IN THE LAST DAYS
Text: Romans 13:8 -14
Romans 13:8-14 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. (9) The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." (10) Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. (11) Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; (12) the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; (13) let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. (14) Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires (NRSV).
In the first part of Romans 13 Paul points out that we should submit to our government. In the second part of Romans 13, it may seem like Paul is rambling while talking about
> debts,
> four of the ten commandments,
> Loving our neighbor,
> putting aside the works of darkness,
> living honorably in the armor of light,
> Not sleep walking but remembering that our salvation is near!!!
Paul is making a point. What’s his point? His point is for the congregation of the church at Rome then and the church today is to be loving to our neighbors. Two things we want to talk about today are distractions and love.
DISTRACTIONS
Why talk about distractions if Paul never specifically mentioned it? In verse thirteen Paul seems to allude to distractions. Why?
1) Submission: In the first half of Romans 13 Paul tells us to submit to the government because it was established by God.
2) Authority: Paul talked about being subject to governments because they have been established by God, (verse 1) to keep from being punished and to keep a clear conscience (verse 5) and do what is right (verse [in God’s eyes]. “Government is to be obeyed because it is ordained to punish evil (Gk. kakon) and promote good (Gk. agathos)”. (H. Wayne House. New Testament editor. Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson, Inc 1999). Since God wants us to be Holy as He is Holy, then we cannot side with anything that desecrates God’s holiness!
3)Civil Disobedience:
> If the Jewish midwives had not been civilly disobedient, then we would never have had Moses (Exodus 1:15 -17).
> Based upon what we know of Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego, they refused to submit to Nebuchadnezzar as their Lord, bowing only to God., we call that a legitimate civil disobedience (Daniel 3). .
> Peter was civilly disobedient and preached the Gospel even after he was arrested, forbidden and released (Acts 5:17 - 42).
> Paul was also arrested numerous times in the book of Acts for preaching the Gospel.
> You would not be here today if our spiritual ancestors had not been civilly disobedient!
4) Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “The underground, Confessing Church in Nazi Germany in the 1930s (led by men like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was martyred) took a bold stand in their Barmen Declaration”. https://www.aomin.org/aoblog/uncategorized/a-biblical-case-for-civil-disobedience-the-right-use-of-romans-13/ Paul said, “Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor” (Romans 13:7 NIV).
5) Avoid money obstacles: Paul encouraged people to owe nobody anything except to love one another.
6) Misers: Misers have a problem with money because they hoard money and live meagerly while owing nothing to no one.
John G. Wendel and his sisters were some of the most miserly people of all time. Although they had received a huge inheritance from their parents, they spent very little of it and did all they could to keep their wealth for themselves.
John was able to influence five of his six sisters never to marry, and they lived in the same house in New York City for 50 years. When the last sister died in 1931, her estate was valued at more than $100 million. Her only dress was one that she had made herself, and she had worn it for 25 years.
The Wendels had such a compulsion to hold on to their possessions that they lived like paupers. Even worse, they were like the kind of person Jesus referred to “who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).
Daily Walk, June 2, 1993 Galaxie Software. (2002). 10,000 Sermon Illustrations. Biblical Studies Press. Their money is a distraction because it cannot save them.
Why do some people act like tomorrow never comes?
1) Unprepared: Unbelievers might lives as if tomorrow never comes and are not always prepared when tomorrow gets here.
2) Eternal vs. Temporal: An atheist may be fine until confronted with eternity.
There’s …. cartoon that was published in the New Yorker magazine some years back. You know that classic children’s story, The Little Engine That Could? (It’s the story of a little steam locomotive that must climb a massive hill and manages to do so by repeating over and over to itself, “I think I can, I think I can.”) Well, this cartoon was captioned, “The Little Engine That Coulda Woulda Shoulda.” Rather than looking determined and resolute, this little engine is looking sad and forlorn. It’s saying to itself, “I knew I could, so why didn’t I?”
https://www.proclaimsermons.com/illustration.asp?LoggedIn=Yes&ID=Wil2850260583&illust_type=category&illust_cat=Procrastination
LOVE
If you were asked to sum up the law and the prophets, then what would you say?
A lawyer once asked Jesus that question. Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' (38) This is the first and greatest commandment. (39) And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' (40) All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:36 - 40). Again, Paul echoes Jesus.
Why does Paul make such a big deal about love?
1) Multiple mentions: It was a big deal because Paul mentioned the word love 103 times in the NIV, and 75 times in the KJV. Most of the time it was the Greek word agape which is the word for unconditional love!
2) The Christless life: William Barclay calls the six sins labeled by Paul in Romans 13:13 the sins of a Christless life.
3) Neglect: Paul is telling us that life is short and that we have no time to waste! How would it change your perspective if you knew that you had only six months to live? Would you let go of any grudges? Would you witness for Jesus?
4) Fleeting: Consider what David said in Psalm 39:4-5 “4“Let me know my end, LORD. How many days do I have left? I want to know how brief my time is.”5 You’ve made my days so short; my lifetime is like nothing in your eyes. Yes, a human life is nothing but a puff of air! (CEB). Other translations of the Bible end that verse with the Hebrew word “Selah”: The Amplified Bible translates that word like this:”Pause and think calmly about that”.
Why does it sometimes take a medical crisis that could be life-threatening for people to wake up?
5) War between Light and darkness: Elsewhere Paul spoke about this armor--- ”.. take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:13 NRSV). Now why is that such a big deal because we are battling against the darkness every single day until Jesus comes back.
What do all of these things have to do with the love? It is because our salvation is nearer now, then when we first became believers.
