The Lutheran Hour
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"Now is the Time"
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Text: Romans 13:11-14
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PRAYER: Most gracious God: Truly You are from everlasting to everlasting. You neither slumber nor sleep. Night and day are both alike to You as our ever present Lord whose ears are open to our prayers. Teach us to use night and day as precious gifts from You to serve as guideposts in our lives. Enable us to apply our hearts and minds to wisdom, that time, given to us by You, may be used to Your glory. Help us by Your Spirit to avoid using night in ungodly behavior and be guided by Your Word in the daylight of salvation In Your Son, Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Amen.
Now is the time. These four words signal three questions: What is it time to do? Why is now the time? How do we prepare ourselves?
The inspired Apostle Paul gives us direction in Romans 13:11-14: “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 armor 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 fulfill the lusts thereof.”
Now is the time. To do what? The Word of the Lord gives the clear-cut answer in the sermon text for us to know assuredly “that now is the time to awake out of sleep.”
Humanly we can respond and say, “I am not asleep.” I have awakened from sleep that gave me rest, rejuvenated me, and energized me for life’s daily activities. God’s creative hand made me that way.
Some people have insomnia — abnormally prolonged inability to sleep. There are others in a coma — prolonged unconscious sleep. Still others experience somnolence; being sleepy and drowsy. In the Apostle Paul’s time, some Romans had a mythological god of sleep known as Somnas, closely identified with Hypnos, the Greek mythological god of sleep. The inspired writer of our sermon text is not referring to Roman and Greek mythology. Nor is he calling for wake-up from physical sleep, a coma, or some other sleep. The apostle is urging his listeners to wake up from spiritual sleep. He is referring to victims of spiritual lethargy, slumber, and dull sloth. In other words, quit giving our lives to godless unproductivity. Cease being blinded by our own selfishness and self-gratification. Awake to the realization of being aroused from spiritual stupor; throw off the garments of slumber; lay aside the night clothes. Become wide awake because “The night is far spent; the day is at hand.”
Night and day are contrasted. The night is far spent; the day is at hand.
Here, night represents darkness and sleep. The day signals light and awakeness. Now is the time for awakeness.
Now is the right time for believers to be awake from their sleep and welcome the light of day which the Lord gives. May all who have ears to hear, hear the words addressed to us as to the Ephesian Christians: “Awake thou that sleepest, arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ephesians 5:14).
Why is the time to awake so urgent? Why is Paul urging to wake from sleep? He asserts: “Salvation is nearer than when we believe.”
The Christians at Rome were not to regard “salvation” as being relieved from the oppression of Roman rule, or some distress afflicting the church. But the salvation referred to by Paul, the apostle, is the salvation that Christ offers and gives to all believers.
People experience salvation when they first believe, whether by baptismal grace or when converted — and are changed by the Holy Spirit from unbeliever to believer. But the completion of salvation will come when Jesus comes on Resurrection Day to take all believers with Him to heaven.
Looking forward to the final salvation and resurrection, Dr. Rosa J. Young, a pioneer in mission work in Alabama in the early 1900s, relates an experience of salvation in her school ministry. In her book, “Light in the Dark Belt,” she tells how Almighty God led her and a host of other African-Americans out of gross darkness, which hung like a dense fog over their souls, into the marvelous light of salvation.
The Lutheran church enabled her to establish a Christian day school in Rosebud, Alabama, which taught not only the three essential R’s, but also the most essential R — namely, religion based on God’s Holy Word. The model of Young’s school served to establish over 30 Christian day schools in rural communities of Alabama where hundreds of African-American children had their season of enlightenment for the abundant life in Christ.
Moreover, adults as well as children benefited from the mission churches as collaborative entities of the school. The Lord used Rosa Young’s faith, courage, labor, perseverance, and service to translate captives of illiteracy and spiritual darkness to the rescuing light of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Occasionally, God allows us to get a wake-up call from catastrophic occurrences such as earthquakes, tornadoes, forest fires, and floods detrimental to physical property and human lives. On September 11, we had such a wake-up call with a war-like enemy surprise attack on the two World Trade Center towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. This was also a wake-up call from God. Not only were the two towers destroyed and the Pentagon seriously damaged, but also thousands of human beings were left dead, missing, or severely injured. Countless relatives and friends survived with bitter tears, agonizing sorrows, and overwhelming loss.
Never are we to conclude that when a disaster or catastrophe comes upon us, it is because God wants to send us to hell by cursing us. Surely, we are sinners and deserve God’s wrath, displeasure, and damnation. We may cry out with Martin Luther: “My sins, my sins, my sins.” But please know this: God laid our sins and the sins of all upon Jesus Christ, His Son.
Jesus bore our sins in His own body on the tree, the Cross, the just for the unjust, to make us children of the Heavenly Father. Therefore, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. He is the satisfaction for our sins and the sins of the whole world. By Jesus’ death and triumphant resurrection, forgiveness is ours by grace through faith as God’s free gift of eternal life (1 Peter 2-3; I John 1-2; Ephesians 2:8-9).
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17).
The salvation offered and given by God through Jesus is ours now, but it will finalize when Jesus comes in glory on judgment day.
How are we to be prepared? The apostle Paul exhorts that we cast aside the works of darkness. There are to be no acts unbecoming of Christians such as revelry, drunkenness, lewdness, lust, strife and envy. This kind of behavior is worldly and associated with people who do not believe. We are to make no provisions for the flesh to gratify fleshly lusts (Romans 13: 12-13).
Now the apostle encourages positive preparations, saying: Put on the armor of light. In other words, dress like a soldier of the cross. The armor for the Christian is described in Ephesians:
“Be ready! Let the truth be like a belt around your waist. Let God’s justice protect you like armor Let peace be like shoes on your feet Let your faith be like a shield Let God’s saving power be like a helmet For a sword, use God’s message that comes from the Spirit.”
The major manner in which to be prepared is to put on the Lord Jesus in the newness of life. This is clearly set forth in Romans, chapter 6: “We are buried with Christ by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised from the dead, even so we should walk in newness of life.”
In the newness of life, we are dressed in righteousness, not our own righteousness, but in the righteousness of Jesus Christ which is ours by grace through faith. This gives us the hope we sing about: “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand” (TLH, #370).
We have this hope as we look forward to Jesus, the Son of God and Savior of the world, coming with final salvation. There will be no sleeping of those on Resurrection Day who have received Him with faith. Those who have died in the faith will have a resurrection to life and those yet living will be changed to Christ-like bodies. He will take these believers with Him to heaven to be in the presence of God forever. At the time of this heavenly transaction, the holy writer declares: “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. There shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be anymore pain, for the former things are passed away” (Rev. 2:1-4).
Now is the time. Now is the time to awake from spiritual sleep Now is the acceptable time, the day of salvation Now is the time to prepare for the final day of salvation in the resurrection from death to eternal life.
An unknown author once wrote the following words: “The clock of life is wound but once, and no man has the power to know just when the clock will stop at late or early hour. Now is the only time you own, so live, love, toil with a will; don’t wait until tomorrow. The clock may then be still. (author unknown)
Now is the time! Believe Jesus Christ as the One and only Savior, and He will save you today and eternally. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for Dec. 2, 2001 “Now is the Time” 69-12
ANNOUNCER: Oh, to live in a world where swords have been beaten into plowshares! I’m Mark Eischer. With me is Dr. Ken Schurb, former assistant to the president of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Dr. Schurb it’s good to have you with us.
SCHURB: Mark, it’s always good to be here.
ANNOUNCER: Talking about “swords beaten back into plowshares.” That’s a compelling vision isn’t it?
SCHURB: Indeed, it is, especially as the United States and other nations all over the world are waging war against international terrorists who themselves target civilians in their attacks. War, even when waged in a just cause, is a gruesome testimonial to human sin and destructiveness. As we are learning all over again, war is definitely not pretty.
ANNOUNCER: Now if you were to go to the United Nations building in New York City you’d see an inscription there quoting the Biblical prophets where they talked about turning swords into plowshares. The prophecy says that “nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” But, Dr. Schurb, can war really be prevented in this world full of sinners?
SCHURB: No. Christ Himself tells us there will be wars and rumors of wars until He comes again. War can be avoided in certain cases, but it is not going to be eradicated completely until then.
ANNOUNCER: How should we, then, understand the words of Isaiah and Micah?
SCHURB: The prophecy in Isaiah 2 and Micah 4 refers to the last days; it says the “afterwards of the days.” That means now. Hebrews begins by saying that in these last days God has spoken decisively by sending His Son. Peter writes that Jesus was made manifest at the “end of the times.” The “last days” is the whole New Testament period, from Jesus’ first coming at Bethlehem and Jerusalem to His second coming as Lord and Judge of all.
ANNOUNCER: What does the prophecy say will happen in these last days?
SCHURB: Two things will happen. First, God will make Mount Zion the chief mountain.
ANNOUNCER: Mount Zion is the location of Jerusalem, isn’t it?
SCHURB: Right! This prophecy–in Old Testament language, of course–is talking about the church, the people of God. Sometimes we think of the church as weak and filled with sinners, and it is. But think of it as described here: exalted and rising above its circumstances.
ANNOUNCER: What’s the second thing that happens in the prophecy?
SCHURB: People from all nations hear God teaching them His ways through the church. This is what gives the church its glory. Not the fact it’s so pure in and of itself, but that it has the saving Word of God, the Gospel of Christ, and the Good News of free salvation on account of the shed blood of the Son of God. The church proclaims this message in the world. That is why I like the motto of this program, “Bringing Christ to the Nations–and the Nations to the Church.”
ANNOUNCER: Because it’s through the church and its message this new world is brought into being. It doesn’t happen through the good will, the good intention or the sincerity of the people in the nations themselves.
SCHURB: Yes. It’s in the message of Christ the church takes to the nations that we find peace; a peace the world doesn’t understand and cannot give, the peace of sin forgiven and reconciliation with God on account of the crucified and risen Christ. It’s peace we can have even with war raging all around us. And it will only get better when Christ comes again, does away with all sin and strife, and takes His people to be with Himself forever.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you. The next Lutheran Hour message is titled, “The Age We Live In.”