While you're getting yourself settled, please go ahead and take out your copy of God's Word and turn to the book of Romans, chapter 13.
!
Father, we truly do need you.
We need you in everything that we do, in every hour and moment of our short days.
We need you, Father, to sing praises to your name.
We certainly need you for the understanding of your Word.
So I pray, Father, this morning that you will bless the words that I speak,
that they will be right and true,
that they will properly send us in a direction that honors and glorifies you in everything.
And I pray for all of us, Lord, you will apply it by your Spirit to our hearts,
that no one who's here this day will leave the same,
that we will leave this place with a greater and deeper appreciation for the personal work of Christ,
that we will want to make him known everywhere that we go.
We pray all of this in his precious name. Amen.
So we've been preaching through the book of Romans, and we have arrived at verses 11 through 14.
We dealt last week primarily with the first two verses there, verses 11 and 12.
But join me in reading, and I'm actually going to back up a bit and begin reading in verse 8.
Oh, no one anything except to love each other.
For the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
For 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.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Love does no wrong to a neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Besides this, you know the time, that the long hour has come for you to wake from sleep,
for salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.
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.
Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness,
not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy,
but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.
So recall, as we've been working through Romans, that we get to the end of chapter 11
and Paul sums up his doxological statements, right?
He's finished laying out the truth of the gospel for us,
that we're saved by grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone forever.
And he praises God for that in the doxology there found at the end.
And then he turns at the beginning of chapter 12 to appeal to us,
to say to us, in light of these great truths, these mercies of God, as he calls it there in verse 1 of chapter 12,
we are to present our bodies as living sacrifices.
That is, all of us.
We're meant to give all of who we are now in response to the fact that God has redeemed our souls.
He goes on to talk about what this is now going to look like,
how it's going to play out in our living.
And in verse 9 of chapter 12, he says,
Let love be genuine.
Abhor what is evil.
Hold fast to what is good.
And I propose to you that the very essence of godliness,
if I ask for a word to explain what godliness is,
a proper response would be love.
Not the love that we speak about in the world,
not the romantic comedy type of love,
but the superseding, the unconditional, the Christ-like type of love.
And he went on to expound about that,
what this love looks like in various ways to different peoples and people groups.
And then in verse 8 of chapter 13,
he expands that to speak of this continuing debt of love.
Something that we're going to be constantly working towards,
constantly paying back.
Our lives are to be characterized by this very love.
Because love is the fulfilling of the law.
In the beginning in verse 11, he says,
Besides this, in addition to the fact that love is the fulfilling of the law,
you know the time.
You have a knowledge of the time.
And we talked about what that time is in verse 11 and 12.
There's a metaphor of the daytime and the night.
He uses this metaphor to explain to us a truth.
And that truth is that the salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed.
Not that we are working in these days to gain salvation,
but that we are eagerly awaiting the full and final realization of that salvation,
the glorification, if you will.
When all things will be complete and all things will be made new.
When the kingdom of God that's been begun in Christ will be finally and fully finished.
So we see that we live between the times.
We're kind of at a juncture there.
And not that we're in this gap between the times,
but in the overlap between the two.
Between the reign of sin and death
and the coming full and final reign of Christ.
I also propose to you that our knowledge of time
also includes the knowledge of who we are.
We are the ones who live with the revelation of Jesus Christ
in this sinful world.
We have the weight of our flesh pulling us one direction.
We have the Spirit of God guiding us in the other.
And this Paul is proposing to us
is how it is that we are to cast off and put on.
So what is it then that we are to cast off?
We're going to be looking at the last half of verse 12 and 13 and 14.
He gives us some specific things,
which I believe are just a sampling of things.
I don't believe this is an exhaustive list
of what we're to cast off,
but we can categorize these things here.
He talks about in 13,
orages and drunkenness,
sexual immorality and sensuality,
quarreling and jealousy.
And if you'll allow,
I'll categorize them in this way.
One, we're to cast off being outside of our minds.
The word here translated in the ESV
is orages,
means carousal.
It was the Greek term used initially
to speak of the celebration of a war,
or a victory over war,
or in a game,
in a competition of sport.
It was the celebration that followed it,
but it had developed
into much, much, much more than that.
It developed into a licentious celebration,
a losing your mind
over the celebration that you're having.
And interesting here,
it's connected to
this idea of substance abuse,
which often accompanied
that type of celebration.
as well as,
as the word translated here,
orages.
People stepped out of their rational thinking
in the celebration of things,
and he's coupled those together
as he's done in Galatians 5.21,
and Peter does it as well
in chapter 4, verse 3,
of 1 Peter.
So that's the picture
that we're being given here
of an example,
a sampling of something
that we are to cast off,
being outside of our minds,
not being in control
of our very faculties.
Secondly,
improper sexual desire.
He says to cast off
sexual immorality
and sensuality.
Now sexual immorality here
is not the Greek term
pornea,
which is where we get
the term pornography from,
but rather koite,
which is the improper use
of the marriage bed.
The improper use
of the marriage bed.
Sex outside of marriage
or sex within marriage
done improperly.
Right?
But gentlemen,
you're not off the hook
because the Greek term
doesn't mean that,
because the term
sensuality would include,
would be all inclusive
of those types of acts.
Shameless excess
and absence of restraint.
That's what it means.
We're to cast this off
as well.
Thirdly,
we're to cast off
the desire
for preeminence
or control.
We see this
in quarreling
and jealousy.
The idea here
behind quarreling
is an antagonistic
competitiveness
that seeks
the highest recognition
possible,
the Greek phrase here.
And jealousy,
zealos,
it's where we get
the word zeal from.
Right?
Used in the positive
in a number of places
in the scriptures,
but it's used negatively
when the self
is the object
of one's zeal.
So,
the seeking of gain
for yourself,
we're meant to
cast that off
as well.
Now,
some translations
use this term
cast off
and they say
instead,
lay aside,
which is a good
way to think of it.
To toss it away.
It's the idea
of disrobing
without the intention
of putting the garments
or garment
back on.
To put it off.
To lay it aside.
I kind of like
cast off in the ESV
because it has
this picture
of tossing it
away from your
very being.
If you've ever
done much manual labor,
you've probably
found yourself
in a situation
where you've so
disgusted your clothing
that the serious
consideration is
just to throw it away.
I don't know
that I ever even
through cycles of washing
want to re-wear
this clothing.
I've done that.
I've just said,
put it in a bag
and get rid of it.
It's that idea.
I'm going to take it off
without the intention
of ever putting it
back on.
It's a discardment
of it.
It's a rejection
of it.
Have any of you ever,
I'm asking this rhetorically,
have any of you ever
received pajamas
at Christmas?
You get the Christmas PJs,
right?
You get up in the morning
and you've got on
your pajamas,
you're comfortable,
you're lounging around,
you get the new pajamas
and you're likely
at that moment
to take a break
in the opening
of Christmas presents
to go put on
the new comfortable clothes,
right?
You're going to run off,
you never go put on
the nice clothes
that you get for Christmas
to sit around the house
and open things,
but if it's a new pair
of sweatpants,
right?
When I was a kid,
I got the sweatpants
with the new elastic band
because you had to have
a good tight elastic band
around your ankle
in those days,
right?
You want to go put on
the new comfy pants
and bring them back.
My mother buys
for all the grandkids
for Christmas every year
a new pair of pajamas
and we do this
on Christmas Eve
and my favorite child
to,
that changes,
we change all the kids,
we take a picture of them,
it's really fun.
The older ones,
Jed and Britton,
they run off to their rooms
and go change.
My favorite though
is LJ,
who is three,
who wherever he is,
whatever he's wearing
is coming off
right there
and he's putting on
the new pajamas,
he's so excited about them
and this picture's in my mind
of casting off
because he does not care
what happens
to the old pajamas,
right?
He's getting them off
as fast as he can,
he throws them to the side
and there they would stay
if somebody else
didn't come along
and pick them up
on his behalf.
That's this picture
of casting it off,
of putting it away
from us.
So,
what then are we to
put on?
Right?
At the end of verse 12
he says,
let us cast off
the works of darkness,
which he's expounded
upon here now,
and we're to put on
the armor of light.
The implication here
is that we're dressing
for a battle.
If we're to walk
as those
who walk properly
in the daytime,
Paul's suggesting to us
that that's not going
to be a stroll.
That's not going to be
an easy little jaunt
through the park,
but it's going to be
a battle.
He uses this term
armor.
We must necessarily
put on the armor
of light.
In a parallel text
to this one found
here in Romans,
1 Thessalonians 5,
5-9,
Paul writes,
you are all
children of light.
Children of the day,
we are not of the night
or of the darkness.
So then let us not
sleep as others do,
but let us keep awake
and be sober.
For those who sleep
sleep at night,
and those who get drunk
are drunk at night.
But since we belong
to the day,
let us be sober.
Here's the point
I'm driving to.
Having put on
the breastplate
of faith and love,
and for a helmet
the hope of salvation.
For God has not
destined us for wrath,
but to obtain salvation
through our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Christ.
So it's safe here
to say,
when Paul's talking
about this armor
of light,
that he's talking
about the armor
of faith,
and love,
and hope.
We're to put these
things on,
and more specifically,
in verse 14,
we're to put on
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Back in Romans.
We're to put on
the armor of light,
which is,
to put on
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ.
There's another place
in the New Testament
that Paul speaks
of putting on Christ,
and that's found
in Galatians 3.27,
where he says,
for as many of you
as were baptized
into Christ
have put on Christ.
Notice the change
in time frame here.
Those of us
who are believers,
who have been baptized
into Christ,
have put on Christ.
So the understanding,
then, again,
is that we're
between two worlds.
We have put on Christ
as Christ's redeemed ones,
and yet we're also
to continually
put him on.
We're to put him on
because we've already
put him on,
if you'll allow.
So that begs
a question, then.
How?
What does that even mean
to put on
the Lord Jesus Christ?
It's not a garment
that we can wear,
you see?
How do we put on
the Lord Jesus Christ?
2 Corinthians 4.6
gives us a clue to this.
God who said,
let light shine
out of darkness,
has shown in our hearts
to give the light
of the knowledge
of the glory of God
in the face
of Jesus Christ.
We have beheld Christ.
Christ.
We have seen him
in all his magnificent glory.
Anybody can read
of him in the scriptures.
We have the revelation
of him.
This is why I will
always and forever
argue
that the call of God
in our lives
is an effectual call.
That when he shows us
Christ,
we will necessarily
respond,
yes,
and please.
Right?
We have beheld
the most glorious thing
we can possibly behold
in all of eternity,
forever,
in the person
and work
of Jesus Christ.
So why is it then?
Why do we so easily,
so readily,
turn back
to sin?
Why do we put off
the garment
and pick it back up
and put it back on?
And I think the answer
to that,
at least in part,
is that we are
finite
in our senses.
We can touch things
and feel things
and taste things
and smell
and see,
if I haven't said that already.
Right?
We experience the world
in these ways.
And sin
is easy
to gratify
those types
of senses.
Right?
It's easy
to see the value,
the short-term value,
albeit,
in some of these things
because it's so readily
available for us.
So,
if then we choose
sin
over the glorious
ways of Jesus Christ,
what I propose to you
is that we're not
tasting,
we're not seeing,
we're not
feeling
Jesus Christ.
You set the
pleasures that are
available to us
from the things
of the world
and the things
of Christ
on a scale
and the scale
in an amazing,
immeasurable way
tips to Christ.
The things of earth
will go strangely dim
in the light of what?
Christ's glorious
grace.
So,
so let's talk about this
a little bit more,
this idea,
and to further
explain it,
I want to use
another biblical metaphor.
So,
Paul's been talking
about not being
of the night,
but rather being
children of the day,
walking as those
who walk
in the day.
Another common
biblical metaphor,
which is found
often,
particularly in the
Psalms,
is of men
with divided hearts.
For example,
Psalm 119,
verses 2 and 3,
reads,
blessed are those
who keep
his testimonies,
who seek him
with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways.
And here we see
that language of walking,
just like we've seen
in Romans chapter 13.
Right?
Blessed are those
who keep his testimonies,
who seek him
with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways.
Walk in the Greek
means to behave,
the act of behavior.
In the Hebrew,
it's a manner of life.
Same thing, right?
Synonymous here
in this way.
Psalm 119.10 reads,
With my whole heart
I seek you.
Let me not wander
from your commandments.
Psalm 86.11,
Teach me your way,
O Lord,
that I may walk
in your truth.
Unite my heart
to fear your name.
Do you see
the connectivity
between us
having undivided hearts,
hearts that are together
and focused
and the obedience
that comes with that.
Right?
Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ
that we may walk
as those who walk
in the day.
John Calvin said
of Psalm 86.11,
those of you
who think he's a scary guy,
listen to these
beautiful words.
Right?
In the word unite,
there is a very
beautiful metaphor
conveying the idea
that the heart of man
is full of tumult,
drawn asunder
and as it were
scattered about
in fragments
until God
has gathered it
to himself
and holds it together
in a state of steadfast
and persevering
obedience.
To cap off
the Psalm,
Psalm 119.32
and I love this one,
it says,
I will run
in the way
of your commandments
when you enlarge
my heart,
which can also
be rendered
when you set
my heart free.
Right?
Here is Psalm 119,
more than likely,
David wrote it,
right?
I will run
in the way
of your commandments
when you set
my heart free.
Children of light,
our hearts
have been set free.
We're no longer
slaves to sin.
We've been,
the bondage of that
has been broken for us.
We don't have to go
on sinning.
We don't have to be those
who dwell in dark places.
We've been granted
to be those
who walk in the light
and that is the point
that Paul is driving us to.
This knowledge of the time,
recognize who you are.
Right?
Not only that you should
live this way,
it's the fulfilling
of the law.
Right?
But that you can.
It's possible
that you might live
sinless lives.
It's been granted to us.
You recall the story
of when the Pharisees
brought the woman
to Jesus,
wanted him to condemn her.
You know the story.
He reaches down
and writes in the sand.
We don't know
what he wrote in the sand.
I would presume
it was the sins
of the men,
the accusers.
Don't really know.
But then he stands up
and he says,
you who is without sin,
throw the first stone.
And of course
they all drop their rocks
and walk away.
Right?
What does he say
to her after that?
Go and sin no more.
It does not mean
that we will.
I'm not standing here
to tell you
that I live
a sinless life.
I do not.
But it has been granted
to me
the ability
to do so.
And we should live
as those
who've been set free
from the bondage
of sin.
So back in
our text,
Romans chapter 13,
here's kind of
a further clue
trying to bring us
back around
and pull this idea
together for you.
Verse 14 says,
but put on the Lord
Jesus Christ
and make no provision
for the flesh
to gratify its desires.
The one is subservient
to the other.
So notice
that the putting
on the Lord Jesus
is the way
in which
we make no provision
for the flesh.
And here's how.
The word provision
translated here
means literally
forethought.
Forethought.
So put on
the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is how this
could read.
And don't let
any thought
in your head
that will lead
to a sinful desire.
Not just
to the gratification
of the sinful desire,
but even
the desire
itself.
Paul's not saying
here,
put away
those things
that are a temptation
to you
to act on sin.
He's saying here,
cast off things
that will even
tempt you
to desire
sin.
He's getting again
at the very root
of who we are,
which is what?
It's the heart.
If we're putting
on the Lord Jesus Christ,
we will be people
of undivided hearts.
And we will
then necessarily,
as an outflow
of that,
we'll walk
in his ways.
Romans 12.2.
Let me back you up.
I always want to
show you context.
It's so important.
Paul didn't
write these
as little
jotted notes
and then somebody
put them together
in a collection
later on.
He wrote this
as a train
of thought
for us.
Romans 12.2,
he says,
do not be
conformed
to this world,
but be
transformed
by the renewing
of your mind.
Be transformed,
changed,
shaped.
It's continual
action that's
taking place here.
that we might
have hearts
that are
undivided.
So I ask
the question,
and some of you
may feel like
I haven't answered
it yet,
and that's okay,
because I haven't
completely.
How are we
to put on
the Lord Jesus
Christ?
So in part,
I've said
that we experience
him.
We behold
him.
We see him
in our lives
and in the lives
of others.
So how do we
do that practically?
Right?
If you want to
jot the notes,
what am I going
to do this week
to experience
Christ in a newer
and a deeper way
that I might
cast off the
works of darkness?
That I might not
live in that way,
but I might live
in the way of the
light?
How am I going
to do that
practically?
Break it down.
It's not all
that complicated.
There's no mystic
answer I'm going
to give you.
Some special
key to unlock
this.
Practice
the graces
that have been
given to you.
For example,
read your
scripture.
It is the
revelation
of Jesus Christ.
We talked about
this morning
in Aletheia Way,
didn't we?
Even those
Old Testament
stories.
The grand
heroes of the
Old Testament.
There are truths
to be mined on the
surface of all
of those stories
and there's the
truth that we
always want to
get to and that
is the person
and work of
Jesus Christ.
Take, for example,
the story of
David and Goliath.
Right?
A beautiful
story of an
obedient boy
who, in the
face of great
danger, faced a
giant to deliver
the Israelites.
Right?
What's the truth
in that?
Can we learn
things about being
obedient to God?
Sure.
Can we learn
things about God
being able to
accomplish things
with small means?
Absolutely.
Right?
But what is the
truth?
That David is a
type of Christ.
That coming to
defeat sin and
death on our
behalf, notice
that the
Israelites stood
by and watched
as he went and
slayed the giant
that was Goliath.
Right?
That's the
truth.
It's everywhere
in the scriptures.
From the very
beginning to the
very end, it all
speaks of Christ.
Spend time in
this book.
Church, we
don't know the
scriptures the
way we should.
I put myself in
that category.
Right?
It's a lot of
words found in
here, these 66
books of the
Bible.
But if we would
diligently study
this, we would
know it so
well.
It's a book.
So many of you
can quote from so
many other books.
What about this
one?
The most precious
book ever written.
It was written by
our Lord.
And beyond that,
we have the
Spirit of God to
help us understand
it, to discern
it, to apply it to
our living, to
bring it to
remembrance as we
need it.
It is alive and
it is active.
And if you have
not experienced
that, get busy
experiencing it.
Every day you
open the scriptures,
you will not have
your affections turn
towards Christ.
Do it anyway.
Keep after it.
It is a discipline
at times.
A great, great joy
at others.
Make it a habit
if you can.
Time permits.
Make it a habit
to do as George
Mueller did,
where when he
started reading his
scriptures in the
morning, he read
them until his
affections were set
on Christ.
Set on Christ.
That's how he
began his day.
That he might
behold Christ at
the very beginning
of the day.
That all that other
stuff would then
become filthy,
rags, to be
cast off.
Right?
Are you feeling
defeated in sin
and you don't
read your scriptures?
It's a place to
start.
Secondly, pray.
Church, we've been
given a great grace
in prayer.
We have been
granted by Christ
to approach God
at any time
of the day
with any
concern.
We can cast
all of our
anxieties and cares
on him because
he cares for us.
The Most High,
the Creator of
the universe,
by his might
and power,
he spoke it
into existence.
He now holds it
in its sway
with that very
same word,
wants to have
a conversation
with you.
Not just to hear
what you have to
say, but to
respond to you.
It's such a
blessing to pray.
If you appreciate
the Father,
part of Father
God, he wants
you to sit on
his lap.
Right?
And chat
about how your
day's going,
what's concerning
you.
And he wants
to speak
into your ear
about how
he is going
to work
through you
and for you
to accomplish
good in your
life.
Why do we not
pray?
Thirdly,
invest in the
church.
Notice that I
didn't say
attend the
church.
It's an easy
thing.
I'm thankful
that every
single one of
you are here
this morning,
that you took
the effort to
get up, get
ready, to
show up.
That's the
easy part.
Right?
And it's not
all there is to
church life.
invest in it.
Get to know
people.
Share your
life with
them.
Right?
Serve.
Be involved
in these
ways.
Because if our
goal is we're
going to try to
behold Christ so
that we can
discard, we can
cast away the
works of
darkness.
You want to
see Christ in
the world?
Look at him in
his people.
He is
transforming us
day by day,
little by little.
And if you
will take the
time to get to
know somebody
beyond the
surface of
things and get
into the
spiritual of
things, you
will see that
he is working
in people's
lives.
He's causing
them to do
things that
they wouldn't
normally do.
Right?
He's making
them new
creations.
It's a work
that only can
be accomplished
by God.
You will be
amazed as you
spend time with
people in that
way of how
enthralled you
will become
with Christ.
So invest.
Invest in the
church.
Not necessarily
this one,
although we'd
love to have
you.
Get involved
with a group
of believers
and consistently
march it out
with them.
And then
fourthly, be
radically
obedient.
Go where
God calls
you to go,
whether that
is this
afternoon to
a neighbor or
to the ends
of the earth
someday,
wherever God
leads, go
there.
Because if
you go where
he's working
and inviting
you, you
will experience
him in that
place.
You will see
him in the
same way you
see him
working in
the lives
of people
in the
church.
You will
see him
working in
grand ways
in the
lost world.
Be
obedient.
Track
him where
he goes.
Our God
has a grand
mission.
He is calling
his church
out of this
world.
When he
is done,
all things
here will
come to an
end and
he'll establish
a new
heaven and
a new
earth.
It's getting
done,
everybody.
It's not
done yet,
but it's
getting done.
He doesn't
need us.
Hear me
carefully.
He does
not need
you, but
he loves
you.
He wants
you to
experience life
to the
fullest.
And you
know where
we're most
likely to do
that?
With
him.
Go be
where God
is.
Working
in this
world.
And you
will have
newer,
grander,
higher
visions of
Jesus Christ.
And when
you do
that,
casting the
garment off
and never
putting it
back on
becomes
easier and
easier.
The scale
always tips
heavily in
his favor.
If you're
finding yourself
fighting this
battle with
sin,
the woe is
me type of
Christian,
just can't
get a handle
on it,
you're probably
fighting it
wrong.
Fight it
by putting
on the
Lord Jesus
Christ.
Read about
him in
his scriptures.
Pray to
him.
Meet with
the church
that you
might see
Christ in
his people
and go
and be
obedient with
him in
the world
so that
you'll see
him alive
and active
there.
I can
promise
you,
you will
not be
disappointed.
Let's not
act as though
this battle
has no
consequence.
Get busy
killing sin
or it's
going to
kill you.
If you're
a Christian,
the final
full penalty
for sin
has been
paid for
you in
Christ.
But our
sin still
has temporal
punishment.
We still
experience the
downside
of sin.
We have
momentary
pleasure and
then the
downside of
all the
things that
come along
with it.
So don't
act like
it's not
affecting you.
That you
can bop
around,
experiencing
God's
grace as
he forgives
you for
the things
that you're
doing.
It has
dire and
serious
consequence
in the
here and
now.
Why would
you trade
lesser
things,
greater
things,
for lesser
things?
Excuse me.
Why would
you trade
joy and
satisfaction,
peace that's
found in
Christ,
for trifling
little,
momentary
pleasures?
sinners.
You do it
because you're
a sinner
by nature
and you
don't
behold
Christ
the way
you ought.
So beloved,
we know
the time
we live
in.
If we
didn't,
we know
now.
We live
between
these two
worlds,
but we
have been
set free
from the
bondage
of sin.
So then
let us
cast off
the works
of darkness
and let us
put on the
armor of
light.
let us
walk
properly
in the
daytime
because we
have
Jesus
Christ.
Let's pray
together.