Wake Up! Romans 13:8-14

Wake Up!
Romans 13:8-14

INTRODUCTION:
A few Sundays ago, we emphasized the biblical teaching that Jesus will come back unexpectedly… Matthew 24:36, 42, 44, 50; 25:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:2-4; 2 Peter 3:10. Jesus could not be any clearer. There are no signs of His return.

When we study the book of Romans, as our Lads to Leaders have been doing for the last 11 months, we learn that the Gospel of Christ prepares us to be ready for that return. Here in Romans 13, the apostle Paul talks about some of those behaviors which will either prepare us for the second coming or will make us unprepared for the second coming.

One of those behaviors, which he will mention in verse 13 is drunkenness. I had a lesson on drunkenness last year and I want to remind you of a few points from that lesson:

1) You cannot say, “I can drink wine, because people in the Bible times drank wine.” That’s not true. The wine and beer we have today did not even exist in biblical times; these drinks did not exist until the Medieval ages.
2) The “wine” mentioned in the Bible, then was not Chardonnay. The most intense alcoholic content the wines had in Bible times which were naturally fermented had only 12% alcohol content.
3) I also showed you last year evidence that it was commonly accepted that respectable, cultured people, whether Jews or Greek or Romans or Christians diluted their naturally-fermented wine, usually by at least 3:1 ratio.

So let me illustrate to you with this NyQuil, is about 10% alcohol. Let’s dilute it three times… Except for the fact that modern alcohol is often times made stronger, this is about as strong a drink as people drank in biblical times. I’m trying to emphasize here that Jesus did not turn the water in John 2 into Chardonnay! It was grape juice of the richest quality.

Let’s keep this in mind as we move into our study of how the Gospel gets us prepared for the return of the Messiah, our Savior…

WE NEED TO “WAKE UP” AND LOVE - 13:8-10:
At the end of Romans 12, Paul warned Christians that we do not need to take vengeance into our own hands. We all think we know what is right, just, and fair, but we do not. When we get around to studying the “knowledge” and “wisdom” of God, we will emphasize that we are ignorant and short-sighted. That’s why we should not take vengeance for ourselves, but rather leave vengeance in the hands of God. This is not something that just the NT teaches, but God warned Israel about the same point back in the OT, under the Law of Moses.

In chapter 13, Paul shows that one way in which God does take vengeance is through the civil government. It exists to punish evil-doers. Therefore, Paul says in verses 6-7 (13:6-7) that Christians need to pay their taxes because our rulers are servants of God. Then he says in verse 7 that we should also pay what we owe.

In that context, Paul moves into our interpersonal relationships with each other in verses 8-10. In verse 8, Paul says, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.” When God sets a opportunity in front of us to do good - feed the hungry, give water to those who are thirsty, clothe the naked, etc. (legitimate needs) - then we are obligated to do that to the best of our ability. It is sinful not to do that. We owe love to those who need love. Paul here says, “Do not owe anyone an act of benevolence. Rather, love one another.” Part of Paul’s audience in the church of Christ in Rome are Jews and Paul says that “love” actually fulfills all those commandments from the Law of Moses that related to the Jews’ relationships to each other.

You remember that Jesus told the Pharisees in Mark 12:31 that the second greatest commandment, quoting Leviticus 19:18, is that they should love their neighbor as themselves. And Jesus told them at that point that all the law of Moses and the teachings from the prophets were fulfilled in those two greatest commandments. Paul is emphasizing the same thing here.

In verse 9, Paul quotes from a few of the Ten Commandments, especially those relating to interpersonal relationships:

Commandment # 7 - “You shall not commit adultery.”
Commandment # 6 - “You shall not murder.”
Commandment # 8 - “You shall not steal.”
Commandment # 10 - “You shall not covet.”

All these commandments have to do with interpersonal relationships and Paul says any other commandment from the Law of Moses is included. They are all “summed up” in this saying (and Paul also quotes from Leviticus 19:18): “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

That commandment raises the bar for our behavior toward each other as high as it can get. Treat other people the way you want them to treat you. That is what Jesus also taught in the “Golden Rule” (Matt. 7:12).

On the flip side of the coin, in verse 10, Paul says, “Love does no wrong.” Don’t do anything wrong. Watch your language. We will be judged by our speech (Matt. 12:36-37). We will be judged by our attitudes (like “outbursts of anger” - Gal. 5:20; of course “coveting” is an attitude, not a behavior). We will be judged by our actions, like stealing.

So Paul summarizes in verse 10: “love is the fulfillment of the law.” Paul words it in the original language with “love” at the end of the sentence to emphasize it again: “the fulfillment of the law is love.”

WE NEED TO “WAKE UP” BECAUSE SALVATION IS NEARER - 13:11:
You and I often are “asleep” spiritually. We are not alert; we are not thinking about the second coming. We are not thinking about the possibility that we will stand before God on the day of judgment. The reason why we sin is because we tend to “dose asleep at the wheel.” Wrecks often happen because the driver falls asleep or at doses off and drifts across the lane into on-coming traffic, or he drifts off the road into the ditch.

Paul tells Christians “wake up!” Why? Because time is marching on and the time when Jesus returns is actually getting closer and closer. Do we know when Jesus is coign back again? No, but the same when He is coming is actually getting closer and closer.

When Paul says, “salvation is nearer to us than when we believed,” he is referring to the time when we showed our faith by being baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of sins. For me, that was April 10, 1981. The time for Jesus to return is certainly closer now than it was 43 years ago. Do we know when He is returning? No. But it’s closer now that it was yesterday. That’s why we need to “wake up!” and make sure our spiritual life is where Jesus expects it to be.

WE NEED TO “WAKE UP” AND LAY ASIDE THE DEEDS OF DARKNESS - 13:12-13:
The “night” that is almost gone is the night of our ignorance; it is the night when we were unprepared for the coming of Christ. It is the time when we were non-Christians and living in sin. The time of darkness, of sin reigning in the world, is almost gone. The day, when Jesus returns, is almost near.

With that second coming of Christ in mind, we need to make sure we are prepared! There will be NO excuses. Paul teaches us in Acts 17:30-31 and that God will not accept excuses. God knows what we are capable of. God knows how many times we chose not to obey Him. He knows how many times we opened His word. How many times we actually tried to stop sinning. He knows it all. No excuses.

So, Paul warns us to “wake up” and lay aside the “deeds of darkness,” the works of darkness. These are behaviors that associate us with Satan and his demons, not with the holy God, His holy Child Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and His holy angels.

Rather, Paul says to “put on the armor of light.” That armor is given in more detail in Ephesians 6:14-17:

Belt of truth
Breastplate of righteousness
Feet prepared for sharing the gospel of peace
Shield of faith
Helmet of salvation
Sword of the Spirit

We each need to ask ourselves, have we grown in our use of these pieces of Christian armor? Are we using them now and are we using them more frequently and better than we have in the past? You can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to God. Lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

In verse 13, Paul gives us a few examples of those “deeds of darkness.” Here, he writes:

Let us behave properly, as in the day. There are lots of sins that are committed at night. When no one sees. Except God sees it all. The “night” here again likely refers to ignorance so that “light” refers to knowledge of God’s truth. Let’s behave properly, as those who have been taught by Christ (see Eph. 4:20) to live for Christ and to honor Christ in our lives. Jesus is the standard.

Specifically, we should stop practicing “carousing.” This word is used here; Gal. 5:21 among the works of the flesh, and 1 Peter 4:3. It refers to lewd and immoral parties. You do things under the influence of alcohol that you would not do otherwise. But we will not be excused by God because we were intoxicated. Every choice we make we are accountable to God for that choice.

Secondly, Paul says to lay aside “drunkenness.” Again, we are most interested in what is “drunkenness” in God’s eyes. But, under Michigan State Law (which is never as high a moral expectation as God’s laws), .08% blood concentration of alcohol that is the legal limit. According to one study by the University of Arizona, it can take as little as two drinks to get you past the point of inability to drive in the state of Michigan. But we’re talking about something that is far more important than crashing a car or even killing someone, as awful as that is. Family, we’re talking about sinning against Jesus Christ and throwing our souls into an eternal torment. Just what does it take?

But not only that, what about the influence that we have on those around us? We have a couple in our church family here whose son was killed by a drunk driver years ago. That son should have still been here to help take care of his parents as they are getting older. But he’s not. Through any sin of his own? No. Through the sin of a drunk driver. But not only that. Who gave that drunk driver the beer the very first time? Who? Who will share in the horrors of hell with that drunk driver because they gave that man a beer in the first place? Nobody becomes an alcoholic who does not first put that glass to his mouth. Nobody becomes an alcoholic who doesn’t first get asked to drink something by someone else.

It is a fearful thought that I might be held responsible by God for giving someone something that makes them sin against Jehovah God and His Son, Jesus Christ. How fearful is that? Jesus said, “It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble” (Luke 17:2). Paul says to “wake up and stop drinking!”

Paul also tells Christians to “wake up” and stop engaging in sexual sins… This word “sexual immorality” is a Greek word that means a “bed” but gives us the word “coitus.” It refers to sexual behavior which is, of course, sinful in the eyes of God. The word is used four times in the NT: Luke 11:7; 9:10; 13:13; and Hebrews 13:4. We see that the next sin implies behavior that leads to the bedroom: “sensuality.” This word is used 10 times in the NT. If you use an older translation, it might have the word “licentiousness.” It refers to sexual behavior that is unrestrained. You don’t have to live in northeast Flint to know that there are people who worship sexual behaviors. They dress like they are all about sex; they act like that is the greatest fulfillment in their lives; they talk like that’s all they know. You see it on TV and movies all the time; even just in the commercials.

Paul says “wake up!” and stay away from sexual behaviors that are unauthorized by God, that do not honor our Lord Jesus Christ and His standard of purity. When Paul wrote the Christians in Thessalonica, he told them to live lives of “sanctification,” that is “holiness” and purity, specifically in the area of sexual behaviors. And in that context, Paul says that if we reject what he is saying, the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in us. That’s serious business because in a real sense, whether we are saved or lost when Jesus comes again will depend on whether the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us.

Finally, Paul tells Christians to “wake up” and lay aside “strife” and “jealousy.” These are attitudes that are so easy for us to exhibit toward each other. “Strife” is arguing and it usually ends with division. “Jealousy” is a strong desire to have what someone else has. God warns about “strife” 9 times in the NT and “jealousy” 7 times. Don’t argue; don’t be divisive. Don’t be jealous and the solution to being jealous is being thankful and content for the blessings God has given us. That’s the solution.

“Wake up” Christians! Lay aside the works of darkness.

WE NEED TO “WAKE UP” AND PUT ON THE ARMOR OF LIGHT - 13:14:
Finally, in contrast to what we need to “take off,” Paul says we should “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” For non-Christians, “putting on the Lord Jesus Christ” would refer to immersion in water for the forgiveness of sins: Rom. 6:3-4; Col. 2:11-12.

For those who are Christians but are living more like the world than they are Jesus, to “put on Jesus Christ” means to wear His teachings in our lives, as Paul mentions in Titus 2:10.

But living for Christ also means we don’t live like the world, we don’t “make provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” You can’t live like the world and live for Christ at the same time. You can’t drink the “Devil’s brew” and drink from the Holy Spirit at the same time. You can’t drink from the sensuality of our modern culture and drink from the milk of the world at the same time. One or the other has to go.

Take home message: Family, Christ calls us to wake up and be prepared at any moment for Him to return.