who perhaps are trying many different things (new age, cults, self help) to find peace and they are failing...all the while you are sleeping, not doing anything when you have the answer that will bring them life and true peace. Too many Believers are sleeping and paying little or no attention to the time at hand. Lazily passing through life with little commitment to serving Christ in this perilous yet exciting time.

      It is time to wake up, and act before it is too late. Christian, God has commissioned you to be His witness and you have NO RIGHT to go on sleeping. WAKE UP! Why? Because salvation is nearer than when you first believed... The end is coming. Jesus is coming again! That will be a  glorious day for the believer, but it will be Hell, literally, for the unbeliever. The time of salvation is short..... don't waste it away sleeping. Wake Up!

TRANS: Paul doesn't just leave us with a wake up call. He tells us what to do when we finally wake up. He tells us to...

III. Put off the deeds of darkness. (Rom. 13:12-13)
Read: Rom. 13:12-13

  The day of evil is drawing to an end, the time of light and life is coming, therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness.

DEF:
 Lay aside: cast off, with haste, quickly throw away as if it were something detestable, as if it were an old worn out, smelly no longer useful piece of clothing.

      What are we to lay aside? The interesting thing is that the same things that plagued the 1st century Romans and tempted the Christians are the same things we face today. Drunkenness, carousing, or partying, indulging your lusts and passions, sexual promiscuity, sensuality,  or flirting and using sexual talk, along with strife and jealousy. The deeds of darkness. Those things that we most often do in private, under the cover of darkness, so that no one will see or know we are doing it.This is especially true of Christians who don't want their church friends to find them out. But be assured, your sin will find you out. So cast them off, lay them aside, Believer. Stop doing them. Make no provision for the flesh. Don't place yourself in situations where it will be easy to sin.

TRANS: But it is not enough to just stop doing bad things, you must fill that time with good...with spiritual things, things of eternal value. So, Paul tells us to ...

IV. Put on the Lord, Jesus Christ. (Rom. 13:14)
Read: Rom. 13:14

      Put on with the same determination, the same haste the clothes of light? NO! Ordinary clothes will not do. Put on the Armor of light.

Read: Eph. 6:11-18

      Clothe yourself with the righteousness that is found only in Jesus Christ. It is Christ Alone who can cover us so that we may be found acceptable to God.   We are to be as close to Him and His righteousness as we are to the very clothes on our body. So that when people look at us, they see only Christ.

      Specifically, Paul tells us to put on the Lord,  Jesus Christ. He is talking about Lordship. Letting Jesus rule and reign in your heart and guide your thoughts, speech and action. Giving over the reigns of our life to Jesus Christ. He is talking about true discipleship not just common, get out of Hell free, Christianity.

Conclusion
      This is imperative for both the believer and un-believer alike. Because time is running out for both.

     For the Believer, Rom. 13:11-14 tells us when we are to do what we were told beginning with 12:1.

 Now is the time
      to offer our lives daily as a living and holy sacrifice to God.

 Now is the time
      to humbly realize our interdependence in the family of God and use our spiritual gifts for the good of the Body and the furthering of God's will.

 Now is the time
      to love both the brethren and the unbeliever in thought, word and deed.

 Now is the time
      to obey those in authority over us.

 Now.
    Knowing as Believers that our time is short and Jesus may come at any time.

 We MUST be found ready,
    we MUST be found serving,
        we MUST be found loving,
            we Must be found obedient,
                we Must be found faithful.

...and to do any of that,
                we MUST be found AWAKE!

  For you who have yet to trust in Christ as your personal Savior, your time is running out as well.

 Now is the time
      of God's favor, of God's grace being extended to you.

 Now is the time
      that evil is being restrained by the Holy Spirit.

 Now is the time
      when you can hear the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by His people.

 Now is the time
      for you to repent and believe in Jesus and His death of the cross as payment for you sin debt to God.

 Now is the time,
      for today is the acceptable day of the Lord, today is the day of God's grace. Today is the day of salvation. There may not be a tomorrow for you.

      Judgment is coming. Don't be found asleep. Wake up from your sleep of death and become alive in Christ.

  Time is very important to everyone, believer or unbeliever alike. As comfortable, cozy and warm as it may feel...