Calvary Road Baptist Church

“HIGH TIME”

Romans 13.11-14 

Imagine yourself to be the oldest of four kids. It’s a Saturday, and mom and dad have been gone most of the day. You’ve been out mowing several lawns in the neighborhood, or babysitting, scraping together a little spending money for summer camp, that’s just a few weeks away.

As you left the house this morning, at the same time mom and dad left, you distinctly heard mom and dad giving directions to the other three kids, assigning them chores that were to be done before your folks returned. But, since you were going to be out most of the day working, you paid little attention and went on your way. But now, late in the afternoon, you step through the front door, and what do you see? You see your brothers playing computer games, breakfast dishes visible in the kitchen from where you stand, the vacuum cleaner out but obviously not used, and still unfolded clothes and towels barely visible on the bed in the front bedroom.

Stepping over into the hallway, you look through the door of your sister’s bedroom and see that it’s a royal mess, with dolls everywhere, with toys everywhere, with the bed unmade, and your sister is still in her pajamas from this morning. She never got dressed, all day long! Can you imagine such a scene as that? Some of you parents probably saw such a scene as that yesterday. Let me ask you a question. If you were an older brother or sister and you walked into that kind of situation, what would you do? What would you say?

It kinda depends on what kind of older brother or sister you are, doesn’t it? If you’re not a very good older brother or sister, you go straight to your room and close the door, hoping the little kids’ crying doesn’t disturb you too much when mom and dad get home and light into them. Or you turn around and walk back out the door, staying away until after your parents have waded into the little tykes.

But that’s an older brother or sister who doesn’t care, who feels no burden of responsibility to watch over or guide younger brothers or sisters. If you are an older brother or sister who cares, who’s responsible, who loves those messy little urchins, you’ll not just leave them as they are to get in trouble. What you’ll do is this. “Hey, you guys. What in the world do you think you’re doing? Don’t you know that mom and dad can come back at any time? I don’t know for sure when they’ll get here, but you’d better get off your duffs and get your work done before they get home. Let’s get up and get to it right now!” And then you start giving explicit instructions for getting the work done quickly and efficiently. That’s the kind of alarm that will be raised, and that’s the kind of exhortation that will be sounded out by an older brother or sister who cares, who’s concerned, who wants mom and dad to be obeyed, and who wants his brothers and sisters to learn to obey.

That’s the kind of older brother in Christ the Apostle Paul was. He observed the Christians in Rome from afar, through testimonies and eyewitness reports from Christians traveling back and forth. And he laid a solid doctrinal foundation for them, making sure they knew the basis for their relationship with God in Jesus Christ. And he informed them of their responsibilities toward God, toward Church members, toward Christians in general, toward government, and everyone, really. Now he raises the volume a little bit to get everybody excited, and to let them know that since they don’t know when the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back, and they’ve been goofing off for a while, it’s about time they got after it and did what they were supposed to do.

Romans 13.11-14 is our text for today. And in our text, we see that the coming of the Lord is supposed to motivate Christians to do right. But does the coming of the Lord motivate you to do right? Let’s see: 

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

12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. 

In this passage, Paul tells us what we already know, which is nothing new or particularly profound, and then he tells us what to do about what we already know: 

WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW 

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

12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 

When you distill it down, there are two things that we already know about that Paul reminds us of in these two verses:

First, we know about the day. Recognizing that Paul’s reference to the day has nothing to do with what day of the week it is, we see that he is referring to a period, a season. As we make our way through this passage, we see that what Paul is referring to is the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. What do we know about the day of Christ’s coming? We know a great deal, but there are two things in particular that Paul is concerned about:

First, we know that whenever the Lord Jesus Christ does come, His coming now is sooner than it was before: 

“For now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” 

Does this sound particularly profound? No. But it needs to be said, nevertheless. Many people think logically backward when they contemplate the coming of the Lord, the reverse of chronological sequence. Their thinking actually goes something like this: If it hasn’t been very long that they’ve been waiting, they think His coming is very soon. But if they’ve been waiting for what they consider a long period, they act like His coming is a long way in the future. Think about that. Whenever the Lord’s appointed time of coming is, doesn’t it make sense that the longer you’ve waited for Jesus Christ to come again, the sooner His coming will be than when you first started waiting for Him? Of course. But most people, while they may think that they think like that, actually think and behave oppositely. What we know is this: The Lord’s coming is closer at hand than it was. The Second Coming is one day sooner than it was yesterday. To deny that is insanity.

Second, we know that the night is almost gone: 

“The night is far spent, the day is at hand.” 

Paul is using the concept of night and day about larger issues than just twelve hours of darkness and twelve hours of light. If you recognize that Paul is drawing a parallel between our salvation being nearer and the day is at hand, then the idea of night and day is being likened to two eras, two epochs of human history. Let me explain.

When Paul refers to salvation here, he is not referring to that event when you trusted Christ as your savior, for at that time, your soul was saved. You see, you have not yet received your new glorified body. Nor have you yet received deliverance from the presence of sin. Salvation, as Paul uses the term in this passage, refers to that time when the Lord Jesus Christ will do to us what yet needs to be done to prepare us fully for heaven, take us out of this old sinful world and giving us a brand new body, suited for eternity in heaven.

That understood we are still living, in a way, in that era of human spiritual darkness that began when Adam sinned against God. And even though Jesus Christ has come and died on the cross for the sins of mankind, the breaking of the dawn of a new day has not yet occurred, except in the lives of individual Christians. But the dawning of that great and glorious day will occur when Jesus Christ comes in clouds of great glory. When understood against the backdrop of 6,000 years of sinful human history, the night is far spent, the day is at hand, and our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

Now that we have seen Paul’s comments about the day that is approaching, what are we told about our duty? Three things:

First, “That now it is high time to wake out of sleep.” Folks, you need to wake up. You need to realize, because the Lord Jesus Christ’s coming is now closer at hand than when you were first saved, and because the night is almost over and the day is about to dawn, it is high time you became spiritually aroused. Stop dozing. Stop strolling through the garden smelling the roses. There are urgent matters to attend to.

Second, “Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness.” If darkness refers to this era in which we live, and the lifestyle and mode of living that characterize this era in which we live, then Paul is calling upon you and me to live differently than everyone else. 

Third, “Let us put on the armor of light.” Understanding that “armor” doesn’t necessarily refer to protective defensive body armor, like a flack jacket, we see that the Greek word for armor referred to offensive weaponry by the Greeks.[1] In the military, armor is tanks, and the armory is where the weapons are stored. Thus, Paul is urging us, once we wake up, and once we stop doing wrong, to take up our offensive weaponry and get ready to do battle. And what happens when the Christian wakes up, casts off the works of darkness, and puts on the armor of light in a spiritually dark world? We’ll stick out like sore thumbs. We’ll shine. We’ll be easy for everyone to see. Do you see part of what Paul is after? Christian, you’re not supposed to blend in with your surroundings. You are not supposed to be a chameleon. You are supposed to be as different from lost people and this lost world as a fourth of July sparkler in a dark room is different from everything else in the room, which gives off no light. So, knowing what you know about the day approaching, know also that you are to wake up, clean up, and suit up. You already know that you are to wake up, get rid of the ungodly lifestyle, and start living like a Christian. 

WAS THERE ANYTHING NEW IN VERSES 11 AND 12? NO. PAUL REVIEWED WHAT THE ROMANS ALREADY KNEW AND WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THE DAY AND ABOUT OUR DUTY AS CHRISTIANS. IN VERSES 13 AND 14 HE TELLS US WHAT WE ARE TO DO IN LIGHT OF WHAT WE KNOW. 

And he describes what the Christian is to do in two ways:

First, by describing our conduct, verse 13: 

“Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.” 

What Paul does in this verse is somewhat different than his pattern previously. Instead of commanding his readers, here, Paul urges his readers; he pleads with his readers to live in a manner consistent with our holy calling and profession.

First, there is behavior that is exhorted: 

“Let us walk honestly, as in the day” 

This is amazing. Here we are, people who live in a period of human history that is best described as dark. People are spiritually blind. Their perceptions of spiritual truths are darkened, and they cannot see spiritual reality. Yet Paul urges us to live our lives because we and only we can live our lives, as if it were day. Christian, this shows us that we can live above the circumstances. This shows that we can live by faith. This shows that even in a darkened world you can use the Bible, which is a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path.[2] So, you can move around as if it is spiritual daytime, even though it is just about spiritual midnight. What does he mean by the word “honestly”? He means that we can live our lives openly and without deceit.[3] You are not sneaks. You are not liars. You are not cheats. And you do not have to resort to the methods and the ways of the world to get by.

Seeing what Paul urges his readers to do, what does Paul want us to stop doing? What is inconsistent with the Christian life? What needs to go? What needs to stop? Six things are mentioned specifically by Paul as sins that must be stopped if the Christian is going to do right in preparation for the coming of the Lord:

First, stop the rioting. Rioting has to do with carousing. Christian, there should be no one who names the name of Christ who runs around, bouncing from one party to another, from one adventure to another, from one amusement to another. That is not the Christian lifestyle. Christians have important things to do instead of occupying their time with foolishness and constant amusement.

Second, stop drunkenness. Drunkenness is a sin. It’s a sin that God commands Christians to depart from. It is not a disease. It should not be referred to as alcoholism. There is no such thing as the disease of alcoholism. There is the sin of drunkenness, and Christians must not get drunk ... ever.

Third, stop chambering. This word has the idea of roving from one chamber to another, from one bed to another. The precise Greek word is the word that we get our English word for the sex act, koá½·th. Christian, though it is possible for a believer to commit fornication, though it is possible for a believer to commit adultery, it is likely that those who do are not Christians, but are actually lost, First Corinthians 6.9-10. So stop.

Fourth, stop wantonness. Being wanton is being morally dirty. This is the person who likes dirty jokes. This is the person who reads the filth on the nasty web sites, who fills his mind with the slop that is all over the Internet. Being wanton is the person who likes to wallow in the moral filth of others. Clean it up, Christian. Dump the dirty cable, the dirty magazines, the pornography, the romance novels, the gossip rags. And what should you do instead? Get a life of your own. Quit living the sins of others.

Fifth, stop the strife. Know what this is? This is arguing. This is the contention. This is the bickering. This is the fussing. Proverbs teaches us that “Only by pride cometh contention,” so we know that at the bottom of strife is pride. God has called us to peace. So, if you are going to contend, contend for the faith, don’t strive with people.

Finally, stop the envying. Do you know what this really is? This is the competitive spirit that always wants to go the other person one up. “Anything you can do I can do better.” God’s way is for you to do your best and be happy with it, not to do your best but be miserable because the other guy did better that time. Just do your best.

Remember, Paul is contrasting spiritual conduct with the conduct characteristic of this spiritually darkened world. That being so, what he is telling us in so many words, is that Christians can commit these sins, but they really are sins that are typical only of unsaved people. Our behavior should be different. And if your behavior includes one of these six sins, you might very well be lost, and you need to be saved.

What is a Christian to do? Paul answered that question by describing our conduct in verse 13. In verse 14, he describes our clothing: 

“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” 

Understand that Paul is saying, in verse 14, essentially the same thing he said in verse 13, but using more picturesque language. He does this so we will understand the principle involved and not get caught on the specifics. It would be a terrible thing for some person to think, “Well, he didn’t say I shouldn’t use drugs, so I guess that’s okay.” In verse 14, we not only have the principle for present living, but also one that applies to future conduct.

Notice the picture Paul gives to us to emulate: 

“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

Paul uses a word here, ἐndá½»w, that he used in verse 12. There he urged readers to “put on the armour of light.” Here he urges his readers to be clothed with the Lord Jesus Christ. Not meaning to be disrespectful to the Lord Jesus at all, Paul is picturing a Christian’s identification with the Lord Jesus Christ that is so complete to live the way He would live, act like He would act, respond as He would respond if He were living your life for you because you are supposed to let Him live your life for you. Amen?

Next, notice the provision to avoid: 

“And make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” 

Again, we have a contrast between what we should do and what we should not do, between what’s right to do and what’s wrong to do. This instruction from Paul shows tremendous insight into the way you and I really think.

Hear tell of the town drunk who was saved at a Billy Sunday revival long, long ago? He did fine for a while and then fell back into drunkenness. Know what he did wrong? He made the mistake of tying his horse up at the same hitching post he habitually used before he was saved, right in front of the saloon. Then, one day, he couldn’t resist the temptation and walked into the saloon instead of passing by. Tragic? Yes. Because it might have been avoided had he not made provision for the flesh by parking so close to the saloon.

Have a problem with a roving eye? What man doesn’t have to deal with that to some degree? Then stay away from the beach, bud. Have a problem with bad music? Then don’t save that radio station on your car radio. Have you had a problem stealing in the past? Then turn down the job offer to be a cashier at a store. Are you a glutton? Then, for heaven’s sake, don't work at a Mrs. Field’s Cookie Shop. That’s making provision for the flesh. It’s your old, deceitful heart planning to do wrong in the future as soon as you weaken for a bit. 

We know about the day, and we have been told about our duty. Our salvation, which is to say our deliverance from the presence of sin, is drawing closer to us with the dawning of each new day. The Lord’s coming is getting closer and closer.

Is it soon? The Bible doesn’t say whether or not it’s soon, but it does say it’s sooner than it was. So, we should wake up, clean up our lives, and put on the armor of light. And when you’ve done this, you are prepared to do your duty as a Christian. And how do you do your duty? Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Toward God, toward your Church, toward other Christians, toward others in general, toward government, toward being in debt in any way other than the debt to love your fellow man, do what the Lord Jesus Christ wants you to do.

Stop the wickedness. Stop the unsaved like behavior. Stop the confusion. Are you a child of God? Then you ought to look like one, walk like one, talk like one, and act like one.

To make sure you do right and stop doing wrong, stop making provision for the flesh. Stop hanging around fornicators if you want to remain morally clean. Stop spending time with guys who smoke weed and drink wine if you want to sober up. As well, there are certain parts of the city you have no business going to, any time of the day or night. Are you going to stop buying things you don’t have the money for? Good. Then you probably don’t need that credit card in your purse or wallet, do you? Are you going to stop dressing immodestly and start dressing like a Christian woman ought to dress? Good. Then why don’t you just go ahead and throw that unseemly garment away that’s not fit either for the bedroom or the living room? Are you going to stop drinking? Good. Then stay out of the liquor store, stay out of the bar, stay out of the liquor section of the grocery store, and take up a hobby other than darts.

Folks, there are things we have to do because only we can do them. There are people we must win to Christ because only we can win them. So, let’s get our affairs in order so that we, of all people, will be caught serving the Lord Jesus Christ. When He finally comes for us.

If you can’t be stirred to rouse yourself if you won’t wake up and clean up and suit up for action ... why, friend, you just need to be saved.

__________

[1] Fritz Rienecker & Cleon Rogers, Linguistic Key To The Greek New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Regency Reference Library, 1980), page 179.

[2] Psalm 119.105

[3] Rienecker, page 179.

 

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