Let God Make the Most of Your Life
The Book of Romans
Romans 13:10-14; Ephesians 6:10-17
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared October 28, 2021)
BACKGROUND:
*Here in Romans 13, God's Word has been telling us how to live the Christian life. We have seen that God wants us to obey man-made laws, -- unless they conflict with His Law. God also wants us to pay both our public and our private debts. In vs. 7, He wants us to give respect to whom respect is due, and honor to whom honor is due. But most of all, in vs. 8-10, God wants us to love other people with the same kind of love that He has for us.
*Now, as we close out this chapter, God's Word shows us how to make the most of our lives. Please think about this as we read vs. 10-14.
MESSAGE:
*One of the great ways of God is that He often uses simple things to help us understand spiritual things. He uses earthly things to help us understand eternal things. God's Word talks about the Bread of life, the fruit of the Spirit, rivers of living water, the Good Shepherd searching for His sheep, God as our Heavenly Father, and more. God uses simple things to help us understand spiritual things, and that's what He does in this Scripture.
*His goal is to help us make the most of our lives, and it's very simple. It's not always easy. Sometimes it's very hard. But God makes it simple.
1. FIRST: HE TELLS US TO WAKE-UP.
*In vs. 10-12, Paul said:
10. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11. And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. . .
*When do we need to wake-up spiritually? -- Right now! And why do we need to wake up?
[1] ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WHY IS BECAUSE WE TEND TO FALL SLEEP SPIRITUALLY.
*Now, sometimes people get sleepy in church. But a much bigger problem is Christians falling asleep in our spiritual lives. We definitely have a tendency to drift off. And we know that this is a risk, because if it wasn't, then, God wouldn't have put these verses in His Word.
*Gerald Flury explained: "We are living at a time when many believers are spiritually asleep. They are sleeping the slumber of indifference. Larry Crabb said, 'The core problem is not that we are too passionate about bad things, but that we are not passionate enough about good things.'" (1)
*That's spiritual sleep, and one preacher pointed out: "You can walk in your sleep. You can talk in your sleep. But you cannot work in your sleep." And God wants all of His people to wake up for His work in our world. (2)
*Church: we need to wake up because we tend to fall asleep spiritually.
[2] WE ALSO NEED TO WAKE UP BECAUSE SPIRITUAL SLEEPING WILL GET US INTO SERIOUS TROUBLE.
*Steve Shepherd told about a 77-year-old man from Palm Harbor, Florida. His name was James Currens, and he definitely got into trouble walking in his sleep.
*One night, James sleepwalked out of his house, and stumbled through the yard. Poor Mr. Currens didn't wake up until he was in the middle of an alligator pond! A neighbor heard him hollering for help, and called the police around 5 a.m. They found Mr. Currens fighting off 8 alligators with his walking cane! He almost turned into alligator breakfast! (3)
*Sleepwalking can get us into serious trouble. But spiritual sleeping will get us into worse trouble, even worse than winding up in an alligator pond!
[3] CHURCH: WE ALSO NEED TO WAKE UP BECAUSE WE ARE SHORT OF TIME.
*Paul made this truth clear in vs. 11 when he said we should be "knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed."
*We need to know that when Paul said, "our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed," he was talking about the ultimate fulfillment of our salvation. That's either when we die and go to be with Jesus, or when the Lord returns to earth. Either way, -- our time in this world is quickly running out.
*Then in vs. 12, Paul said, "The night is far spent, the day is at hand." That could be talking about the fact that usually, the daytime is the time to get up and get busy. But again, Paul could have been talking about the day of the Lord's return. And either way, we need to wake up, because we're short of time.
*Life in this world is much shorter than we think. The Civil War in our country ended in 1865, and that seems like a long, long time ago. But my grandmother was born just 31 years after that, and Mary's grandfather was born just 3 years after that! Our time in this world is much shorter than we think. That's why God tells us to wake-up!
2. CHURCH: HE ALSO TELLS US HOW TO WALK.
*In vs. 13, Paul said, "Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and lewdness, not in strife and envy." Here Paul was talking about our life-walk as followers of Jesus Christ. Paul used this same original word over 30 times in his letters, including 5 times here in the Book of Romans.
*You see, the Christian life is a spiritual walk with Jesus Christ. William Ritter explained, "I recently found 382 biblical references to various forms of the word 'walk.' There are a multitude of references that suggest how we are supposed to walk as Christians: Walk in love. Walk in wisdom. Walk in the light. Walk in the path. Walk in the Spirit. Walk in the law of the Lord. Walk in the way of the Lord. Walk in the fear of the Lord. Walk in the peace of the Lord. Walk honestly, forthrightly, courageously, worthily and humbly." (4)
*Think about the countless blessings of getting to walk through life with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We have the best fellowship with the best friend in the universe! In John 15:13 Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." The Lord made that statement on the night before the cross, and a few hours later, Jesus made the greatest sacrifice in history when He died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins.
*When we walk through life with Jesus, we also have the greatest guide we can ever have. He always knows exactly where we are, and exactly where we need to go next. And Jesus will always get us safely home.
*Anthony DeMello told about a family that moved into a new neighborhood. Soon, one of the grandfathers came for a visit. Grandpa took his little granddaughter for a walk in the new neighborhood.
*They walked for around 15 minutes. Then Grandpa asked, "About how far do you think we are from home?" The little girl said she didn't know. "Well, what direction do you think we should take to get back?" Grandpa asked. She said: "I don't know!"
*Then with a twinkle in his eye, Grandpa said, "Sounds to me like you're lost." But the little girl smiled and said, "I'm not lost Grandpa. I'm with you." That little girl trusted her grandfather enough to know that he was the way home, and we can trust in Jesus Christ infinitely more! (5)
*Jesus will always put us on the right path. You see, there are basically only two directions we can go in life: The right way and the wrong way. God wants us to always walk in the right way. That's why in vs. 13, Paul said, "Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and lewdness, not in strife and envy."
*Notice that Paul tells us to walk away from 6 things: Revelry, drunkenness, licentiousness, lewdness, strife, and envy. The New Living Translation describes these 6 things as: Wild parties, getting drunk, adultery, immoral living, fighting, and jealousy. Paul tells us to walk away from these sinful things, because they take us away from where God wants us to be in life. In the end, the sinful paths will only lead us to bitterness, regret, and heartache.
*Instead, at the beginning of vs. 13, Paul says, "Let us walk honestly, or 'properly,' or 'decently' as in the day. . ." This is the path we are on when we begin to follow Jesus. He is the Good Shepherd in the 23rd Psalm who "leads (us) in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." Jesus will always put us on the right path in life, so we need to start right where we are and keep walking God's way.
*God wants to help us make the most of our lives, so he tells us how to walk.
3. AND HE TELLS US WHAT TO WEAR.
*We first see this truth in vs. 12 where Paul said, "The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light."
[1] NOTICE THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS TO TAKE OFF.
*In vs. 12, we are to "cast off the works of darkness." This goes along with what Paul said at the end of vs. 14. There God's Word tells us to "make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." The NIV says, "Do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." In other words: Don't be planning and scheming about how to do the wrong thing, because all sin starts in the heart. God wants us to make plans for doing good things!
*But Christians: What can we do when we realize we still have some works of darkness to cast off? Do it now! And don't be utterly discouraged. C. S. Lewis said, "Remember He is the artist, and you are only the picture. You can't see it. So quietly submit to be painted -- that is, keep fulfilling all the obvious duties of your station (you really know quite well enough what they are!), asking forgiveness for each failure and then leaving it alone. You are in the right way. Walk -- don't keep on looking at it." (6)
[2] GOD TELLS US WHAT TO WEAR. THERE ARE SOME THINGS TO TAKE OFF, AND SOME THINGS TO PUT ON.
*Again in vs. 12, "The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light."
*God wants us to put on His spiritual armor of light. Praise the Lord! And know that we need His armor because we are in spiritual warfare with the forces of darkness. Paul also mentioned God's armor in 2 Corinthians 6:7 and 1 Thessalonians 5:8. But in Ephesians 6:10-17 God's Word goes into detail about our spiritual enemies and our armor. (7)
*There Paul said:
10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15. and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16. above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
*Christians, God has given us some great armor! Brian Fullerton reminds us that Paul was under arrest when he wrote this letter to the Ephesians, and he probably had a Roman guard wearing armor standing right by him. So, man-made armor is a model here. But it can never be a match for the spiritual armor we have in Jesus Christ! God's armor shows us how to defeat our enemy's attacks. (8)
1-FIRST, SATAN ATTACKS US WITH LIES. -- THAT'S WHY IN EPHESIANS 6:14, GOD GIVES US A "GIRDLE" OR "BELT" OF TRUTH.
*As a Christian, our whole life is held together and held up by the truth. When we have Jesus Christ, we have the truth! And we know this because in John 14:6 He said: "I am the way, the truth and the life."
2-THEN SATAN TRIES TO TELL US THAT WE ARE SORRY AND NO GOOD.
*That's why he is called "the Accuser." And that's why in Ephesians 6:14, God also gives us the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness is not our righteousness. It's the Lord's righteousness.
*When Jesus Christ died on the cross for us, He took all of our sins. And when we receive the Risen Christ, we receive His righteousness. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 the Bible tells Christians that "He (God the Father) made Him who knew no sin (Jesus) to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
*We have the Lord's righteous standing before our Heavenly Father, because our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ! Plus, we are born again with a new nature, so in 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul could say, "If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
*Satan tries to tell us that we are sorry and no good, but God gives us the breastplate of righteousness.
3-THEN, SATAN TRIES TO KEEP US FROM MOVING FORWARD WITH JESUS.
*That's why in Ephesians 6:15, God prepares us to march forward by covering our feet with the gospel of peace. The gospel is simply the good news about Jesus Christ, that God loves us even though we are all sinners, that He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins, that Jesus rose again from the dead! And that He offers forgiveness and eternal life to everyone who will receive Him as the Lord and Savior of their lives.
*Christians, we have the gospel of peace on our feet! Most of all, this means everlasting peace with God. But the gospel can also bring peace in our relationships, peace in our hearts, and peace in the worst storms of life.
*The gospel of God's peace on our feet will take us safely over every rocky road we face! I have seen this happen many times in terrible situations. In times when you would think people would be going out of their minds, they made it through! -- How? By the gospel of God's peace.
*It's hard to walk on a rough road with no shoes, but God gives us spiritual shoes that can help us move forward for Jesus! Best of all, we get to take the good news about our Savior everywhere we go. We have the gospel of peace on our feet.
4-BUT THEN, SATAN TRIES TO MAKE US DOUBT GOD.
*That's why in Ephesians 6:16, God gives us the shield of faith. The shields used by Roman soldiers weren't little, round things. No. A Roman shield was a big rectangle, two feet wide and four feet tall. It was big enough to protect your whole body. And when you stood by the other soldiers, it was big enough to protect the whole army. Christians, we have the shield of faith!
5-AND IN EPHESIANS 6:17, WE HAVE THE HELMET OF SALVATION.
*One of Satan's favorite ways to attack us is to put wrong thinking into our minds. For example, he tries to make us doubt the Word of God. Satan also tries to make us doubt our salvation in Christ. But the helmet of salvation can keep his lies from getting through.
*Satan and his fallen angels are always on the job, trying to wear us down, trying to beat us down, trying to get us to think the wrong thing, trying to get us to do the wrong thing. But God gives us all the weapons we need to defend ourselves. And the Lord doesn't just want us to be on defense! He also gives us the best offensive weapon anyone has ever had.
6-IN EPHESIANS 6:17, GOD GIVES US THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD.
*There is no way we can overestimate the power of God's Word. It has the power to save our souls and change our lives forever! That's why 1 Peter 1:23-25 tells Christians that we have:
23. . . been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,
24. because "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away,
25. but the word of the Lord endures forever.'' Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
*God's Word and only God's Word has the power to save our souls and give us the new spiritual birth of eternal life.
*Gaylord Kambarami told one of my favorite stories about the life-changing power of God's Word. Gaylord was the General Secretary of the Bible Society in Zimbabwe when he tried to give a New Testament to a very grouchy, hot-tempered man. The man gruffly said he would take the New Testament, but only so he could tear out the pages, roll them up, and use them to make cigarettes.
*Gaylord told the man, "I understand that, but at least promise to read the page of the New Testament before you smoke it." The man agreed and the two went their separate ways.
*Fifteen years later, the two men met at a Methodist convention in Zimbabwe. By that time, the Scripture-smoking atheist had trusted in Jesus and was a full-time evangelist! He told the people, "I smoked Matthew, and I smoked Mark, and I smoked Luke. But when I got to John 3:16, I couldn't smoke anymore! My life was changed from that moment." ("For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.) (9)
*This is the power of God's Word. And with all of these spiritual weapons, we can resist the devil. But we have got to "put on the armor of light." We have to wear our spiritual armor.
*And most of all, we have to spiritually wear our Savior! That's what Paul told us to do here in the first part of vs. 14: "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ!"
*"Put on the Lord Jesus Christ!" This partly means keeping as close as possible to our Savior. It also means intentionally being aware of the Savior's presence in our lives.
*Think about how you dress: Intentionally, deliberately, daily. Our clothes are close to us, and we are all wrapped up in our clothes. Now as Christians, we are spiritually wrapped up in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We are surrounded by our Lord, surrounded by His love, surrounded by His mercy.
CONCLUSION:
*God Himself is always right here with us. He wants to help us make the most of our lives. And He uses simple things to help us understand spiritual things. So, He tells us to wake-up! He tells us how to walk. And He tells us what to wear.
*Put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and let Him make the most of your life!
(1) Larry Crabb in "Finding God" - Christianity Today, Vol. 38, no. 3 - Source: SermonCentral sermon "Wake Up" by Gerald Flury - Romans 13:11-14
(2) Original source unknown
(3) SermonCentral sermon "Understanding the Present Time" by Steve Shepherd - Romans 13:11-14
(4) Sermons.com sermon "Take a Hike" by William A. Ritter - Genesis 5:21-24
(5) Original source unknown
(6) C. S. Lewis, The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis, Volume 3: Narnia, Cambridge, and Joy, 1950 - 1963 - https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/81961-remember-he-is-the-artist-and-you-are-only-the
(7) WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by Archibald Thomas (A. T.) Robertson - Published in 1930-1933 - Romans 13:12 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2000-2019
(8) SermonCentral sermon "The Prayer of Encouragement" by Brian Fullerton - Ephesians 6:10-20
(9) American Bible Society Record, March 1990 - Source: Raymond McHenry - STORIES FOR PREACHERS AND TEACHERS
