Sermon Title: Wake Up and Put on the Armor of Light
Scripture Text: Romans 13:11-14 “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
I. Understanding the Urgency of the Time
Spiritual awakening begins with a clear recognition of the current hour in God’s redemptive history.
*The Hour to Wake Up: We must understand the present time and recognize that the hour has already come for us to wake up from our slumber (Romans 13:11a).
*The Proximity of Salvation: Our final salvation—the full realization of our hope in Christ—is nearer now than when we first believed (Romans 13:11b).
*The Reality of Eternity: Just as a child prepares for life outside the womb, our time on earth is a brief period of preparation to stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10).
II. Casting Off the Works of Darkness
To live in the light, we must first intentionally strip away the behaviors and attitudes that belong to the night.
*The End of Night: The night is nearly over, and the day is almost here. Therefore, we must put aside the deeds of darkness (Romans 13:12).
* Behaving Decently: We are called to live decently, as in the daytime, avoiding carousing, drunkenness, sexual immorality, and debauchery (Romans 13:13a).
* Internal Sins of the Heart: We must specifically cast off dissension and jealousy (Romans 13:13b). These "hidden" sins often disrupt the church, but they are overcome by the law of love, which fulfills the entire requirements of the Word (Romans 13:8-10).
III. Putting on the Armor of Light
A Christian does not merely stop doing wrong; we must actively equip ourselves for a spiritual reality that requires protection.
* The Need for Armor: We are instructed to "put on the armor of light" (Romans 13:12b). This is described as armor because the Christian life is a battle against a spiritual enemy who seeks to devour us (1 Peter 5:8).
* Walking in the Spirit: Putting on light means walking by the Spirit so that we do not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).
* The Fruit of Light: This armor is manifested through the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
IV. Clothing Yourself with Jesus Christ
The ultimate defense and the final instruction for the believer is to be completely covered by the character and presence of the Lord.
* Clothed in Christ: We are commanded to "clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 13:14a). To put on Christ is to allow His nature to be what the world sees when they look at us.
* Denying the Flesh: We must not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh (Romans 13:14b).
* Watchfulness and Prayer: Because the day of the Lord can come unexpectedly like a trap, we must stay alert and pray always (Luke 21:34-36).
* The Goal of Maturity: Our prayer is that our love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that we may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ (Philippians 1:9-10).
Summary Statement:
The night is far spent; the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light, being found ready and blameless at the return of our Lord.
