Alba 6-6-2022
IT IS HIGH TIME TO AWAKE
Romans 13:11-14
They say the average American adult doesn't get enough sleep. Sleeping is a wonderful blessing. It refreshes the body and gives new strength.
A Japanese transistor manufacturer scheduled 30-second "yawn breaks" into the factory schedule. It is based on the idea that the yawn stimulates the brain.
On cue, everyone raises his hands over their heads and yawns in unison. The manufacturer claims production has jumped considerably. Shall we try it?
A student at Bucknell University was invited to speak at a church in New Columbia, Pennsylvania. The night before, he set his alarm for ample time to reach the church and be ready. Unknown to him, his roommate came in late that night and turned off the alarm.
He awoke with a start an hour later than he’d planned. By the time he reached the church he was 35 minutes late for the service.
When he finally got up to preach, he had to announce his key scripture. It was from Romans 13:11. He read, "Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep."
Many of the church people had their eyebrows raised, knowing that the speaker himself was late to wake up!
How many times have you heard someone say, “It is high time!” They usually want something to change when they say that.
Well, those words are in our text for today. Let's read as we turn to Romans 13:11-14. “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. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
In the Bible there are accounts of people who fell asleep at odd moments. In Genesis chapter 15 it tells that Abraham fell asleep while God was talking to him. Daniel was able to sleep in the lion’s den while the King had insomnia in his palace (Daniel 6:18).
Acts chapter twelve tells us that Peter slept soundly the night before he was expected to be executed until, as it says, “an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, 'Arise quickly!'” And he was miraculously delivered.
But today we’re going to look at the danger of sleeping spiritually. Romans 13:12 gives us two reasons: “The night is far spent, the day is at hand.” We are told that this is no time to sleep. It is high time to awake. First...
1. Because the night is far spent
When traveling, it can be important to be awake on time.
They have "wake up calls" at hotels so a person won’t miss planes, trains, or buses. We have used alarm clocks and clock radios so we won’t be late for what we plan to do the next day.
We make our plans, set our goals, and look to the future. In general we expect to be here tomorrow. When thousands of people die in hurricanes, terrorist attacks, or epidemics, it should serve as a wake up call to the rest of us. None of those who died expected to meet their God as soon as they did. It is high time to be awake.
Remember the ten virgin bridesmaids who were waiting for the bridegroom to appear? Matthew 25:5 says, “But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.”
When the bridegroom did arrive, five of the virgins realized they didn't have enough oil for their lamps. By the time they got what they needed, it was too late. The door was shut and they couldn't get in.
It should be the believer’s desire to live a lifestyle that would be Christ approved and makes us ready for His return. We don’t want to be ashamed if Jesus would come and find us with things in our life that should not be there.
As believers, we are responsible for being spiritually alert, morally upright and diligently serving as we await Christ’s return.
There was a 77-year-old man in Palm Harbor, Florida who was a sleepwalker. Have you ever done that? It could be a real problem. The story is that one day 77-year-old James Currens sleepwalked out of his house, stumbled down an embankment and didn’t wake up until he was stuck in an alligator-infested pond.
A neighbor heard him hollering for help and called the police around 5 a.m. Mr. Currens was found fighting off those alligators with his cane in his hand. There were 8 to 10 gators. And if he didn't wake up, he would have been gator breakfast!
If you go to sleep in life when you are supposed to be awake, and begin to neglect the important things of life, the gators are going to get you! And if not the gators, there is something else.
I Peter 5:8 warns, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."
Romans 13 tells us that the night is far spent, and Jesus' return is closer than when we first believed. People who are not spiritually alert, spiritually awake, are the ones the devil is going to devour. It is high time to be awake!
Jesus said that "no man knows the day or hour" which God has chosen for His return. We don’t know if the Lord may come today or tomorrow, or if we will have today and tomorrow to prepare for His coming. It’s time to wake up.
One time H.A Ironside was preaching in Stockton, California and prayed the Lord would come that night. After the service, a woman accosted him in the Lobby.
She said, "How dare you pray like that – ‘Come, Lord Jesus?’ I don't want Him to come. It would mess up all my plans. How dare you!" He said, "My dear young woman, Jesus is coming whether you want it or not!"
Yes, our salvation IS nearer than when we first believed. Salvation is a past, present and future experience. We have been saved. We are being saved. And we shall be saved.
There is coming an end, the finish line, the final curtain, the last hurrah, the closing chorus, the Day of Christ when salvation will be complete. We need to be ready. The night is far spent.
But also, it is high time to be awake as verse twelve tells us...
2. Because the day is at hand
Romans 13:12 tells us to put off the things of the darkness of night and to put on the amour of light. How do you start the day?
I'm sure that there are several things you do. But most likely, one thing you do is get dressed for the day. Pajamas are not appropriate for daytime (although tell that to some Walmart customers).
Ray Stedman said this: “When I get up in the morning, I put on my clothes intending them to be part of me all day, to go where I go and do what I do. They cover me and make me presentable to others.
That is the purpose of clothes.
“In the same way, the apostle is saying to us, Put on Jesus Christ when you get up in the morning. Make Him a part of your life that day. Intend that He go with you everywhere you go, and that He act through you in everything you do. Call upon His resources. Live your life in Christ.”
If you do, as verse 14 says, to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, it means that there are things you will have to take off first.
Look at the list of inappropriate things for a Christian to wear in verse 13, “revelry, drunkenness, lewdness, lust, strife and envy.”
Drinking and drugs make people do things they would not normally do: steal, fight, cuss, rant, rave, rape, and even murder others.
Verse 13 tells us that we should walk properly as in the day. This is talking about deliberately, purposefully, significantly and permanently putting aside the things of the old life.
We should be somewhat concerned about how we dress physically, but even more concerned about how we dress spiritually. We need to be more concerned with our spirit than our flesh. And how do we clothe our spirit? According to this text, we clothe ourselves with Christ.
Still we often fall into the old patterns of the old life so easily. We give into the “little” temptations; we make a concession here, an exception there, and before we know it, we are wearing the same old clothes we had before we put on Christ.
2 Timothy 3:1-5 tell us what we would be dealing with today. It says,
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away.”
In other words, don't be like that!
It is high time to be awake to sin and its dangers. We are to "Put on the armor of light." We are soldiers who can’t take our armor off to carouse at night. The call of Christ is to live differently than the world around us.
If we put off the deeds of darkness and "clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ", people will see Jesus when they see us.
It is not important if we wear an expensive suit and tie on Sunday mornings, or a t-shirt and jeans. But it is vital that we wear Christ.
It is absolutely essential that we’ve put on the Armor of Light so that we truly can worship Him and fight the darkness. It’s the uniform that clearly identifies whose team we are on. And we’d better play to win because the stakes are eternal.
That is one reason why we come together at times of worship.
Hebrews 10:23-25 says, “23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
“24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Another translation says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (TNIV). If you have ever ridden a horse, you know what it means to use your spurs. Spurring is a jab in the ribs. It’s a sharp kick in our complacency.
Titus 2:11-14 says, “11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us (on that cross, by the way), that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
So, it is high time for us to be spiritually awake, and not put on the snooze alarm, waiting for a better time.
We dare not be like Gloria Pitzer who in her little poem wrote:
Procrastination is my sin
It brings me naught but sorrow.
I know that I should stop it
In fact, I will...tomorrow.
I think it is true of almost every Christian at some point in our lives, that we put off things. We get lethargic spiritually, we get apathetic to the world around us and we find ourselves just going through the motions.
It is when we remember that Jesus is coming again, that “the night is far spent,” and “the day is at hand”, that we will be awake to be the people who live like we should, and who point others to Jesus.
CONCLUSION:
Mark Engler, minister at Mt Vernon (MO) Christian Church, told this story:
I remember when I was a kid and we were going to go to grandma and grandpa’s the next day, and man was I excited. We were going there for Christmas and I just loved to be with them and the rest of the family for Christmas.
My mom had me and my brother go to bed early so we could get up early and go the next morning, and I went to bed and went right to sleep. When I woke up I was ready to go.
My clothes were laid out and I hurriedly put them on, got everything packed and went into the living room where my mom was sitting in her chair watching TV.
She looked at me real funny and asked me what I was doing. I said I was ready to go to grandma’s. She said it was only 10:00 at night and we were not going until morning.
We need the same excited feeling about going to see Jesus. If we do feel that way, we will be awake to the things we need to do to be ready. And we will help others be ready too.
