"Knowing The Time" Romans 13: 11-14

Lord were excited to be here in your presence we're excited for everything that you have to say to us Lord and so I pray Lord right now that you would overwhelm us with your Holy Spirit Lord that she would give us ears to hear what your Spirit has to say through the ministry of your word and Lord just move me out of the way and let your Holy Spirit have his way Lord and we thank you for your faithfulness in Jesus name Amen all right well now the book of Romans this letter that we're going to be looking at this morning is a very fascinating and wonderful letter especially because of the impact that this letter specifically has had in the lives of many believers you know it's been said that countless men and women of the faith throughout the history of the church have actually singled out the book of Romans as being the weapon that God graciously used in their life to bring about their surrender to Christ and the reason is because you know when you read this letter one of the things that you quickly find out is that the Apostle Paul gives one of the clearest presentations of the gospel in this letter and that is that you and I are saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ and that eternal life is nothing that we can work or earn on our own contrary to popular belief but rather eternal life is a free gift given to anyone who would call upon the name of Jesus Christ and it's for that reason why many people consider the book of Romans to be the greatest book in the New Testament and if you've rather letter I'm sure you would agree with that but now in this section that we're going to be looking at this morning one of the things that we're going to see is that not only is God's Word gonna call our attention as believers to understand that times in which we're living in which is important but also what our response should be as believers to the days in which we're living in you know it's never good to have all of this information without having an application right the to always go hand in hand and that's what we're gonna see today in our text and so if you're there in Romans chapter 13 we're gonna read verses 11 through verse 14 and so Paul through inspiration of the Spirit says in verse 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 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 let us walk properly as in the day not in revelry and drunkenness not in lewdness and lust not in strife and envy but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts amen and so as you can see we got some pretty powerful verses that we're gonna be looking at this morning but as we get started I want you to guys to notice how Paul begins this section he starts off in verse 11 by saying and do this knowing the time and I like that you know as believers you and I are called to know the time to know what time it is to know and understand the days in which we're living in but a question that we can ask ourselves right off the bat as we get started is do we know what time it is right and do we understand the days in which we're living in that we are in the last days and that our Lord Jesus Christ had come back for us at any time because his return is imminent we need meaning it can happen at any moment the rapture can take place literally at any time which we're actually gonna be talking about that a little later in the message but you know when you take a real good look at our world today and all that's going on and especially at the rapid rate in which things are happening right now you know for many people it's a little overwhelming and rightly so but yet it's pretty clear that things are heating up in the world today there's a lot of changes that are going on more and more is happening and so much so that not even the media is able to keep up with everything that's going on right I mean as much as they're trying they can't that's how quickly our times are changing now if you guys remember it was not too long ago that abortion in this very nation of ours was once considered illegal right you just couldn't do it in the early 1900s it was considered a felony in every single state but yet now not only is it legal you can now have as many abortions as you want and if you've been keeping up with the news you know that there's now several states that have passed the law to legalize full term abortions which means that a mother can abort her baby right up to the point where the baby fully exits her womb now if you ask me that's murder and yet these are the types of laws that are being passed in this nation the slaughtering of innocent children but if you guys also remember it wasn't up until four years ago that same-sex marriages were also considered illegal in this nation but yet now it's the law of the land right it's now legal in all 50 states this world is trying to redefine the biblical definition of marriage which God said from the very beginning is between one man and one woman amen and I'm gonna go with what God has to say because God is the one who instituted marriage and he knows how to operates best and he said it's between one man and one woman but again yes times are changing and these are just two of the many examples of some of the things that we see taking place just within this nation alone you know we're not talking about the Middle East which is really a different topic for a different day but I really give you all of that information I tell you all all of that to really say this and that is that this world is getting worse and worse with each passing day have you guys noticed that and maybe for those of you who haven't noticed that as I've mentioned to some of you in the past just turn on the news watch her for about five minutes and you'll start to get depressed because of all these catastrophic events that we see taking place in the world you know just this month we've had multiple mass shootings take place in the United States three just within one week you had the one in Gilroy than in Texas and then in Dayton Ohio and then just this week on Wednesday if you saw the news there was another shooting that took place where this man shot six different officers and you know these types of incidents though are now becoming the norm in the society which we live in that in which we're living in and I hate to say this but we are starting to see an increase in wickedness and violence throughout the whole world and though that's something that's unfortunate I also find it interesting as a student of God's Word because these are two of the very same conditions that were taking place in Noah's day when you look back at Genesis chapter 6 and yet we're starting to see those same things happening in our own day things are getting bad but now as you take a step back from everything that's going on in the world today from these mass shootings to these earthquakes that we see happening in diverse places to the heightened tension amongst world powers especially in the Middle East right now you know I honestly believe that the Lord is trying to wake us up he's trying to tell us that his return is near because as we see these events unfolding right before our own eyes I mean you can almost sense this lateness to the hour and the nearness of our Lord's return that Jesus Christ is coming back very soon and it was our Lord Himself who said in Luke 21 verse 28 now when these things begin to happen that is when you start to see the signs of the end times he said look up and lift up your heads because your redemption draws near you know as the church as the body of Christ we've never been closer to the Lord you turn to the raft of the church than we are today this very morning and every single day we are getting closer and closer and closer to that day and as many of you already know there is nothing that needs to happen in order for the rapture to take place right because it's a sign less event and what I mean by that is that there is no sign or prophecy or some specific event that needs to take place somewhere around the world in order for the rapture to happen it can literally happen at any moment and when it does happen it's going to happen just that fast as Paul said to the church in Corinth in a moment in the twinkling of an eye so we have to be ready because Jesus Christ had come back for his church at any time and wouldn't it be great if it happened today I mean right after this service the Lord takes us out of here but now if you were to ask the Apostle John the question what time is it he would tell you in first John chapter 2 verse 18 little children it is the last hour and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming even now many antichrists have come by which we know that it is the last hour now John said that close to two thousand years ago how much closer do you think we are today right I mean if John said it's the last hour and he said that back in the first century then that must mean that we're in the final minutes if not the final seconds of church history so time is running out and so again you and I as believers are called to know the time to know and understand the days in which we're living in but again in verse 11 Paul says and do this knowing the time or understanding what time it is that now it is high time to awake out of sleep and as I read this verse this week I couldn't help but to notice how Paul says that now is the time and now meaning not later amen not tomorrow not three years from today or even 10 years into the future but Paul says now now is the time now I think at times there's this tendency among many people in the world today but it could even happen in the church where we can begin to have this mentality that we have all of this time in the world to do whatever it is that we want to do because there are those who say life is going to go on as usual that we still have a lot of time left but in reality that's just not the case time is limited and it's shorter than any of us think and that's Paul's point here to the Romans we don't have a lot of time left and that's why to the church at Ephesus Paul would say to the believers there in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18 see then that you walk circumspectly or carefully not as fool's but as wise redeeming the time and then he tells us why because the days are evil I mean does that not describe this generation or what these days are evil we trying to see a manifestation of evil more than ever before and because we are Paul's exhortation to the believers n but even today is that in these last days we ought to be redeeming the time which means we ought to be buying it back not wasting the precious time that God has given us as believers you see knowing that our time is short on this earth and that our Lord could come back for us at any time essentially what Paul is telling us here is that we shouldn't be using the rest of our time to live like the rest of the world but rather we should be seeking to live for our Lord and looking for opportunities of how we could serve him and serve each other in the body of Christ and you know I also appreciated what Jesus said in the Gospels he said occupy till I come in other words do business till I come let's be about our father's business as we wait for the Lord's return amen but now again when Paul says to the Romans that now it is high time to awake out of sleep what Paul is doing here is he's actually inviting the church to wake up out of their sleep believe it or not because unfortunately there were some believers in his day just like there are today those who are asleep you know you have those who are just clueless to the times in which we were living in there are those who are oblivious to everything that's going on around them and that was actually the case of the religious leaders in Jesus day you know if you were to look back at Matthew chapter 16 you would see that Jesus actually chastised the religious leaders of his day for not knowing the signs of the times I mean yeah these people were really good at telling you the weather patterns whether it would rain that day whether it's gonna be bright and sunny or whether there was going to be a storm which as you guys know is really not too hard to do but yet when it came to the signs of the times they had no idea what was going on you see had they understood the days in which they were living and they would have known that the very Messiah of Israel was right in front of them right they would have also known the very day that Jesus made his triumphal entry there in the city of Jerusalem because that was mentioned back in Daniel chapter 9 and yet they completely missed it because they did not know the signs of the times and again that's how some believers are today they don't know what's going on they're not reading their Bibles and unfortunately even in some cases there are some professing Christians who can care less about what's going on and you know it's for that reason why I've often wondered and even asked myself the question from time to time how much of the church today is asleep and when I say how much of the church today is asleep I'm not talking about physically being asleep but rather how much of the church today is asleep spiritually asleep they just don't know what's going on you know they've been so caught up in the ways of the world that they've lost sight of eternity which if we're honest with ourselves though it can be something that's easy to do right there are times in our walks with the Lord where we can become complacent where we can let our guards down where we're just going through the motions and the routines of everyday life but yet according to the Apostle Paul here in our text he is telling us that now is not the time to be doing that now is not the time to be letting our guards down or to be falling asleep but rather now is the time to start waking up brothers and sisters it is time to wake up because Jesus Christ is coming soon and you know often in the scriptures as it relates to the return of the Lord we are told that we're not to be sleeping but I rather commanded to be watching to the church in Thessalonica Paul said in first Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 6 he said therefore let us not sleep as others do I mean don't be like the rest of the world who's asleep who doesn't know what's going on he says don't be like them but we're to contrast let us watch and be sober and then in mark chapter 13 verse 35 Jesus said to his disciples watch therefore for you do not know when the master of the house is coming in the evening at midnight at the crowing of the rooster or in the morning les coming coming coming suddenly he find you sleeping and then he said this and what I say to you I say to all watch and when Jesus tell us to watch it's not a suggestion it's actually a command in Scripture and for you Bible students and note takers that word watch it means to keep awake or to be on the alert or even to be vigilant and so as believers we are to live with the constant expectation of the Lord's return knowing that he could come back for us at any time we are commanded to be watching to be awake and to know the time but now the question begs I mean why should we be doing either one of those things right I mean what's the importance of us watching or what's the importance of us knowing the time well I'm glad yes because Paul actually gives us the answer and notice what he goes on to say he says for now and now meaning not later right for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed amen that's why we ought to be knowing the time because our salvation is now nearer than when we first believed again every single day we are getting closer and closer to the Lord return to the raft of the church when the Lord is going to take us out of this world and back to the father's house which he has promised to go prepare a place for us if you guys remember back in John chapter 14 and verse 2 Jesus speaking to his disciples told them I go to prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you I will come again it's a promise he says I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am where's yet heaven the father's house right he says so that where I am there you may be also and any day now the Lord is going to sound that trumpet and as the scripture says beginning with the dead in Christ they are going to rise first and I like what I heard one person say he said that the reason why the dead in Christ rise first is because there's six feet under the ground so they need a head start of course that's not the proper interpretation but nevertheless the Bible says that the dead in Christ are gonna rise first and then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and I always loved the last part of that verse Paul says and thus we shall always be with the Lord amen from that moment forward we are going to spend an eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ it's going to be awesome but now when Paul says that now our salvation is near than when we first believed what Paul is referring to here is the consummation of our salvation he's talking here about our glorification which is the time where you and I are going to go home to be with the Lord at the rapture and when we are going to receive new and glorified bodies and yes I said new and glorified bodies you know on that day we are gonna receive bodies that are now suited for heaven but listen closely it's also going to be the time where sin is going to be totally done away with amen we are going to be finally freed from the presence of sin and I don't know about you guys but I am sure looking forward to that day where I don't have to battle with my sinful nature anymore right because just like everyone it is a constant struggle and I constantly have to say no to my flesh and yes of the Spirit I almost seems like in a minute-to-minute basis but yet on that day sin is going to be a thing of the past and that's because of the hope that we have in Jesus Christ but again knowing that that day is quickly approaching us Paul here is inviting the church to wake up out of their sleep to wake up out of their spiritual slumber and a question that we can ask ourselves this morning as we look at what Paul is saying here to the Romans is are we like those that Paul is describing are we asleep have we fallen asleep at the wheel of our Christian walk have we become spiritually apathetic to the times in which we're living in or are we awake and are we looking forward to the return of Jesus Christ and does our life reflect that you see because knowing that the Lord could come back for us at any moment that reality should have an impact on our lives and even to the point where it's fact the way that we spend the rest of our time here on this earth because if you guys remember it was the Apostle John in first John 3:3 who said and everyone who has this hope in him and in the context it's the hope of the Lord's return he says everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure in other words if we honestly believed that Jesus could come back even today it should have this purifying effect in her lives and even to the point where you and I are gonna take the necessary steps towards purifying ourselves towards living a holy life before the Lord again saying yes to the Lord yes to the spirit and note to the flesh does that make sense and now look at what he goes on to say in verse 12 he says the night is far spent and the day is at hand and the night that Paul's referring to here is the night of human darkness he's talking about this present evil age in which you and I are currently a part of which has also been called man's day and that's because it's full of sin and rebellion and where Satan is currently having his way in this world I mean right now he's having a heyday with the world but the Bible also tells us that Satan is the god of this age and the reason why it says that is because he's the one who's influencing this world not for good but rather for evil and you know we are seeing that manifested on a daily basis everywhere from the schools to the government to Congress it's everywhere but then on the other hand when Paul says that the day is at hand the day that Paul's referring to is the return of Jesus Christ and his rule and reign upon this earth where he's going to set up his kingdom for a thousand years during the Millennium but it's also going to be the time where you and I come back with Jesus at his second coming and reign with him during that thousand year period of time and we are told in Revelation I think it's chapter 20 that we are going to be priests of God and of Christ during that time and I'm sure looking forward to that but now concerning this verse I like what one commentator mentioned he made this statement the night time of world history which is referring to this present time the night time of world history will soon give way to the daylight of Christ's glorious Kingdom and I like that you know that day is coming the kingdom age is coming where our Lord Jesus Christ is going to rule over all the nations of this world and we are told that during the Millennium it's going to be a time of true peace on this earth and not like the peace at this world so often seems to offer right which is usually a false peace and one that short-lived but during the Millennium it's going to be a time of true peace on this earth and that's because the Prince of Peace Jesus Christ is going to be the one sitting on the throne amen and so you know what that also tells me no more corrupt government man's day is coming to an end again Paul says the night is far spent the day is at hand but now realizing that there's not much time left in this age Paul goes on to say in verse 12 therefore which is a word of application knowing that time is running out he says therefore let us believers cast off the work of darkness and let us put on the armor of light now Paul's gonna use that phrase let us three different times here in these verses to describe what believers ought to be doing in light of the return of Jesus Christ and by the way all of these actions are all conscious decisions which you and I have to make on our own which simply means that this is something I can't do for you and likewise this is something you can do for me so there's effort on our part but the first thing that Paul says that we as believers ought to be doing is casting off the works of darkness and the works of darkness here they speak about all of our sinful habits you know it's those things that we like to do when no one else is watching it's the secret things that we don't want anyone else to know about or even get caught doing unless we be exposed for those things and when Paul says that we're to cast those things off the picture here is of a man taken off his filthy garments and just tripping them to the ground you know just like after a long day at work we're ready to go home and hit the showers right take off those dirty clothes because they're sweaty and they stink some more than others but the same thing is true about sin you know sin when it comes down to it it stinks and it breaks our fellowship with God and that's why Paul is exhorting us to cast off the works of darkness knowing that Jesus Christ could come back for us at any time we don't want to return back to our old way of living we don't want to get caught living a sinful lifestyle amen but then in contrast to casting off the works of darkness Paul goes on to say that we as believers are to also put on the armor of light and the reason why we're to put on the armor of light is because we are in a spiritual battle how many of you believe that right we are in a war and Paul made that clear when writing to the church in Ephesus in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12 Paul said to the church there for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood in other words our battles not against human opponents he says but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this age against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places you see our battle is not with fellow human beings our battles not with the Democrats or with the Liberals are even with those who promote socialism though it so often seems that way but rather what Paul is telling us here is that our battle is against all of these demonic forces who so often work through human instruments and because we are as Christians in a spiritual battle Paul is telling us we need to be putting on our armor you see armor is made for warfare and the purpose of putting armor on is to protect us to protect us from the attacks of the enemy and as many of you already know the moment that you and I said yes to Jesus the moment that we chose to place our faith in trust in Jesus Christ we made an enemy the devil right Satan and he seeks our demise every single day the Bible tells us that our adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour and just like a vicious line is ready to attack its prey well so too is Satan always looking to attack us he's always looking to deceive us to tempt us to discourage us and to even drag us out of fellowship with God and not to compliment him but he's very good at what he does he's been doing this for thousands of thousands of years but again Paul's point here is that we are in a spiritual battle so the church in Ephesus Paul also said in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 11 put on the whole armour of God and then he tells us why so that you may be able to stand against the wiles or the methods of the devil you see the devil has different methods or tactics of trying to take you and me down and if one method or tactic doesn't work you better believe he's gonna use a different you know he has many weapons in his arsenal and if he can deceive you by the lust of the eyes he'll get you with the lust of the flesh and if those don't work on you he'll use the pride of life and it's for that reason why Paul is telling us that we need to be putting on the armor of light or as another translation puts it put on the shining armor of right living which is really the idea here as believers we want to be living holy lives in these last days as we wait for the Lord's return amen and so not only we told to cast something off but we're also told to put something on and remember the incentive is that all of these things are to be done in light of the soon return of Jesus Christ and so the question I asked you this morning is what kind of clothes do you want to be wearing when Jesus comes back do you want to be wearing clothes of darkness or clothes of light do you want to be caught up living a sinful lifestyle like the rest of the world or do you want to be caught up living a holy life when he returns again it's a daily decision that we have to make but now Paul's gonna tell us the third thing that we ought to be doing in verse 13 he says let us walk properly as in the day and if you've been noticing the progression here so far Paul has told us three things that we ought to be doing he says we're to cast off put on and walk we're to cast off the works of darkness were to put on the armor of light and now he says were to walk and that is a perfect picture of sanctification you know every single day as believers we are becoming more and more like our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ the more time that we spend with him in prayer the more time that we spend studying his word God is conforming us into the image of his son which is actually his will for your life and for mine but nevertheless the third thing that we see here that we ought to be doing Paul says is walking properly and to walk properly means to live our lives in such a way that is pleasing to God and it's actually describing an outward lifestyle that's consistent with our inner nature in Christ and so essentially what Paul is saying here is that we shouldn't be walking like the rest of the world who's living in darkness who again is more focused on the here and now rather than attorney says don't be like them but now in the second half of this verse Paul is now going to list a number of specific sins which describe these works of darkness which listen closely which believers are not to be engaging in and there's actually three pairs of these sins and I'll go as quickly as possible through them here's the first bear he says not in revelry and drunkenness and that word revelry is a word that came to describe all types of wild partying it also includes sexual orgies and even writing but the picture here is of drunken people who are partying out in the streets late at night while engaging in all kinds of immoral behavior now being a former police officer I used to see people live these exact same type of life those almost on a daily basis you know there's a certain type of person who just lives their life for the weekend and they engage in all these immoral activities and that's the kind of person that Paul is describing here in our text but I want to remind you that Paul here is not talking to the world right he's not talking to unbelievers he's talking here to the church and so the application is if you are caught up in this type of lifestyle that Paul's describing you need to repent of it because Jesus Christ is coming soon you need to cast off that work of darkness but then the second sin he says where to cast off is drunkenness which is pretty self-explanatory it's describing those who are given over to habitual intoxication and you know we're also told in other places the scripture that those who continue in that type of lifestyle will not inherit the kingdom of God right and Paul went so far as to say don't be deceived by it but then the second person he says where to cast off is lewdness and lust and that word lewdness which is also translated as chambering if you have a King James Version of the Bible because it's actually an old English word because the chamber was the bed or the bedroom but the word chamber een was a was a word that refers to going to bed with someone else other than your wife but eventually this word came to describe all kinds of sexual morality outside of marriage and so again Paul is saying if you are caught up in this type of lifestyle you need to repent of it knowing that Jesus Christ is coming back at any time you don't want to get caught living that type of lifestyle amen he says cast it off and then he goes on to say that we're also to cast off lust which is describing a person who has given himself over to immorality and actually takes pride in what they're doing you know this is a person who almost takes pride in the sin that they're committing it's really the absence of restraint and then finally the third pair of sins that Paul says were to cast off his strife and envy which are both pretty self-explanatory and both of these sins really stem from pride but though Paul lists only six sins here that were to be casting off if you were to look at Galatians I believe it's chapter five or Ephesians chapter five there are other sins that we are told as Christians that were to be casting off but Paul's point here is that the reason why were to be putting these things off why were to be cast these works of darkness is because again the night is far spent and the day is at hand Jesus Christ is coming back very soon and we want to be living holy lives when he returns and now finally look at verse 14 and we'll end here Paul says in verse 14 but which is the word of contrast as opposed to casting off these works of darkness he says but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts and so rather than engaging in the works of darkness getting caught up in our old sinful habits or returning back to our old ways of living Paul says we need to be putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and you might be thinking well what does that mean right what is Paul saying here well as believers you and I need to be clothing ourselves with Christ with his character with his attributes with his attitude and not only that but we need to be taking Jesus everywhere we go not just here at church but also in our homes and in the workplaces everywhere the Lord has us but then secondly Paul also says and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts and that word provision it's an interesting word in the Greek it simply means to give forethought or to plan ahead to do something and in the context it's to give forethought or to plan ahead to gratify in your flesh gratify your old sinful nature and essentially what Paul is telling us here though is you need to cut the supply line to your flesh and don't gratify the old sinful nature because as you guys know the more we feed the old man the easier it becomes right but we are new creations in Jesus Christ so we shouldn't be doing it he says cast that off but to make it more practical if you know that by going to a certain place is going to cause you to sin then don't go there amen or if you know that by watching a certain TV program or something on the internet it's going to cause you to develop lustful thoughts then don't watch it because really what Paul has been trying to tell here in a nutshell is that we shouldn't be using the remainder of our time to live carelessly but rather to live carefully as we wait for the Lord's return and again when you look at everything that's going on in the world today again from these shootings to these earthquakes to these wars that are taking place you know it's abundantly clear that the Lord is coming back very soon yes nobody knows the day nor the hour of his return but I believe that we are living in the season of the soon return of Jesus Christ and as Jesus told us when we start to see these things look up because their Redemption draws near amen and so the question I want to leave with everyone this morning is are you ready if the Lord were to sound the trumpet today will you be ready and that's a question only you and the Lord know I can't answer for you but if you are here today and you don't know the answer to that question I want to give you guys an opportunity as we have the worship team come up and as we close in prayer amen father we thank you first and foremost for the Word of God Lord and the power it has Lord to transform even the worst of sinners Lord and we pray right now in the name of Jesus Lord that if there's anyone here who doesn't know you as Lord and Savior that today would be the day of salvation for them that they would call upon your name and be saved Lord and I pray Lord that they would not heart in their heart as in the day of rebellion God would you draw them to yourself Lord and for the rest of my brothers and sisters Lord I pray God that you would help us to live lives that are well pleasing in your sight help us to continue to look forward to the Blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ so Lord would you have your way with us Lord we thank you for your faithfulness Lord and we look forward to seeing you again Lord we ask this in Jesus name Amen

Channel: Calvary Chapel Reno-Sparks

Views: 1,636

Rating: 4.8095236 out of 5

Keywords: The Bible, Romans 13, Calvary Chapel Reno-Sparks, Pastor Andrew Morales

Id: r1afQDWCzkI

Length: 37min 27sec (2247 seconds)

Published: Sat Aug 24 2019