Title: A Wake Up Call

Text: Rom 13:11-14

Date: 6-01-08.am

Ro 13:11-14

11 And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. 12 The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. NASB

Introduction:

The Moral Gap in our culture is widening. You can look at the papers or watch the TV and recognize the moral climate in our country is headed south. When I was young we watch Ozzie and Harriet, The Donna Reed Show, Father knows Best to name a few. A look at some of today's shows reveals Swingtown, Sex and the City, and Desperate House wives to name a few. I haven't watched any of those but you understand the them from commercials and the name. And it's not just Christians anymore that are talking about these things but there are a number of secular groups that have documented this decline.. When we look around us it is hard to understand that if Paul issued a wake-up call to first century Christians in Rome there is an urgency for it in our day.

I want to say three things about this wake-up call

I. A Call to Understanding - Understand the Present Time v.11, 12

1. What does Paul mean knowing the time? These are the last Days. He explains that in verse 12 The night is nearly over, the day is almost here. I think we can get an idea of what Paul is talking about from recent storm activity, where the conditions at night produce all kinds of storms and high winds and such and we look forward to morning which has brought and end to the storms. The night Paul is talking about is the time period between the first advent of Jesus Christ on earth, this period where sin and unrighteousness are predominant, the deeds of darkness prevail. The day refers to the Lord's 2nd Advent or coming.

Paul described this night in 1:16-32 and again in 2 Ti 3:1-5

But realize this, that in the last days [the night] difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; NASB

2 Pe 3:1-4

This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. 3 Know this first of all, that in the last days [this is the night Paul is talking about] mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." NASB

Jesus spoke of this same period in Matt 24:36-38 when He said just as in the days of Noah. In other words people will ignore the truth of God's word and things will be going along like nothing is going to happen and then it will come.

2. What does that mean to us?

These first century Christians are reminded to look around them and see what is happening not only to them but in their culture. The cruelty of Rome, the persecution of Christians, which was about to increase to staggering proportions was only a small part of what Paul is talking about. He wants them to see and understand that more importantly to see and understand the immorality of the culture and take seriously the demands for holy living.

The same is true for us today. We are to look around us and not only physically with our eyes to see what's happening, but also to spiritually see and understand the condition of the world we live in. To be aware of the world's misunderstanding of love. To the world today the idea of love means compromise. To love means you don't judge the actions of another, but rather affirm them in their sin so that no one is offended. The Bible does tell us we are not to be judgmental. I used the illustration of Fred Phelps and the Waterboro Baptist Church a few weeks ago. That group is speaking the truth, homosexuality is a sin, but they don't seem to be speaking the truth in love.

Paul also understood the world of the first century had a misplaced value system we can see and understand things haven't changed a lot. The world today has a misplaced value system. What's right is wrong and what's wrong is right. Paul words are just as true today as they were in the first century to the church at Rome. And, he calls to us, the modern church, to wake-up, to look around and understand the time we live in and the type of world we live in and then to separate ourselves from it. Paul's not talking about fleeing to the desert or hiding in a cave or a church building but to separate ourselves by the kind of life we live. That means this is a call not only to understand the time but it is also a call to action.

II. A Call to Action - Wake up from your slumber

And this do, Paul says. Do what? Awaken from sleep. Sleep like night and day is a metaphor and like physical sleep it's a time when our consciousness is suspended, we're unaware. Some of us sleep more soundly than others but when we are asleep even normal or usual things can startle us. Paul was telling the Roman Christian they were living in this semiconscious state, not being bothered or concerned about what was going on around them, maybe even taking part in some of these things themselves. But, it is time to wake up and begin to practice the things he has been talking beginning in chapter 12 with becoming living sacrifices. Why?

1. The night is almost over and the day is at hand

2. Because our salvation is nearer -what does that mean?

The completion of our salvation. The bible speaks of salvation in three different tenses.

You are saved - that moment I come to Christ in faith and I am sealed with His Spirit - Justification

Your are being saved - salvation is an on going process where by I am continually being kept and growing in grace and faith becoming more Christ like - Sanctification

You will be saved - The consummation of our salvation, when we will see Him and be like Him and dwell with Him - Glorification

2 Pet 3:10-11

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives

I'm not very big into end time prophecy about when Christ is going to return, Jesus said no man knows anyway, but I know this it is closer today than it was yesterday. Paul's point along with Peter's is that because it is closer we need to live expectantly, submissively, and obediently which translates to holy and godly lives.

III. A Call to Holiness

Paul concludes with a two part call to holiness - 12 Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

A call to holiness is a call to be separate. That's what the word holy means - to be set apart. As believers we are to be separate from the world even as the day is separate and distinct from the night. It is a call to live in the power and the presence of the Holy spirit of God allowing Him to enable, to instruct, to empower us to live godly lives in an ungodly world.

This is a call to an intentional, willing course of action in the life of people who have been justified by faith. As we have seen before and understand from the Bible this kind of life, godly and holy, while it takes a willful decision on our part, is only possible by the power of the Spirit of God indwelling us and our yielding to Him so we are able to follow through on what Paul tells us in this verse. Paul gives some specifics:

1. Put aside the things of darkness - This is the negative aspect of the call to holiness and all of the six things he mentions here are tied together.

1. Carousing - rioting in the KJV - orgies in the NIV

The Greek word komos- means revelry, it referred to devotees of the god Bacchus, the god of wine who were involved in orgies and partying and would parade through the streets with torches and music and sing and play before houses of male and female friends; and thus it came to be used generally of feasts with drinking parties and orgies

2. Drunkenness - self-explanatory specifically referring alcohol, the word drunk means loss of control, drunkenness is being controlled anything other than the Spirit Eph 5:18

3. Sexual promiscuity - the word in Greek refers to any and all sexual activity outside of marriage

4. Sensuality - a different word referring unbridled sexual lust, shamelessness,

5. Strife/Jealousy - continual bickering and envy

6. Do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. This has to do with our minds. The Christian life is not just about church on Sunday although that is an important part of what we do, in meeting together to worship. But the Christian faith is a way of living that includes the totality of who we are body, mind and spirit. Paul addressed the issue of our mind and how we are to think earlier. Here he is saying don't do things or be involved in activities or go to places which provide motivation and/or opportunity for us to sin.

Paul gives a more explanation in EPH 5: 1-18

2. Cloth yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ

The armor of light v. 12

Paul uses the metaphor of clothing in Eph 4:24 and Col 3:10 where he wrote about putting on the new self. The idea is the same, take off the old sinful nature and put on a new nature which is Christ. The verb here indicates that because of the critical nature of the day, a decisive and determined action is required on the part of believers. It is a call to unquestionably separate ourselves from all that belongs to darkness. This armor imagery is much like what Paul used more extensively in Eph 6:11-18 where he wrote about putting on the full amour of God. (Also 1 Th 5:8) Here it is the armor of light. We are to be light to lead others to the real Light of the world - Jesus Christ

John puts in another way in 1 Jn 1:5-7 5 And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 Jn 1:5-7 NASB

The call to live holy lives does not suggest salvation by works. The call to holiness comes to those who have already, in one sense, been made holy by the blood of Christ. It's a call to those who have been justified by faith to move forward and advance in Christ likeness.

Dr. Robert Mounce said, "New life in Christ stands diametrically opposed to the old life controlled by earthly passions. To clothe ourselves with Christ is to take off and dispose of the old clothing of sin. While the appetites of sin remain until the glorious day of our complete transformation in the likeness of Christ (1 Jn 3:2; Phil 3:21), we are to deny them any opportunity of expression. We are not even to consider the possibility of allowing them to fulfill their evil intentions through us."

Are you willing to hear the wake up call put on the armor of light and allow the Lord to have His own way in every area of your life. So the world will not have to ask if you are a Christian, the world will see that you are.