Romans chapter 13, I'm taking the title for the message from what is said in verse 11. Romans 13, verse 11. Knowing the time, what time is it? Anybody know what time it is? It's high time. It's high time. Now's the time. Today's the day. Knowing the time, that now it's high time. It's high time to wake. Wake up. Wake up, sleepy one. Wake up.

For now is our salvation near. Nearer, nearer than when we believed. So I'm using for a title, our salvation that we desperately need. Our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. It's nearer. Today, we read in Scripture, today is the day of salvation. We have no guarantee of tomorrow, do we? All we have is right now. You don't have the next hour. All you have is right now to call upon the Lord for mercy. We read in Matthew 6, our Lord says, First things first. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. The Apostle writes this, How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Which at first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed by them that heard him. They heard him speak. The Lord said, I'm the way, I'm the truth, I'm the life in salvation. I love what Moses said.

Remember at the Red Sea, they were trapped. Couldn't go across, couldn't swim, couldn't go back. Pharaoh was marching down, breathing down their throat with his vicious, bloodthirsty army, waiting to get even with those children of Israel. But Moses held forth that rod. And the sea parted, and He said, Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. We know for certainty that salvation is of Him. He is the God of our salvation, is He not? We know that salvation is of the Lord. We know that salvation is in the Lord Jesus Christ. When did He purpose salvation?

Well, from eternity. He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will in whom we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of Him worketh all things after the counsel of His own will. He purposed our salvation from eternity.

He's the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. That's when He included us. In that, when He wrote our name in the Lamb's Book of Life, He included us in that covenant of grace. Our names are written down there. He knew us by name. He purposed our salvation, and you know what?

In time, He came and purchased. He purchased us. He bought us. He bought the church with His own blood. He bought us. I'm His. God loved the church and gave Himself for it. He bought me with His own blood. So He purposed our salvation. He purchased our salvation with His redeeming blood, His precious blood. And He places this salvation upon whom He will sovereignly. Sovereign mercy.

He in sovereign grace included me. Did you catch that song? He in sovereign grace included me. So we read back in Romans 9, you remember Romans 9? Moses said, verse 15, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy. I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it's not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that shows mercy. In Romans 11, turn there.

Verse 5, even so, at this present time, there are also a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it's no more works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace. But if it be of work, then it's no more grace. Otherwise, work is no more work. That is, salvation cannot be by grace and works. Salvation has to be by the grace of God alone, stands alone.

We know that salvation is of the Lord and salvation is being found in him, counting everything else lost, dung, and ruin that we may when Christ can be found in him. So as we often say, salvation is in a person. Salvation is not in this church or any other church. Salvation is in a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Savior. He is our salvation.

You remember Simeon in the temple, the old Israelite in the temple? waiting for the consolation of Christ to come. And the Lord said to him, you won't die until you've seen the Lord's Christ. And when they brought the infant, the Lord Jesus, 40 days old, to do for him according to the custom of the law, Simeon picked up that baby, 40 days old, and said, I'm ready to die, I've seen thy salvation. That's when a man's ready to die.

When he's seen salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. So we often say salvation's in a person. Simeon was ready to die and Paul, as he sits in prison, he said, I'm ready to be offered the time of my departure is at hand. Where are you going, Paul? To be absent from his body to be present with the Lord.

He that hath the Son hath life. You see, salvation is in Christ alone. He that heareth my word and believeth on Him that sent me hath eternal life, shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Salvation is in Him. I've said that before, haven't I? About 10,000 times. Salvation is in the Lord Jesus Christ. So look to Him. You need mercy? Look to Him. You need forgiveness? Look to Him. Don't look to me. I'm a sinner just like you in need of mercy. Look to Christ. Call upon Him for mercy.

Now, we begin again with the Lord's instructions for us as believers in this chapter. Last time we considered verse 1 down through verse 7 and today we want to pick up with verse verse 8 and following But in verse 7 we ended last week was rendered therefore to all their dues Tribute to whom tribute is due honor Tribute to whom tribute is due custom to custom is due fear to whom fear is due Honor to whom honor is due. Oh No, man, anything but to love one another, for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law of Christ, that is, to love one another. Here's a sum of what Paul has been teaching, teaching us, render to all men their dues, and most of all, render to our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

We are mercy beggars, and we are indebted to his mercy. We often sing, oh to grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be. Let thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to thee. Most of all, we do, we render unto God glory and honor for all things that he's accomplished for us in salvation. We owe him everything, don't we?

Mercy. It's of the Lord. Grace, I am what I am by the grace of God. We owe Him all things in salvation. All things are of God who reconciled us to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to give, as it says there, render therefore to all their dues. Render therefore unto God. Acknowledge and submit to the sovereign rule of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it mentions there, tribute, to whom it's owed, custom to whom it is owed, fear and respect to whom it is owed, and give honor to whom it is owed.

Now, we can look at those things in a carnal sense. We are to give our tax unto the place in where we live. Taxes are given to support the community for different various reasons. And we're to do that, but there's much more to that. We're to give as unto the Lord in supporting the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're to give in support of the ministry, and all of you so generously give to support this ministry. This ministry is debt-free. We have no debts, but we have bills. We have bills that need to be paid each month. And because you are generous in your giving and supporting the ministry here, we're able to pay all our dues. And I'm thankful.

I'm thankful the Lord has laid it on your heart to generously support this ministry. And as I told my neighbor recently, that we preach the gospel not only here, but we preach the gospel all around the world, all around the world. Even our radio program, it's streamed on the internet, goes all over the world, on WXCC-FM, goes all over the world. And then the internet ministry we have, Usually 60 foreign countries every month that gospel's going out. So we have much to be thankful for and we support these endeavors. It costs, and I'm just telling you for your own information, but with the radio, TV, internet, $1,000 a month is what we owe for the privilege of preaching the gospel by these different means. So you generously give. And I'm thankful for your support.

So give as to, we give as unto the Lord. The Lord doesn't tax His people 10%. That was under the old Levitical law. And that was 10% on those 11 tribes to support the Levitical tribe, Levi. But we're not under the law, we're under grace. So we give as cheerfully unto the Lord as the Lord impresses upon your heart to give. So we give to support the ministry. We give as unto the Lord. We give fear and respect, not only to local officials.

You better give fear and respect to the officer. He has a badge and he has authority. And if you disrespect his authority, you're going to get thumped on the head. And you're going to get arrested. You're going to be put in jail, and rightly so. So you should fear and respect. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. What do you need? So fear and respect.

They are the ministers of God. But much more than that, it's respect unto the Lord. There's no powers that be except those who are ordained of God. God has set pastors and teachers in the ministry. and you're to support them willingly. God has set officers in our government, different officials. Yeah, they may be corrupt and some of them are, but we're to support those as when they don't violate the word of the Lord, we're to support them and we're to honor them as we would honor God. In doing so, We honor and believe the gospel of God. We honor God who's ordained these things to our good. It is therefore our responsibility to obey, respect, and submit to the authority as we would as unto the Lord. That officer standing right there, I'll tell you a story. It's a true story. When you get older, you have too many stories to tell. But I was preaching in a Bible conference in Louisville, Kentucky about 20 years ago.

And I was headed to the meeting that morning, and I was going down the freeway, and the speed limit went from 70 to 55, and the backup was 70, 55. Well, I got confused. And I was going 75 miles an hour in a 55. And guess what happened? Sure enough, blue light. I had a blue light special. And he pulled me over, and he came up on this side of the car. I don't know why he did, but he did.

He said, where are you going? I held up my Bible. I said, I'm going to a Bible conference. I'm scheduled to preach, and I'm in a hurry. He said, sorry, that ain't going to work. I'm going to write you a ticket anyway. But I told him, I said, do you know that you're the minister of God sent to write me a ticket? He said, really? I said, yes, you are. You're God's minister sent of God to write me out a ticket. He did. He did.

I got to the meeting that morning and scheduled to preach that day and running a little bit late anyway and then I got pulled over and they asked me, why are you running late? I said, you really want to know? I said, I just about got arrested. What did you do? Something I shouldn't have been doing, shouldn't have been speeding. But I was. Guilty. Write me up. I'm guilty.

But I viewed him as a minister of God. That's the point I'm trying to make. And I told that officer that, you're God's minister. You've been ordained of God to enforce the laws of the state of Kentucky. And this is the will of the Lord for us that we submit, that we submit fear, old, respect, honor to whom honor is due. Now, verse eight. Romans 13 verse 8.

Owe no man anything, but to love one another. For he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law of God. Owe no man anything. Now does that mean you're not supposed to borrow money? That's not what it's talking about. Owe no man anything as far as honor, respect, and due as unto the Lord. Owe no man anything. Pay what is due. Honor and respect unto God.

He said, but do this, love one another, love one another for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law of the gospel, the law of Christ. Paul returned to this great subject of love, no stronger motive to inspire us to obedience and subjection to the will of the Lord, but that of love, love. The love of Christ constrains us, doesn't it?

Hold your place there and find over here a few pages, 2 Corinthians 14. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 14, that'll work better. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 14. This love of Christ constrains us, constrains us, that's the great motive. Verse 14, 2 Corinthians 5, 14.

For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, all were dead, and that he died for all, that is his elect, his church, his sheep, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again."

So live as unto the Lord Jesus Christ. And his love does constrain us because that love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit. We love him only because he first loved us. Believers are not motivated by promise of reward nor fear of punishment, but out of love for Christ. He loved us so, so, so much he gave himself for us.

We ought to also, we studied that in 1 John chapter 3, as he laid down his life for us, we ought to also lay down our life for the brethren. Oh no man anything, not talking about financial debt, nothing wrong with borrowing money to buy a house or a car, make timely payments. pay the interest. But it's talking about something much more important, being in subjection to the will of God, to obey the commandment of the Lord, to love one another.

This is the royal law of the gospel. Now turn to John chapter 13. Here's what he's talking about. John chapter 13. He says, as I have loved you, so you love one another. John chapter 13, verse 34. 13, 34, a new commandment I give you that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another. This is a what? A suggestion? God doesn't make suggestions.

It's a commandment that you love one another. By this, you all men know that you're my disciples, that you love, if you love one another. Again, in John chapter 15 verse 11, these things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

You're my friends. if you do whatever I command you to do. So we're commanded to love one another and to forgive one another. Not to be justified, you know that, because we have been justified. We have been justified by the Lord Jesus Christ. We're to love one another. We had this back in chapter 12. Look at chapter 12 verse 9. Let love be without dissimulation, without hypocrisy. Romans 12, 9. Abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love and honor, preferring one another. So love one another. Love one another.

The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, maintenance, temperance. My dear friend and our pastor, Brother Henry Mahan said, our true spirituality is not measured by how much doctrine we know or how many scriptures we can quote, but rather how much we love and forgive one another. That's true spirituality, how much we forgive and love one another.

You say, is it that important? Let's see. Let's turn to 1 Corinthians this time, chapter 13. Is it that important that we love one another? It's the fruit of the Spirit. It's a love of God that's shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 13, verse 13 says, now by the faith, hope, and love, the greatest of these is love. Now look at chapter 1 Corinthians 13, verse 1.

Though I speak with the tongue of men of angels and have not charity, and that word is love, I become a sounding brass and tinkling cymbal. Though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, though I have all faith so I can remove mountains and have not love, I'm nothing. Have not Christ, I'm nothing. Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned and have not love, that is love to Christ. It profits me nothing.

Love suffers long and is kind. Love envieth not. Love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Love doth not behave itself unseemly, speaketh not of her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil. Love rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Love beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Verse 8, love never fails. Christ never fails. Christ never fails.

So we know we pass from death unto life because we love the brethren. Love is a debt we owe that we can never fully pay. We constantly owe it to Christ and all men. We love him only because he first loved us. Those who are blessed to love one another have honored the law of God as we are in subjection to the Lord Jesus Christ who perfectly loved God and honored every aspect of the law for us. He is the Lord our righteousness. Now the scriptures teach us that we're to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. The only one who has done that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He's the one who's fulfilled the law of God for us. But we are to love one another as well. We don't have perfect love. Our love is so weak and faint, so cold. But we are to love one another. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law of God for us, not to destroy it.

He magnified the law of God for us in every precept, Our salvation is based upon His faithfulness and His love, not our faithfulness and not our love. He obeyed every precept of the law of God for us. He satisfied every penalty of the law. He died under the judgment of the law of God for us, being made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. So we'll go back to Romans 13.

Oh, it don't mean anything but this, to love one another, to forgive one another, and in doing so, looking to Christ, we fulfill the commandment of God. For this, verse 9, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou shalt not covet, and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Now, Paul in the And this epistle to the Romans has clearly shown that we are justified by the Lord Jesus Christ, not by the deeds of the law. Paul here is not putting us back under the law to be justified. were dead to the law through the body of Christ, were justified freely by his grace through the redeeming blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. By one man's disobedience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of another shall many be made righteous. The law entered in that sin might abound, but where sin abounded, grace does much more abound, that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ. were justified through the Lord Jesus Christ alone. So Paul is not putting us back under the bondage of the Levitical law because we've been redeemed from a curse of the law, but he's telling us as believers who have this love of God, which is the fruit of the Spirit, placed in us and shed abroad in our hearts, to love and forgive one another even.

And he says that in Ephesians 4, verse 32. He said, to love one another and forgive one another even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. To love one another. The love of God that's given to us when he saves us by his grace will also inspire and motivate us to love, love our neighbors, What if he's not a good neighbor? Love him anyway. Love him anyway.

Not only to love your neighbors, but our Lord said, love your enemies. I tell you, that takes, and we don't do it perfectly. We don't have perfect love or perfect faith. But our Lord tells us to love our neighbors and to love those who despitefully use you, love them anyway. Love them anyway. God has loved the unlovely, that's us. We should love one another and even love our enemies.

This is not a duty to be done to be justified, but rather the fruit of the spirit which is given to us in regenerating grace. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor. Verse 10. You see that? Love doesn't work ill to his neighbor. Therefore, love is a fulfilling of the law. It's the law of the gospel that we love one another. It's His commandment that we love one another. Knowing the time. Verse 11.

And that knowing the time, that now it's high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand, let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. That's Christ, is it not? Knowing the time, it's high time, let us redeem the time.

Let us use each day wisely the Lord has given unto us to promote and spread the gospel. Today, if you'll hear his voice, harden not your heart. The gospel message of salvation accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us be about our master's business. Listen to these scriptures.

Ephesians 5 verse 16 says, redeeming the time because the days are evil. Colossians 4 verse 5, walking wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Psalm 90 verse 12, so teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Because our salvation is nearer, as it says there, our salvation is nearer than when we believed. Our final deliverance from the presence of sin and our eternal glorification with Christ is much closer than when we first believed. Think about it. Each day you live as a believer, you're one day closer to your eternal home. Now is our salvation nearer today than it was yesterday?

Our eternal, when the Lord takes us home to glory, For me to live is Christ, Paul said, one day soon we'll lay aside this body of sinful flesh and depart to be eternally with the Lord. Paul said, for me to live is Christ, to die is gain. We're confident, I say, willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Death to the believer is a great blessing. It's a great blessing. Listen to these two scriptures. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Blessed are they who die in the Lord Jesus Christ. Precious and blessed. For a believer it is now, now not for an unbeliever.

He says in verse 12, the night is far spent. The day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness. Let us put on the armor of light. The night is far spent. This present life is full of darkness, death, disease, and destruction because of sin.

We walk, as Paul said, or as the psalmist said, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I'll fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff. They comfort me. We're walking through. this valley of death, disease, and destruction. We're walking through it because the Lord walks with us.

He said, I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. And we've got time to look at this, I think. Turn to Revelation 21. He is the light. He is the light of the world. Revelation 21, verse 22. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us cast off the works of darkness, let us put on the armor of light. That's Christ. He is the armor of light. Revelation 21, 22. Chapter 21, verse 22. And I saw no temple therein, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb or the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it.

For the glory of the Lord did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it." That's Christ. He's our light. And the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. He's made us kings and priests unto our God, Revelation 1, 5, and 6.

And the gates of it shall not be shut, at all by day, for there shall be no night there, no longer walking through the valley of the shadow of death. And they shall bring glory and honor unto the nations into it, and that can only mean what we've been blessed with in Christ, and there shall in no wise enter in Yet anything into it, anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." And he wrote our name there before the foundation of the world.

So in closing, let us therefore cast off the works of darkness. Let us put on the armor of light. Let's count everything lost, dung, and ruined that we may win Christ and be found in Him. Let us cast those things away. False religion, cast it away. Throw everything away but Christ. Throw everything away but Christ.

And let us walk honestly. Let us walk in faith. The just shall live by faith. As in the day, not rioting, not drunkenness, not in chambering, not in wantonness, not in strife, not in envy, put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lust thereof. Let us walk honestly. Now listen to these scriptures. The just shall live by faith.

It says that four times in the Word of God. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 7 says, we walk by faith, not by sight. Romans 6, 4 said, we should walk in the newness of life. Romans 8, 4 says, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Ephesians 5 says, walk in love as Christ also loved us. For you were sometimes darkness, now you're children of the light, of the Lord. Walk as children of the light. Let us walk, looking to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And he mentions these four terrible things here, and this is just the fruit of the flesh. This is all the flesh produces. Rebellion, rioting, You see rioting on TV, all those rioters. Who are they rioting against? God. Drunkenness, chambering, wantonness, lust of the flesh, strife and envy. That's the fruit of the flesh. Read Galatians chapter 5. That's all the flesh can produce is sin. That's all it can produce.

Verse 14, but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. How do we put on Christ? Well, it's not like you put on a jacket or you put on a coat. Being clothed in Christ our righteousness. He is our robe of righteousness. He's clothed us with the garments of salvation. How do you put on the Lord Jesus Christ? Looking to Him. Trusting Him. Believing Him. And if that be so, looking to Him, believing Him, coming to Him, repenting, looking to Him.

Make not a provision for the flesh. Don't trust the flesh. That's what he's saying. Don't trust the flesh. It'll deceive you every time. Don't trust the flesh. I didn't write this down, but a scripture just popped into my mind. If I can find it. Here it is.

Jeremiah 17.5, Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in the flesh.

Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, that maketh flesh his arm, whose heart is departed from the Lord. Don't trust yourself. Look to Him, and maketh flesh His arm, whose heart is departed from the Lord. He shall be like a heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in the salt land, not inhabited." Now, here's the flip side.

Of course, it is the man that trusteth in the flesh. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. The Lord Jesus Christ is all our hope. He's all our hope. Christ in you is a hope of glory. So, look to Christ. Don't trust the flesh to fulfill the lust of the flesh. There's a way that seems right unto men. The end of that way is death. The way of the flesh is death. Look to Christ alone. He said, look unto me. He said, I'm God. Beside me there is no Savior. Now look unto me and be saved. Look to Christ by faith and be saved.