Lesson 30 – Romans Chapter 13:11-14
In the first half of chapter 13 we were instructed to obey government (because we’re really obeying God in the process), pay our taxes (to keep government running), and continue to be God’s ambassadors of love by reaching out to those around us. We will close chapter 13 by applying these revelations for the sake of our Savior.
Rom. 13:11
“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”
“This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” (NLT)
Paul comes out and says, “And do this.” What are we to do? We need to wake up, Paul says in effect, “wake up little sleepyhead.” Remember when your mother used to say, “wake up, it’s time to go to school.” I don’t know about you, but I would put my pillow over my head and would go right back to sleep.
Knowing the time…
“What time is it gang? It’s Howdy-doody time.” No, not really.
Paul’s not referring to chronological time which is (chronos) but to kariros (ki-ross) which is time as an era, epoch, or age.
We see the same word (ki-ross) used by Jesus in the gospel of Matthew 16:1-3
“Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; “and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.” (ki-ross)
What were the signs of the times in that moment of time? It was that the Messiah was standing right in front of them and the Pharisees didn’t have a clue. I guess we could say that the Pharisees and Sadducees were in the same condition that many Christians find themselves in today… sleeping.
The Encyclopedia Britannica defines sleep as “a state of inactivity, with a loss of consciousness and a decrease in responsiveness to events taking place.” We can apply this to what Paul is saying, that we should wake up spiritually to the things of God.
Eph. 5:14
“For the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
There is a danger that once a person is saved, that they might just sit back and rest in their salvation, to a place of inaction.
John MacArthur says, “Such laziness is intolerable in light of the urgency of spiritual matters.”
Paul is warning us not to be unaware or unconcerned about what the Lord is doing in the world today, and what He has promised to do in the future… in particular, about the promise that Jesus is coming again, and when He does come, it will not be as a humble servant, but as a conquering King and Judge.
For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed
Thinking about time, back in the 70’s there was a saying, “Today is the first day of rest of your life,” and we’d say something like, “Wow man, that’s some heavy stuff.” I like to tell people on their birthday that they’re another year closer to the kingdom of God.
For now our salvation is nearer, Paul isn’t talking about first being saved, he’s talking about the culmination of our salvation… the end result. Paul is speaking of what’s going to happen when we come into the resurrection. In the resurrection, everything that will happen to us will all be for the very first time. We will see and be with Jesus for the first time, we will receive brand new bodies that will last for all eternity, we will be “sin free” for the first time, all your fleshly sins and desires will be gone forever. You will receive from God your new home, which He has been preparing for you for over two thousand years. We will be able to worship God like we never have before… with a pure heart.
In this context, the salvation presented speaks of the imminent return of Jesus Christ.
When you read, For now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed, this, should get you excited!
Jon Courson; “Wake up to the fact that your salvation is nearer than when you first believed. You who are inclined toward theology, make a note of this verse because through it we understand that salvation unfolds progressively. You see, while it is true that the moment we open our hearts to Jesus Christ, our salvation is complete internally, but when Jesus comes back, there will be salvation externally. Equity and justice will reign. Complete salvation… individually and corporately, internally and externally… it is all drawing near.”
As servants of our Lord Jesus Christ, we want to be found faithful when He returns, not tangled up in some kind of sin. The completion of our salvation is very close, and tomorrow it will be even closer. The Light is drawing near to us, therefore, always be ready.
I John 2:28-29, 3:1-3
“And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when He returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from Him in shame. Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children. See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us His children, and that is what we are!…The people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know Him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but He has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as He is pure.” (NLT)
Maybe when you heard the part where it says, “and not shrink back from Him in shame,” the Holy Spirit reminded you of something that you’re just not dealing with in your life. Take it as a holy reminder from Him, confess what the Lord is telling you to confess, and don’t go back to it. That’s what God’s grace is all about.
Rom. 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.”
“The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.” (NLT)
Here’s some encouraging words for us, “The night is almost gone;” “Night” represents the present age in which we live and that we live in satan’s domain. Indeed, the night is far spent. We live in dark days for sure.
We can see the light at the end of the tunnel coming, in fact, we’re headed for a sunrise… the coming of the risen Son!
Ever since the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the clock has been ticking away. The day is coming when man will have run his course, the time of his unbelief and rebellion will finally come to an end. Many people have gone their own way, even manufactured their own gods and religion. But, in the end it will all be exposed for what it really is… a lie.
John 3:19-20
“And this is the condemnation, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”
When the night is done and the Light has come…
Matt. 7:22
“Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
Some preach, that man is evolving toward good, when the exact opposite is true, man’s depravity is increasing and satan’s dominion over man is becoming stronger and stronger.
Every day we see that man’s cold-heartedness toward man becomes more and more outrageous, and his rejection of God more blasphemous and arrogant.
II Peter 3:3-7
“Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of His command, and He brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then He used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.” (NLT)
Take heart, The night is almost gone…
I Cor. 7:29-31
“But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on, those with wives should not focus only on their marriage. Those who weep or who rejoice or who buy things should not be absorbed by their weeping or their joy or their possessions. Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.”
Whether Jesus comes back tonight or fifty years from tonight, we as believers need to live with a certain urgency, that Jesus’ return can happen at any moment. If we do this, we won’t be caught with hands in the proverbial cookie jar, tangled up in some embarrassing sin. Yes, all of our sins have been forgiven, but how would you feel coming face to face with Jesus after just committing some flagrant sin against Him?
Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness… in other words, cast off the things we do that dishonor the Lord.
Everyone sins, we saw the battle with sin in chapter 7. To stay in the light as He is in the light, keep your relationship with God fresh and new every day. The moment you are convicted of any sin, confess it. This is one of the ways we can live with that “certain urgency” I was talking about.
And let us put on the armor of light…
II Cor. 6:3-7
“We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,”
In light of the fact that the kingdom is coming, we don’t put on the armor of condemnation or of judgment, but we put on the armor of light and righteousness. God’s own light provides us with His divine protection, this helps in our battle against satan and his dark world.
Eph. 6:11-13
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
And you thought your fight was against the Biden administration…
We are in a fierce battle against the powers of darkness, the apostle John ushers us into the light.
I John 1:5-7
“This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Walking in the light of day with God is a glorious thing to do, nothing needs to be hidden. Adam used to walk with God in the garden, that is until he fell into sin with his wife. John tells us that if we fall into sin there is a way to come back into the light.
I John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
So, let us always… put on the armor of light
And speaking of walking in the light, Paul says;
Rom. 13:13
“Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.”
To walk properly or behave properly is to live your life in such a way that it pleases God.
This brings us back to chapter 12, verse 2, where we see that we should let God transform the way we think. I say we should “let” God transform us, because God never forces His ways on us, we always have a choice.
A mind that’s transformed by God will certainly want to live a pleasing life before God. The problem is, we have all of life’s distractions going on all around us 24/7, mixed with the powers of darkness.
Behave properly…
Did your parents ever tell to behave properly? Or maybe they just said, “behave yourself.” It is about how we conduct ourselves in public. For the believer, it’s a matter of how we conduct ourselves in public and behind closed doors when nobody is watching. The way we behave is uniquely based upon our relationship with God.
Eph. 5:27
“That He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”
II Peter 3:14
“Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;”
To be found without spot or wrinkle is a tough one for us older folks, but we can be holy, in fact, God tells us to be holy because He is holy… that would fall under the category of behaving properly and walking properly. Our outward life should be a reflection our justified life in Christ.
Rom. 6:4
“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
We are brand new in Christ, and with that, we should walk in newness of life. This also would fall under the category of behaving properly and walking properly.
As in the day…
Let us walk properly, as in the day… as children of God, “we are of the day.”
I Thess. 5:8
“But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.”
“As in the day”, and, “we are of the day” are phrases used to describe Christians. We can also say; “sons of light” or “sons of the day.” These are Hebrew expressions to describe the dominant influence in a person’s life.
Believers should be able to say that Jesus is a dominant influence in their life. Light belongs to the day just as darkness belongs to night… walk properly, as in the day… “walk in the light as He is in the light.”
Not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
Here we’re getting some good guidance from Paul. It only makes good Christian sense that we wouldn’t be involved in…
Revelry, drunkenness, lewdness, lust, strife, and envy.
Revelry and carousing are very good friends with drunkenness, it is described as: a nocturnal and riotous procession of half drunken and frolicsome fellows who after supper parade through the streets with torches and music in honor of some deity, and sing and play before houses of male and female friends; hence used generally of feasts and drinking parties that are protracted till late at night and indulge in revelry.
• Should a child of the light be associated with this in any way? Why not?
Lewdness or not in chambering, “chambering” is definitely a word we don’t use today or “revelry” either. It means cohabitation, whether lawful or unlawful and also sexual intercourse… all which is fine within a marriage, but not outside marriage which Paul is referring to.
Lust… also as sensuality, it has the basic meaning of shameless excess and the absence of any restraint morally. It refers to the kind of sexual depravity that characterizes much of modern society today and that it is often flaunted almost as a badge of honor. An example of this would be gay pride parades.
Strife… refers to persistent arguments, bickering, petty disagreements, and hostility.
It reflects a spirit of aggressive competitiveness that always fights to have its own way, regardless of cost to itself or of harm to others. It is produced by a deep desire to dominate over others. Its looking to gain the highest prestige, prominence, and recognition possible. People full of strife aren’t very nice to be around at all.
Envy… contentious rivalry, jealousy
James 3:13
“If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying.” (NLT)
Strife and jealousy were the two specific sins that caused the deep, opinionated divisions that happened within the church at Corinth.
I Cor. 3:3
“For you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?”
All of the sins Paul talks about in verse 13 are listed in Galatians.
Gal. 5:19-21
“When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”
Children of the day are to have no part of these sins.
Rom. 13:14
“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
“Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” (NLT)
There is a whole list of things we should “put on” as believers in Christ; put on… love, a forgiving spirit, humility, obedience, brokenness, contentment, self-control, kindness, pure thoughts, and numerous others. But, the main thing we are to put on is of course… our Lord Jesus Christ.
It’s important that we clothe ourselves with Christ-like characteristics. If we do this we will continue to grow spiritually with God, this is the goal of the sanctification process we go through in life.
Phil 1:6
“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
The things that we are to “put off” are all the sins we covered earlier. I want to encourage you tonight, that the very fact that you’re here tonight shows that you have a heart for God, and that you are willing to take the steps that cause you to keep growing in Christ… this is pleasing to God.
Col. 2:7
“Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.”
A.W. Tozer; “We must like Moses cover ourselves with faith and humility while we steal a quick look at God whom no man can see and live. The broken and contrite heart He will not despise… We must hide our unholiness in the wounds of Christ as Moses hid himself in the cleft of the rock while the glory of God passed by. We must take refuge from God in God. Above all we must believe that God sees us perfect in His Son while He disciplines and chastens and purges us that we may be partakers of His holiness.”
Romans chapter 13 has shown us that we are to obey government, even if we don’t like who’s running the government. Why? Because it is our God who put government and authorities in place. Pray for all our government authorities and pay your taxes.
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the first and great commandment. “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matt. 22)
Put on Christ… be a true disciple of Jesus Christ.