There is invisible, spiritual warfare going on—anarchy in our world, apostasy in the Church, and apathy in pews full of lukewarm Christians.
There are three things we need to do:
A Wake-Up Call to the Christian
Romans 13:11
“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”
Step #1: Wake up.
Jesus is coming as a thief in the night, but Paul says, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:4).
How can we sit comfortably when civilization is crumbling around us? It is time that we wake up! You don’t wake up because you feel like it. You get up anyway.
Resist the Devil
Romans 13:12-13
“The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.”
Step #2: Clean up.
Paul mentions in couplets six things we need to put off:
Revelry and Drunkenness
Revelry and drunkenness keep the bars, the nightclubs, and the casinos in business. God says, “Put that off. You have no business in these places.”
Lewdness and Lust
These refer to sexual immorality and shamelessness. If you are a child of God and living in sexual immorality, get right or get out. (See Hebrews 13:4.) We have a generation today with no sense of shame. “Cohabitation” is accepted—but the Bible calls that fornication, and absolutely forbids it. (See Ephesians 5:3.
Strife and Envy
Strife in this verse means the desire for power. Envy is wanting what somebody else has. If your heart is headquarters for hate, envy, and unsatisfied desires, these things are the works of darkness, and God says, “Put them off.”
Dress In the Righteousness of God
Romans 13:12b,14
“Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light…. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
Step #3: Dress up
What good is it to wake up and clean up if you don’t dress? Paul says, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Notice that he uses Jesus’ full title.
Lord Means Master
Put on the Lord Jesus Christ for direction. He is your master; you are His slave. The master tells the slave what to do, what to say, where to go, and when to come.
Jesus Means Savior
The name “Jesus” means Jehovah saves. (See Matthew 1:21.) Put on the Lord Jesus Christ for deliverance. It is a vile world out there. If you put on the Lord Jesus Christ, you are clothed with righteousness.
Christ Means Messiah, and King
Put on the Lord Jesus Christ for dominion. He is the one who rules over you, and teaches you how to rule, because He is “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16b; see also 1 Timothy 6:15).
Make No Provision for the Flesh
Those old “clothes” that you cast off? Get rid of them! Give your heart to King Jesus. Are you living in sin? Quit. Don’t quit gradually; just quit. Saturate that place with your absence, “and make no provision for the flesh” (Romans 13:14b).
Life is too short, eternity is too long, souls are too precious, and the Gospel is too wonderful for us to sleep through it all.
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