Do You Know What Time It Is?: Roman Series #8

I have a very special watch that I keep inside my study desk at home. This watch was presented to me at my doctoral graduation from all of my family members. Watches and clocks are valuable. They help us to keep time.

If you don’t know what time it is you can be in real trouble. Do you know what time it is? Do you really understand what the Bible has to say about the time? There was a sundial with an inscription on it: It is later than you think.

This chapter is devoted to time. The subject of time is mentioned here, and the whole thrust of this passage is that you and I need to be aware of the times in which we live. In Romans 13:11, we note that our salvation is related to time. We read, “for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.” I thought if you received Jesus Christ as Savior you were already saved. Yet this verse seems to indicate that something is out there in the future.

When you study the New Testament, you will discover that the whole theme of our salvation experience is related to time. You would be perfectly correct in saying, “I have been saved; I am being saved; and I am going to be saved.”

Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace are you saved.” That salvation is in relation to past time. That moment you receive Jesus as your Savior, your sin penalty which Jesus paid for at the cross of Calvary is dealt with, and so you can say, “I have been saved.” That’s justification.

Then the Bible talks about our salvation in relationship to present time. So you would be correct in saying, “I am being saved.” That’s our sanctification. Day by day, we are becoming more of what we ought to be and less of what we are. Day by day, we are becoming more like the Lord Jesus.

But the Bible also makes it very clear that we are going to be saved. “Our salvation is nearer than when we believed.” He is saying here that there is a future aspect to salvation. That’s what we call glorification. That’s when we talk about heaven—a brand new body—being saved from the very practice and presence of sin.

Salvation relates to time, but it also relates to eternity. One of these days when the Lord Jesus Christ comes He is going to take us out of the dimension of time and thrust us into the dimension of eternity. So time is related to eternity and time is related to the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans 13:12 we read, “The night is far spent.” That is the days of evil and darkness. “The day is at hand.” That means the day when Jesus Christ is going to return again.

I don’t know when Jesus is going to come again, but the Bible says one day He is. The Bible teaches us that we are not to set any dates. From time to time people make predictions. In this chapter I want to ask the question, “What time is it?”

I. It Is Time To Wake Up With Clarity

In Romans 13:11 is an alarm clock for the soul. It is time for alertness. “And that, knowing the time.” That teaches that we are to be awake. We are to be aware of the times in which we live. We are living in amazing times. We are living in some ways alarming times, but we need to be aware of these times.

In the Old Testament there was a group of men, the men of Issachar. The Bible says they were men who had understanding of the times to know what Israel was to do. It is important to have an understanding of the times—to know the days in which we live.

Jesus in Matthew 16:3 said to the Pharisees: “O ye hypocrites, you can discern the face of the sky; but can you not discern the signs of the times?” There is really no excuse for Christians not to be aware of the times in which we live. We have current events. We are able to read the newspaper, watch television, and research the Internet. But in addition to this, we also have the Word of God.

As I read the Bible and as I look at current events, I have come to the conclusion in my heart that what we are going to do for Jesus, we better be busy about doing it. We are living in high times. We are living in times where we are approaching the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to be understanding the times, be aware of the times.

We ought to be awake to the times. It is not time for Christians to be spiritually asleep. Do you remember the story of Rip Van Winkle? He went to sleep and slept through a revolution. When he went to sleep King George was on the throne. When he woke up George Washington was president. He didn’t know which George was in charge. There are some Christians kind of like that. They are spiritual Rip Van Winkles. They are spiritually asleep. God’s people ought not be asleep. They ought to be awake to the times.

In the Old Testament he talks about some people who “were at ease in Zion.” I fear this is one of the dangers of the modern Church. Believers are spiritually asleep. Spiritually lethargic. Sometimes God’s people come to church with “do not disturb” signs on their faces. We need to be awake. We need to be on fire for Jesus Christ, working for Him more than we’ve ever worked for Him in all our lives.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not only to comfort the afflicted, but it is also to afflict the comfortable. I want to wake you up. Stir you up. In Ephesians 5:16 the Bible says we are to redeem the time, because the days are evil. If we understand the times, we will be awake to the fact and alert to the fact that we need to take the opportunities God is giving us in this day to win people to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

It’s not time for us to be asleep. We need to be awake. It is high time to awake out of sleep. Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. “The night is far spent.” That means it’s mainly over. “The day is at hand.” It’s almost here. Every ticking of the clock brings you one day nearer to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Today you are one day closer to the return of Jesus Christ than you were yesterday. I don’t know when Jesus is coming, but the darkness is just about over and the day is almost out there.

We ought to be excited about it, living in anticipation of the coming of Jesus Christ. In Titus 2:13 the Bible says we should live looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. We ought to be like a bride awaiting the wedding day.

Have you ever seen a young person getting ready to graduate high school? They don’t sleep a great deal the night before. They are excited about graduation day. We ought to be like a high schooler getting ready for our graduation day.

II. It Is Time To Clean Up With Conviction!

In Romans 13:12, we read, “let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light.” You’ll find that kind of picture many times in the Bible. Many times it talks about taking off the old clothes and putting on the new clothes. Taking off the old sins that go along with that old life and putting on the new armor that helps us to live victoriously for Jesus Christ in the present day. He is saying there are some things we need to get out of our lives. We need to put off some things in our lives.

Paul uses six words and these six words gather in three couplets. The first two go together, the second two go together, and the next two go together.

Social Sins

He tell us we are not to walk, that is, live our lives, in rioting and drunkenness. What do those words mean? The first word is a very picturesque word. The second word is very easy to understand. The first word was used originally of gangs of drunken boys who would proceed through the streets at night and make a nuisance of themselves. The word came to describe orgies. It came to describe wild parties. It came to describe people out in the streets drunk and making loud noises.

The Bible says if you are saved you don’t have anything to do with that kind of lifestyle. If Jesus Christ doesn’t have the power to get you out of the drunken parties and wild orgies, you tell me what Jesus Christ can do for a heart and a life.

The Bible says we are to put those kinds of things away. A believer cannot consistently involve himself in that kind of activity. It’s time to clean up. It’s time for God’s people to get out of anything that would bring a poor reflection upon their lovely Lord Jesus Christ. It’s a shame the way some of God’s people act. It’s a shame the way professing Christians behave in this city. It’s a shame the way church members conduct themselves in the drunkenness, the immorality, and the sin.

Sexual Sins

Next, “not in chambering and wantonness.” Those are also two very interesting words. The root of the word “chambering” meant indecent movements of the body. Then it came to mean indecent handling of the body of a member of the opposite sex. Then it came to mean sexual immorality. Actually, it means the bed, the sexual bed. The word “chambering” really means living together without benefit of marriage.

Did you know the Bible condemns that kind of living? If you are living with someone without benefit of marriage, the Bible says that is sin, that is wrong.

In Hebrews 13:4 this same word is used when it says marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. You ought to get out of that sinful lifestyle, that unholy life. You ought to get saved and pray for the person you are living with to get saved. Then, if you are in love, get married; then live together. But don’t live together until you get married. You are living in sin.

The Christian is called to a higher standard of conduct. “Not in chambering and wantonness.” The word “wantonness” came to mean shamelessness. Having absolutely no shame. In other words, getting to the point that you really don’t even care. You’ll make a public spectacle of your sin. You can get so sinful, so ungodly, so depraved in your behavior that you will get to the point that you don’t even care. You brag about what you ought to be ashamed of. You are proud of what ought to cause you to blush.

Spiritual Sins

The third couplet is, “not in strife and envying.” Isn’t that a strange thing to put there? It’s talking about these sins of the flesh and suddenly he drops in these two sins of the spirit. He’s talked about social sins, and sexual sins. But now he talks about spiritual sins. Those things that are of the spirit, not in strife. That means personal ambition. That means personal desire for power. It means the desire to lift yourself up.

Jealousy means envy of someone else. The desire to put someone down. He is saying there ought not be any attitude in your heart that would be displeasing to the Lord Jesus. It’s possible to be not only dirty on the outside, but dirty on the inside. It’s possible not only to be guilty of the sins of the flesh, but it is possible to be guilty of the sins of the spirit.

Is there someone you are envious of? Is there someone you are jealous of? It’s time to wake up. It’s time to clean up. Jesus is coming again. It’s later than you think.

Not only are we to put off the works of darkness, but the Bible says we are to put on the armor of light in verse 12, “Let us put on the armor of light.” You and I as believers have the wonderful opportunity of putting on spiritual pieces of armor.

As Christians we can put on spiritual armor. I read that we have the sword of the Spirit, the breastplate of righteousness, and the helmet of salvation. God has provided spiritual tools so that we can live the life He wants us to live. What time is it? It’s time to wake up! It’s time to clean up.

III. It Is Time To Dress Up With Christlikeness

Romans 13:14 is one of the greatest verses in the whole Bible. We read, “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lust thereof.” Do you see the positive and the negative there?

We have a two-fold decision that will enable us to be dressed-up Christians, to be like the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to have an appropriation of the Christ-life. Paul says, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” In verse 12 he says to put on the armor. In verse 14 he says to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. In verse 12 we put on pieces of equipment.

What does it mean when it says to put on the Lord Jesus Christ? In Galatians 3:27, we read, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” We have put Him on in salvation. In verse 14 that we are studying, it says “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” That means we put Him on in sanctification. Every day of your life you should appropriate the person of Jesus Christ for your daily living.

Every day of your life you should put on Christ. Just as much as you brush your teeth. Just as much as you comb your hair. Just as much as you put on your physical clothing. The same way, every day of your life, you ought to claim everything that Jesus Christ is for your daily living.

I have spent years of my life in airports all over the world. Even though I am able to take the steps, I find myself heading up escalators instead of walking up those steps. I can either go up the steps or I can go up the escalator. If I go up the steps, I go up on my own power. But if I get on the escalator, I go up on the power of the escalator. I am carried up.

There are two ways to try to live the Christian life. You can try to live the Christian life in your own power. You can walk up the steps. Or you can appropriate all that Jesus Christ is to you and let Him give you the power. Let Him give you the strength to live the way you ought to live.

Let me make this very, very practical. The Lord means He’s the master. That means He’s in charge. That’s slave terminology. He’s the master; we’re the slave. The master planned out the day of the slave. Every day of our life we come to Jesus and we say, “Lord Jesus, I know You have a wonderful plan for my life. Lord, You just show me what You want me to do today. I’ll do what You want me to do. I’ll say what You want me to say. I’ll go where You want me to go.”

Paul says, “put on the Lord Jesus.” Jesus not only has a plan for our lives; He is the pattern for our lives. Jesus left us an example that we should walk in His steps.

Every day of our lives we ought to seek to be like Jesus. We should ask the questions, “What would Jesus do in this circumstance? How would Jesus act right here?” We are to put on the power of Christ. We should claim the power of Christ for every decision, for every battle, for every temptation.

After Paul gives us the positive, he gives us the negative. We read, “Make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lust thereof.” The word “provision” means don’t take any thought ahead. Don’t think ahead. He is saying don’t make plans ahead to sin. Do you know where sin starts? In the mind. We plan to sin.

This verse, “make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof,” was used by God to bring the great Christian theologian Augustine to Christ. St. Augustine is named after him. He was sitting in a garden one day and heard a little child’s voice that said, “Take up and read.” He opened up his Bible and read Romans 13:14. He was gloriously converted.

Later, Augustine saw one of his former companions in sin. When he saw him, he took off running. The former companion said, “Augustine, Augustine, don’t run! It is only I.” Augustine continued running and said, “Yes, but it is no longer I.”

That’s what we need to do. Make no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ. What time is it for the Christian? It is time to wake up. It is time to clean up. It is time to dress up.

What time is it for the lost person? It’s later than you think. The sand in the hourglass of time is running out for you. The prophet Jeremiah said, “The summer is ended, the harvest is past, and we are not saved.” Do you know what time it is for the lost person? It is 2 Corinthians 6:2 where the Bible says now is the excepted time. Today is the day of salvation.

It’s later than you think. Time is running out. When you are young the devil comes to you when you are thinking about being saved. He says to you, “You’re too young.” When you become an adult and you think about giving your life to Christ, the devil comes to you and says, “You’re too busy.” When you mature and you think about coming to Christ, the devil says “You’re too worried.” When you become aged the devil comes to you and says, “You’re too old.” When you get sick the devil comes to you and says, “You’re too ill.” Then when you die the devil says, “You’re too late.”