ROMANS 13: 11-14
THE COMING KINGDOM
[1 Thessalonians 5:1-11]
This section refers to the climactic event to which all Christians eagerly look forward, the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus. This event is going to be as dramatic as the daily arrival of dawn and the resultant banishment of darkness. When Christ returns, as He promised He would, the night will give place to day and darkness will be lost in the light of His presence. It is to this overwhelming event that all believers look forward. It is the dawning of this new day that we longingly anticipate. [Briscoe, D. Stuart. The Preacher's Commentary Series, Vol 29: Romans. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1982, S. 239.]
In light of the fact that the kingdom is coming, what should we do? First, wake up (verse 11). Second, dress up (verse 12). That is, put on the armor not of condemnation, or antagonism, but of light. Third, clean up (verse 13). That is, put away drunkenness, envy, and everything else that pollutes and defiles.
Fourth, in light of the coming kingdom, we should grow up. That is, we are not to make any provision to fulfill the lusts of the flesh. [Courson, Jon: Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Nashville, TN : Thomas Nelson, 2003, S. 981]. The day of His coming is nearer than when you first believed. Soon we'll be out of here!
So following the declaration that godly love fulfills the law (13:8–10), the next focuses is the urgency of believers becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. Why? Because He Himself the source and power of that divinely required love. We are to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 14a). That phrase indicates the continuing spiritual growth or sanctification (the theme of chapters 12–16) of those who have become children of God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. The faithful, obedient, loving Christian grows spiritually by becoming increasingly like Jesus Christ. As we clothe ourselves with Christ, His righteousness, truth, holiness, and love become more and more evident in our lives. [MacArthur, John. Moody. 1994, p. 255.] In this transformation we take hope. For God is saving and will save His people.
I. WAKE UP, 11-12a.
II. DRESS UP, 12b.
III. CLEAN UP, 13.
IV. GROW UP, 14.
Verse 11 urges us to wake up out of spiritual lethargy. "Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for salvation is now nearer to us than when we believed."
Showing divine love is a Christian's constant responsibility, but it is especially crucial in light of or to understand the time (lit, "knowing the season"). This time is not a reference to time in general but to the end-time and to the approaching return of the Lord Jesus. It is a time for spiritual vigilance and industriousness. Therefore the command is to "wake up from your slumber" (Eph. 5:14; 1 Peter 5:8). Don't be conformed to this age. Don't be satisfied with earthy things.
This need for alertness is because our salvation (ultimate or final salvation realized at the return of the our Lord; Rom. 8:23; Heb. 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5) is nearer now than when we first believed (James 5:8). Each passing day in the faith brings final salvation and deliverance closer.
At the moment of justification the repentant believer is established in a salvation that is far from complete. At that same moment he also becomes an heir to a salvation that will not be complete until he meets Christ face to face to experience full salvation. Our initial salvation delivers us from the penalty of sin [and makes us an heir to the salvation which promises us total freedom from sin's power and presence]. As the believer carries out the instructions of the Book of Romans he begins to be delivered from sin's power. But one day, when Christ takes us to glory, our salvation from sin's penalty, power, and presence will be our's in fact. To this great day the believer looks forward.
"The problem with living on earth is that the things of earth which clamor for so much attention can become totally absorbing. The Christian can begin to think like secular man, drink his philosophies, adopt his attitudes, and emulate his lifestyle. But the believer must be reminded that his life is not found down here. Our life is up there. We are citizens of heaven and merely a resident alien on earth. We must remind ourselves of the certainty of Christ's return and the resultant consummation of earth's history. This reorientation acts as a constant stimulus to the believer with regard to his lifestyle on earth" [Briscoe, p. 239].
Verse 12 proclaims that the day of Christ is rapidly approaching. "The night is almost gone, and the day is near.
Paul considered the time of Christ's return and the consummation of salvation for believers (v. 11) as the start of a new day. The present time, while Christ is absent (John 14:2-3; Acts 1:11) and Satan is at work (2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2), is described as the night (2 Peter 1:19).
Night is a time when we are in inactive, with a loss of consciousness, weak and slow to respond. It is a time of darkness when ignorance, confusion and wickedness abound.
Yes, the night is "far spent" or almost gone. We live in dark days, but even now the light is shining into the darkness. Yes, we're heading for the sunrise—the coming of the Risen Son! God's redemption is drawing near. [May God hasten His Day!]
II. DRESS UP, 12b.
The second half of verse 12 advises us to dress up in the armor of light. "[The night is almost gone, and the day is near.] Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light."
Because the hour is that of the approaching dawn, we must not only wake up but we must dress up as well. Since "the day" is almost here, "lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." Living in darkness has the idea of giving ourselves permission to do things that appeal to our dark, sinful side.
We must take off our night clothes, the deeds of darkness, and put on instead the Amor of Light. The Christians life is a battle, not a sleep over. Christians are soldiers in a conflict who need to be alert and equipped for that battle (Eph. 6:10-17; 1 Thess. 5:8). [Upright, Christ-honoring living is often referred to as being in the light (John 12:36; Eph. 5:8, 14; Col. 1:12; 1 Thess. 5:5; 1 John 1:7; 2:10)]. For the forces of darkness are capturing many souls and torturing may prisoners.
III. CLEAN UP, 13.
Verse 13 repeats the exhortation of verse 12, changing the figure from warfare to lifestyle. "Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy."
The Apostle asserts, "Let us behave decently, as in the daytime" (lit., "day"). Crime, violence, and wickedness are associated with darkness and the night (John 1:5; 3:19-20; 8:12; 12:35, 46; Eph. 5:8, 11; 6:12; 1 Thess. 5:7; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 1:5-6; 2:9, 11). The "deeds of darkness" (Rom. 13:12) or the activities and attitudes listed are "orgies and drunkenness . . . sexual immorality and debauchery.
Some people are surprised that Paul linked dissension and jealousy with the gross and more obvious sins of orgies, drunkenness, and sexual immorality.
Perhaps there were those believers who, while they no longer engaged in the overt expressions of sinful living, were now guilty of more civilized expressions of the same sinful indulgence. Such actions and attitudes as "strife and envy" or dissension and jealousy (Gal. 5:19-21) have no place in a Christian's life. He belongs to "the light." These deeds and thoughts belong to the darkness.
Jesus taught us in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) that attitudes are as important as actions. When Christ returns, He wants His people to be pure and holy on the inside as well as on the outside or in the externals (Rom. 13:11-12; 1 John 3:3).
IV. GROW UP, 14.
Two exceedingly helpful, practical advises to help us grow up into Christ are given in verse 14. "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts."
The first preventative action is to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" ("put on," Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10). This clothing ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ is secret to living pure lives. It is a similar to "put on the armor of light" (v. 12). This injunction conveys the idea that we are to arm ourselves with the resources of Christ Himself.
How can we clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ? We are identify with Christ by following His example [including being baptized -Galatians 3:27], His teaching, His expectations, and by being clothed in His divine power. We are also to exemplify the qualities Jesus showed while He was here on earth such as love, humility, truth, and service. We should ask WWJD; what would Jesus do in our situation (Ephesians 4:24-32; Colossians 3:10- 1 7).
The second preventative action that needs to be taken is to "make no provision for the flesh" [lit., "and do not make forethought pronoian for the flesh, sarkos (Rom. 8:3-5, 8-9, 12-13)]. This means we must not give our desires any opportunity to lead us into sin. Avoid those situations that open the door to gratifying sinful desires. Some people make things much harder for themselves by failing to take suitable steps to avoid problems. If you struggle with alcohol and say, "I'm not going to drink, I'm just going to take the table closest to the bar"—you're making provision for the flesh. You'll get sucked back in. You'll go down. You're only kidding yourself. Make no provision for the flesh—and take hope. For a Christian to plan out specific ways to gratify his sinful nature is wrong [Walvoord, John & Zuck, Roy. The Bible Knowledge Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983, S. 491.]
Everyone FACES TEMPTATIONS, but not everyone handles them in the same way. Some people don't even try to resist. Others flirt with sin, thinking they can stop before they get in too deep. But the Bible tells us to "make no provision for the flesh." Let me give you some more examples that illustrate the ways of handling temptation. One leads to defeat, other to victory.
A boy named Bobby asked his mother if he could go play ball with his friends. She consented, but she knew that the boys had to pass their favorite "swimming hole," so she told him not to go swimming. When Bobby left the house, however, he took his bathing suit with him just in case! Well, you know what he did when he saw his friends enjoying themselves in the pond. Bobby had invited temptation by taking his swimsuit with him.
How different the attitude displayed by the youngster who said, "When I go past a watermelon patch, I can't keep my mouth from watering, but I can run!" His action exemplifies 2 Timothy 2:22. "Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness."
According to 1 Corinthians 10:13, "God is faithful and will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able, but will with the temptation also make the way of escape, that we may be able to endure it." When temptation comes, God will do His part - He will provide "the way of escape." But it's up to us to run! [RW.D. Our Daily Bread]
There's a story about an old CHEROKEE CHIEF sitting before a flickering fire with his grandson. The boy had broken a tribal taboo, and his grandpa wanted to help him, understand what made him do it. "It's like we have two wolves inside us," said the chief. "One is good, the other, is bad. Both demand our obedience."
"Which one wins?" asked the boy.
"The one we feed!" said the wise old chief.
Every follower of Jesus Christ can identify with that struggle. We fight an on going battle with selfish and sinful desires. They rise up within us and put incredible pressure on us to satisfy them. They are like ravenous hungers and unquenchable thirsts. First they are small "harmless" desire's; but they grow stronger and can eventually control us (Rom 6:16).
To resist we must believe what the Bible tells us about temptation's power. We must also believe that the Holy Spirit will help us to resist or to break free from its power.
But then comes the hard part. When an evil desire demands to be fed we must say no-perhaps again and again. Scripture advises us to "make no provision for the flesh."
Remember what we feed will control us. It is easier to resist the first time than to satisfy all the desires will that follow.
IN CLOSING
In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Edmund was easily won over to the side of
wicked white witch. Her method was simple-she appealed to his love for rich, sweet food, as well as for status and revenge. The Turkish Delight she offered him was delicious, and left him craving even more. So strong was its appeal that it led him to betray his brother and sisters.
The appetites of the world and the flesh are powerful and addictive tools of the devil. He appeals to our love for what satisfies our selfish and sinful desires and uses it to tempt, control, discourage, defeat, and destroy us. We crave power or money or food or alcohol or clothes or sex, even, though we are in danger of sacrificing our friends, our loved ones, even our relationship with our Savior to satisfy our desires.
How can we resist the temptations of Satan? Galatians 5:16 says, "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall never fulfill the lust of the flesh." Here we are commanded to "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." And John said, "Do not love the world, or the things in the world" (1 John 2:15).
Put on the Lord and walk in the Spirit. That's how to break the power of the Turkish Delight syndrome. God provides the armor to withstand temptation but we must put it on.
Remember, the day of His coming is nearer than when you first believed. Soon we'll be out of here! So put on the Amor of Light and follow Christ out of the darkness till the new day, the day of His appearing, dawns. Eternity is on the horizon. Can you see it?
