11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. (Romans 13:11-14 NIV)
Wake up! That might be a good way to start every sermon: “It’s time to wake up!” But today it’s not me saying that. It’s God’s Word saying that: Wake up! “The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.” God says that it’s time for us to “Wake up!”, because the day is almost here. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
What’s that talking about? Jesus is coming! That’s why this lesson is read on the first Sunday of Advent. Remember what I said “Advent” means? “Coming.” Jesus is coming! When we hear that, we usually think of Christmas. Don’t worry. We’ll get to Christmas. We will celebrate Christmas this year. But Advent isn’t really all about Christmas. Jesus is coming! When? On the Last Day. On Judgment Day. That’s when he’s coming. So what do we need to do? Wake up!
Because it’s easy to sleep. It’s easy to think you’re ready when you’re not. Do you know what was the fastest growing city in Texas in the 1800s? Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio… There are a lot of options. It wasn’t any of those. The fastest growing city in Texas was Galveston—right on the beach. Who wouldn’t want to live there? Better yet, in the late 1800s, scientists had determined that Galveston could never, ever be hit by a major hurricane. It was impossible. No hurricane could ever hit that part of the Gulf. So the city thrived. Until 1900. Do you know what happened in 1900? The most deadly natural disaster in U.S. history: A major hurricane hit Galveston. 6,000-12,000 unsuspecting people died. It’s dangerous to be asleep.
What area of your life do you need to wake up? “Let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness.” The Bible starts with this: “Wake up from carousing and drunkenness.” I had to look up the word “carousing.” Know what it means? “Excessive feasting.” Maybe we should have had this sermon last Sunday. Of course, food is a tremendous blessing from God. Yet, the Bible says that life isn’t all about food. Food can’t actually fill you. If you think it can, if you are looking to food to heal your soul, you need to wake up! Do you need someone to tell you that?
Or maybe for you it’s drunkenness. At this time of year, alcohol is all over. Of course, alcohol is also a blessing from God. Alcohol in and of itself isn’t sinful. Jesus tells us to use it in the Lord’s Supper! Yet, drunkenness is always sinful. Dependance on alcohol is always sinful. Are you controlling your use of alcohol, or is alcohol controlling you? Is your use of alcohol for the daytime or for the nighttime? God knows. Wake up! Do you need someone to tell you that?
Because it’s easy to sleep. It’s easy to think you’re ready when you’re not. Did you know that Americans used to think that sharks never attack people? In fact, people were told that sharks are as harmless to people as rabbits. In 1891, Hermann Oelrichs, a wealthy New York businessman, offered a $500 reward to anyone who could prove a shark had attacked a human. He never had to pay up. No one could do it. Sharks don’t attack people! Until 1916. Do you know what happened in 1916? The New Jersey shark attacks. Sharks attacked people along the east coast, and one shark even swam up a freshwater river. At least four people died. It’s dangerous to be asleep.
What area of your life do you need to wake up? God’s Word continues, “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime,… not in sexual immorality and debauchery.” Like food, sex is a tremendous blessing from God. God created us male and female. He’s designed sex to draw a husband and wife together in marriage. Sex is good, when it’s used as God intended it. But often it’s not. Any sexual relations outside of marriage are sexual immorality. This gift that has the power to draw a married couple together also has the power to destroy relationships and hearts. Our society lives in darkness when it comes to sex. Do you? Wake up! Do you need someone to tell you that?
I had to look up the word “debauchery.” It means, “self-abandonment.” In other words, a lack of self-control. Self-control is hard when it comes to sex. Pornography is so accessible. Are you watching it? You need to wake up! Maybe it’s not pornography, but it’s movies and shows filled with crude jokes and sex scenes. They are everywhere, aren’t they? It might sound freeing to get to do whatever you want with your body, but that’s not freeing. To lack self-control is to be a slave your passions and desires. Wake up from debauchery! Do you need to hear that today?
It’s easy to sleep. It’s easy to think you’re ready when you’re not. Maybe the greatest example from history is the Titanic. You’ve heard of the Titanic. The greatest ship ever built could hold 2,224 people. Do you know how many people its lifeboats could hold? 1,178. 2,224 vs. 1,178. Do you see a problem? People then didn’t, because the Titanic was unsinkable. Until the Titanic hit an iceberg, and the unsinkable ship sank. 1,500 people died. It’s dangerous to be asleep.
What area of your life do you need to wake up? God’s Word gives us one more pair of warnings, “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime,… not in dissension and jealousy.” I had to look up “dissension.” I guess my vocabulary really needs to grow! Dissension refers to rivalry. Conflict. Strife. Maybe there are some of us who don’t struggle with alcohol or with sexual sins. Not every person struggles with every sin. But are you angry? Are you bitter? Do you hold grudges against others? That’s just as sinful. Just as dangerous. Anger can be just as addictive as alcohol. You can get addicted to being angry. Are you? Wake up! Do you need to hear that today?
And watch out for jealousy. Christmas is the perfect time to hear that. “I want…” How many people are saying that right now? Or, “I need…!” It’s so easy to compare what we have with what others have. It’s so tempting to compare our success with others’ success. To compare our lives with others’ lives. What is almost always the result? Jealousy. Envy. It’s a terrible sickness. It’s a dangerous sin. Who are you jealous of? Wake up! Do you need to hear that today? God wants you to. God wants you and me to hear these words loud and clear today: Wake up!
Why? Because “our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.” God has something so much better for you and me. He doesn’t want us to miss out on his salvation! Pajamas are nice. It can feel good to put your pjs on. But pajamas aren’t meant for all the time. Sleep is good, but it’s not better than being awake for the day. God wants us to wake up to receive what’s better than food or sex or having stuff. He has something better planned for us. “Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”
Jesus fills us in a way that food can’t. That sounds odd. It seems like food fills us better than anything else. But it doesn’t. We ate a huge Thanksgiving feast about 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. By 7:30 p.m., do you know what our kids were saying? “I’m hungry.” Food doesn’t really fill you. Know what Jesus offers? “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13-14). Jesus says, “I am the bread of life…. Whoever eats this bread will live forever” (Luke 6:48,51). Jesus wants to fill you with his eternal life. That’s even better than food.
He doesn’t stop there. Jesus gives us what sex can’t. You’re looking to be loved. You long to be cherished. Do you know who alone can give you that? Jesus. Even the best Christian marriage is just a picture of Jesus’ love for us. The Bible tells us husbands, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25-27). Jesus gave himself for you on the cross. Jesus has cleansed you from all your sins. Jesus has made you perfect and holy and blameless and pure. Jesus loves you! That’s more than sex can offer.
Jesus even gives us what jealousy never can: Peace. Peace with God. The Bible declares, “Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Life isn’t a competition to be better than others. You don’t have to put others down to make yourself look good. You already have peace with God through faith in Jesus. Maybe others don’t think you’re that special. God does! Maybe you can’t convince yourself that you’re good at anything. God thinks the world of you! God’s salvation to you is better than anything the world offers. All those cravings you feel inside can only find fulfillment in Jesus.
So here’s the good news: “Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Every day is one day closer to heaven. Every day is one day closer to the light. We went on a hike this week at Turkey Mountain. The trail we took was a big oval. We went way out and then circled back. It was a long trail, but once we made the turn and started circling back, every step took us closer to the car. That was a good feeling! Every day brings heaven closer. Every day brings salvation nearer. Every day means it’s one less day until we get to meet Jesus. That doesn’t mean the rest of life will be easy. Lots of hard days are still to come. But every day is one day closer to Jesus.
Often, when we hear that, the final encouragement is, “So believe in Jesus as your Savior.” That faith in Jesus is the foundation of the Bible’s message. But today, the final encouragement isn’t, “So believe in Jesus!” It’s, “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.” Being ready for Judgment Day isn’t just about believing in Jesus, because faith in Jesus is never alone. Just like you put on a coat every time you go outside, put on the Lord Jesus Christ every day. Just like you take off your pajamas every morning, put off the desires of your sinful flesh. Live in the light as you wait for the Light.
Wake up! That would be a good thing to say at the end of every sermon. Wake up! Christ the King is coming. All this world is going to pass away. When Christ the King comes, he will separate believers from unbelievers like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Some will be welcomed to eternal life in heaven. Some will be condemned to eternity in hell. “The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” It’s easy to fall asleep. So wake up! Christ the King is coming!
(To listen to this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior podcast, please click HERE. To watch this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior YouTube channel, please click on the link below.)
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