Romans chapter 13. And I'm going to read from verse
one. Let every soul be subject unto
the higher powers. For there is no power but of
God. The powers that be are ordained
of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth
the power, resisteth the ordinance of God. and they that resist shall receive
to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to
good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid
of the power? Do that which is good, and thou
shalt have praise of the same. For he is the minister of God
to thee for good, But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid,
for he beareth not the sword in vain. For he is the minister
of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject,
not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for
this cause pay ye tribute also, for they are God's ministers
attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore
to all their dues tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to
whom custom, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour. O no man
anything but to love one another, for he that loveth another hath
fulfilled the law. For this, 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 neighbour as thyself. Love
worketh no ill to his neighbour, therefore love is the fulfilling
of the law. and that knowing the time, that
now it is 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 armour of light. Let us walk honestly,
as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering
and wantonness, not in strife and envying, but put ye on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh to fulfil
the lusts thereof. Amen. May God bless to us this
reading from his word. Let's pray together. Heavenly
Father, we thank Thee for bringing us together to worship. We thank
Thee for the opportunity of fellowship. We thank Thee for the testimony
of the Gospel in our day. We thank Thee for the sustenance
that it bestows upon Thy church and people. And we thank Thee
for bestowing these good gifts upon such unworthy folk as we
are. We pray, O God, that thou wilt
teach us this night something fresh and lively about the Lord
Jesus Christ, our Saviour, that thou wilt equip us for the challenges
of our day, that thou wilt direct us to see wisely how we are to
deal with this world of which we are a part, and how we might
be able to transcend all the hardship and the drudgery and
the sinfulness that we see around about us. Our God, we pray that
Thou wilt equip us for the challenges of our day and our age, and that
Thou wilt be pleased to bestow upon us such opportunities to
serve Thee aright, as will bless our hearts and cause us to thank
Thee and praise Thy name. We thank Thee for the Gospel.
We thank Thee for the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ that
is preached in this little congregation week by week. We thank thee that
we can take that message even outside of the walls of this
little auditorium, whether that be to carry it one by one into
our homes and our families and amongst our friends by the testimony
that we live and those principles that we maintain. or whether
it is our God to be able to declare it in the company of others. And we pray for particularly
the rescue mission tomorrow evening, that thou wilt bless the things
that are said and done there, that thou wilt prepare hearts
to hear the gospel, that there will be, as it were, good soil,
and there will be seeds planted. Take glory to thy name, our God,
for thou art the only one who can change a sinner's hard heart. And that adamant stone, that
solid rock, our God, we pray that thou wilt soften it. that
thou wilt plant that seed of truth, and thou wilt cause it
to grow and to be fruitful, even to the praise of thy name, to
the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to the building up of thy
church. These things we ask in Jesus' name and for his sake.
Amen. Our blessed Saviour, the Lord
Jesus, was once faced with a crowd of devious Pharisees and Herodians. You thought I was going to say
Sadducees, didn't you? Herodians. Who were the Herodians? Well, their name suggests that
they may have been followers or advocates of Herod the king. They were no friends of the Pharisees
and therefore it is interesting to note that when we read about
these individuals in Matthew chapter 15 that they are an odd
bunch. Pharisees and the Herodians having
anything to do with one another is a bit of a peculiarity to
say the least. But they came to Jesus side by
side, shoulder to shoulder, and they said, oh, you go first.
No, you go first. No, you go first. And they asked
him a question. They wanted to know about paying
taxes. They wanted to know about whether
they should be paying taxes to the Roman occupying overlords
under which Israel served. And it is likely that there were
two opposing views held by these two opposing groups. It is also likely that what we
had in that meeting of the Lord with these individuals were the
original agents provocateurs, because what they were endeavouring
to do was to get the Lord Jesus to declare himself on one side
of this thorny question or the other. knowing full well that
if he said one thing, the Pharisees would say, aha, we've got you. And if he said the other, then
the Herodians would be on his back. So what these people were doing
was inciting the Lord Jesus to break the law effectively. so
that he might be arrested, so that he might be rebuked, so
that he might be diminished in the sight of the general populace. But the Lord Jesus Christ wonderfully
saw through their hypocrisy and he answered them in a manner
so delightfully pure and particular, that it
amazed these Pharisees and Herodians and it silenced them and caused
them not to ask him any more questions. They said, should
we pay taxes or should we not? Should we pay taxes to the Romans
or should we not? And the Lord asked them to give
him a penny, a coin. And he took the coin and he looked
at it and he said, whose head is on that coin? They said, well,
Caesar's head's on the coin. Well, he said, you render unto
Caesar the things that are Caesar's and render unto God the things
that are God's. And the Lord's answer on that
day set a framework for the Apostle Paul's teaching here for us in
Romans chapter 13. And I am delighted that this
section of Scripture inspired by the Holy Spirit, written down
by the Apostle Paul, addressed as it was to the Jews and Gentiles
that were living at Rome, because it's the letter to the Romans,
addressed to the Jews and Gentiles at the heart of that world-dominating
corrupt, idolatrous, promiscuous, immoral, brutal political system
that was Rome received this instruction and direction from the Holy Ghost
through the Apostle Paul. And I dare say not being a student
of politics, I dare say that no matter what kind of abusive
government the people of God ever have had
to live under at any time of history, Some element of that,
to a greater or lesser extent, was present in Rome. And therefore, I believe that
this passage has a continuing relevance for all believers in
all times, in all places, under all government systems. No matter
what kind of government we live under, The Apostle Paul says, let every soul be subject to
the higher powers. And what he is talking about
is our government. He's talking about those who
have political rule over us. And he calls us, as the church,
to be subject to these higher powers. Now again, Let's just pause for
a moment and think about something here because I've made this observation
several times in the past couple of weeks, principally because
I want us always to try and maintain a context in which these lessons
are being given to us. That context being that the Apostle
Paul has spoken at length about his theology, his doctrine, his
gospel, his revelation from God the Holy Spirit for the biblical
and scriptural teaching and foundation upon which these individuals
build their lives. And that's important because
when we read some of these more applicatory passages, where there's
a practical dimension as to how we are to deal with one another.
And largely, Romans chapter 12, as you may recall, speaks about
how we are to be dealing with one another, especially, although
not exclusively, within the church. And here, the apostle goes on
to speak about our relationship to the world around about us
and expressly to the government under which we live. And I say
that because I want us to realise that the Apostle Paul has taught
clearly that God is in control of all things, that we are to
understand and interpret our lives in the context of God's
authority, God's rule and reign over this world, over its people,
over the church, and over each of us as individuals. God is
in control. And here again, we see that Paul's
application is founded upon, rests upon that foundation of
the doctrine and theology that he has preached. Therefore, when
we come to consider this, where it says that the powers that
be are ordained of God, in verse one, he is stating, he is saying
emphatically here, that God is in control. He has ordered things
to be as they are. That's what ordained means, ordered. And the Apostle has clearly shown
that it's the Lord Jesus Christ, that one who came, that one who
died, that one who testified of his love and his care and
his desire for the well-being of his church and people that
has ordained it to be so. So that here is our knowledge
of Christ based upon the theology that we've been given, based
upon the fact that God loves us, God commendeth his love towards
us, and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
These are the blessings that have accrued to the Lord's people
because of the love that he has for us. And as we're reading
from the early part of Romans through into verse 8 for
example where he speaks about the love of God and how chapter
8 where he speaks about the love of God and he is showing us there
that that love transcends all the powers everything that we
can conceive of in this world or indeed beyond the world to
transcend our practical daily experiences. The Apostle says,
I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities
nor powers nor things present nor things to come. That includes
the higher authorities that he's now speaking about. nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And he has also made reference
to the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ in chapter one, verse
three, the Lord Jesus Christ or Jesus Christ our Lord, the
son of God has power, has power vested in him, granted to him
in himself. according to the spirit of holiness
by resurrection from the dead. So this is the context, the framework
in which we come to passages like these, that God's in control,
that the Lord Jesus Christ loves us, that nothing happens, nothing
can happen to us. That is not within his management,
his control, and his purpose. So here's the thing. whether
we live in a communistic regime or a socialistic government,
whether the rule over us is capitalistic or theocratic, whether it is
liberal or whether it is repressive, whether it is democratic, authoritarian,
republican, or monarchy, whether that monarchy is good or bad. The higher powers are subject
to God and God has ordained that they should be where they are. He has put whatever government
system, he has put whatever regime over us that he sees fit. for our greater good, for all
things work together for our greater good. And that one who
loves us and will let nothing separate us from him has done
exactly what is right and proper for our greater good and wellbeing. So whether our government is
outwardly whiter than white, or whether it is as corrupt as,
well, hell. God put it there. God ordained
it to be so. And God has placed us underneath
that charge. He is in control. He loves us,
he cherishes us, he desires our well-being, he upholds us and
protects us, he sustains and prospers his church, even in
the fiery furnace or in the den of lions. And the enemies may
touch us, They may be offended by us. They may be grieved and
seek to stamp us out and silence us and even destroy us. But they
can touch us only so far as Christ, our lover, allows. And that only for our greater
good. So given this, Given this state
of affairs, given these facts, how then shall we live? Well,
what does Paul say? Look at verse 17 of chapter 12,
back in the previous chapter. How are we to live in the context
of these things? Paul says, recompense to no man
evil. not evil for evil, provide things
honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as
lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves,
but rather give place unto wrath, For it is written, vengeance
is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Our Saviour has put our rulers
in place, and there is no power but God's power. If we resist those rulers whom
God has placed over us, That is tantamount to resisting God's
will and purpose. It is the same as resisting His
wisdom, because the all-wise, all-knowing God has placed those
leaders above us in order that we might live beneath them. His purpose and his means are
set in this world and he calls us to live according to those
things which he has ordained. And so it becomes ironical if
believers upon the ground of some moralistic crusade for righteousness
and justice, find ourselves fighting against God. So God has taught us what is
right and what is wrong, but then he puts us underneath a
government that exercises itself improperly. What are we to do? Are we to rise up against that
government? Are we to say that that government
has no right to rule us? Are we to say that we will shake
off the shackles of their domination and we will put people there
in the government that are going to do what we want them to do? Or do we say the Lord has established
and ordained this government and it's His call to take it
down in his time as he raised it up in his time. Are we to
remember that we are to live peaceably with all men and let
God be the avenger of wrong? I speak to my own heart here
and I tell myself, Peter, this isn't your business. It's not your fight. God raises up Pharaoh to serve
his purpose. He brings Trump to the White
House and Johnston to Downing Street. He puts Putin in the Kremlin
and Assad in Damascus. and Ali Khamani to Tehran for
such a time as this. For such a time as this. And
it all works together for good to those who love the Lord. To
those who are called according to his purpose. So the Lord says,
let every soul be subject as God has so ordained. For he is the minister of God
to thee for good. So let's remember that, you and
me. And let's remember to tell ourselves that on the 4th of
November, 2020. You know what happens then? That's the day after the election.
Because God puts his people where he wants them. when he wants
them, for the purpose that he wants them to serve. And he is
in control of all of these things. And he gives us a list of reasons,
the apostle, as to why it's appropriate that we should do these things. God has put them there. It's
just as easy as that to recognize that God has ordained it to be
so. But he also says these individuals, they do not wield the sword in
vain. They have a role and responsibility,
whether that is maintaining peace, whether that is establishing
some structure or control within a society, whatever it might
be, and however they may fulfill their duties. And it could be
the most violent orocratic system that you can conceive of. We've
no idea, when we reflect upon history, just how absolute the
power and the terror of some local individuals have been to
do exactly what they wanted to do with whomsoever they wanted
to do it. They do not bear the sword in
vain. And we are also, for conscience
sake, to acknowledge our subjection to those whom God has placed
over us. We are to honour authority. We are to pay our taxes and our
dues. We are to pray for the government
and the king or the president in our republic, or whoever it
might be, the big chief, We are to pray for him or her. And we are to be debtor to none. That doesn't just mean that we've
to pay our expenses or pay our way. We are not to be obliging
to any. We are to pay our dues. We are
to do what we are called to do. And we are to do it cheerfully. not reluctantly, but recognising
the ordination of God in all of these things. The apostle says, love your neighbour
as yourself. That's a pretty radical idea,
isn't it? And yet that's what we are called
to do. The Lord Jesus himself, he gave
us this verse. I set it out here just so that
I didn't misrepeat it. Therefore, all things whatsoever
ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. For this is the law and the prophets. Whatsoever you would have men
to do to you, do you to them. That's how we are to live. These
are the principles upon which we are to live. Let me read to you from verse
11 of Romans 13. Well there at the end of verse
9 is where it says, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Love worketh no ill to his neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilling
of the law. And verse 11 says, And that,
knowing the time, that now it is 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 armour of light. Let
us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness,
not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying, but
put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the
flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof. What I want to do is just pick
up three little phrases from these verses and see if we can
tease out a little bit of sweetness and application from them. Particularly, I want to see if
we can give our attention to the little phrase, awake out
of sleep. And then put on the armour of
light. and then put on the Lord Jesus
Christ. What does the apostle mean when
he calls these individuals whom he has explained have a role
and responsibility? Remember, this was a church.
This was a church that was living at Rome. The Jews had doctrinal reasons
not to give Gentiles rule over them. They didn't believe that's
why Pilate had such a hard time in Jerusalem, was because there
was just a deep-seated political reluctance to do anything that
the Romans wanted to have done. I mean, I don't know, I wouldn't
want to make any particular historical point here, but the Romans invaded
Britain many years ago, and they built some amazing roads and
some amazing architecture. Now, they did have to leave after
300 or 400 years. but they didn't destroy Jerusalem
like they had to destroy Jerusalem here. And I don't know whether
that was because the Britons of that age learned to live with
the Romans, but the Jews never learned to live with the Romans.
And of course, what you find is that these Jews that had travelled
to Rome and were now living in Rome, they had a reputation of
being difficult people. And also they were followers
of Jesus, that Galilean. And there had been a history
of rebellious intent by Judeans and Galileans against Rome, and
particularly against paying taxes. because they had this doctrinal
theological thing about they shouldn't be paying to these
Gentile overlords. And so the church at Rome was
potentially a target to the Roman authorities. If they wanted a
whipping boy, if they wanted somebody to abuse and accuse
and scapegoat, then the church at Rome was exactly the group
that they needed. And so Paul is bringing these
practical teachings, practical principles to the attention of
the church, knowing no doubt that the reputation of the church
at Rome and how they acted there in the light and under the very
gaze of the Roman authorities could well have consequences
as a ripple effect right away to the edges of the Roman Empire. So he calls on the believers
to act with a spiritual sensitivity almost as it were like a philosophical
approach to what it was that they were doing, not to react,
not to be bitter, not to respond in the way that the natural man
might to the oppression that they faced, but rather to be
subject to the higher authorities, knowing that God had placed them
there. And these three principles that
we have towards the end of the chapter, I think, is the Apostle
showing us the ground, again, the foundation upon which these
things are to be established. And he says, awake out of sleep. Awake out of sleep. Know this,
you believers there. You're not just citizens of Rome. You're not just citizens of the
empire. You're not just citizens of the
world. You are a people who see beyond these things. They see
beyond the here and the now, the tangible things, the physical
things, the pleasures of the world. You see beyond those things
and you know that there's a deeper reality, that there's a profound
meaning to life. a spiritual dimension that there
is a gospel to preach and uphold. You've got a greater task here.
Don't be distracted. Don't be diverted. Don't succumb
to the pettiness of those things that are going on around about
you when you've got a much greater cause to be laboring in and fighting
for and standing for the preaching of the gospel. Paul says to Timothy, he speaks about the
fact that he says to Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 2 verse
1, I exhort therefore that first of all supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. For kings, and for all that are
in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in
all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable
in the sight of God our Saviour. Why? For he will have all men
to be saved. Because that gospel has to be
the first priority, the first principle. We don't let anything
else get in the way. of our support for, maintenance
of, and preaching and declaring about the gospel of the Lord
Jesus Christ. It's the only reason we're still
in the world, is to uphold the things of Christ. So he says, awake out of sleep,
be alert to these things, be aware of these things. And this
isn't the sleep of death. He's not speaking about physical
death, obviously, nor indeed is he speaking about spiritual
death. So he's speaking to believers
here. He's not saying you need to be
regenerated, you need to be born again, you need to be shaken
out of that dead state of natural sin. But he's speaking about
believers being roused, being shaken, being awakened out of
sleep, out of, as it were, a spiritual lethargy. He's calling on us
to be alert and aware of what is going on around about us.
He's calling us to be alert and aware of worldly distractions,
to be alert to our spiritual circumstances and responsibilities,
our spiritual state, because heaven is very close. because our salvation is very
close. You know, you can put up with
a lot. You know, some of you have maybe
done exercises at the gym or something, and you're feeling
that burn, you're feeling that strain in your muscles, you're
feeling that sheer sort of complete washed out of having expended
all of your energy, but you catch the clock. And you see that it's
just a minute to go until the end of your session. And that
invigorates you. It energizes you again. And those
last 45 seconds, I can do this. 30 seconds to go. I'm not going to give up. 15
seconds. Because it's close to the time.
And that's what he's saying here. The apostle is telling us that
the night is far spent, the day is at hand. Now is our salvation
nearer than when we believe. We don't have long to hold on.
We don't have long to wait. Soon, heaven will break. Soon,
the heavens will open and the Lord Jesus Christ will come for
His church, will come for His people. We have got a task. We have got responsibility here
and now, not to become embroiled and engaged with this worldly
system around about us. but to be awakened from that
spiritual lethargy in the knowledge that we have a service and that
we have a responsibility. The shout, as it were, has gone
up. The bridegroom is coming. Do
you remember the story about the virgins? How they waited
and some of their lamps went out. They hadn't brought sufficient
and they were caught unawares. The bridegroom came and they
were caught unawares. Awake out of sleep, the shout
has gone up, the bridegroom is coming. Trim your lamps, brethren. Do you remember the battle that
was fought in Gethsemane? And I don't mean the one that
the Lord Jesus Christ fought. I mean the one that the disciples
fought. Remember the battle that the
disciples fought in Gethsemane? The battle with the heavy eyelids. The battle with the warm, soporific breeze that just
glided through the olive trees and made them want to go to sleep.
They lost that battle. The Lord Jesus Christ asked them,
to stay awake, pray with me for a little while, and they couldn't
keep their eyes open. The Lord wrestled with the impending
judgment that he was going to face, the infusing and imparting
of sin upon his soul, the venting of divine wrath against him,
the sword of justice, unsheathed and laid upon the soul and the
heart of the Lord Jesus Christ. And he said, stay awake with
me for a little while. Pray with me for just a little
while. And the disciples went to sleep. That's designed to tell us something.
That's designed to tell us that that is the easiest, easiest,
easiest thing for us to do, is to go to sleep. This flesh is always our enemy
in spiritual matters. Always our enemy. It's weak. It's fearful. It's careless. It is preoccupied with matters
inconsequential. There are 100 sleep-inducing amusements to
distract our minds from the Lord Jesus Christ. To be asleep means
that you can't see danger. To be asleep means that you're
dull to your state and your condition. If you go to sleep when you're
driving, you veer off course. You transgress those lines that
are there to keep you on the road, to keep you safe. You're
slow to react. Sleep means that you miss an
opportunity. To be asleep means that the blessings
have passed and you've missed them. My car tells me to stay awake. My car tells me if it sees my
eyes beginning to close. Can you believe that? A little voice, a little, I've
got a camera on the dashboard and it looks at me all the time.
And if it sees my eyes being diverted or distracted or starting
to close, it will say, stay awake, keep alert. Now, if my car can tell me that, shouldn't we listen when the
Holy Spirit tells us? The Holy Spirit is telling us
here that time is short. You're in the last lap. You're
on the last hundred yards. A final push now is all that's
required. Now's the time for that sprint.
Now's the time for that little bit that you've been keeping. The night is giving way to day. And there's gospel work to be
done. So the apostle says, stay awake.
The other thing he says is put on the armor of light. The armour of light. He's speaking
here about a preparedness for a task, an armour that is going to serve
us when we get into that front line, onto that place where there
will be an attack. For service, for duty, in the
cause of God, and in the cause of truth. It's talking about a preparedness
to put on an armour of light. It's not an armour of metal,
it's not an armour of bodily defence or physical protection,
but it is nevertheless an armour for our soul. It's an armour
of light, an armour of illumination. It's the shunning of those fleshy
passions that our enemy, the flesh, indulges itself in to
the detriment of our spirit. It's a shunning of those things.
It is an engagement with our flesh in the battle and a shunning
them. It is a call to live as honest and as decently and
as faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ as we are able to. How are we going to defeat this
flesh? Well, not with physical suppression. That's what the monks tried to
do in the monasteries for hundreds of years. Shut the door and turn the key,
keep their eyes to the ground and not engage in any way with
the world around about them. That's not what we're called
to do. We're called to put on an armour of light. This is speaking about a spiritual
replacement of those fleshy desires. It is speaking about a positive
going to Christ for our help and for our needs. It is a dwelling
upon the things of Christ, a feeding at the table of Christ. drinking
there, going to the Lord for the refreshment that he can give
us at the fountain of his care and his love towards us. It's
dwelling on gospel truth. It's the spiritual armour of
light. The whole armour of God. Believer's
strength and his power in the fight against this world and
the fight against the flesh is by employing the armour of divine
provision. Now we know, we're familiar perhaps
with these things in Ephesians chapter six where he talks about
the various aspects, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation,
the sword of the spirit. These are the armours that we
are to take up, spiritual armour. founded upon scriptural truth
and revelation, things that the Lord has taught us to enable
us and to facilitate that battle, that labour, that service, that
duty to which we are called as his awakened people. Faith in Christ, trusting in
him, Trusting in that gracious redemption which He has secured
for us, the knowledge that our souls are a blood-bought possession
of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's knowledge that's meaningful. If you know that your soul is
not your own, that it's Christ's, that makes a difference in the
way you live. That alters the person you are. The covenantal promises that
God has given to us in Christ, they mean something. Now, are
you going to be ignorant of these things? Are you going to be careless
of them? Or are you going to seek them
out, search them out, get to know what they're about? Find
out what the meaning is, find out how they relate to you, how
they apply to you, and let that comfort your soul in the midst
of the battle and the trial that you face day by day. This is
the subject of the gospel ministry. That's why the preaching of the
gospel is so important. That's why the fruit of gospel
fellowship is so important. The apostle is saying, waken
up, put on the armour of light, think on these things of the
matter, the kernel, the heart of what Christ has done for you.
Learn them, hear them, dwell upon them. That's why it is so important
to be under the sound of the gospel. That's why it is so important
to be engaging together in biblical fellowship. That's why it's so
important to be here. What are we going to say is more
important than putting on the armour of light? What is it that
will distract us from being awake to these things. Now let me qualify this. Let
me make sure that we understand these things because it's important.
I spoke a little bit earlier, maybe even a little bit dismissively
about monkish works, and that's right. We're not sending people
under the law again with a list of do's and don'ts as if that
is going to make them better servants and more able followers
and ministers of Christ, because that just isn't the way that
it works. That doesn't mean that there
isn't any effort. That doesn't mean that we're
coasting all the way to glory. It doesn't mean that there isn't
going to be a need for discipline in your life and in mine, or
sacrifice. If you're not in fellowship,
then you're not being obedient to the gospel. If you're not attending the services,
then you're not being obedient to the gospel. You're not putting
on that armor of light. You're not learning these gospel
truths. You're not feeding at the table
of Christ. You're not nourished. You're
malnourished. And we're not going to send a
soldier out onto the front line who's malnourished. Because he's
not going to be any good for anything. See, these things betray the
fact that we're asleep. And it worries me if you're not
sitting in your seat. It worries me about where you
are when you're not here. It worries me about what's more
important, that you're not under the sound of the gospel. The works of darkness are anything
that keep us from the Lord Jesus Christ, anything. So the third point. We are to
put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Put him on. It's active. You know, you put on your clothes
in the morning. You don't go out of the house
naked. Put him on. And that's not robbing the Holy
Spirit of his role of giving gifts to the church and building
up the people. It's not taking away the Holy
Spirit's spiritual responsibility. It is taking responsibility for
our own soul's well-being in the face of the challenges that
beset us round about. It's knowing how weak we are.
and preparing ourselves and dealing with ourselves in a way that
helps to defend us from the attacks that are around about us. It's
employing, employing the divine means that God has given us,
that he has prepared for us, that he has provided, the triune
God providing these things for us. And we have to put them on. It's
moving closer to the fire on a cold night. That's what it
is. That's what it is to put on the
Lord Jesus Christ. Moving closer to the fire on a cold night.
Why wouldn't you do that? It's stooping down on a hot,
dusty day to drink at a fountain. Why wouldn't you do that? It's stepping away from the track
when a train is coming. That's putting on Christ. It's
a fool who does not raise his shield when the arrows are coming. Who wants to go into battle with
a soldier who leaves his sword at home? The means of grace are the gospel
gifts and privileges which Christ has given to his church. So we're going to work out in
the gym for our physical strength and wellbeing. and run out of
time to be at the church for our spiritual strength and wellbeing?
What's a choice? What's our priority? How do we
live in this world? Will we put on Christ or will
we engage and indulge the fleshy lusts of the body? Bodily exercise profiteth little. Spiritual exercise profits a
lot. Being comforted and strengthened
by the Lord Jesus Christ is putting Him on. Being reminded that we
are clothed in His righteousness is putting Him on. being brought
back to the cross, where the Lord Jesus Christ was boo-rused
and battered for us, is putting Him on. And that's what we're
called to do regularly and frequently, to put Christ on, to be where
He and His words and His works are regularly and frequently
brought to our attention and we are confronted with them.
That's putting Christ on, because that's what will lead us into
a successful dealing with this world around about us. How easy
it is to make provision for the flesh. Paul says, put ye on the
Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh. Don't do it. How easy it is to
make provision for the flesh. How hard it seems to be to put
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Most of us find rendering unto
Caesar the things that are Caesar's fairly easy, if a little bit
wearisome, bothersome. It's not so easy to render unto
God the things that are God's. So may the Lord Jesus Christ
grant us wisdom in spiritual matters, to awake out of sleep,
to put on the armour of light, and to put on the Lord Jesus
Christ. Amen.