Living With The End In Mind Series

Paul has been addressing the conduct of Christians since the start of Rom 12.

• It is the life of those who have believed the Gospel that he laid out in Rom 1-11.

• The right belief will lead to the right conduct. As followers of Christ living in a paganistic society like Rome, the readers’ witness and testimony matters.

• The Roman world will know and see Christ through their witness and conduct.

Their testimony before a pagan world matter, no doubt about that.

• Paul adds on another dimension in the next paragraph – Romans 13:11-14 – the need to watch our conduct because of an impending event - Christ is returning.

• He writes with a sense of urgency because they are going to see Christ again.

Romans 13:11-14

11Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. 13Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarrelling and jealousy. 14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

We are to KNOW THE TIME. “For salvation is NEARER to us NOW than when we first believed.”

• So the “salvation” here does not refer to conversion (when they first believed) but in the broader sense, our glorification, our transformation, the consummation of our salvation when Christ returns.

• And that day is drawing NEARER, nearer than we first believed. We are nearer to the Second Coming of Christ with each passing day.

• And for some, they may even meet Christ before that, if they die before His return.

Either way, it ends our testimony on earth. But are we prepared? Are we ready to see Christ? That is Paul’s concern and OUR CONCERN today.

• Paul says now is the time to wake up from your sleep, which might indicate that he notices some complacency among believers in the places he has been visiting.

• Paul expresses the urgency of the matter three times:

(1) “know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep” (11a).

(2) “salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” (11b)

(3) “the night is far gone; the day is at hand.” (12)

• We are to wake up from our sleep because the night is far gone, the day has come.

When we factor time into the equation, something changes. Our time is limited, we have to leave this world and we are going to face Christ.

• With He returns, our witness ceases and we have an accounting to do before Him.

• Paul wrote earlier in 2 Cor 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

• 1 Cor 3:12-13 12Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw — 13each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.

By the mercies of God, we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship, Paul said in 12:1.

• Are we offering that which is good or evil, as valuable and lasting as gold, silver, precious stones or something that can be burnt up like wood, hay and straw?

In the light of this coming event, Paul appeals to them in the next few lines, calling for their right actions:

(1) “So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light.” (12b)

(2) “Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarrelling and jealousy. (13)

(3) “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (14)

Still continuing from the metaphor he started with - waking up from sleep. We wake up, clean up, and dress up.

• We change out of our pyjamas and put on day clothes – clothes that are appropriate for the daytime and that can be seen by all in daylight.

• In order words, watch our conduct.

All three statements contrast the positive behaviours with the negative:

- from works of darkness to deeds of light,