Awake, Sleeper! Pt 2

Once again to Romans chapter
13 Romans chapter 13. Where we have just really had
not much more than an introduction last Lord’s Day in preparation
for the Lord’s table. Paul here in this passage recognizing
the critical hour in which he stood and really wanted to. remind and even educate the Roman
Church on the critical hour in which they stood. Paul was not
under any kind of misperception or delusional thought that the
gospel opportunity that he currently enjoyed would continue indefinitely. He knew that eventually it would
come to a close. It would in time be hindered.
It would be thwarted by men and even the devil himself. Paul
knew that he wasn’t he wasn’t blind to that fact. And he really
here as many places is really just trying to milk that gospel
opportunity for all that it’s worth and seize hold of every
opportunity without fail. Paul knew that the window was
always closing. And so Paul in this section beginning
In verse 11 through 14 Paul is really pointing us to the urgency
of of all of us getting on and pressing on with the business
of being a Christian. We can’t sit idly by we can’t
put ourselves as it were on the river and float meander through
life and have any kind of effectiveness. And Paul wants to provide a motivation
for that. Paul wants us to know the hour,
and know the time, and know the brevity of it, and to seize hold
of it because of that. If you would, read with me, beginning
in verse 11-14, where Paul writes, 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.
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. Let us behave properly as in
the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity
and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy, but put on the
Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard
to its lusts. Paul had been telling the saints
what was expected of them. Paul had told the saints all
the way back beginning in chapter 12, verse 9. Paul had used this
great section that we’ve entitled Life with Others to talk about
everybody from Christians to those who persecute you From
your bosses, as it were, to the downtrodden, to the civil government,
Paul had talked about literally every class of people, every
kind of person that could ever come across. And what is the
Christians response to that? How is the Christian to live
with civil government? How is the Christian to live
with those who are less than positive about his Christianity?
How is the Christian to live with other Christians? And perhaps
the only thing that is lacking in that whole section is what
Paul provides here. The motivation for that. Why is this so important, Paul?
Why is it so important that my love towards my brothers and
sisters in Christ be unhypocritical? Why is it so important that I
bear patiently with those who persecute me? Well, Paul provides
that motivation, and the honest truth is we need it too, don’t
we? I got another dose of motivation while I was at the conference. It came by way of an email. Most
of you here in town probably read about it. Local news, young
man riding his bike, went off the trail, happened to hit a
culvert, flipped over the end of his bike, hit his head on
the concrete and ended up face to face in the water and drowned. What you don’t know is that this
was one of my coaches two years ago. I knew Ryan. Neither of us would suggest that
we were best friends, but you walk together with people in
this life and there is no promise of tomorrow. And the first thing
that Paul wants to provide us is essentially a wake up call.
We’ve entitled this section for urgencies prompted by the hour
at hand. We began to look at the first
last week the hour at hand first of all motivates our very duty
to others. That’s essentially the purpose
of the entire section. But it’s absolutely the purpose
of that opening section in verse 11. Look at verse 11 if you would. This do knowing the time, what
is this? As I’ve already pointed, this
points to everything back beginning at least in verse nine and coursing
through. It’s a motive for the Christian
life, for the standards that are given to us so clearly. As
one referred to it, it’s an incentive to moral earnestness. We know
what we’re supposed to do, and now we begin to know why we’re
supposed to do it. Given the knowledge that we have
of the brevity of time, both with regards to the eventual
return of Christ, but even more personally, we don’t know. We
don’t know how much time we have. We are to use that as a motivation
all the more to fill up those obligations that we have to others,
fill up the obligations that we have to our brothers and sisters
in Christ. Fill up the obligation that we
have to civil government. Fill up the obligations that
we have to those who are less than positive about our Christianity.
And he uses a simple device. I suggested last week. It’s an
alarm clock. It’s an alarm clock that didn’t
go off. And we all know that feeling. And Paul basically says,
look, your clock didn’t go off. You’re already behind. You’re
late. Look at the passage this do knowing the time that it’s
already the hour for you to awaken from sleep. You’re behind already.
There’s no time for casual preparation, taking your time, thinking about
something that you’ll get to in the future. When he uses the
word sleep, he points to just kind of that spiritual sloth
and forgetfulness of what one referred to as moral inattention. And that’s essentially where
we left off last week. It’s time. Get up. We’re called
to wake up. For what? Last week, as you know, I used
that alarm clock illustration. I want to use another illustration
to point to the what. This time, the alarm clock does
go off. And we’ve all had those moments,
too. The alarm clock does go off, but when it goes off, you’re
in this bleary-eyed daze, this stupor, and you have no idea
why the alarm clock even went off. You don’t even know what
day it is, much less what it is you’re being called to. And
essentially, that’s the device that Paul uses in pointing to
this great reminder that we all need. Look at verse 11 one more
time. This do, knowing the time that
it’s already the hour for you to awaken from sleep. For now,
salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. And you say,
oh, wait a minute, Pastor. I was saved at Bible camp in
1989, and I have assurance because Brother so-and-so gave it to
me, right? Well. Why then would Paul say here,
why does he Essentially, throw us this curveball with the suggestion
that salvation is somehow now future, but it’s down the road
that we still have to lay hold of it. Luke 2128 says when these things
begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your head because
redemption draws near. And yet we sing. I have been redeemed by the blood
of the Lamb. We sing redeemed and so happy
in Jesus. We sing that. Are we just presuming
upon God? See the scriptures, they use
this word salvation, saved, even the word that we just looked
at, redeemed. They use these words in a variety of different
senses. And it isn’t always the scriptures
aren’t always consistent on the fact of whether it’s the present
situation in which they find themselves or or some past experience
that they’ve had or some future truth to which they’re going
to lay hold. Consider just a few. Ephesians
2 8 salvation. is spoken of here is something
that’s already happened and been handled. We’ve placed our faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. I was saved. That’s exactly what
Ephesians 2 8 points to. For by the grace, pardon me,
for by grace, you have been saved through faith and that not of
yourselves. It is the gift of God. What a
glorious truth. We have been saved. It’s true. But it’s also used in a very
present sense that we are in the process of being saved. First
Corinthians 118, the word of the cross is foolishness to those
who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the
power of God. We’re in we’re in the pipeline.
We’re in process. And so there’s a sense in which
we have already been saved. And there’s also this equal sense
in which we’re in the process of being saved. And there’s still
another sense. that it’s this future reality
to which we are one day to realize first Corinthians 5 9. And I’ve got the wrong reference
so just go with the one that we have. Where Paul says salvation is
nearer to us than when we believe it is in a sense a future element. And the scriptures are clear
as one pastor said believers are considered as saved from
the moment that they become partakers of a divine life. When you were
at camp. Absolutely. When you place your
faith regardless of the circumstances and situations when you place
your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ it is it is entirely accurate
to say you were saved. Glorious truth. But it’s also true to say that
in a very real way, we won’t realize that we won’t fully grasp
that we won’t fully embrace the salvation that has already been
bestowed on us until we get to glory. Titus. Titus points to the same
truth, Titus 2, 11. The grace of God has appeared,
bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness
and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly
in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing
of the glory of the great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who
gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed and
to purify for himself A people for his own possession, zealous
for good deeds. We are we are saved. We are in
the process of being saved. And one day we will fully realize
that salvation. That has been. Provided for us
by God himself. So the salvation here that Paul
points to. His future in this particular
setting and Paul uses this a number of different ways. Number of
different places. Romans 5 9 earlier in this same
epistle Paul said much more than having now been justified by
his blood. We shall be saved from the wrath
of God through him. Well how long do I have to wait.
Well. There’s a sense in which we can
have full confidence that if we place our faith in Jesus Christ
even this morning that we are absolutely saved. But you won’t
know that and experience that in full until the day that you
die. One pastor. Very carefully described
this, he said, the consummation of the work of Christ and their
deliverance from this present evil world and introduction into
the purity and blessedness of heaven. That’s all it’s pointing
to. But what Paul’s pointing to in this great section is,
you know what the clock’s ticking. You’re saved. You’re actually
in the process of being saved and it will happen. Paul doesn’t
cast doubt here. It’s coming. But the very fact
that the clock is ticking and the very fact that it’s nearer
now than when you were saved means that your gospel opportunity,
your time of opportunity for faithfulness, your opportunity
to take up your own cross and proclaim Christ in your own way,
in your own sphere. That window’s closing. I have
fewer opportunities now than I did 20 years ago. I have greater
opportunities, incredible opportunities, but they’re fewer in number.
My days are shorter. I’m not promised even tomorrow. Paul said it also in. First Thessalonians
5. There, he said, 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 for God
is not destined us for rapid for obtaining salvation through
our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s in future. In view of the fact that the
Lord is returning that some of us will not be alive when the
Lord returns, should Stir us up out of sloth. It should get us out of bed.
It should get us out of our attitude that says that we can put off
whatever kind of ministry we believe God is calling us to.
We can defer that until a later date and hopefully take that
up when we have more time. Paul says that’s not the case. It’s already the hour. Salvation
is nearer now than the day that you placed your faith in Christ. It’s coming. And the time for
opportunity is fading. I told you that there were four
urgencies prompted by the hour at hand, that’s the first. The
hour at hand motivates our very duties to others. Secondly. Not only does the hour at hand
motivate our duties to others, it admonishes us to spiritual
readiness. And Paul uses in a masterful
way an image that both he and Peter use repeatedly. Look at
verse 12. The night is almost gone. The day is at hand. Let us therefore
lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Now, just the fact that you can hear some metaphors in there
points to the fact that this is Paul’s not is not talking
about daylight savings time, right? He’s not talking about
the fact that we adjusted our clocks and lo and behold, you
know, the sun sets at a different time now and rises at a different
time than what we’ve been used to. Well. Paul does use a fascinating metaphor
here, and he isn’t talking about daylight savings time, he isn’t
even talking about literal night and day anyway. That’s what he does here, the
whole section here. He begins to use these ideas
repeatedly night and day light and dark and he goes back and
forth and he bounces back between these two opposites light and
darkness. And he does this elsewhere. In
2 Corinthians 6 14 he uses the
same imagery do not be bound together. with unbelievers for
what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness or what fellowship
has light with darkness. Does it again in Ephesians chapter
five in Ephesians five you were formerly darkness. That’s it. I mean that is an
astounding thought right. John read the passage we were
dead in our transgressions. It wasn’t just that we were in
darkness. We were darkness. I shared this
last Lord’s Day. You know, from time to time,
Little Johnny gets in trouble. And and we always say that, well,
Little Johnny fell in with bad crowd. No, he didn’t. Little
Johnny was darkness. So were you and I. You were formerly
darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children
of light. Paul uses that imagery again
in first or in Colossians chapter one. Listen to this just briefly. This reason for this reason also
since the day we heard we have not ceased to pray for you and
ask that you be filled with the knowledge of his will in all
spiritual wisdom and understanding so that you will walk in a manner
worthy of the Lord to please him all in all respects bearing
fruit in every good work increasing in the knowledge of God. Strengthened
with all power according to his glorious might for the attaining
of all steadfastness and patience joyously giving thanks to the
father who has Qualified us to share in the inheritance of the
Saints in life We’re in a completely different sphere We’ve been placed We’ve been
plucked out of and the darkness shaken off of us and placed into
an entirely new sphere. It’s a sphere of light. Peter
also uses this imagery. In 1 Peter 2.9, I’ll condense
this down a little bit. But in 1st Peter 2.9, he just
says, You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,
a people for God’s own possession. Why? That you may proclaim the
excellencies of Him who called you. That’s our purpose, our
function. He tells us who we are, what
we’re to do. And then he reminds us. Why? He reminds us of where we came
from, what we were saved from. chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may
proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness
and into his marvelous light.” What he points to there is this
sphere or condition of sin. That it’s this abject, utter
darkness. It’s not just that we were bad.
It’s not just that we were sick and the imagery varies the truth,
whether Paul says that we were dead or whether we are or were
darkness. He points to the same truth.
Just points to utter deceit, sinfulness, evil itself. And he calls us to light, he
places us in the light. As one commentator said, we must
also notice what he says. That we have been called out
of darkness into God’s marvelous or wonderful light for by these
words, he amplifies the greatness of divine grace. If the Lord
had given us light while we were seeking it, it would have been
a favor that it was as much a great favor to draw us out of the labyrinth
of ignorance and into and and the abyss of darkness. points
to that great truth of God working in our lives, drawing us out,
lifting us out of darkness itself and placing us into light. I pointed to that imagery a moment
ago. Turn, if you would, for just
a moment to First Thessalonians chapter five. First Thessalonians, Chapter
five, there is essentially the same argument at work here. It echoes what Paul is saying. Here in Romans 13. They were worried, some of them, some
of them actually thought that they had missed the return of
Christ and from time to time we have these seasons where.
great groups of people will sell off their possessions. Some guy
on the radio told them that it’s going to happen. And there was
there was no little disturbance in Thessalonica and Paul wants
to calm them down. But he also wants he wants them
to have a sense of urgency. He doesn’t want want them to
return to a spirit of sloth. Look at verse four but brethren
You, brethren, are not in darkness. You don’t reside in the sphere
of darkness any longer. You don’t live that way. You
can’t live that way. You have been placed into light.
And he says you’re not in darkness that the day would overtake you
like a thief. You’re going to be caught off
guard, you’re not going to be left behind. The most absurd
thing ever. For you are all sons of light
and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness. That’s the old life. That’s the
old way. The old way was content to ride
the raft down the river and to go wherever it leads and to go
at the pace that the river goes. We’re not content. We’re not
content to just let life happen. We have an opportunity, a fleeting
opportunity to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who saved
us. And to be ready for that day, to be fully prepared for
that day, to be able to meet him and greet him without regret.
Without looking up ashamedly and seeing our Lord and immediately
hanging our head in shame because we were not ready, we did nothing.
for the sake of the kingdom, we did nothing for the sake of
our Savior. Also, as you are all sons of
light, sons of day, wake up, he says the same thing. We are
not of night nor of darkness, so then let us not sleep as others
do, but let us be alert and sober for those who sleep, do their
sleeping at night and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.
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. These. These verses essentially
point to the same thing back, if you would, to Romans. Romans
13, verse 12, Paul uses the imagery and he he dives headlong into
it. The night is almost gone. Not a bad thing, no, that’s a
great thing. And essentially, what Jesus does
frequently in the Gospels is point to the signs, the signs
and the seasons. And Paul basically points to
the same thing, and he says, you know, spiritually speaking,
you need to be able to recognize that it’s almost dawn. We’ve
all had this experience. This will have a common understanding. We’ve all we’ve all been awake
at dawn. We’ve all seen The sky just began
to lighten just a bit, very almost imperceptibly at first, and then
we know we know we see that band of light on the horizon and we
know. The dawn is coming. The Lord is going to bless us
with another day and then the sun crests the horizon and a
new day is upon us. It’s an amazing image. But Paul
says, look. The night is almost gone, the
day is at hand, it’s here. That literally speaking, he says
the night has progressed. And when the night progresses,
something happens. Dawn. A new day. Here’s how this word is used. In Luke 2.52, it’s used of the
Lord. The night has progressed. The
Lord has progressed. In a sense, yes. Luke 2.52, Jesus
kept increasing. It’s as if The world is on this
perfectly timed mechanism that keeps it rotating and the night
is progressing. And as the night progresses,
eventually it becomes day. But there are varied views of
this idea of night and day. Quirky, silly, aimless views. One said that it was referred
to the night of adversity of the Jewish persecution is that
all that Paul was saying is that, look, hold on for a little while
longer. And and the the troublesome Jewish
people in your midst, they’re going to be taken care of. Well,
that’s true anyway, but that’s not all that Paul’s pointing
to. One said that it’s the night
that designates the period before the second coming, and there
is an element of truth to this. One said that it just points
to this mortal life that he sees it as night and day and when
day dawns we all die. I don’t see that at all. One
pointed to the season of pagan ignorance that you know their
night is coming and the gospel is going forth and sooner or
later all the unsaved are going to come to know Christ. Well
we know that that isn’t true. I think what Paul is pointing
to here in his use of night and darkness throughout this section
He points to the sinful world in which we live compared with
the light of day and the glories of heaven and the newness of
life that comes with those things. He points to the fact that there
is a time. There is this season that seems
like it’s going to go on forever. That we’re waiting. For Christ
to return. Paul says it’s dawn. It’s dawn. Look up, the sun is cresting
on the horizon already. And the darkness is fleeting. He also points to the time of
sin and trial and we get discouraged, we do. It’s a natural thing that
we get overwhelmed and discouraged and and troubled at the darkness
of our day as shared with the brothers just the section on
Habakkuk. How long, O Lord? It is a time of trial, the time
of gloom and gloominess. When you think of you begin to
read in the Scriptures what heaven is like. And we’re stuck here. In this gloom and all this sin
and all this, I mean, really warped ideas. We’ve got to stir ourselves up
because it’s dawn. Turn, if you would, for a moment
to the book of Ephesians to chapter five, I alluded to the passage.
I want to spend a moment there. Another echo of this section
that we’re in starting verse seven, we’ll read Let me read
them and I just want to make a few comments. Paul says, therefore,
do not be partakers with them, don’t live like the world. That’s
exactly what he ends up saying here in Romans 13. Do not be
partakers with them, for you were formerly darkness. That’s
your old life. Used to live that way and that
much is true. Incidentally, that’s that’s why
with testimonies, I don’t care to hear about all that. I don’t
need to hear it. And you don’t need to hear it
from me. It’s enough to say, you know what? The Lord saved
me in miraculous ways. I was not a good guy. That’s
enough. I don’t need to hear all that. Tell me about Christ. Tell me
about the glory that you’ve come to know. Tell me about light.
Don’t tell me about the darkness. Therefore, do not be partakers
with them for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light
in the Lord. Walk as children of light. For
the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness
and truth, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not
participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead
even expose them for it is disgraceful to even speak of the things which
are done by them in secret. That all things become visible
when they are exposed by the light. For everything that becomes
visible is light. For this reason it says, Awake
sleeper, arise from the dead and Christ will shine upon you. Applying it somewhat differently
than what he does here in Romans 13. But he says, get up. You’re late. That darkness there
Absolutely points to ignorance, spiritual ignorance, and it leads
to sin of every sort and misery. Where it finds us to be utterly
wretched and in need of a savior. Ignorance, depravity and not
merely living in it as if we’re just passing through partial
residence, but we are thoroughly soaked and seeped in this darkness
ruin. As one pastor said, they were
darkness in itself, persons so utterly sunk in ignorance of
divine things, so wholly lost in the evils accompanying such
ignorance. That was us. Put that in your
testimony. I was darkness. We’ll know what you mean. But
now you’re a light in the Lord. And that light points to holiness. I love that. I mean, I love the
way the Lord puts our services together. I didn’t tell John
what we were doing. I didn’t. He probably he had as much opportunity
to read ahead as you and I did. But it’s holiness. It’s it’s
purity. It’s it’s the knowledge of divine
things. It’s the knowledge of God. It’s
it’s righteousness and beginning to walk in that and embrace that.
One pastor here said walk is children of light. They were
to show by their conduct that they loved light and enjoyed
light and reflected its luster. Their course of conduct ought
to prove that they had hated the previous darkness. That they
were content with no ambiguous twilight. But they live in the
actual full splendor of the sun of righteousness, hating the
secret and unfruitful deeds of darkness. Is that true of us? Because some of us, we really
there’s some of this world that we’re really drawn to, isn’t
there? We’ve got to be consistent. We’ve
got to press on. We’ve got to walk as children
of light. We’ve got to be what God’s called us to be. We’ve
got to be ready. We want to look up as Christ
bursts forth. We want to be ready. We want
to look up. Thankful for God’s grace, having been appropriated
in and through our lives and ready to embrace Him for eternity.
We don’t want to hang our heads in shame. Before you go back
to Romans, turn to Matthew chapter 25 for a great illustration on
spiritual readiness. The alarm clock’s going off.
We should be out of bed. We should already know what we’re
called to and we should eagerly embrace the dawn. Not duck under
the bed and hide and hope for an extended period of opportunity. It’s over. Look at verse one. Then the kingdom of heaven will
be compared to ten virgins. who took their lamps and went
out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and
five were prudent. For when the foolish took their
lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil
in flasks along with their lamps. Now, while the bridegroom was
delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. How interesting! But at midnight there was a shout,
Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him! Then all
those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said
to the prudent, give us some of your oil for our lamps are
going out. But the prudent answered, no,
there will not be enough for us and you to go instead to the
dealers and buy some for yourselves. And while they were going away
to make the purchase, the bridegroom came and those who were ready
went in with him to the wedding feast and the door. was shut. Later, the other virgins also
came saying, Lord, Lord, open for us. But He said, He answered
truly, I say to you, I do not know you. Be on the alert then. For you do not know the day nor
the hour. Back to Romans 13 if you would.
Paul says, look, Look at the example of Jesus
himself. He said that that day is going
to come like a thief in the night. Set your clocks, be ready, get
up and be about what God has called you to. The night, that
image of murky gloom. It’s coming to an end. Revelation 225 says there will
no longer be any night. They will not have need of the
light of a lamp, nor the light of the sun, because the Lord
God will illumine them and they will reign forever and ever.
That day is coming. And it’s closer now than when
you placed your faith in Jesus Christ. Look at Paul’s conclusion. There, still in verse 12, the
night is almost gone. The day is at hand. Let us, therefore,
he draws a conclusion, he says, let’s look at the data, let’s
look at the facts. And let’s determine what we’re
going to do with it. Let us, therefore, lay aside the deeds
of darkness and put on the armor of light. What he uses a familiar
illustration again, doesn’t he? He contrasts the life of ungodliness,
the life of sin with a new kind of life, a new and glorious kind
of life, a life with Christ and a life lived for Christ. The
deeds of darkness are deeds that characterize our life outside
of Christ, moral darkness, sin. One said it this way. Darkness
is the natural habit of evil. Works of darkness are wicked
works, and they are to be decisively put off by the believer. Can’t
live like that any longer. Listen to the testimony of Scripture,
John 319. This thing is so replete throughout
Scripture. Watch this. John 319. This is the judgment that light
is coming to the world and men love the darkness rather than
light for their deeds were evil. Is that how we want to live?
Acts 26 8. God has come Christ telling there
in verse 18 to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness
to light and from the dominion of Satan to God so that they
might receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among
those who have been sanctified by faith in me. That doesn’t
sound like something that we want to do do we don’t want to
be in Satan’s employ under his bondage. We don’t want to live
in darkness any longer or walk in that. We are sons of light.
Second Corinthians Paul uses it there as well. Do not be bound
together with unbelievers. What partnership have righteousness
and lawlessness? What fellowship has light with
darkness? And people, I’m telling you,
that is not just about marriage. You hear it all the time. Oh,
don’t be unequally yoked. Well, that’s true. Don’t be in
business together either. There are some things you can’t
avoid being in in. Somebody else’s employee who
doesn’t know the Lord Jesus Christ, that’s not forbidden. But how
can you find yourselves to somebody who does not even come close
to holding the same standards that you have in the world of
commerce, in the world of business? Don’t take a business partner
who doesn’t know Christ. Don’t take a marriage partner
who doesn’t know Christ. Just as he said in Ephesians
5, don’t participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead
even expose them. How are you going to do that
with your business partner? How are you going to do that
with your wife? There’s this image in Scripture,
this this idea of putting off and putting on, and he uses it
again here. Take off those clothes. Get rid of them. Burn them. Don’t
ever, don’t keep them in the back of the closet like that
shirt that hasn’t fit you for 20 years. Get rid of them. Burn it. Lay aside the deeds of darkness.
Take off that clothes, those clothes, never to put them on
again. And notice what he says, put
on the armor of light. What a powerful image. He says that you should look
differently, you should function differently, you should wear
different clothes. But the first thing we’re called
to do. Is not try on some new clothes were called to repentance
in the old were called to step out of darkness by God’s grace
and into the glorious light of the Savior. We’ll consider in detail. Those
clothes of light, which Paul calls armor, an image also that
is familiar and frequent in Paul. This idea of donning a new kind
of clothes and it’s clothes that it’s going to equip us, equip
us for a specific purpose. The purpose is battle. If you’re a saint. If you’re a follower of the Lord
Jesus Christ, if you have placed your faith in Him, you just joined
the army. You just got drafted. And you’re
going to war. And the war is going to be brutal.
The war is going to produce casualties. The war is going to expose that
some people are not ready. We’re not ready. Unless you’re
armored up. Unless you’re prepared. Unless
you put on the armor of life. We’ll take it up there next Lord’s
Day. And we pray. Our gracious God. Oh, Father,
we have begun to see. That our alarm clock has not
gone off in vain. We’ve been wakened perhaps out
of casualness, perhaps out of indifference, perhaps out of
wishfulness that we’re so busy and perhaps this ministry calling
that we sense can wait for another day. Lord God, we see. We see the color of the sky changing.
We know that. We’re not promised tomorrow,
We know that we’re called to awaken from our slumber about
the Lord’s business. Having been taken and rescued
out of the dark. The life of sin placed into the
glorious service of our Lord Jesus Christ. How can we sit? How can we not be busy? How can
we not serve him? Grant us the grace. And if there are any here who
do not know the Savior that so many of us have come to know.
It is a moment of faith. It is something that we lay hold
of in an instant. And our faith is placed in the
Lord Jesus Christ as the only one who can save. Not our good things, not our
good deeds, not our faithfulness in church. It’s Jesus Christ
and our faith in Him only that translates us out of the darkness
and into the light. What a glorious privilege. It’s
in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.