Romans 13:11-14; Wake Up, Salvation is Near; 2-23-14; Pastor Carl Crouse

Many can relate to the writing by an unknown author: What Happened to Time?

When as a child I laughed and wept, time crept.
When as a youth I dreamed and talked, time walked.
When I became a full-grown man, time ran.
And later as I older grew, time flew.
Soon I shall find while traveling on, time gone.

“wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”  Time is running short.  A few years ago I used to work with a local funeral home officiating at funerals, and at the same time I worked for them, occasionally helping behind the scenes.  Half a dozen times I was needed to drive the hearse.  Only one time did I know the person that had died. I consider it one of the great honors of my life to transport the body in the casket from Bellingham, where all the preparation work is done, to the Lynden funeral home.  From there the funeral director took over.  I was honored for that task to drive Bill’s father, Dewey Kamphouse.  Seems like yesterday… it was 2008.  

Time goes fast.  We don’t know what God has in mind for us.  We don’t know when we will die.  We don’t know when Jesus Christ will come again!  I put my information into a website called The Death Clock in which it calculates the day of your death.  Five questions: birthday of course.  Male or female.  BMI… Smoker or non-smoker.  Then the last question I thought the most fascinating: rate yourself, is your outlook on life generally pessimistic (negative), optimistic (positive), or neutral…. Guess what I put… how about you?  If this kind of talk bothers you, I respectfully suggest you find ways to overcome the stigma… ~ the truth is only God knows.  (As a side note, one easy thing parents can do to help their young children is to take them to a funeral of somebody they don’t know so well.  Death is a constant part of life…)  The truth is that when you are a child of God, yes, we are wired to want life on this earth, but ultimate trust comes in leaving our lives in God’s hands.  For me personally, I am already living totally in grace because God has already granted me life beyond what I asked him to give ~ I just asked God to let me see my children graduate from high school so Sally would not have to be alone while the kids are still growing.  Everyday is grace, but now I am beyond what I asked of God.  My goal now is to make it to age 54… 4-5 days ago when I first calculated my death date on the Death Clock, it spit out Nov. 4, 2048 ~ almost 88.  That’s pretty good.  Then when I did it again two days ago it added another 10 years, 2058.  Hmmmm… I was suspicious.  I hit the button over and over ~ everytime it gave a different day with a 12 year window. What a surprise, even the Death Clock doesn’t know.///  But God knows. 

God does not intend we know ahead of time the day we will die.  We are also not told the day exact day Christ will come again.  But the Bible does tell us it will be soon.  I hope the Lord comes in my lifetime, but if not, when I die and I am asleep in the ground, the next thing I know I will be in the presence of Jesus Christ in all his glory!  The day of Salvation is near!  

While we wait, God wants us to be realistic about the times, he wants us to put aside pessimism/living in darkness, and instead be people of light, /expectation, /hope, /optimism.  For those who believe in Jesus Christ, the Second Coming of Christ is the greatest hope of the ages.  It is near.  The day of salvation is near.  Can you feel it?  The reason I don’t ever want to go backwards in time is because I am too excited about the future.  May we live our days believing that Jesus Christ is coming again very soon, live with the knowledge that salvation is just around the corner. 

When as a child I laughed and wept, time crept.
When as a youth I dreamed and talked, time walked.
When I became a full-grown man, time ran.
And later as I older grew, time flew.
Soon I shall find while traveling on, time gone.
And when time is no more, the Face of Christ I shall Adore

We do not know the day we will die.  Salvation is very near.  The Lord Jesus is coming soon!  Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” The ultimate reality check is to know time on earth is short.  Martin Luther said we should live with the day of our death constantly before our eyes. It keeps us from the ultimate folly–thinking we will live forever and therefore giving us excuses to put off doing what we know we ought to do. 

When Paul wrote this book to the Romans he was disappointed because the church had become internally focused, shutting too many people out from the church.  The message of the book is to expand your circle, include more and more people.  The people were afraid of the world, afraid of the authorities, afraid of becoming vulnerable and Paul says to not be held hostage by fear.  Enlarge your vision he says: understand the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up.  This scripture is about being able to see with clarity the coming day of the Lord.  Last year Sally and I and several others went on a cruise to Alaska. That was a lot of fun, but just as fun was looking forward to it.  Anticipating the good that you know is coming does something for your spirit today! 

            Submit to the governing authorities Paul says in Rom. 13:1 as opposed to fearing them (Rom. 13:3).  Don’t be consumed by your fear of the world, fear of what might happen.  In a positive light Paul then says to actively love the people in your world, Rom. 13:8, ~ the only debt we can never repay is to love one another. 

The reason to start today in living with Jesus Christ at the center of your world is because life is short.  Don’t sleep your day away! We put off things we think can be done tomorrow… We joke about wishing there were eight days in a week, and many of us try to have an eighth day: Monday, Tues., Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat. Sun. Someday.  Someday is not a day of the week. 

“understand the present time” (Rom. 13:11) Be real.  Pessimism is taking root in our world.  In my opinion, we are living in the unhappiest times I’ve ever seen. Unhappiness abounds.  Dissatisfaction.  Wanting something different.  Boredom is rampant.  Loneliness is stifling.  Lack of purpose is limiting.  Understand the present time.  “Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting Lord” (Is. 40).  It is time to dig in your heels and refuse to give in to the pessimism of today!  “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber…”  We must not wait for another election, crossing our fingers, and hoping it works out next time ~ that is not a godly plan for our lives. Now is the time.   If you think someday you’ll be on fire for God after a big change comes in your life, somehow it never quite works that way.  “Someday” is not a day of the week. 

Don’t beat yourself up over yesterday.  There are many scriptures dealing with that topic: it’s called forgiveness and repentance.  Paul never says, let’s wallow in self pity lamenting what never came to be.  We have today and tomorrow.  If the death clock is right and I live to be that old man into his 90’s, I hope to plant a fruit tree every year in my 90s for future generations to enjoy.  But the Death Clock does not take into account the return of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is coming soon!  Salvation is near!  The Bible tells me so.  Keep the present time in perspective ~ don’t put off till tomorrow what the Lord is calling you to do today. 

The present time is compared to the night and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is compared to the day (Rom. 13:12a).  You can see so much better in the daytime, the clarity, the sunrise… I am already looking forward to the sunrise service at the Foot of the Cross in which we are more often than not blessed with the greatest sermon illustration of all time: the rising sun.  The day is coming.  Put into perspective the fears that come at night, the lack of vision, the exaggerations, the wild imaginations, and know that the sun is rising in just a short time.  Live by the light. 

I remember going to a NV district basketball game years ago, Nooksack lost a close game, one of the stars of the team was one of Bob Mitchell’s grandsons.  As we were filing out I saw Bob and I felt so bad for him, one of the dreams of his family had come to an end.  I told Bob I was sorry for him and he said ~~~ “The sun will rise tomorrow.”  Bob was right.  No matter what is happening in the present time, no matter how discouraged you may be tempted to get, the light of Jesus Christ will have the last word and the glory of the Lord will be revealed for all to see.  The Son of God will rise and his light will bring the clarity of the day. 

One of my favorite little stories I read years ago was at the opening of Disneyland.  Walt Disney had already died, but his widow was there.  One person said to Walt Disney’s widow, it’s too bad your husband wasn’t here to see this.  Mrs. Disney replied without hesitation: “He did.” // He saw it…  Can you see Christ?  The lazy way is to be discouraged by the present day, to be pessimistic, anybody can be discouraged by the present day, the bad economy.  In the day this letter to the Church in Rome was written, Nero was emperor, one of the most ruthless rulers the world has ever known.  Paul says the Light of Christ is very near.   “So put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” 

            Rom. 13:13 has a contrast: READ.  Decently vs. six deeds of darkness the believer should put off.  It makes me wonder if the Romans were having these problems?  Orgies ~ wild parties.  Excessive living.  Immorality.  Drunkenness.  Lot’s of opportunity for that around here!  Debauchery is not a word in my everyday vocabulary ~ similar to all of the above ~ excessive sensual pleasures that alter your mind, alter your heart, disrespectful to yourself and others.  Sounds like drug abuse to me.  I don’t know if the church at Rome had those problems, but certainly the excesses were all around them.  If you read these and you have temptations or issues and the Lord convicts you, then do something about it ~ put it aside is how Paul simply says it.  Replace it with behaving decently.  Tonight is the Chili Feed ~ safe places for people to come are so important as an alternative to the “deeds of the darkness.”  Behave decently. I tell people all the time, you need a safe place, you need a wholesome uplifting place.  Let Claudette Sterk lift up your spirits with her yodeling.  Live in the light.  I don’t know how much of a problem these first four deeds of darkness are for the Romans, but Paul adds two more: “dissension and jealousy.”  The catch basin of who falls into the deeds of darkness is suddenly quite large…

I know, you only divide yourself from people who deserve it, and you are only jealous when it is important.  I am sure that is what Paul had in mind! 

READ Rom. 13:14.  Time is so short.  It’s time to clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is time to put on a spirit of optimism! What we Christians have is exactly what the world needs, for we have Christ.  Look forward to his coming, look forward to the day of salvation.  What is coming more than overcomes any present troubles.  The darkness of the present day is being eclipsed by the light of Christ.  Can you see it?  Imagine the troubled people in your life receiving Christ.  Give people an opportunity to see the transforming power of Christ.  Live with the optimism of the day that is coming.  Salvation is near ~ and it is going to be a exceedingly great day.  Come quickly Lord Jesus.  Come!