ADVENT 1 – December 1, 2019 – Romans 13:8-14
Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Epistle Lesson just read, from Romans 13. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- During the season of Advent we reflect not only upon the first coming of Jesus, and what He came to do for us as our Savior, but also upon the end of time, the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in great glory!
- Paul states that “you know the time.” It is sometimes hard for us to know the time, and we may want an insight into the history of the world that is not available. You remember that Jesus said: “But of that day and of that hour no one knows, not even the angels, but only the Father.” [Matt. 24:36]
- Nonetheless, we can know the appropriateness of the time in terms of our Christian believing and living. If it was true for the Romans, around 55 A.D., that “salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed,” then it is certainly even truer for us – nearly 2,000 years later!
- In our own lives we can say the same – we are closer to glory and God’s kingdom today than when we first believed. So the upshot of Paul’s advice in this text is the same as that given by St. Peter: “For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you.” [1 Pet. 4:3,4]
- The upshot is that we know that it is the “Kairos,” the appropriate and proper time, for us to get rid of darkness in our lives and to “WALK IN THE LIGHT OF THE LORD.” First:
I. We Are To Be Walking In Love
A. By God’s Commandments – The Fulfilling Of Which Is Love
Romans 13:8 “the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”
B. For Love Does No Harm To Others
Romans 13:10 “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
Statement: The fact is that “works of darkness” like “orgies and drunkenness, sexual immorality and sensuality, quarreling and jealousy” are harmful to ourselves and to others. All “gratifications of the flesh” are injurious to ourselves and to others! So they cannot be loving or good, or pleasing to God, or consonant with walking in God’s light, the light of His love.
Application: So the encouragement is to have the right perception of and perspective on the time that you are living right now. It is so easy for us to define our life and our time in some other way, in a worldly way, according to our age, or our place in our profession, or in regard to our relationships with others. Now, all of these things may have validity, but not if they interfere with our “walking properly as in the daytime.” Not if they obscure our understanding that the time for decency and love and honor is right NOW!
Transition: And while it is still in process, it is essential that we see and understand the movement and that we:
II. Know The Time
A. That Darkness Is Receding, While Salvation Is Drawing Near
Text: “For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand.”
B. This Means That We Are To Be Casting Off The Works Of Darkness – Orgies, Drunkenness, Sexual Immorality, Sensuality, Quarreling, Jealousy – And We Are To Make No Provision For The Flesh
Text: “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. . . . and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” ”
C. Rather, It Is Time For Us To Clothes Ourselves With The Lord Jesus
Text: “Let us . . . put on the armor of light. . . . Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Statement: We might respond that “duh” well of course we are not to be involved in “orgies, drunkenness, or sexual immorality.” Well, if that’s the case good! However, we might want to consider that “sensuality, quarreling, and jealousy” are on the same list, meaning they are sins of the same kind. But we at times look at these as “benign.” They are not. And the list is representative, not exhaustive. Paul could easily have added greed, sloth, gluttony, stinginess, miserliness, and a number of other evils to the list.
Application: The point is that we look at our lives and understand that it is the appropriate time for us to evaluate our lives in terms of commitment to the desires of our sinful flesh versus our commitment to the Lord, to His will, to His kingdom.
We are already clothed in Christ Jesus – in His righteousness, for “all who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” [Gal. 3:27] This is our justification in the sight of God, His accounting us as righteous in His sight, for “love covers a multitude of sins.” [1 Pet. 4:8]
Now we are also encouraged to “put on Jesus” in regard to our actual living and behaving – that we conform our living to how He lived. John wrote: “But everyone who has this hope purifies himself even as He is pure.” [1 Jn. 3:3] Now is the time to apply ourselves to this process, and not give up!
Conclusion: Though we would like to know with more precision when to expect the final, great, and glorious return of the Lord Jesus, we can know with absolute precision that now is a time to live godly, upright, and decent lives of great love. Through His apostle, God Himself urges us to be “WALKING IN THE LIGHT OF THE LORD.” May He grant such blessedness to each of us. Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep you hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.