October 29, 2017
Morning Service

So far in chapter 13 we have seen Paul describe to us how to be good citizens.  The governments that rule are put in place by God, so disobedience to them is disobedience to God. They are put in place by Him to help keep order in the world that we live in, to punish evil doers, and reward law abiding citizens.  We are to pay all taxes that are due respect, honor and pray for our leaders.  We are also expected to be good citizens in our local community.  Paul commanded us to “love your neighbor as yourself” thus fulfilling the all the requirements of the Law.  Love should be the motivation for all that we do.  A life that is given as “a living sacrifice” will do things out of love for their Lord and their brothers.  We stand on that as a fact knowing this truth; love never fails. (Read I Cor. 13)  Paul now closes this chapter with another truth we can stand on.

Romans 13:11 This also, knowing the time, that it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we believed. 

·         The truth we can also stand on is that we “know the time.”  I believe you have to be blind not to be able see the signs of the times Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24.  As we feel the cold winds and see the leaves falling we know fall is here and winter is coming (parable of the fig tree Matt. 24:36).  The time for Christ’ return is drawing nearer by the day.  Are your spiritual eyes telling you that time is winding down?  Do you know what time it is?

·         Paul says it is time to “Wake up!”  The end is near, time is short, and our salvation is at hand.  The busyness of life has a way of putting us to sleep spiritually.  We get so focused on our jobs, homes, hobbies, news, sports, kids, pets, bills, doctor’s visits, and even Facebook; we spiritually get rocked to sleep.  We get so busy multitasking we lose sight of what is really the most important thing in our life; our relationship with God.

·         Have you been there?  Are you there now?  Have you allowed yourself to fall asleep along the path you are walking towards eternity?  Wake up!  A part of offering our lives as “living sacrifices,”  is that we must be able to perceive the times in which we are living and stay focused on our task at hand and not getting spiritually rocked to sleep by our busy life.  We cannot procrastinate our goals to draw closer to God until tomorrow; today is that day to take action.  Paul quoted Isaiah and then added in his own translation of the scripture in his second letter to the Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 6:2 For He says, "In an acceptable time I heard you, and in a day of salvation, I helped you;" Behold, now is the accepted time. Behold, now is the day of salvation.

·         Too many of us are good at putting things off until tomorrow or maybe even until another season of our life and before you know time has run out.  This could be that you are just putting off accepting Jesus as your Savior until a more convenient time.  It may be you are a Christ follower and you know you need to walk closer but are just waiting.

·         I have never heard anyone testify that they were glad they waited to make either of those two choices.  It is always “I wish I had done it sooner.”  Let today be the day for you to choose to quit just dipping your toe into ocean of God’s kingdom and just dive in!  What are you waiting for?  Time is fleeting the night is giving way to the morning’s dawn.

 

 Romans 13:12  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.

 

·         As we see the dawn coming, Paul challenges us to cast off our evil works of darkness and begin to live the life of light that God has called us to.  He wants us to be “transformed” not “conformed.”  Why are we waiting to get serious about our walk with the Lord, the time is now to wake up out of our slumber.  Paul told the Thessalonians the same thing in his first letter to them.

1 Thess. 5:4-11 But you, brothers, are not in darkness, that the Day should overtake you like a thief.  (5)  You are all the sons of light and the sons of the day. We are not of the night, or of darkness.  (6)  Therefore let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us watch and be sober.  (7)  For those sleeping sleep in the night, and those being drunken are drunken in the night.  (8)  But let us, who are of the day, be sober putting on the breastplate of faith and love and the hope of salvation for a helmet.  (9)  For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,  (10)  who died for us, so that whether we watch or sleep we should live together with Him.  (11)  Therefore comfort one another, and edify one another, even as you also do.

·         We are not to sleep as others, but we are to “watch and be sober,” knowing the time is short.  Here he is talking about the Second Coming and it is not something we dread but, something that we should be looking forward to.  It is the day our faith becomes sight!  We should comfort and encourage one another with this shared hope of that day approaching.  Let that be our motivation to get busy.

 Ephesians 5:14-17 Therefore he says, "Awake, sleeping ones! And arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light."  (15)  See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, (16) redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  (17)  Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

·         We know that time is short and here Paul commands us to wake up and redeem the time we have been given.  Perhaps there are people you need to invite to church or share your testimony with; do it!  Perhaps it is that one part of your life that you have trouble turning fully over to the Lord; let it go!  Let’s be wise and get our priorities straight putting God first as He should be.  “God is on the move, on the move hallelujah, God is on the move in many mighty ways.”  One of those ways is through you.

·         Paul as he always does then closes this chapter with some very doable but challenging changes to be made in our lives.

Romans 13:13-14 Let us walk properly, as in the day; not in revelry and drunkenness; not in lewdness and lust; not in strife and envy.  (14)  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not take thought beforehand for the lusts of the flesh.

·         In helping us to wake up and set our path straight, Paul tells us some things to get away from.  We are not to participate in riotous living, drinking parties, immorality, being contentious and envy.  We are to work to put that life of darkness behind us and strive to put on Christ and his attributes of light.  Paul called us to “walk worthy of the calling in which you have been called.” (Eph. 4:1)  Our lives may be the only Bibles someone reads.

 

I again echo Paul’s call today to wake up.  I have been there as a Christ follower who just gets busied to sleep.  I remember doing good things, but just putting them above my personal relationship with Christ.  It was a very empty and unsatisfying life-style.  I have found it is much easier and rewarding to just surrender it all to Him and allow Him to move in me.

 

Father, thank You for this wakeup call this morning, help us not to hit the snooze button but to arise and serve You with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.