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Wake Up Call - Romans 13:11-14

Taught on | Topic: Christian living | Keywords: battle, call, critical, return, second coming, sin, time, urgency, work

We are a fallen people living in a fallen world. Romans 3:10 says "none is righteous." There is evidence all around us that Jesus is setting the scene for His return, and Romans 13 is Paul’s call for the church to prepare for that event. Jesus Himself told us to "occupy till [He] comes" (Luke 19:13, KJV). In this message, Pastor Nate Heitzig explores the apostle's wake-up call to believers and helps us understand how we can effectively occupy until Jesus returns.

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1/26/2020
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Wake Up Call
Romans 13:11-14
Nate Heitzig
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Message Summary
We are a fallen people living in a fallen world. Romans 3:10 says "none is righteous." There is evidence all around us that Jesus is setting the scene for His return, and Romans 13 is Paul’s call for the church to prepare for that event. Jesus Himself told us to "occupy till [He] comes" (Luke 19:13, KJV). In this message, Pastor Nate Heitzig explores the apostle's wake-up call to believers and helps us understand how we can effectively occupy until Jesus returns.
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Heart & Soul: A Study through Romans

Heart & Soul: A Study through Romans

When the wrath of God meets the righteousness of God, where does that leave us? The apostle Paul says that we are marked by sin at birth but marked righteous at salvation. In this series through Romans, Skip Heitzig explains the essentials of Christian doctrine that can transform your thoughts, words, and actions. Move from sinner to saint, and from saved to Spirit-filled as you inscribe the essence of the gospel onto your heart and soul.

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Connect Recap Notes: January 26, 2020
Speaker: Nate Heitzig
Teaching: "Wake-Up Call"
Text: Romans 13:11-14

Path

We are a fallen people living in a fallen world. Romans 3:10 says "none is righteous." There is evidence all around us that Jesus is setting the scene for His return, and Romans 13 is Paul's call for the church to prepare for that event. Jesus Himself told us to "occupy till [He] comes" (Luke 19:13, KJV). In this message, Pastor Nate Heitzig explores the apostle's wake-up call to believers and helps us understand how we can effectively occupy until Jesus returns.
  1. Get Up (vv. 11-12)
  2. Get Out (vv. 12-14)
  3. Get Going (vv. 12-14)
Points

Get Up (vv. 11-12)
  • Romans 13:11-12 is an urgent plea for Christians to remain alert in the days in which we live. It seems that believers are asleep because we don't realize the urgency of our time.
  • Paul used the phrase: "the night is far spent" (v. 12).If the night was spent almost 2,000 years ago, we can no longer sleep through what's going on around us.
  • Certain trends have developed across the last few centuries, and seem to have picked up steam in our world today:
    • A move toward a one-world monetary system; increased sexual perversion; violent crime; false religious systems; believers falling away from the faith; the continued isolation of the nation of Israel
  • When we see things like this, we should "look up…because [our] redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28; see also Matthew 24:3-31).
  • In the midst of the night, Jesus calls us to be light (see Matthew 5:13-16). Christians occupy in the world by letting our lights shine in a world of darkness.
Get Out (vv. 12-14)
  • In verse 12, Paul said that we should "cast off the works of darkness."
  • "Let us live cleanly, as in the daylight, not in the 'delights' of getting drunk or playing with sex, nor in quarreling or jealousies.Let us be Christ's men from head to foot and give no chances to the flesh to have its fling" (vv. 13-14, Phillips). "Works of darkness" include:
    • Empty pleasures:Don't devote your life to seeking selfish pursuits—entertainment, drunkenness, endless parties, etc.
    • Living for sex: Our minds should be set on Christ, not sensual conquests. Paul referred to the entire realm of sexual sin: homosexuality, perversion, etc. (see Romans 1:24-32 and Galatians 5:19-21).
    • Strife or jealousy: Don't find joy in gossip or tearing others down.
Get Going (vv. 12-14)
  • How do Christians get going in the world?
    • "Put on the armor of light" (v. 12); we should surround ourselves with the light of Christ. The Greek word for put on isenduo, which means "to array with garments." We are to dress ourselves with Christ's character—representing Him in all we do and say.
    • We are to "walk properly" (v. 13). Properly iseuschemoniosin Greek, which means "honest and respectable."We should live out our faith with honest, Christian character.
    • "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 14). It's as if Paul was saying, "When you get up in the morning, make Jesus part of your life, taking His heart and mindset with you everywhere and letting Him act through you in everything you do." To put on is to enter Jesus' views, imitating Him in all things; we are to call upon His resources.
  • It would be utterly depressing if we lived out complacent and apathetic lives until God finally judges the world. If you are living your life for Christ half-asleep, it's time to wake up. We need to realize the urgency of the hour—a battle is raging, and we must work in Christ's light and strength.
Practice

Connect Up: The church has proclaimed Jesus' second coming from the New Testament to the earliest statement of faith (the Apostles' Creed).Using Matthew 24:1-14 as a guide, discuss some of the signs that will precede His return (false prophets, see vv. 4-5; "wars and rumors of wars," v. 6; nation rising up against nation, see v. 7; "famines, pestilences, and earthquakes," v. 7.) What other signs does Matthew 24 indicate for Christ's return? How do these signs correlate to our contemporary world? E.g., what constitutes a false prophet? Or, how do you think end-times wars will differ from historical wars? For other references to the end-times, look up 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 1 Timothy 4:1-5, and 2 Timothy 3:1-9.

Connect In: As Pastor Nate mentioned, the Church needs to "get going" in our world.Part of the call is to "put on the armor of light" (v. 12) and "put on Christ" (v. 14).What do these phrases mean? Following the idea of putting on clothes, look up Colossians 3:12-17.What does Paul tell Christians to "put on" in this text (e.g., kindness, humility, longsuffering, and forgiving)? What else does the text state?How are we to put on Christ in our contemporary world, walking properly as light (see Matthew 5:14-16)?

Connect Out: Take time to pray for your connect group and your family. Pray for them by name.Pray that they would "get up," "get out," and "get going." Ask God specifically what it is that you, your group, and your family are to do this year. Pray that you'll put on the light of Christ—His character—in all you do. What does it mean to live in light of Christ's return, even though we don't know the exact day (see Matthew 24:36 and 2 Peter 3:10)? How should the fact that Christ will return affect and influence our actions in the world, especially as we connect with non-believers?

Detailed Notes

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"Wake Up Call"
Romans 13:11-14
  1. Introduction
    1. We live in a fallen world, and it seems like the boundaries get pushed further every year
      1. The crimes become a little more shocking, the headlines more depressing
      2. The moral line that so many of us grew up with gets a little more blurred, and things are only going to get worse
    2. "There is none righteous" (Romans 3:10)
      1. God still loves us and cares for us, no matter what we do
      2. God sought us out, even when we wanted nothing to do with Him
      3. He desires a relationship with us, despite all of the bad things we've done
    3. Americans have redefined what it means to do the right thing within their own lives
      1. There is limited accountability in our world today
        1. The moral code began to disintegrate when the previous generation challenged the limits that had been challenged by their own parents
        2. The consistent deterioration of the Bible as the source of moral truth has led to a nation of people who base their choices on emotions and circumstances
      2. Romans 13:11-14 is God's wake-up call to the church
    4. How should we respond to the fact that Jesus could return at any moment?
      1. Some Christians are so excited about Jesus' return that they disregard their responsibilities, simply waiting for His return to get them out of the mess they're in
      2. Others are secure in their eternal destiny and are simply biding their time
    5. Scripture teaches that there are definite responsibilities we must attend to in light of the coming of the Lord
      1. There are certain dangers that we need to be careful of, and there are certain things we should be actively doing
      2. Jesus said that we are to "occupy till [He comes]" (Luke 19:13, KJV)
      3. As we wait for the Lord's return, we need to wisely invest what He has put in our care—our lives
        1. God gave you this life so that you can invest it
        2. Some people, knowing their eternal destination is secure, simply bury it rather than investing it
        3. God has called us to occupy, bringing heaven to earth
          1. We must occupy the city that we live in
          2. We need to preach the gospel, feed those without food, house the homeless, and reach out in love to protect those who can't protect themselves
          3. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
  2. Get Up (vv. 11-12)
    1. A spiritual alarm is sounding across the globe
      1. Paul was addressing believers
        1. 1 Corinthians 15:54
        2. Ephesians 5:14
      2. We need to wake up from spiritual lethargy and wake up to the urgency of our days
    2. Do you realize the call that God has placed on your life?
      1. Do you realize the place that God has put you in?
      2. As men of the daylight, we must be sober with faith and love as our breastplate and the hope of salvation as our helmet (see 1 Thessalonians 5:6)
      3. In the parable of the ten bridesmaids (see Matthew 25:1-13), it's noteworthy that when the call went out that the bridegroom was coming, they were all asleep when they should have been awake, preparing themselves for the bridegroom to come
    3. Many believers today are asleep when they should be awake
      1. Their salvation is secure, but they're sleeping when they should be working
      2. Are you living your life as though you were asleep?
        1. Are you biding your time until the Lord returns?
        2. Or are you doing what your Master told you to do? Are you occupying your space and investing your life for God's return?
    4. Paul's call was urgent
      1. Paul was referring to the period before Christ's return, saying, "The night is far spent" (v. 12)
      2. If time was running out so quickly 2,000 years ago, how much closer to His return are we today?
      3. There are several trends developing in our world today that alert us to the coming domino effect of the prophecies of Revelation
        1. A one-world monetary system
        2. A new geopolitical climate—a universal leader
        3. An increase in drug use, sexual perversion, violent crime, false religious systems, and believers falling away from the church
        4. Increased isolation of Israel
        5. An increase in natural disasters
    5. The Bible talks about birth pains, which will increase in severity and timing as we get closer to the coming of the Lord
      1. These signs should be a wake-up call for the church, but some of us are still sleeping
      2. It's time for us to look up, because the Lord is coming and we are to be about His business (see Luke 21:28)
    6. In verse 12, Paul used the word night
      1. John 9:4-5
      2. When Jesus walked the earth, He was the Light of the World, and a period of darkness began when He left
        1. When He returns, it will be a new day
        2. He has called us to reflect the light while He's gone, emulating Him
      3. How can we reflect the light to the world?
        1. Matthew 5:16
        2. Some Christians simply wait for Jesus' return, living their lives apathetically
        3. The world will only see the Father and experience revival if we let the light shine through us by our good works
        4. What did Jesus do when He was here?
          1. He didn't just preach the gospel; He cared for people
          2. He was changing lives and making a difference
          3. We must accompany sharing the gospel with good works—our care for society and for those around us
  3. Get Out (vv. 12-14)
    1. Paul used the phrase "cast off" (v. 12)
      1. The Greek word literally means to fling away as if it were unclean
      2. We should treat sin the same way we treat unclean things—as though we want nothing to do with it because of the destruction that it brings into our lives
      3. Paul called us to get rid of our sin once and for all
    2. Paul gave us three sins we should not waste our lives on:
      1. Empty pleasures
        1. We are not to devote our lives to seeking good times
        2. Some live their entire lives looking for the next good time, party, or adventure
        3. Those who live their lives seeking good times eventually end up depressed and afraid of missing out
        4. Paul was not saying that the Christian life needs to be miserable or that there's joy in being bummed out all the time
        5. It's fine to have a good time; it's not okay to live for the good times
          1. 1 Timothy 5:6
          2. Proverbs 14:13
        6. Paul also mentioned drunkenness
          1. There's a misconception in the church that the Bible says we should not drink, but it actually says, "Do not be drunk with wine" (Ephesians 5:18)
          2. 1 Timothy 5:23
          3. Psalm 104:15
      2. Sex
        1. This refers to the sexual act itself, but also to having one's mind constantly filled with sexual thoughts, which can be a problem in marriage
          1. If all you ever do is think about sex, there's a problem
          2. There's nothing wrong with having sex with your spouse, but if you're living for sexual gratification, your needs won't be met, and you'll start looking for someone else to meet those needs
          3. This isn't just about the act itself; it's about the thought life and patterns behind the act
        2. We have a responsibility to talk to our kids about this
          1. If you refuse to talk about sex and relationships with your kids, they'll just do it behind your back
          2. If you refuse to talk to them, you'll have a part in the consequences of their decisions
        3. Paul covered a range of sexual sin: adultery, homosexuality, and pornography
          1. He wasn't only speaking of those who gratify their desires by the act itself, but also those whose desires and minds are dominated by sexual perversion
          2. Don't live for sex; it won't make you happy
      3. Strife, dissension, and jealousy
        1. There are many, especially in the church today, who wouldn't dream of having an affair or becoming addicted to alcohol or drugs, but who tend to tear people down and gossip about others
          1. Gossip is just as sinful as the first two categories
          2. Gossip in the church is destructive (see 1 Corinthians 3:3) and can be the reason some leave the church
        2. One of the things the Lord hates is someone "who sows discord" (Proverbs 6:19)
        3. We are to "abhor what is evil" (Romans 12:9), and that includes gossip
    3. Paul said that we must not give provision for the flesh
      1. This is the attitude of secretly expecting to gratify sin—if not now, then later—fostering opportunities to indulge in it later down the road
      2. We all know of certain people, places, activities, and situations that promote sin in our lives
      3. Don't give any chances for the flesh to have its way
        1. Abraham separated from his nephew Lot, who had a negative effect on him spiritually (see Genesis 13:8)
        2. Don't give sin or the flesh any opportunity
  4. Get Going (vv. 12-14)
    1. It's not enough to just get up and get out; we've got to get going
      1. Paul said that we must put on the armor of light
      2. Many believers are shocked to find that the Christian life isn't a playground but a battleground
    2. God has called us as His spiritual soldiers to not just hold ground, but gain ground
      1. He's called us to take enemy territory
        1. We shouldn't be complacent as the crime rate rises
        2. We can't be complacent as homelessness and poverty spread through our streets
      2. We should be gaining ground and making change, not just sitting in our churches holding our Bibles and hoping they don't come for us
    3. We shouldn't just be defenders; we need to be aggressors
      1. The defender is at the disadvantage in battle: they're waiting to react to the enemy's next attack, hoping to survive
      2. The aggressor chooses where, when, and how to attack
        1. Under the direction of our commander-in-chief, we must seize the moment and invade enemy territory in this critical period
        2. Esther 4:14
  5. Conclusion
    1. Time is short, and eternal destinies are hanging in the balance
      1. Satan knows this is a critical period in human history and is stepping up his efforts
      2. Shall we not respond in kind, engaging in a war over the souls of men and women?
      3. Many believers are asleep and don't want to rock the boat; others are running in retreat or falling away from the Lord
        1. We can't retreat; the battle is too important
        2. "Wars are not won by evacuations" —Winston Churchill
        3. We must choose not to run away
        4. The battle we fight is a battle that God has called us to, a battle that can make a difference
    2. Paul called us to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 14)
      1. We are called to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ—to make Him a part of our daily lives
        1. Call upon His resources in your life
        2. Imitate Him in all things
      2. Are you imitating Christ in all things?
        1. Or are you imitating the things of this world?
        2. The world can't save you from yourself
        3. God wants the world to look to us for change, not the other way around
    3. It would be a shame if we had to wait for the fire to wake up
      1. God's calling to us, and we must not wait for the judgment day
      2. We must realize the urgency of the times and not waste our lives on the empty pursuit of pleasure and sinful activities
      3. We must realize that a battle is raging and get to work
Figures referenced: Winston Churchill, J.B. Phillips

Cross references: Genesis 13:8; Esther 4:14; Psalm 104:15; Proverbs 6:19; 14:13; Matthew 5:16; 25:1-13; Luke 19:13; 21:28; John 9:4-5; Romans 3:10; 12:9; 1 Corinthians 3:3; 6:19-20; 15:54; Ephesians 5:14, 18; 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Timothy 5:6, 23

Topic: Christian living

Keywords: battle, call, critical, return, second coming, sin, time, urgency, work

Transcript

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Wake Up Call - Romans 13:11-14 - Nate Heitzig

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Well, good morning and welcome to Calvary Church. Who's excited to be in the house this weekend? Man, how fuego was worship? I can say that because I grew up in New Mexico, but come on. How fire was worship this weekend, right? Wasn't it so good?

I don't know about you, but I need those songs, those songs that build faith, those songs to let us know that we're called to walk in light, those songs that let us know we're no longer slaves to sin, but we're alive in Christ, that we are free, that this is a place of hope and love.

And I challenge you when you come to worship, come with all the passion that you can bring because it is something in your heart. Yeah, we worship God because he called us to, but we don't really worship God for him. We worship God for us because it does something in our hearts. It does something in our minds. And it prepares us for the battle that's ahead.

That has nothing to do with my message this weekend. But I just thought that I would implore you when you come, come ready to worship. Turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 13. We're going to be in versus 11 through 14 this morning as we continue in our series Heart and Soul with a message that I've titled Wake Up Call.

I don't think I would be a stretch to say that we live in a fallen world today, right? It seems like every year, the boundaries get pushed a little bit further. The crimes become a little bit more shocking. The headlines seem to be more and more depressing. And that moral line that so many of us grew up knowing is there gets a little bit more blurred.

All around us, we have reminders that Jesus is setting the scene for his return to this earth. All you have to do is take a look at the news headlines of 2019. Here's a few of the top headlines from this past year-- Hurricane Dorian path of destruction, 22 dead in El Paso Walmart shooting, 4.6 magnitude earthquake hits Barstow area, 250 people dead in Sri Lanka Easter bombings.

Let me tell you something. And this might not be the message you wanted to hear this morning. This might not be the message of hope that you were expecting to get. But it's only going to get worse. It's not going to get better. The headlines are only getting more depressing. Violence is only going to increase. The moral line is just going to continue to get blurred. The outcome, the scenario for where our world is headed isn't up. It's further down. It's just going to get worse.

And the words of Romans chapter 3 verse 10 through 18 continues to mark humanity. No one is righteous. No not one. No one is truly wise. No one is seeking God. All have turned away. All have become useless. No one does good, not a single one. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.

Their tongues are filled with lies. Snake venom drips from their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don't know where to find peace. They have no fear of God at all.

So next time you think that you were born basically good, think again. We are not born good. We're not born basically good. We are all born bad. If you want an accurate assessment of where you're at, of how you're doing, of how God views your good works, that's the answer. But you know what's incredible? God still loves us.

God still cares for us. God still wants a relationship with us. God sought us out when we were far from him. God wanted us when we wanted nothing to do with him. God desires a relationship with us in spite of all the bad things we've done, in spite of our natural state.

I read an article online that was titled "Young adults struggle with morality." And it said this. A nationwide survey by The Barna Group indicates that Americans have redefined what it means to do the right thing within their own lives. The article continued to say researchers asked adults which if any of eight behaviors with moral overtones they'd engaged in during the past week. And a majority of adults had engaged in at least one of these eight behaviors during the past week.

And here's some of the findings from their poll. 65% admitted to using profanity in public. 38% had engaged in sex outside of marriage. 37% had lied. 33% admitted to intentional exposure to pornography. 25% had gotten drunk.

And the article concluded by saying, we are witnessing the development and acceptance of a new moral code in America. Millennials have had little exposure to traditional moral teaching and limited accountability for such behavior. And that line could sum up society today-- limited accountability.

The moral code began to disintegrate when the generation before them, the baby busters, pushed the limits that had been challenged by their parents, the baby boomers. The result is that without much fanfare or visible leadership, the US has created a moral system based on convenience, feelings, and selfishness.

The consistent deterioration of the Bible as the source of moral truth has led to a nation where people have become independent judges of right and wrong, basing their choices on feelings and circumstances. And it closed by saying this. It is not likely that America will ever return to a moral traditional code until the nation experiences significant pain from its moral choices.

Romans chapter 13, verse 11 through 14 is God's wake-up call to the church. It is God's wake-up call to humanity. It is God's wake-up call to America. Many times when I travel and I'm in different time zones, I'm in different areas, I'm staying at a hotel, I'll often call the hotel and ask for a wake-up call. Anyone ever called and asked for a wake-up call?

It's such a convenient feature. You can have them call you. And they'll wake you up. And you can ask them to call you every 15 minutes to wake you up. But something weird happens when I'm traveling. Oftentimes, I'm in different time zones. I'm in different cities. And because of the time zone change, I'll get that first call. And I'll hear that phone ringing.

And I wake up having no idea where I am, no idea what city I'm in, no idea what time it is, what day it is. I don't even know my name and I hear that phone ringing. I'm like, where's the fire? What's happening? Where's my kids? And I have no idea where I am because it's disorienting. It's jarring. Because I'm still sleepy. I'm still tired. I've been in maybe a couple different cities over a few different days. And I lose sight of where I am.

I find the same is true in the church. There's a lot of Christians who are sleeping, who are asleep. And when that wake-up call comes, when God tries to get our attention, and we start to wake up, it's disorienting. It's jarring. It's confronting upon our senses. But what should our response be to the fact that Jesus could come at any moment for us?

If we're asleep, and there's a wake-up call that's about to come, what should our response be? Well, some people get so excited about the fact that Christ is going to return, they disregard all responsibilities. And they simply wait for His return to get them out of the mess that they're in.

They just give up. They say, man, the world's so messed up. The world is so beyond repair. It can't be saved. So I'm just going to give up. I'm just going to hide my head in the sand. I'm just going to sit passively by and wait for it all to go to hell literally so I can go to heaven. And they just wait around.

Other believers sensing the soon return of Jesus are secure in their eternal destiny. And they're simply biding their time. And yet the scripture teaches that there are definite responsibilities that we have to attend to in light of the coming of the Lord. There's certain dangers that we need to be careful of. And there's certain things that we need to actively do.

Jesus told a parable about a man who went on a journey. And he left his business to his workers. And he told his workers, he said, occupy until I come. Or invest wisely. Do business until I come. And he called his 10 servants. And he gave them 10 talents, which is equivalent to about $64,000 in our modern era. And he told them to invest it wisely to occupy until he returned.

And to the one who earned 10 from his one, the ruler gave him 10 cities. To the one who earned five, he gave him the rule over five cities. But to the one who simply buried his talent, the Lord rebuked him.

This parable teaches us that as we wait for the Lord to return, we need to invest wisely what He has put within our care. And what has God put within your care? Our lives. God has given you the breath that you breathe. God has given you the life that you live. It is not your own. It is a loan.

And when God gives this life to you, He gives it to you with the intent that you would invest your life. But some people when they get saved, and they have this eternal destination secured, they just bury it. And they say, now that I am saved, and I know that I'm going to heaven, I'm just going to wait around. I'm just going to protect it and wait till I get out of here. I'm not going to do anything with it.

But God has called us to take this life we live and to invest our lives. He has called us to occupy until He comes. God has called us to occupy the places in which we live. We are called to bring heaven to earth.

Occupy. We need to occupy this city that we live in. We need to occupy Albuquerque. We need to preach the gospel. We need to care for widows and orphans. We need to feed those without food. We need to house the homeless, to reach out in love to the refugee and the immigrant, to protect those who can't protect themselves. This isn't the government's job. This is the Christians' job. This is the believer's job to care for our city.

Come on. Who's ready to occupy Albuquerque until Jesus Christ returns? Who's ready to see revival in our city? Who's ready to take back New Mexico in the name of Jesus Christ, and see our families, and our neighborhoods, and our societies, and those who are hurting, and those who are outcast, and those who the society has said is less than, who is ready to see change in those areas?

[APPLAUSE]

And of course, we can all clap and say, oh, yeah, we're ready to see change. Who's ready to be a part of the change? Who's ready to stand up and say, I'm not going to sit passively by and wait for something to happen? I'm going to be the change that I want to see to make this place that we live a little bit more like heaven. Who's ready to invest themselves into this city?

1 Corinthians 6:19 to 20 says, you are not your own. You are bought with a price. Our breath, our lives are in his hands. Our lives are not our own. They are a loan. They are temporary. And guess what? They're fading quickly.

So how can we occupy until He comes? How can we wisely invest our lives? Well, Romans 13 gives us some answers. And if this is God's wake-up call to the church, we're going to see three things in this text that God wants us to get up. He wants us to get out. And He wants us to get going.

Let's look at our text Romans chapter 13. And let's read versus 11 through 14. "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. 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, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ. And make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts."

The first call we see here in this text is to get up. Look at verse 11 again with me. He says, and do this knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep. We need to get up.

A spiritual alarm is being sounded, is being rung across the globe to every believer in every single church. Keep in mind this text is addressed to believers. This is a wake-up call. Get up. It's time to wake up. The time has arrived. You need to get up. You need to get out. You need to get going.

Let me ask you, what are the traits you look for in a good alarm clock? Do you look for one that's really quiet and doesn't make a lot of noise? Well, if you don't want to wake up, that's what you look for. Some people are nodding their head because they don't want to wake up in the morning.

But the traits of a good alarm clock is you want one that is loud enough to wake you up. You don't want one that's like, hey, it's time to get up. If you want to wake up, there's some things you need to do today. No, you want one that says, get up! Wake up! It's time to get to work. There's things you have to do. Stop being lazy.

But a lot of us are just content to hit snooze. Keep it going. Keep the sleep going. There's this game that my kids and I play in the morning. Who in here has kids who like to sleep in? Every parent ever raised their hands. Something weird happens. When your kids are really young, they want to wake up super early and wake you up. And then as they get older, they never want to wake up.

But we play this game in the morning where my wife or I will get up before our kids. And we'll come in really nicely and knock on their door and say, Seth and Kaydee, it's time to wake up. We gotta get ready for school. And usually, the response that we're greeted with is they roll over in bed and put their pillows on their heads.

And this game progresses. And over the next 15 to 30 minutes, it progresses a little bit more urgent with each call to where it finally ends with, Seth! Get out of bed! School is in 10 minutes! The urgency increases as the time progresses.

God's call to the churches to wake up, to get up, because the urgency has increased. The time is at hand. God's been calling us for a long time. And the voice has gotten louder. And He's letting us know it's almost time. You need to get up. 1 Corinthians 15:54 says, awake to righteousness and sin not.

Ephesians 5:14 says, awake, you that sleeps, and arise from the dead. And Christ shall give you light. We need to wake up from spiritual lethargy. We need to wake up from laziness. We need to wake up from apathy. We need to wake up to the urgency of the days in which we live.

Do you realize the urgency of the days in which you live? Do you realize the call that God has placed upon your life? Do you realize the place that God has put you in for such a time as this? And it is urgent. The lateness of the time, the soon coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:6 tells us, let us then never fall asleep like the rest of the world. Let us keep awake with our wits about us. And I want to point out this is not an encouragement for sleep deprivation. This is speaking of spiritual terms. It's not like God's going to bless you more if you get two hours of sleep. It's not what this is saying.

Let us keep awake with our wits about us. Night is the time for sleep and the time when men get drunk. But we men of the daylight should be sober with faith and love as our breastplate, and the hope of our salvation is our helmet, for God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the Parable of the 10 Bridesmaids that Jesus told, it's worth noting that when the call went out that the bridegroom is coming, they were all asleep. They should've been awake. They should have been preparing themselves for the bridegroom to come. But instead they were all sleeping. And this is really a picture of the church today.

Although five of those bridesmaids are symbols of nonbelievers pretending to be Christians, the other five are a picture of real believers. And my question is, why were the real believers asleep? Why weren't they preparing themselves? Why weren't they ready for the bridegroom to come?

Many believers today are asleep when they should be awake. Many believers in this church are asleep. They're Christians. Don't get me wrong. They're going to heaven. Their salvation is secured. But they're sleeping when they should be rising. They don't realize the urgency that we have.

Let me ask you, are you living your life as though you were asleep? Are you securing your salvation? Do, you know that you're going to heaven but are you just kind of hiding your head in the ground? Are you just biding your time until the Lord returns? Do you have perspective that, well, the world's too far gone anyways. So I might as well just sit back and wait for God to come back. And He'll sort it all out.

Or are you doing what your master told you to do? Are you occupying your space? Are you occupying your city? Are you investing yourself for God's return? Because maybe God's been whispering to you. Maybe you're asleep and God's been calling you. And he's been saying very gently, get up. It's time to wake up. It's time to get moving. I've got a plan for you. I've prepared something for you. I want you to do something. I want you to achieve something.

And maybe up until now, you've just been rolling over in bed and putting your pillow over your head and saying, don't talk to me, God. I'm trying to sleep. I'm too tired. I don't have the energy to do what you want me to do. I don't have the capacity. I don't have the strength. I don't have the knowledge. I just need to sleep. And perhaps that voice has gotten louder and louder and louder.

And maybe today is your wake-up call. Maybe the Holy Spirit is shouting into your soul and your heart. And he's saying, wake up. The time is now. Get up. I've prepared you for something. I want you to do something. It's time to stop sleeping. It's time to get out of bed. It's time to walk out into your city. And it's time to make a difference. It's time to make a change. I'm ready to do revival. Are you ready to be a part of it?

I believe that, church. I believe that God wants to bring revival. I believe that he wants to change this city of ours. I believe he wants to change this church. But I think we need to get up. Look at verse 12. He says, the night is far spent. As I said before, there is urgency to this call. What Paul is referring here is the time until Christ's return, the time until Christ's return.

Now, if the night was far spent 1900 years ago when Paul wrote this, how much more do you think it is now? How much closer to the return of God do you think we're at now? Now, you don't have to look far. We see trends developing, tendencies pointed out that alert us to the soon coming of that domino effect of biblical prophecy that's revealed in the Book of Revelations.

Let me ask you, are there any moves or trends in our society today towards a one world monetary system? Geopolitically, is there any trend towards a universal religion or some super leader who would bring in an era of peace? Is there any increase of drug use, of sexual perversion, of violent crime?

Are there any trends of an increase of false religious systems or teachings? Is there any increase in believers falling away and backsliding? Is there any increase in the isolation of Israel from the other nations of the world? Is there any increase in wars and rumors of wars? Is there any increase in natural disasters?

I read a statistic that was alarming. From the year 2000 till now, 20 years, there are more than twice as many natural disasters than there were from the year 1900 to the year 2000. More than twice as many natural disasters in 20 years as the previous 100 before it.

These are all signs that were spoken of in the scripture. The Bible talks about birth pains. And the birth pains will increase in severity and timing as we get closer to the coming of the Lord, that we're going to notice more and more things happening at a severe level. And that's signs that something big is coming.

And these signs, these trends, they should alert us and wake us up. This is a wake-up call. It's an alarm. And I got to let you know it is a loud alarm. This is not some quiet, hey, I'm coming. This is a loud alarm. When you look at the news stories, it is loud. What is happening in our society and our world-- it is not passive. It is a loud, ringing alarm.

But some of us are still sleeping. Jesus said, when you see these signs begin to happen, look up for your redemption draws near. I think these signs began a long time ago. I think some of us didn't look at it, refused to acknowledge it. But I think now the alarm is ringing. And I think it's time for us to look up because the Lord is coming. And we are to be about his business.

In verse 12, it says the word night. Jesus explains this in John 9 where he said, I must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day. The night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When Jesus came here, He was the light. When He left, this period of darkness began. When He returns, it will be a new day. And the light will have returned.

See, Jesus when he was here was the light. Now that He's gone, He calls us to reflect the light and to emulate it to others. Although it's true that you will never be the sun, you can be the moon. You're never going to be the Son of God. You're never going to be the light. But you can reflect the light.

Have you ever been out on a dark night when the moon was full, when the clouds were gone? Sometimes, that moon can be so bright, it can reflect the sun in such radiance and glory that it's almost as though it were day. You can see. You can walk. You can distinguish things. You can find your way. You can spend time outside. When the moon is doing its job well enough in reflecting the sun, it's a reflection as if the sun were there.

How can we reflect it? How can we emulate it to others? Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works. And they will glorify your Father in heaven. As I already said before, some Christians are happy to just get saved and then just hide the light. Just live their lives complacently, apathetically. Just hide their heads in the sand and wait for God to return and saying the world's too messed up anyways. I'll just wait for Jesus to come back.

But this verse clearly says that this light that we're supposed to have, it's going to be displayed in the good works that we do, that the world will only glorify God, the world will only see the Father, the world can only experience revival if we are letting the light shine through us by the good works that we do.

We are supposed to be a reflection of Jesus Christ. And what did Jesus Christ do when He was here on this earth? He did good things. He did good works. He didn't just preach the gospel. He healed people. He spent time with people. He went to dinner with people. He loved on people. He cared for people. When people came to him hurting, He didn't just say, well, it's whatever. It doesn't matter. They're all going to die anyways. And if they don't want to believe, that's their fault.

No. He healed people. He cared for the outcasts. He cared for those that society politically and spiritually had cast out. He was with the people. He was for the people. He was making a difference. He was changing lives.

It is so important within our lives that if we're a Christian, we don't just preach the gospel. We have to preach the gospel, but if that's all we do, we're missing out on a big part of it. He says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works.

Our preaching of the gospel has to be accompanied with our good works and our good deeds, our care for society, our care for those around us if we want the opportunity to see revival happen in our midst. We need to get up.

Our second point-- we need to get out. Look at verse 12. He continues, 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, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts.

It says there at the beginning, therefore, let us cast off. This word cast off is a Greek word that literally means to fling away as though it were an unclean thing. I have four animals living at home. And so needless to say, I have a lot of experience with unclean things.

Just the other night, my cat has been doing this fit of vomiting where it's just like eats too much food and then throws up. And it's disgusting. We'll wake up and find cat throw-up on the floor. And I probably need to just get rid of the cat, not just the throw-up. Just kidding, PETA. Don't get mad at me. I love my animals. I love my cats.

But my cats will throw up. I have two rottweilers. And they like to poop in the house. Not like on a regular basis, but enough that I don't like it, which let's be honest. One time is enough that I don't like it. But when my cat throws up, or when my dog poops in the house, I don't walk up to the poop and carefully, gently pick it up and say, oh, so sweet. My dog left a treat for me. Left a little surprise.

I'm going to keep it. I'm going to put it in a jar. I'm going to name it. I'm going to put it on my counter. When my wife gets home, she's going to be so excited that my dog had diarrhea in the house. I can't wait to see her reaction.

No. I pick that crap up literally. And I throw it in the trash can. I get an entire roll of paper towels. I'm like, I don't care about the environment right now. I don't want to touch that poop. I'm getting the whole roll. I'm going to scoop it up so I don't have to touch a single bit of it. I'm going to throw it in the trash can. I don't want to see it. I don't want to smell it. I don't want to touch it. I don't want my daughter to pick it up and think it's playdough. I want it gone.

Why don't we do the same with sin? Fling it off as though it were an unclean thing. Get rid of it as though we wanted nothing to do with it, realizing the destruction it brings, the stench that it has, the pain that it causes. Why do so many of us pick it up so gently and say, oh, it's kind of cute? I like my sin. I'm going to hold onto it. I'm going to put it in a jar and put it in my closet just in case I want to come back to it.

We're called to fling it off as though it were unclean like clothes sprayed by a skunk. Throw it away once and for all. Get rid of it. And what is it we're to cast off? Well, JB Phillips says, the night is nearly over. The day is almost dawn.

Let us therefore fling away the things that men do in the dark. Let us arm ourselves for the fight of the day. Let us live cleanly as in the daylight, not in the delights of partying or getting drunk or playing with sex nor in quarreling or jealousy. Let us be Christ's men from head to foot and give no chances to the flesh to have its fling.

There's three categories of things that we should not be wasting our lives on as Christians. And they are laid out for us here in verses 12 through 14. And after identifying these things that we're not to live for, he closes with what we should live for. Let's look at the first category of things we shouldn't live for. It is don't live for empty pleasures.

He says, not in revelry or drunkenness. Now, this word revelry-- it covers a spectrum of things. But basically he is saying don't devote your life to seeking good times. Some people live their entire life for the next good time, for the next party, for the next adventure, for the next fun experience.

But people who live their lives constantly seeking good times eventually end up depressed. Because once they've had enough good times, and they finally hit a bad time, they don't know what to do with it. At nighttime, when they get to their room by themselves, and they've had all the good times they've had, that FOMO creeps in.

That fear of missing out comes in. And they say, man, what else is there left for me to experience? And when they realize there's nothing, they don't want to go on. They don't want to live their lives. This answers why so many celebrities, famous movie stars, rock stars commit suicide.

Because even though they have tens of thousands of people screaming their names, even though they've gone to all the biggest parties, had sex with all the most beautiful people, done all the drugs, all the alcohol, when they get alone at night in their room, and they ask, is this all that there is? And they realize that's all that they have, they don't want to live. They don't want to go to try to find another good time. They just want to end it.

Look, there's nothing wrong with having a good time. But there is something wrong with living for good times. Paul is not saying that the Christian life needs to be miserable, that there's joy or that there's some kind of false piety found in looking bummed out all the time, that, well, OK, if I'm not supposed to have good times, it means I have to have bad times. So my life should just be miserable. And that will bring the Lord glory.

No. That's not what it's saying. There is joy in the Lord. It's OK to have fun. It's OK to have a good time. It's not OK to live for good times-- an endless round of parties, entertainment. It's a waste of life.

Because one day, you're going to wake up and realize you don't have any more life ahead of you, that there's more behind you than there is ahead. And you're going to ask yourself, what have I done with my life? And if all you've done is party, you're going to find yourself depressed.

1 Timothy 5:6 says, she that lives in pleasure is dead while she lives. Proverbs 14:13 says, even in laughter, the heart has sorrow. Drunkenness is also mentioned here. Ephesians 5:18 tells us, be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit.

I want to talk about this for a second. Because there's this huge misconception in the church that anytime we see anybody drinking a sip of alcohol, they're going to hell because it says, don't be drunk with wine. You're right, it does. But it doesn't say, don't drink wine.

As a matter of fact, Paul told Timothy to drink a little wine for his stomach. David talks about wine that makes the heart happy. And let me tell you. The Greek word for wine that Jesus made at a wedding wasn't grape juice. Sorry. It was wine.

Now, that's not an excuse for everybody to drink wine. That's not an excuse for everybody to say, OK, well, I'm going to go on a bender then. We're going to talk a lot about this next week when we look at Romans 14-- the essential point of nonessential points. It really comes down to motive. Why are you doing it? You need to know yourself to lead yourself.

You need to recognize the areas in your life that you might have the tendency. There's some people who should never drink wine. They should never drink alcohol because they get one taste, and it leads them down a road where they just want more and more and more. They don't know how to stop. They don't know how to cut it off. One drink becomes 10 drinks.

But in the same way, there's some people have crippling addictions to pornography and sexual addictions that they shouldn't really watch a whole lot of media. They shouldn't watch movies and TV because they're going to see something that's going to trigger them, create an impulse inside them that's going to make them want to act out upon that and go look at pornography or have sex.

We all need to know the areas in our lives that we have potential downfalls in and protect ourselves from those areas, whether they're good, bad, or gray. We need to know those areas within our lives and protect ourselves. With the issue of drinking, the question really comes down to why. What's the motive behind it? Why do you drink? To escape? Don't do it. To feel better? Don't do it. To numb yourself to your problems? Don't do it.

To have fun because you say, well, I'm just not any fun until I've had a couple drinks? Well, then learn how to be fun and stop being such a miser. You don't need alcohol to make you fun. If you do, you shouldn't have it. You shouldn't drink it. Protect yourself. Know the areas in your life that you need to put up guards. But also recognize and don't call something sin unless the Bible expressly calls it sin.

The second thing we see is don't live for sex. Look at verse 13. It says, not in lewdness and lust. Basically don't live for sex. Now, this is in reference to the sexual act itself, but it's also in reference to having one's mind filled constantly with sexual thoughts. And this can even be a problem in marriage. If all you ever do is think about sex, there's a problem. There's nothing wrong with having sex with your spouse.

But if you're living for sex with your spouse, there's a problem. If you're living for sexual gratification, if your spouse is simply a sexual gratification for you, what's going to happen when you don't get your needs met is you're going to start looking for someone else to meet your needs because you're living for sex. It's OK to have sex, but it's not OK to live for sex.

Here's a sin that is so prevalent in our society, it's even in the church today. In 41% of marriages, one or both spouses admit to infidelity. 57% of men and 54% of women admit to committing infidelity in at least one relationship they've had. 74% of men and 68% of women say they would have an affair if they knew they wouldn't get caught.

Again, it's that thought pattern. They're like, man, I want to have an affair. I'm just scared of what happens if I get caught. But again, this thought pattern as they dwell on this as they think about this, eventually, those thoughts will get projected in life. And they're going to act on those impulses. It's not just about the act itself. It's about the thought life that's behind it.

And giving the increasingly permissive views towards sex today, researchers Gilbert Nass and Roger Libby have predicted that between 1/2 and 2/3 of all husbands will have an affair before they reach 40.

But men aren't alone in this. Women are quickly catching up. The numbers of women being unfaithful to their husbands is higher than it has ever been before in history. The number of women who have sexual addictions to pornography is higher than it has ever been in history.

And I also think that this all has a direct effect on teenagers who aren't finding a Godly example of fidelity within their homes, who aren't seeing fidelity praised or glorified in TV, but they're seeing the opposite that sexual pervasiveness, that having an affair is OK in movies and TV.

47% of all ninth through 12th graders report having had sexual intercourse. The median age for first intercourse is 16.9. 34% of women become pregnant at least once before they reach the age of 20. That's just over 1/3. 75% of teenagers have had intercourse by the time they turn 20.

Parents, you need to talk to your kids about this. If your answer to relationships and sex is just don't talk to me about it till you're 18, you're not allowed to date, it's not going to stop them. They're going to do it behind your back. They probably are doing it behind your back right now. And you just don't know it.

You have a responsibility to talk to your kids about this. If you don't, if your daughter ends up pregnant, or your son ends up getting a girl pregnant, you share some of the blame in that because you've refused to have real, hard conversations with your kids, awkward conversations, uncomfortable conversations, but important conversations. We have the responsibility to guide our kids and our families in this.

When Paul talks about this, he's covering a whole range of sexual sin here-- adultery, homosexuality, pornography. He's not only speaking of those who gratify these desires by the act itself, but on those who have desires and minds dominated with sexual perversion.

For some people, have you noticed is practically all they talk about is sex? It's all they think about. It's all they joke about. Every remark is a sexual innuendo or a double entendre. Don't live for sex. It won't make you happy.

Third and finally, don't live for strife, dissension, and jealousy. Verse 13, he says, not in strife and envy. There's many people, especially in the church today, who would never dream of having an affair on their spouse. They'd never dream of getting addicted to alcohol or drugs. But they sure do love to tear people down.

They sure do love to dig up dirt on other people. They sure do love spreading it to others in the church or being crippled by jealousy for what another person has or does. When they pull into the church parking lot and they see Martha pull up in that new Tesla, they're like, oh, I bet her husband doesn't even know that she's having an affair on her. I bet people don't even know who they really are.

And I hate gossip. I hate-- especially Christian gossip is the worst. And I want to point out this is just as sinful as the first two categories, which means that if you harp on your kids or your friends for their addiction to some substance or the affair they're having, and then you go and gossip about it with your girlfriends, you're just as bad.

And Christian gossip is so filthy. It's so destructive. I can't stand it. And it always happens this way. It's always like in a prayer circle where you're like, I'm just going to meet my friends for some coffee. We're just going to talk. And then it happens this way. Can you just pray for my friend? They're really just caught in some bad stuff right now. I'll just leave it at that. I don't want to say anything else.

And then, of course, someone at the table says, well, we're supposed to pray specifically. So maybe it would help if we knew who it was so we could pray specifically for them and if you could spell out in detail everything they did because we need to pray specifics. Well, OK, well, I don't want to say their name, but I'll just say this. They were supposed to be here today, but they couldn't make it.

It's so destructive, gossip. It's why people don't want to come to church. Because they come to church, and they tell somebody about what they're dealing with, and then that person tells 10 other people. So the next time they come to church, they've got 10 eyes looking at them like, I know what you did. Hey, I'm praying for your marriage. How did you know what was going on in my life? And they get so judged. They feel so weird. They just never want to come back.

1 Corinthians 3:3 says, for where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal? One of the seven things the Lord hates is he that sows discord among the brethren. Remember, we are told to abhor what is evil. And that includes gossip.

Can I just challenge you, too, don't give an ear to gossip? We could shut all the gossipers up if we didn't listen to what they had to say. If someone comes to you and says, hey, did you hear about so-and-so, just say, I don't want to-- don't talk to me about it. I don't want to hear it.

Do you have permission to be telling me this? Did you ask them if it was OK for me to hear this? If not, shh. Shut your mouth. I don't want to hear it. We could do a better job not giving ear to gossip. And if we did, there'd be less gossip being spread.

Verse 14 says, make no provision for the flesh. This is the attitude of secretly expecting to gratify the sin that you want to do if not now, then later. It's the decision where you say, well, I'm not going to have an affair now.

But that person at my job who I talk to for a little bit longer each day that I know there's the potential it could lead to something more, I'm not going to cut that relationship off. I'll continue to have those conversations to foster that relationship in case I want to have an affair with him later.

That pornography addiction that I have-- instead of cutting it off, instead of putting some software on my computer or my phone that can keep me from giving into those pleasures, I'm just not going to just in case I want to do this later.

That alcohol addiction that I'm finally free of that I'm finally breaking out of my life-- I'm not going to clear out my cabinets of all that stuff. Because right now, I have the willpower to withstand it. But if I have a really hard day, and I need to break into that cupboard, I want to know it's there. It's giving the sin in your life a foothold in your life just in case you want to gratify it later on.

Look, we all know of certain people, places, activities, or situations that promote sin within our lives. Don't give any chances to the flesh to have its way within you. Abraham had to separate from his nephew, Lot, who had a negative effect on him spiritually. Don't give sin or self any opportunity. Don't give it the time of day.

Now, we've seen three things, three categories that we shouldn't be wasting our lives on. Let's now see our last point and see what we should do instead because it's not enough to just get up and get out. We've got to get going.

Look at verse 12. He says, put on the armor of light. Why? Because there's a war. You don't put it on armor unless there's a war. You don't put it on a bulletproof vest unless you plan on getting shot at. Many believers are shocked to find that the Christian life isn't a playground. It's a battleground.

God has called us as his spiritual soldiers to not just hold ground. He has called us to gain ground. He has called us to take enemy territory. He has called us to take back our city. We shouldn't be complacent as we see the crime rate rise. We shouldn't be complacent as we see homelessness and poverty spread through our streets.

We shouldn't be complacent as babies are being murdered before they're born. We should be gaining ground. We should be occupying our city. We should be making change, not just sitting in our churches holding our bibles hoping that they don't come for us. We should be gaining ground. We shouldn't just be defenders. We need to be aggressors. We need to invade enemy territory.

And sure. Some people might say, well, Nate, the game's won by the defense. OK, but if the offense doesn't score a single point, the best you can do is tie the loser. We need to be aggressors. We need to focus on our offense. We need to get going.

Keep in mind the defender is at the disadvantage in the battle. They're simply waiting around for the enemy's next attack, hoping they can survive it. In contrast, the aggressor has the advantage of the initiative. The aggressor can choose where, when, and how to attack. They are in the superior position. And we under the direction of our commander-in-chief have to seize the moment and invade enemy territory in this critical and strategic period of time.

Or as in the case of Esther, for such a time as this. Because time is short, and eternal destinies literally are hanging in the balance. And Satan knows this is the critical and strategic period of time. And he is dramatically stepping up his efforts. Again, look at the news. Shall we do any less? Shall we not respond in kind, a war over the souls of men and women who are either caught alive by God or caught alive by Satan?

Many believers are asleep. They don't want to rock the boat. Others are running in retreat or even falling away from the Lord. We can't retreat. The battle is too important. Winston Churchill said, victory is not won by evacuations. Church, can we not give up on our city? Can we choose right here and now to not give up on our state? Can we choose here and now to not give up on our country?

Can we not run away, but can we stand arm in arm, recognize there's a battle afoot? And the battle is not with flesh and blood, but it's against spirits and principalities. The battle isn't with your brother across the aisle who has a different political view than you. The battles with Satan.

And the war is going to be won spiritually, not politically. That the battle we fight is a battle that God has called us to. And it's a battle that we can make a difference in. It's a battle that can change the eternal destination of people from hell to heaven. That's where the battle is.

Verse 14, he says, finally, put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Or literally clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. Look, once you get up, the second most important thing to do is to put clothes on. Aren't you thankful that all of us chose to put clothes on this morning when we woke up? This church would be really weird if we didn't.

When I wake up in the morning, I put on my clothes. And I intend for them to be a part of me all day long to go where I go, to do what I do. And if, for some reason, those clothes come off of me, we have a problem.

Paul is saying, put on Jesus Christ when you get up in the morning. Make him a part of your life today going with you everywhere and acting through you in everything you do. Call upon his resources in your life. JB Phillips said, let us be Christ's men from head to foot. Literally enter into His views and His interests. Imitate Him in all things. Have you put on Jesus Christ today? Have you entered into His views and interests? Are you imitating Him in all things?

Or are you putting on the world? Are you entering into the world's views and interests? Are you imitating the things the world does? Let me tell you. The world is not the answer. Beauty is a $532 billion industry that won't make you pretty. Education is a $1.3 trillion industry that won't make you smart.

Diet is a $72 billion industry that won't make you lean. Pharmaceuticals is a $1.5 trillion industry that won't make you healthy. The world can't save you from yourself. See, God desires the world to look to us for change, not the other way around.

As we close, I read a story online titled "Fire means early wake up call for hotel guests." A fire forced dozens of hotel guests to leave their rooms early Thursday morning. The fire started shortly before 4:30 in the morning at the Comfort Inn. Firefighters managed to contain the flames to a conference room, but smoke spread through all five floors of the 127-room hotel. No one was hurt.

It would be a shame if we had to wait for the fire to wake us up. God's calling to us. Wake up. Wake up. It's time to get up. It's time to get out. It's time to get going. Let's not wait for the judgment day. Let's not wait for Christ's return to wake us up.

Let's realize the urgency of the hour. Let's not waste our lives on the empty pursuit of pleasure and sinful activities like drunkenness, and sexual immorality, and gossip, and jealousy. Instead, let's realize a battle is raging. And we must work. Well, it is the day. May God help each and every one of us to be Christ's men and women from head to foot.

Lord, we thank you for your word. We pray that it would change us and transform us. We thank you for the way that it challenges us, but that it also exhorts us. Lord, I pray that you would wake us up, that we would get up, that we would get out of sin. And we would get going. We would put on the Lord Jesus Christ. And we would see revival in our city as we occupy our space. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

How will you put the truths that you learned into action in your life? Let us know. Email us at mystory@calvarynm.church. And just a reminder, you can support this ministry with a financial gift at calvarynm.church/give. Thank you for joining us for this teaching from Calvary Church.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Additional Messages in this Series

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5/5/2019
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The Heart and Soul of the Gospel
Romans 1:1-7
Skip Heitzig
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Today we embark on a thirty-two-week journey through the book of Romans. Considered to be Paul the apostle’s magnum opus, this book is largely responsible for igniting the fires of the Protestant Reformation and the Wesleyan Revival. As Paul introduced himself to the church at Rome, he got right to the heart and soul of the matter—the gospel—the good news that presents Jesus Christ as God’s great answer to the pressing need of the human race.
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5/19/2019
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Unashamed!
Romans 1:16-17
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Standing up for and speaking out about our faith in Jesus Christ can sometimes feel awkward and intimidating. Often our message is not received with glad faces or with open arms by the people we work with and live next to. As Paul was planning to visit Rome, he expressed eagerness rather than hesitation to herald this message. Why was that? The apostle gives us five reasons for his readiness and enthusiasm.
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5/26/2019
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Is God Mad?
Romans 1:18-32
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The Wrath of God Is Revealed God is full of love, right? Right! That’s the good news. And Paul gets back to that theme and develops it fully in the chapters ahead. But first, there’s some bad news. Like a powerful prosecuting attorney, Paul made the case as to why we need the good news of Christ. God’s grace is necessary because of our guilt. In this section, we learn about the wrath of God—an attribute that many people can’t wrap their heads (and hearts) around.
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7/7/2019
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Four Mistakes Religious People Make
Romans 2:1-11
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Jesus was not a religious leader. He was a righteous leader. And He was often confronting the religious leaders of His day. Likewise Paul found many enemies among the religious elite of his day, among both Jews and Gentiles. After announcing his theme of good news in Jesus, Paul promptly plunged into the bad news of God’s wrath—a subject that religious people sometimes love (but for all the wrong reasons). Paul tells us some of their most common mistakes.
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7/14/2019
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Hypocrisy Gets an Audit
Romans 2:17-29
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All businesses, corporations, and individuals have blind spots. Auditors can help by giving a clear and unbiased reading of practices and procedures, and then give appropriate recommendations for change. Here, Paul played the role of auditing the hypocrite—the one who has spiritual style but no substance. Let’s consider the assets, the deficits, and the net appraisal of the one who wears a spiritual disguise.
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7/28/2019
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The Advantage of Having the Bible
Romans 3:1-8
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Those who have been raised in a home with spiritual foundations and the teaching of Scripture have an edge over those who were never exposed to such benefits. The advantage of having access to the Bible is enormous, but it is not a fail-safe. Paul addressed the Jews who were caretakers of God’s own words, and much can be applied to anyone who has the advantage of revealed truth but fails to take it to heart.
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8/4/2019
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How Prisoners Go Free
Romans 3:9-26
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Freedom is a huge word for the Christian believer. Picture yourself nervously standing in a courtroom before a judge who has just read the pile of evidence against you. Just before the gavel strikes the bench proclaiming your guilt, a piece of evidence strikes his gaze and he unexpectedly announces your innocence. You can now go free! Here Paul explains how any person anywhere can find hope and freedom because of the gospel.
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8/11/2019
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Old Age; Young Faith
Romans 4
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Our skin may wrinkle but our faith never has to. Abraham’s faith was vibrant and youthful even when he was nearing one hundred years of age. As Paul points to the patriarch Abraham as an example for justification by faith, we can learn what it means to believe God through all the ages of life. How vibrant is your Christian faith? Have you let cynicism and doubt choke out your confidence in God?
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8/18/2019
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Our Benefits Package
Romans 5:1-5
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Why is being a Christian so great? Every unbeliever you meet is asking that question as they observe your life. What are the benefits of living with a committed faith in Jesus? After explaining what it means to be right with God by believing in Christ, and after illustrating that principle with Abraham, Paul gives a short list of some of the benefits of a saved life.
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8/25/2019
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Unrivaled Love
Romans 5:6-11
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Modern wisdom continually tells us, “Love is a verb,” rather than a sentimental feeling. Love is a commitment that involves action. For the first time in the letter to the Romans, Paul introduced the word love and a very singular kind of love—God’s love for us. Wanting to show how secure we are in this salvation, he described the greatest demonstration of love—its proof, its provision, and its product.
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9/1/2019
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A One-Man Show
Romans 5:12-21
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Just one person can do a lot of damage, and conversely just one person can do a lot of good. Paul here showed the effect that Adam brought on by his rebellion and the effect that Jesus bought with His blood on the cross. One caused death. One conveys life. One brought guilt. One bought the gift of grace. The big question is, have you received the gift?
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9/8/2019
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Don’t Look Back
Romans 6:1-7
Nate Heitzig
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Returning to a life of sin after becoming a Christian is like winning the lottery but choosing to continue to live in poverty. Pastor Nate Heitzig poses this question: Can one be a Christian and continually pursue a sinful lifestyle? In examining Romans 6:1-7, we find the biblical answer: No. Because of what God has done for the Christian, the Christian's rightful response to God should be to pursue a transformed lifestyle.
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9/15/2019
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Winning the War with Sin
Romans 6:11-14
Skip Heitzig
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There is not a person I know who doesn’t struggle with sin. Evil thoughts, bad habits, immoral impulses, and recurring temptations all rear their ugly heads, leaving us exhausted and disappointed in ourselves and wondering if any deliverance is possible. This struggle is real. The war can be fierce. How can we believers (who still have our old natures) win in these battles? Consider this four-step strategy.
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9/22/2019
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The Struggle Is Real
Romans 7:14-25
Nate Heitzig
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Christians can struggle with consistency. Like everyone, we sin and fall short in many areas. It's easy to get discouraged and think to ourselves, "I'm weak," or "I must not be called to the Christian life." The struggle with sin is real for every Christian. In this message, Pastor Nate Heitzig examines the believer's situation and struggle with carnality as well as the solution for victory.
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9/29/2019
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Safe and Secure
Romans 8:1-11
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As the old saying goes, “It’s always darkest before the dawn.” That’s certainly true of Paul’s authorship of this book. He closes chapter 7 on a low note, only to crescendo to a swelling high point in chapter 8. “Don’t despair! You’re in secure hands and you’re safe,” Paul tells us. He reminds us of four facts that should settle every heart.
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10/6/2019
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The New You
Romans 8:12-18
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Most people love new stuff: a new car, a new set of clothes, a new puppy, a new haircut, a new adventure. But the best new thing you could have is a new you! Being a Christian isn’t a temporary reformation but a total transformation. When the Holy Spirit gets hold of a person’s life, He begins the process of a total makeover—changing you from the inside out. As a Christian believer these are among the changes you can expect to see.
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10/13/2019
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The Steady Hand of a Caring God
Romans 8:28-30
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The world to many people seems to be a random place where anything can happen. But a believer can (and should) step firmly onto the soil of life. Why? Not just because God exists, but also because God cares! There is not a single atom nor molecule out of place in God’s universe; His hands and heart are steadily controlling your every breath. Let’s examine some of the richest truths about the quality of care from a loving God.
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10/20/2019
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A Midterm Exam: Five Questions to Test Your Understanding
Romans 8:31-34
Skip Heitzig
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In the middle of any given course or semester, a test consisting of questions is given. This does two things: it measures the student’s grasp of the course materials, and it helps identify any areas that need work. Right in the middle of his sixteen-chapter book, Paul gives his readers a series of questions to jog our spiritual memory and face some wonderful realities about the love of God. Let’s consider five questions in these verses.
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10/27/2019
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For the Love of God
Romans 8:35-39
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Can anyone really comprehend unconditional love? Perhaps the love that parents have for their children is the closest to unconditional love from a human point of view. But life’s circumstances certainly can challenge the idea that God loves us unconditionally. We’ve all heard about God’s love, we’ve sung about it, and we’ve affirmed it with our “Amens!” But as Paul closes out this section of Romans, he moves us into a fixed and secure confession that no matter what life can throw at us, we need never doubt God’s love for us.
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11/10/2019
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God, the Jew, and You
Romans 9:1-26
Skip Heitzig
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We now come to the third major section of Paul’s letter to the Romans that reveals God’s plan for Jew and Gentile. The early church in Jerusalem was entirely Jewish, but by this point, in most other parts of the world, it had become predominantly non-Jewish. But if God made so many promises to the Jewish nation, does that mean those promises are all now annulled? How does Israel’s rejection of Jesus as Messiah fit into God’s sovereign strategy, and where do we fit in?
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11/17/2019
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Salvation: Reverse Engineered
Romans 10:1, 14-17
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Right in the middle of Paul’s great trilogy about Israel (Romans 9, 10, and 11), he gave an expanded view of how salvation operates. These are the seven components that make up the journey for anyone (Jew or Gentile) who comes to know Christ. Evangelism always begins with God’s sovereign election, but it also involves human cooperation. It takes both someone who will transmit the gospel and someone who will receive it.
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11/24/2019
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God’s Plan for Israel—and the World
Romans 11:25-27
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Can God be trusted? More to the point, can God’s promises be trusted? If He promised to the Jews a kingdom, won’t their rejection of Christ cancel out His promises to them? Wouldn’t that mean that God is finished with Israel as a nation? Does their blindness forfeit God’s blessing? Today we’ll get the big-picture view of Israel, the church, and the kingdom age, and I think you will have a few loose ends tied up about God’s future plan for the world.
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12/8/2019
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Now It’s Your Turn
Romans 12:1-2
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The blessings of God and the work of Christ have been flowing like a dynamic stream for eleven chapters so far. He saves, He justifies, He promises, He gives peace, He works everything together for good in our lives, and He plans an epic eternity for us. So how should we respond to all of this? What is our part? That’s what the next five chapters of Romans are all about. The thrust of this next section is: Based on all that God has done for you, now it’s your turn!
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12/15/2019
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Made for Purpose
Romans 12:3-8
Nate Heitzig
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The beauty of God's creation is evident all around us, yet nature is not God's greatest work; mankind is God's greatest masterpiece. It's estimated that to write down one person's DNA blueprint would require 200,000 pages. And God knows every sentence on every page. For the Christian, there's a custom design—a purpose in life to partner with God through gifts from the Holy Spirit. Pastor Nate Heitzig explains how believers can find their purpose in Christ in this message from Romans 12:3-8.
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12/22/2019
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Exercise for Your Soul
Romans 12:6-8
Nate Heitzig
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Americans seem obsessed with fitness and exercise, yet the U.S. is one of the most obese nations in the world. It’s similar in the body of Christ—many Christians are idle, preferring to sit around rather than exercise our spiritual gifts. The key to both spiritual and physical health is balancing exercise and rest. In this teaching, Pastor Nate Heitzig discusses why God gives certain gifts to each member of the body of Christ as well as how those gifts are given so that the entire body might grow and be strong.
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1/5/2020
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Love Is a Verb
Romans 12:9-21
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Perhaps the most overused (but under-practiced) word in human language is the word love. We use the word for everything that includes a mild liking of a meal to having intense affection for another human. Paul is far more practical, knowing that love will show itself in the form of action. Love is a verb. He shows us how the hallmark virtue of Christianity, love, is shown among other believers and in the world, even when they hate us.
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1/12/2020
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The Christian and Government
Romans 13:1-7
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There has always existed a tension between God’s people and human government, especially when we are not in favor of those who are in power. We may find it hard to “render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Matthew 22:21) while being faithful to God. The Christians in Rome were no different when Paul wrote this letter. Let’s consider five principles that form a practical theology for Christian believers in relationship to secular human government.
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2/2/2020
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Acceptance, Judgment, and the Essential Point of Nonessential Points
Romans 14:1-6
Nate Heitzig
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Today it seems that the church has become known for being judgmental and critical, not just toward unbelievers but even among fellow Christians. That's why we must focus on our commonality in Christ alone. In Romans 14, Paul addressed two groups of Christians—Gentile believers and legalistic Jews—who were causing division and friction among the early church. In this teaching, Nate Heitzig shares how to navigate the nonessential points of our faith while embracing unity in the essentials.
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2/16/2020
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The Cure for "I" Disease
Romans 15:1-6
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Selfishness is part of our basic human nature. It is the default position for every human being. Left unchecked, everybody would focus on himself and live only to please himself. But redemption brings with it a different lifestyle—one that is focused on others, patient with faults, and motivated by a sense of unity in the church. Let’s consider a fourfold strategy to counteract selfishness and promote harmonious living.
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3/15/2020
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How to Treat Your Family
Romans 16:1-24
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I am so honored and thankful to be part of this spiritual family. You are one of God’s greatest gifts in my life! In this last chapter of Romans, Paul’s tone and subject matter is familial—he approaches them not as Paul the theologian, but Paul their brother in Christ. It’s unfortunate that many believers don’t pay much attention to chapter 16 because in it we get a great example of how to treat our own spiritual family.
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There are 30 additional messages in this series.
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