Our Focus and Function 130113

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. 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.

Paul has taken his readers in Rome, and us, through a basic course in gospel theology. He began with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. He stated, with confidence, that he was not ashamed of the gospel! Then he showed us the tremendous danger that sin brings into the life of a person. Paul demonstrated the weakness of the law in regards to salvation. He introduced the example of Abraham, who believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. He showed us that in Adam we die but in Christ we can have life. The believer does not have to be in bondage or live under condemnation. Instead, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. And much more, but here he asks us to remember what our focus and function should be.

It's pretty easy to get off point, or out of focus, in life. The pressures of the world, the flesh, and the devil, continually cause us to forget who we are and, much more importantly, whose we are! Paul reminds the Romans that they should live a life that is focused on the facts and not feelings. Salvation is drawing nearer every day. That salvation he is referring to is the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ! Every day each of us are closer to our final salvation. Whether it takes the form of the Lord Jesus appearing in the air or, it takes the form of a death-bed. If he returns while we live we will be caught up to be with him. If His coming is further delayed we shall go to be with him through the grave. Either way…

Salvation is drawing near, wake up!

Jesus will return for his own, let's look at what Jesus had to say about it in John 14:1-3, Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Jesus knew that he would soon be facing death and leaving his disciples behind. He knew that in a few days he would be arrested, beaten, tried, and sentenced to death on a cross. At least three times he had told his disciples this would happen and tried to reassure them that he would rise again. But obviously they were troubled. When we are troubled by the events around us or the things we believe are about to happen we often fall back into our self-centered lifestyle. If we really believe that God is in charge and has a plan for our good then we should not be troubled. So Jesus calls on his disciples, who believe in God, to believe him also. He had told them that he was going to prepare a place for them and he wouldn't have told them that if it were not true. He wanted them to understand that if he was preparing a place for them he would come back for them and take them to be with him. He will return for his believers one by one or all together for those who are left.

One by one. It's very clear that Paul himself believed that death would bring him into the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen while I read Philippians 1:21-23, For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

What encouraging words these are! I have learned over the years to refer to death as equal to, or better than, life on this earth. Folks, if you're a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ then it is either here or there. To live is Christ! To die is gain! The older I get the more I understand Paul saying that his real desire was to depart and be with Christ rather than to stay on the earth. But that is not our choice. It is strictly up to God. Paul knew that if he remained behind it would be for the benefit of the church. He was ready to be offered up. He had fought the fight of faith and was now ready to depart when God was ready for him. Many times I've heard accounts of believers passing from this world into the next with great anticipation. My own father, just as he breathed his last, set up in bed and said, "Oh my Lord" and immediately died. I believe he saw the Lord Jesus standing to receive him into heaven. So, Christ will return for us one at a time and then at the end…

For all that are left. In what was probably Paul's earliest letter he talked about Christ's return. Listen while I read 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

In those early days of his ministry the apostle Paul clearly believed that he would be alive when Jesus returned. He says, "we who are alive, who are left," obviously including himself among the group that would be caught up to be with the Lord. By the time he wrote to the Philippians from the jail in Rome it seems that he had come to believe he would not leave this earth rising into the air to meet Jesus but rather he would shed his earthsuit and put on his heavensuit. In other words, he would die and go to be with the Lord. And that may be what happens with us. On the other hand, it may very well be that we will be in that group who hears the trumpet sound, steps out of this world into that world all together. In the meantime we have a responsibility. As children of the light we need to…

Aviod the works of darkness.

People naturally love darkness. Jesus came into the world as light and was rejected by the world. Listen to what he had to say John 3:19-21, And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.

Paul may have been thinking of these words of Jesus when he said to the Romans, "let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." The world we live in has a clear preference for darkness over light. Of course I'm talking about spiritual light not physical light. Violence, hatred, and self-centered lifestyles abound around us. It is easy for Christians to be drawn away from the light. Too often we find ourselves where we should not be. Robert Robinson got it right when he penned the old song, "Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing". I think especially of the last two verses in the old style. They go like this:

O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning, I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;

Come, my Lord, no longer tarry, Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry Me to realms of endless day.

The natural tendency, even of believers, is to wander away from the realms of endless day. If those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ would simply focus themselves on living a life filled with the light of faith we could change the world we live in! We have a responsibility to live as children of the light and as such…

We should not participate in darkness. Listen while I read Paul's words to the Ephesians 5:3-13, But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.

The works of darkness are comprehensively spelled out for us. Sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness (which is idolatry), filthiness, foolish talk, crude joking all represent spiritual darkness. These things are out of place in the Christian community and should not represent in any way the lifestyle of the people of God. Not only should we not allow our lives to be represented by the darkness we should not be partners with those who live that way. And we're not just to not participate but we are to expose the unfruitful works of darkness. When they're brought into the light they will shrivel up and lose their power to attract. We are to absolutely not participate in the works of darkness instead we are to…

Focus on the light. Our Lord described himself for us…

Jesus is the light of the world. He said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

The word “Christian” means "like Christ". It was not a name that was adopted by the church but rather one given by the world. Jesus is the light of the world and we are to be like him. We are to do as he taught in the sermon on the Mount when he said, "You are the light of the world" and, "let your light shine before others, so they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven."

We are not only to be "like him" but we are, most importantly, to be "in him". Again and again the Bible tells us that when we are born again we are in Christ Jesus. We are to abide in him. Like the branch abides in the vine we are to abide in the Lord Jesus Christ. All of the promises of God are "yes" in him. In him we become the righteousness of God. In him we have redemption through his blood and in him we have an inheritance that cannot be taken away from us. He is our strength and protection. As the light of the world he is…

Our armor. Our potection is his light. Listen while I read 1 Thessalonians 5:8-11, But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, 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, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Every day of our life we are in danger of spiritual attack. Our enemy has many resources and as such is able to surprise us again and again. We belong to the day, the light of God, not to the night. The night represents the darkness of Satan. It fills our world and does not comprehend the light of God's day.

Since we belong to the kingdom of light we should walk, or live, like those who reflect the light of God rather than dwelling in the darkness of Satan. The darkness is recognized, according to our original text, in orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality, sensuality, quarreling and jealousy. That description certainly applies to the world of today as much as it did to the Roman world of Paul's day. To counter the darkness in our world we need to take up the armor of light. We are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

When it's all over and this world has passed away to be replaced by an eternal kingdom of light then…

Finally, he will be our light. Let's look at what John saw in the coming city of God, or rather, what he did not see. Revelation 21:22-25, And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.

He saw no temple because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of heaven. He saw no sun or moon because the glory of God gives it light. And the lamp is the Lamb.

Two thousand years ago John the Baptist saw Jesus approaching him beside the Jordan River. I can imagine the scene. John is standing on a rock or a high place on the bank of the river. There's a great crowd around him because they have come to hear him preach and to be baptized by him. But this day, perhaps in the midst of his sermon, he sees Jesus approaching! Suddenly, he is filled with understanding from the Spirit of God and then he points toward his approaching cousin and says, "Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world!"

Jesus is the Lamb seen in the book of Revelation. In the end of time, as we know it, there will be no need for the sun or moon. Or, they will simply not be seen because of the brightness of the light in the eternal city of God.

But we don't have to wait until then! He is our light today. He was the light that came into the world and because of his resurrection from the dead he remains "light" for all who believe in him. And he gives light, as the word of God, to our feet and becomes a lamp to our path.

Jesus, the light of the world, comes into the life of the believer and becomes a shield of light. We need not only to cast off the works of darkness but also to work to defeat the darkness in this world. As Christians we have a responsibility to live our lives in such a way that the world can see that we are followers of the Lord Jesus. Yet, during my lifetime there has been a drifting away from the Christian lifestyle even, perhaps especially, among those who claim to be Christian! Let's commit ourselves to live out our lives in the Lord Jesus Christ. We must walk in the Spirit and not fulfill the desires of the flesh.

All scripture quotes from:The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.