Spiritually, the Apostle Paul is shouting to us: It is time to wake up!

Transcription

1 Sermon Wake Up! Romans 13:11-14 Dear Awake in the Lord: Asleep at the wheel? Have you ever been caught off guard for something? Have you ever experienced a situation for which you were not prepared? Have you ever been so to say Asleep at the wheel? Not ready for a test in school Not ready for family and friends who drop in for a visit Not ready for a situation at work It s one thing to be unprepared for a test or visitors or something at work, but to be unprepared for the Lord Jesus when He returns will have eternal consequences. We can live without money, without fame, without erudition; we can eke out an existence without friends, without health, or without personal liberty and the possibility of the pursuit of happiness; but we cannot live in the fullness of a life that continues beyond the grave without God. P. 52 The Lutheran Hour - Walter Maier Spiritually, the Apostle Paul is shouting to us: It is time to wake up! He wants us to wake up spiritually and realize what time it is He wants us to be ready for the return of Jesus He wants us to be prepared for battle against the devil, the world and our sinful flesh He wants us to realize that with each passing day, week, month and year we are getting closer to that DAY when the Lord Jesus will appear in the sky to usher in eternity. Understanding the present time It is time to wake up and understand the times.. Understanding the present time v11

2 The word understand means to perceive, to get our bearings straight Stop and think for a moment what time it is Now is the time to take God s Word seriously, to take our relationship with the Lord seriously Paul says: The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. V11 Wake up from your slumber - don t be careless or indifferent about spiritual things How often when we hear the alarm clock we delay getting out of bed, we continue to sleep. Paul wrote in Ephesians: Wake up, O sleeper...be very careful, then, how you live...understand what the Lord s will it. 5:14ff Are we spiritually awake? Are we ready for the Lord s return? Do we have our hearts and minds on spiritual things? Jesus said:...keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Matthew 24:42 How do we Wake up spiritually? The Apostle Paul lived each day as if the Lord would return in his lifetime. Paul said in verse 12 The night is nearly over, the day is almost here. Jesus said in Revelation: Remember...what you have received and heard, obey it, and repent. We stay awake by repenting of our sins and obeying God s Word. Obey and Repent Paul says: Our salvation is nearer now...

3 He means the Day when Jesus comes back and gathers all believers to Himself is near...and every day it gets nearer and nearer. Hebrews 9:28...Christ will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. What are you waiting for in this life? Waiting to turn 21 Waiting to become married Waiting to have children Waiting to have children grow up and go out on their own Waiting for a job promotion Waiting for a career change Waiting for retirement Waiting for...what? Are we waiting for Jesus to return? Jesus 2 nd Coming will be a dramatic event for us. This is why the Apostle Paul says throughout the Bible: Those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away. I Corinthians 7:31 If you read I Corinthians 7 Paul says that the time is short. As the sun rises in the east to drive away the morning darkness so the Lord s coming will drive away the darkness of this sinful world The darkness of this world will be lost in the light of Jesus and we believers will be given a glorified body. I John 3:2 We shall be like Him How are we to view the world in which we live? What are we to think of the things that daily surround us from this old world? In I Corinthians 7:29-32 Paul tells us...

4 Do not regard marriage as the ultimate goal in life Do not regard our home as the ultimate goal in life Do not regard financial security as the ultimate goal in life Be unhindered by the cares of this world as far as possible Don t be carried away with the things of this world Paul says: I would like you to be free from concern. While we wait for Jesus to return... Yes we will make a living Yes we will raise a family Yes we will plan our retirement But, we do all these things with an eye on the sky realizing that our true home is in heaven Paul in the book of Titus says:...live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age while we wait for the blessed hope---the glorious appearing of...jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us... 2:12 It is time to wake up! It is time to get dressed with the righteousness of Christ Here in Romans Paul writes: So let us put aside the deed of darkness and put on the armor of light...clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. Vv12-14 What do we do when we wake up in the morning? We change our clothes We take off our night time clothes and put on our day time clothes Paul calls us to Put off the deeds of darkness and Put on Jesus. We don t have to look to far to see the deeds of darkness in our daily lives. It s not hard to see a world that is caught up in... The indulgence of lustful pleasure The indulgence of materialism The indulgence of the me-first lifestyle

5 With the same urgency and motivation that we would throw off dirty filthy clothes when washing up to go out with friends we are to throw off sin in our lives. The things of this life clamor for our attention. The activities of this life can turn our attention away from the ways of the Lord Paul knew this. He wrote in Colossians: Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. It is not easy living in this old sinful world. We are often tempted to follow the world s sinful ways We may be tempted by some of the people we work with We may be tempted by some of the people see throughout the week The Apostle Peter says: They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation and they heap abuse on you. I Peter 4:4 In verse 13 of Romans 13 Paul mentions... Orgies Drunkenness Sexual immorality Debauchery Dissension Jealousy In Paul s day these things were common in the day to day culture of the Roman empire. The culture of Paul s day was known for pagan temples and religious prostitution. It was known for dissension and jealousy. It was known for adultery and broken marriages. Paul says it s time to get dressed: Clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ. V14 When did we become clothed with the Lord Jesus Christ? At our baptism Paul says: For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ. Galatians 3:27 In baptism we died to sin and were baptized into Christ s death Romans 6 In baptism we were given a new life

6 In baptism we have been made new people who possess the mind of Christ in our thoughts, feeling and actions. Every day we may look back at our baptism and remember that God has brought us to faith by His grace and power. Your baptism shows you are a child of God Your baptism reminds that you are in Christ To be in Christ means to have the resources to live a godly life from God Peter says: Abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. I Peter 2:11 Paul says in verse 14 Do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. We are in a daily battle with sin...romans 7:15-25 We need God s grace and power We need to Put to death, whatever belongs to your earthly nature... Colossians 3 What is our motivation to do this? Where is our strength to do this? Romans 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through God who loved us. Jesus has given us the victory He lived a perfect life for us He gives us the power to fight the sins of the flesh St. Augustine, who was the great church leader about 300 years after Jesus lived on earth, said these verses from Romans 13 of which we have here today brought him to repent and come to faith. He said: I read in silence the first place on which my eyes fell. I neither cared, nor needed, to read further, the clouds of hesitation all fled at once. The clouds of hesitation have been lifted from us... We are awake We have been baptized We live by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ each day, week, month...until He returns