Dedicated To The Men of God Who Preach the Word of God As It
Is To Men As They Are
"Preach The Word"
CHRISTIAN, WHAT TIME IS IT?
ROMANS 13:8-14
Christian, what time is it on God's clock? It is time for reveille for the redeemed. Reveille is a military term for waking up time. Though many Christians act as if they have heard the call to taps, or time to go to sleep, God has actually sounded reveille, or a wake up call. The apostle wrote that it is wake-up time for Christians. It is time for reveille for the redeemed. A stupendous, wonderful event-the consummation of our salvation is nearer than ever before. Much of what is taking place in our world today would seem to indicate that the Lord's coming is very near. The Bible says that It is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed (Rom. 13:11). The very rapid approach of our consummated salvation should cause us to wake up and live as Christians should live. And yet it seems that the majority of professing Christians in our churches are fast asleep.
The Bible admonishes Christians to be awake or alert for a number of reasons. We will consider three of them here. We are admonished to be alert because of Christian character, the craftiness of Satan, and the coming of Christ.
I. BE AWAKE BECAUSE OF CHRISTIAN CHARACTER
A Christian is one who has been born again, or born spiritually. That is, he has left the death and darkness of sin and has come alive to God and spiritual matters. A Christian has a new nature that is capable of responding to God and understanding spiritual truths. The old way of falsehood and spiritual ignorance is no longer acceptable. One who is born again has an appetite for spiritual truth. He longs for God and the ways of God. However, it is possible for a Christian to slip into spiritual sleep or indifference, but it is against his nature to do so. I Thessalonians 5:5-6 speaks to us on this issue-Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. The word "sleep" is a metaphor for indifference to spiritual matters. "Watch and be sober" speaks of being spiritually alert. Two issues face us here: character and conduct.
A. Christian Character
1. A Positive Characterization of Christians (I Thess. 5:5-6). The context here involves the Christian's preparedness for the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is a period of time that begins with the rapture of the church and ends with the establishing of a new heaven and a new earth. The apostle Paul had just written that the Thessalonian Christians knew that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night (I Thess. 5:2). The unsaved will be taken completely by surprise by this event. The Bible says, For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape (I Thess 5:3). Christians will not be taken by surprise by this event, as will the unsaved. Paul wrote of the Christians at Thessalonica and of all Christians of all times, But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should over take you as a thief (I Thess. 5:4). Christians are characterized positively in I Thessalonians 5:5-Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day. "Ye" is emphatic and contrasts Christians with the unsaved. "Children of the light" describes a Christian's nature as belonging to the light. The moment that a person is saved, he passes from the realm of darkness into the realm of light. That Christians are "children of the day" says the same thing in a different way. "Night" and "darkness" are figurative. Night stands for man's alienation from God, while darkness is descriptive of sin and wickedness. Christian character is described as being of the nature of the light and the day, rather than that of darkness and night.
2. A Positional Challenge to Christians. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober (I Thess. 5:6). "Therefore" points back to the positive characterization in verse 5. The negative statement "Let us not sleep" is in the present tense. Thus it is "Let us not go on sleeping." The word "sleep" is used metaphorically to denote spiritual indifference on the part of Christians. The implication is that Christians must be on guard to keep themselves from falling into such a condition of indifference. "As do others" is a reference to unbelievers who are characterized by "night" and "darkness." The sleep of spiritual indifference is characteristic of unbelievers, but Christians must not conduct themselves in such a manner. "But" is a strong adversative contrasting the negative and positive statements in the challenge, Let us not sleep, as do others but let us watch and be sober. "Let us watch" must be understood as an exhortation to give strict attention to a matter. The word carries the ideas of being spiritually alert and active. "Be sober" translates a verb, the meaning of which is "to be calm and collected in spirit, to be circumspect or careful." As "watch" denotes alertness, so "sober" denotes stability. Paul's admonition is that Christians should exhibit a calm, self-controlled attitude and behavior that would enable them to deal effectively with whatever occurs. Such composure will assure their readiness to meet the Lord when He comes.
B. Christian Conduct
1. A Characterization. Christians are characterized as being "children of light and the children of the day." This says something about the conduct of Christians as well as their character. In contrast to the ungodly, unholy lives of those who are not saved, Christians are to live godly, holy lives. We are to live like children of light-For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord, walk as children of light (Eph. 5:8). Christians are to live as children of the light and of the day, holy in their behavior or conduct. The apostle Peter said it thus, But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. "In all manner of conversation" means something like "in all manner of behavior." We are to conduct ourselves in a godly, holy manner at all times.
2. A Command. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light (Eph. 5:8). Christians walk as children of light, when they live in the manner that Paul dictated in Ephesians 5. They are to prove what is acceptable unto the Lord (v.10). That is, they are to find the will of God for their lives and live in it. In order to walk as children of light, Christians are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them (v.11). Not only are we to refuse to participate in the sins of this world, we are to reprove or expose them for what they are. Then we are to see to it that we walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise (v.15). That means that Christians are to live carefully and wisely, knowing and practicing the will of God for their lives. Christians are to redeem the time (5:17) or to make the most of every opportunity to serve the Lord. And we are to be filled with the Spirit (5:18). That is, we are to be controlled by the Spirit in our every day lives. Every provision has been made for Christians to walk as children of light. When their conduct conforms to that which is most essential in their character, Christians walk as children of light.
II. BE AWAKE BECAUSE OF THE CRAFTINESS OF SATAN
God has warned Christians to be sober and alert because of our adversary the devil. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (I Pet. 5:8). Did you notice that the apostle identified the devil as the Christian's adversary? He warned us to be alert to the fact that the devil, our enemy (adversary), seeks to destroy us. It is his character to destroy because he is a murderer. Jesus said of him in John 8:44, He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own for he is a liar and the father of it. Jesus said that the devil is a liar and a murder. That should be reason enough for Christians to be cautious and alert morally and spiritually. The apostle Paul pictured the devil as a serpent that deceives people. In II Corinthians 11:3 he wrote, But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. The devil is the great deceiver and he leads people astray without their even being aware of what is happening. He is indeed a powerful and dangerous enemy. How shall Christians deal with this adversary?
A. Respect Him (I Pet. 5:8a)
1. A Call To Be Sober. "Be sober" is a command to remain alert and to be in full possession of our faculties and feelings. It is a call for spiritual self-possession, which is really Holy Spirit possession or control of our lives. The tense of the verb calls for immediate action.
2. A Command To Be A Sentry. "Be vigilant" is a command to be wakefully active, morally and spiritually, and to be on the alert against the assaults of sin and Satan. Christians should not merely keep awake, but should be alert, giving instant attention to approaching danger. To be sober and vigilant are compatible actions. They go together. In I Thessalonians 5:6 these two verbs were used in reverse order to urge preparedness for the future. Peter used them here to urge Christians to be alert to present danger.
B. Recognize Him (I Pet. 5:8b)
1. A Present Enemy. The Bible pictures the devil as a present enemy. Christians are to recognize the devil as their adversary or enemy. The Greek word translated "adversary" literally means "an opponent in a lawsuit." Here it has the more general meaning of "enemy."
2. A Powerful Enemy. Because the devil is a powerful enemy, we must learn to recognize him in his approach. He is a serpent that bites when we least expect it (II Cor. 11:3). He is a destroyer and an accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:9-11). He is a "roaring lion" and he walks about "seeking whom he may devour" (I Pet. 5:8). The devil has great power and intelligence and he has a host of demons that assist him in his attacks on Christians (Eph. 6:10ff).
C. Resist Him (I Pet. 5:9)
1. An Opportunity. Though the devil is a powerful enemy, he is not all-powerful or omnipotent as God is. Neither is he omniscient or omnipresent as God is. His power is limited, but he does have the power to control lost people (Eph. 2:2) and to deceive and influence Christians (II Cor. 11:13-15). That he is able to influence Christians is evident from this passage in I Peter. The devil is a powerful enemy, but he can be successfully resisted. Peter wrote, Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world (I Pet. 5:9).
2. An Obligation. To cower before the devil is to invite sure defeat. Therefore Christians are urged to resist him. The verb translated "resist" literally means "to stand against." The tense of this verb indicates that as a definite act Christians are to stand in opposition to the devil as their true enemy. We are to resist him "stedfast [firm, unyielding] in the faith" [the true gospel message, the Word of God]. Victory is not assured by clinging to our own personal beliefs but by clinging to the Word of God as it tells of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, where He defeated the devil. Because Jesus through His Holy Spirit is a permanent resident in every Christian's life, the devil is a defeated foe. He can be successfully resisted, when we resist him "stedfast in the faith."
III. BE AWAKE BECAUSE OF THE COMING OF CHRIST
The text for this study admonishes Christians to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed (Rom. 13:11). The reference is to our consummated salvation or glorification, which implies the coming of Christ. Certainly His Second Coming is a prominent theme in the Word of God. Hebrews 9:28 tells us, So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. This verse is also a reference to complete salvation or glorification. We will take note of two themes in this verse-substitution and glorification.
A. Substitution. Jesus came the first time to redeem men from sin. He came to "bear the sins of many." This is one of two places in the New Testament where Christ is said to bear sins. The other reference is I Peter 2:24, Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. The idea of bearing sins is frequent in the Old Testament, where it is clear that bearing sin means bearing the penalty of sin (See Numbers 14:24; Ezekiel 18:20). That Christ was offered to bear the sins of many should be understood to mean that He suffered the penalty of sin that sinners deserved. He took our places on the cross, so that we could be saved. Hebrews 2:9 declares that Jesus died on the cross that he by the grace of God should taste of death for every man. He died as our substitute that we might live eternally.
B. Glorification. Christ will appear to glorify "them that look for him." Titus 2:13 describes Christians as, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. He is coming to give us glorified bodies. Philippians 3:20-21, For our conversation is in heaven: from which we also look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself. The power of the Sovereign Son of God and our Saviour guarantees the fulfillment of this promise. Christians are to anticipate His return so that we will not be caught unaware when He comes. Let us heed these words of Jesus: Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come (Matt. 24:42).
CONCLUSION
Christian, what time is it on God's clock? It is time to be alert because of the consummation of our salvation-glorification-is nearer than when we first believed. We are to be alert because of Christ's coming. The apostle Paul wrote, "that now it is high time to awake out of sleep" (Rom. 13:11, emphasis mine). What he wrote constitutes a wake-up call for Christians. It is a time for reveille for the redeemed.
In the ensuing chapters of this study, we will note that for Christians it is late on God's clock. It is time to pay up (Rom. 13:8-10). It is time to wake up (Rom. 13:11); It is time to look up (Rom. 13:11b); It is time to suit up (Rom. 13:12); It is time to clean up (Rom. 13:13); And it is time to grow up (Rom. 13:14). This is indeed a wake up call for Christians. It is reveille for the redeemed.
MINI-SERMON FROM DR. DAVID CLARK
