Are You Awake??? Romans 13:11-14 Sermon
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Introduction: Are You Awake???
Most of us can probably remember being a child and our parents coming into the room saying son it’s time to get up and get dressed.
I can remember as a young child dad coming and waking me up before the rooster’s crow turning the light on and saying….
Most children do not want to get up early and specially to go to work.
Now if its hunting and fishing well I would jump out of bed!!!
Now think about our Spiritual life, sometimes we can fall asleep. For example, when its time to go to worship we not so excited like when we are going on vacation, or hunt, fishing, or whatever you like to do.
Or perhaps when it comes to sharing Gods Word, sometimes we can fall asleep to where we not excited to go do that, but we excited to go to the movies, watch TV, or something else.
Brethren people are not going to accidently end up in Heaven. Its like those who wake up every morning and go to work, eventually hopefully u can get to retirement; but your not going to get it accidently. You have earned it, you worked for it. Heaven is something we spend our whole lives working for!!
Paul tells us in Romans 13:11 It’s time to wake up!
We will look at three points.
First, we will see It’s Time to Wake Up (Romans 13:11).
Second, we will see It’s Time To get dressed (Romans 13:12).
Finally, we will see It’s Time to go to Work (Romans 13:13-14).
Thesis: As Christians we need to know its time to wake up, get dressed with our armor, and continue our work laboring for the Lord.
I. It’s Time to Wake Up (Romans 13:11).
a. Knowing the Time, its high time to wake out of sleep!!
i. Think of Paul’s Audience. Christians at Rome!
ii. Rom 1 The just shall live by faith.
iii. Roms 2 God righteous judgement
iv. 3 the problem- all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
v. 4 Justified by faith- Abraham
vi. 5 The Christian is dead to Gods wrath- see we are under a grace system
vii. 6 The Christian is dead to sin- becomes servants of righteousness.
viii. 7 The Christian is dead to the Law- Old Law.
ix. 8 The Christian is dead to condemnation.
x. 9-11 The Jew and Gentiles. Gods Compasssion on grafting in the Gentiles.
xi. ROM 12 The Christains attitude toward: 1-2 God, 3-13 the Church, 14-21 The Enemy
xii. Rom 13:1-7 The Christians attitude toward government, 8-10 The Law.
xiii. Now vs 11-14 A summary knowing all this, its time to wake up, not physically, but spiritually wake up. It’s time for a revival!!!!
xiv. Some were falling asleep in their spiritual walk.
xv. You have judizer teachers going around teaching the Old Law and works of it like circumcision.
xvi. Paul saying we not following the old law, we not following the works of the OL!!!
xvii. We have a better system, one that is of faith…
xviii. Ephesians 5:14 “Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.”
xix. 1 Cor 15:34 Its time to Awake to righteousness; and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.
xx. Think about all the people who sit in the pews who have put on Christ but have become stagnant in their faith.
xxi. They are not growing just coming to services like punching that time clock checking into work, but not actually studying Gods Word and growing in knowledge.
xxii. A lot of us have probably experienced this in our Christian walk.
b. Knowing our salvation is nearer than when we first believed!!
i. Every day that passes by we are closer to salvation.
ii. We are closer today then we were yesterday.
iii. Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our lives, but tomorrow is not promised.
iv. 1 Thess 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10- The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night….
v. Jesus- Matt 24:36 “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”
vi. Every day that goes by we are closer to that day, the day that Jesus will return.
vii. McGarvey “Each day that goes by takes from us forever the opportunity of service; and brings us that much closer to the day of accounting, is a powerful incentive to action.”
viii. You probably have heard don’t put off things till tomorrow because tomorrow never gets here!
ix. “Don’t put off today what you should have done yesterday”!!!
x. Once we wake up then we need to get dressed!!
II. It’s Time To get dressed (Romans 13:12).
a. Knowing the night is far spent and the day is at hand.
i. Yesterday is over, the things that happened yesterday we can not change. It is already spent and done away with. What we can focus on is now, and the future.
ii. It is a new day, Let us as Christians make the most out of it. Don’t waste the precious time God has given us. We need to always redeem the time! As Christians we learn that by working full time job, making dinner, helping kids with homework, having family Bible study, getting them ready for bed.. We don’t have time to waste and have to manage our time wisely. Use those free times to study Gods Word, to teach others the Gospel, to be an encourager, and edify others.
b. Read Mark 13:32-37.. ends I say unto you all Watch!!! Vs 33 watch and pray..
c. Let us cast off the works of darkness.
i. Think about the things that happen in darkness as Paul will list some in vs 13. But people drinking, gambling, Whoredom, murder, stealing, people are just eating, drinking and being marry some would call it late in the hours of night not even worried about tomorrow. Some will wake up hung over, out of money, with diseases, and even worse some wont even have a tomorrow.
d. It’s time to put on the Armor of Light! Time to get dressed!!!!!!
i. We need to put on our Christian armor seen in Ephesians 6:10-20.
1. Breast plate of righteousness.
2. Feet shod with Gospel of Peace,
3. Shield of Faith
4. Helmet of salvation
5. The Sword of the Spirit
6. We have to get in the Word!!!
ii. 1 Thess. 5:5 We are children of light, and children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
iii. We need to act like it!!! We can only walk as children of light if we are getting into the book walking after the Spirit.
iv. Once we are up and dressed then its time to Go to Work!!
III. It’s Time to go to Work (Romans 13:13-14).
a. It’s time to walk Honestly as in the day: not rioting, in drunkenness, wantonness, strife, envying.
b. It’s time to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.
i. How do you do that???
ii. Paul has hit on this subject back in Rom 6. We are buried with Christ in Baptism. Put the Old man to death. We were servants of sin but are now servants of righteousness.
iii. We put on Jesus in baptism then we put Him on continually by getting into His Word until His Word is in us. We let the Word of God transform us!!!!!
iv. Rom 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
v. Now remember Paul’s audience Rom 1:7 The saints in Rome- they had already put on Jesus in Baptism. But possibly did not completely bury their old lifestyles, and Paul telling them they need to Put Him on continually by being transformed by His Word.
vi. It takes a lot of work, a lot of study, a lot of self-discipline. Many of us are learning this as Southwest Students. We have a lot to learn still and will continue to learn the rest of our lives. But it will take a lot of Work on our part individually.
c. It’s time to “make no provision for the flesh”, to fulfil the lusts thereof!!
i. Provision is: forethought or provident care or supply.
ii. Think about what are your temptations are? Say its drinking alcohol, well if you hang out with the same old drinking buddies, and go to places that serve it, or you keep the old whiskey bottle in cabinet then you are making provisions for the flesh which could lead you lusting after.
iii. Student struggling with tobacco!!
iv. Gal 5:16 “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.”
v. Ropers commentary on Romans- Ask yourself what are my Spiritual weaknesses, u need to know because the devil knows them. Then ask what people, what places, what activities, what situations mostly encourage me to my temptations. Once you answer those questions then stay away from those people, places, activities, and situations to make no provision of the flesh.
vi. Do not set your self up for failure…
vii. When we become a Christian, we need to take out the trash. Get all the garbage that could cause you to stumble out of your life and now before its to late!!
Conclusion: We see Paul is telling the church at Rome, and also telling us today that we need to wake up.
The Christians at Rome were possibly falling back into their old ways.
Going back to the old law and the works of it. When Paul is saying we are dead to the old law, not that we are not under a law for we are under the law of Christ.
But being under His law after putting on Christ in Baptism, now we have work to do we need to get into the Word and let the Word transform us and show us how we need to live our lives.
We are not promised tomorrow, our salvation is closer right now then it has ever been
First, we will see It’s Time to Wake Up (Romans 13:11).
Second, we will see It’s Time To get dressed (Romans 13:12).
Finally, we will see It’s Time to go to Work (Romans 13:13-14).
Are you Awake this morning or are you Spiritually asleep??? Let’s wake up and get to work!