Wake Up And Smell the Coffee
Text: Rom. 13:11-14
Introduction
1. Illustration: This little grandmother was surprised by her 7 year old grandson one morning. He had made her coffee. She drank what was the worst cup of coffee in her life. When she got to the bottom there were three of those little green army men in the cup. She said, "Honey, what are the army men doing in my coffee?" Her grandson said, "Grandma, it says on TV, ’The best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup!’"
2. Many people drink coffee in the morning to help them wake up.
3. The church needs to drink some spiritual coffee, because the church needs to wake from its sleep. We need to wake up and see:
a. Time is short
b. Act Accordingly
c. Prepare ourselves
4. Read Rom. 13:11-14
Proposition: The church needs to wake up because the time of Christ’s coming is soon.
Transition: We must wake up and see that...
I. The Time Is Short (11)
A. Awake Out of Sleep
1. Paul begins this section by saying "This is all the more urgent..."
a. What is he referring to?
b. He is referring to the previous section and the admonishment to love and do what is right.
c. He indicates that we should live our lives with a sense of urgency.
2. However, Paul has a specific reason in mind that we should love and do the right thing. He says, "for you know how late it is; time is running out."
a. The word "know" means to make sure that you know; leave absolutely no room for doubt.
b. "Time" refers a critical period; the strategic or special period of time.
c. This critical time, or event, that Paul is referring to is the second coming of the Lord.
d. The time of His coming is upon us, so we must be sure that we are living right so that we are not caught off guard.
e. 1 Thessalonians 5:2 (NLT)
For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.
3. He says that because the Lord is coming soon we need to wake up from our sleep.
a. Paul says that the time has come that we must hasten to obtain our reward (Ambrosiaster, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Romans, 320).
b. Too many believers are sleeping and paying no attention to what is going on in the world; too many are not watching; too many are not observing the signs of the time.
c. Too many are complacent, lazily passing through life with little commitment to serving Christ.
d. We have become so busy and obsessed with things that don’t matter that we have but our relationship with the Lord in second place.
4. Paul says the reason we should wake up is because "our salvation is nearer than when we first believed."
a. Paul uses "salvation" language to refer to the final accomplishment of God’s plan in history (Moo, NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Romans, 440).
b. That final day, the day of Christ’s return and the glorification of the believer, is getting closer all the time.
5. The point is dramatic: the day is nearer than when we believed. Awaken out of sleep—arouse yourself—get up—pay attention:
a. Look at what is going on in the world.
b. Look at the moral condition of our society.
c. It’s not getting better; it’s getting worse and worse.
B. Time to Get Up
1. Illustration: A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. The next week, the man realized that he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight to Chicago. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (AND LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 AM." The next morning the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM and that he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn’t woken him when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, "It is 5:00 AM. Wake up"
2. What a horrible thing it would be for us to wake up one morning and discover that we have missed it.
a. That we had missed the glorious coming of the Lord.
b. That we had missed all the warnings and missed the train to glory.
c. That Jesus has come and gone and left us behind.
3. The alarm clock is going off, and its time to get up.
a. When the world has gone mad, it’s time to wake up.
b. When fathers are murdering their children, it’s time to wake up.
c. When children are murdering children, it’s time to wake up.
d. When suicide is one of the highest means of death for teenagers, it’s time to wake up.
4. The alarm clock went off in the 60’s and 70’s, but the church didn’t wake up.
a. When they took prayer out of the schools, we didn’t wake up.
b. When abortion became legal, we didn’t wake up.
c. The result is that we have one generation that doesn’t know anything about the Lord and another that is dead.
5. God is calling to His church today!
a. It’s time to wake up.
b. It’s time to get up.
c. It’s time to look up.
Transition: It’s time to wake up and...
II. Act Accordingly (12-13)
A. Let Us Walk Properly
1. Paul says the "The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here."
a. Paul skillfully blends two important strands of tradition using the imagery of day and night.
b. The day/night contrast was popular in general moral teaching in the ancient world as a way of distinguishing good behavior from evil behavior.
c. The night is the time when people indulge their passions and when thieves and other criminals do their work.
d. But the Old Testament and Judaism also referred to the time when God would intervene to save and to judge as the "Day of the Lord."
e. Paul reminds us that the Day of the Lord is near, which should motivate us to put away the kinds of behavior associated with the night of this present evil age (Moo, 440).
2. He tells us to "remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes..." The works of darkness are the works which men do under the cover of darkness and want to keep secret. They are sins...
a. We want to keep secret
b. We know are unacceptable
c. We know will cause us shame
d. Ephesians 5:11-12 (NLT)
11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them.
12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret.
3. Instead we are to "put on the shining armor of right living."
a. As is commonly done in the New Testament, the transition from one form of conduct to another is put in terms of "putting off" one set of clothes and "putting on" another ( Moo, 440).
b. As we "remove the deeds of darkness," we are to "put on the shining armor of light."
c. Notice also that it is not for a fashion statement, but it is for protection - armor.
d. The believer is to be clothed with the heavy shield and protective armor of light—a shield and protection so full of splendor and glory and brilliance that it cannot be penetrated by the works of darkness.
4. Now that he has addressed want we are to wear, Paul now tells how we are to act. He says, "Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy."
a. The word is translated properly (NASB), and decently (NIV).
b. The word means to act proper, honorable, decent, noble, respectable.
c. We are to live lives of decency before God.
d. We are to live lives that are pleasing to God.
e. We are to live lives that are obviously and radically different from unbelievers.
f. Romans 12:2 (NLT)
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
B. Behave Yourself
1. Illustration: There are two things to do about the Gospel believe it and behave it. Susannah Wesley
2. 1 Peter 4:3 (NLT)
You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.
3. We have spent enough time walking in the darkness, and now it is time to walk in the light.
a. Our lives should reflect the light of Christ.
b. Our lives should demonstrate our transformation in Christ.
c. Our lives should be holy, which means set apart for God.
4. All the more as we see the coming of the Lord drawing closer and closer.
a. Because we want to demonstrate for others what it means to walk in the truth.
b. Because when Jesus does return we want Him to see us living for Him.
c. Because when Jesus returns we don’t want to be caught off guard.
5. Let us walk...
a. Properly before the Lord
b. Honorably before the Lord
c. Holy before the Lord
Transition: We must also...
III. Prepare Ourselves (14)
A. Put On the Lord Jesus
1. Paul concludes this chapter by saying, "Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ."
a. Again, the picture is that of clothing ourselves.
b. We are to clothe ourselves with the presence of Jesus Christ and His righteousness.
c. We are to be as closely bound to Him and His righteousness as we are to our clothes.
d. Our relationship to Him is to be so close that it as if we were inseparable from Him.
2. This is not a once for all decision, but one that we must make daily.
a. In light of what the New Testament says about the believer’s continuing battle with sin, we must regularly make the decision to "put on" Christ (Moo, 441).
b. Others will see that we have put on Christ by the way we live our lives (Diodore, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Romans, 323).
3. If we do this we will not "let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires."
a. If we clothe ourselves with Christ there will be no room for sin in our lives.
b. The Spirit and the flesh cannot coexist; they are like oil and water.
c. Galatians 5:17 (NLT)
The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.
B. Christlikeness
1. Illustration: Someone anonymous once poignantly said something very profound about Jesus: "I am far within the mark when I say that all armies that ever marched, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of mankind on this earth as powerfully as that One Solitary Life".
2. The question we need to ask ourselves is "how much has He affected my life?"
a. Am I living my life any differently than I did before?
b. Have my priorities changed?
c. Have my desires changed?
d. Has Jesus really made any difference in me?
3. Has His presence in my life made a radical change, a moderate change, or no change at all?
a. Has anyone noticed?
b. Has anyone said, "What happened to you?"
c. When they look in your eyes do they see a new you?
4. Are you living life with a sense of urgency?
a. Do you live each day like He could come anytime?
b. When He returns, will He see more of Himself in me than He sees of myself in me?
c. Will He say well done or go away?
Transition: If Jesus came tonight would you be ready?
Conclusion
1. The church needs to wake up and see that:
a. Time is short
b. Because time is short we need to act accordingly.
c. Because time is short we need to prepare ourselves for His coming.
2. What in your life needs to change this year?
3. Are you ready for Christ to come today, or do you need a spiritual wakeup call?
