Living In the Light
ROMANS CHAPTERS 12-15. THE CONTEXT
Paul Admonished Earlier, “Therefore I Urge You, Brothers, By The Mercies Of God, To Present Your Bodies A Living Sacrifice, Holy, Acceptable To God, Which Is Your Spiritual Service.
Don’t Be Conformed To This World, But Be Transformed By The Renewing Of Your Mind, So That You May Prove What Is The Good, Well-Pleasing, And Perfect Will Of God.
Love Our Enemies.
Subject Ourselves To The Authorities.
Love One Another.
Behave Through Appropriate Conduct.
Throw Off The Works Of Darkness.
Put On The Armor Of Light.
ROMANS 13:8-10. LOVE FULFILLS THE LAW.
ROMANS 13:11-12. TIME TO AWAKE OUT OF SLEEP.
ROMANS 13:12. THROW OFF THE WORKS OF DARKNESS.
ROMANS 13:13. WALK PROPERLY AS IN THE DAY.
ROMANS 13:14. PUT ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
LITERALLY MEANS:
Do Not Keep On Owing Anyone Anything.
Paul Was Not Forbidding Christians To Borrow Or To Loan.
Paul Was Rather Saying That We Must Settle Debts Promptly.
Except An Obligation To Love One Another.
Paul Does:
Not Mean To Limit “One Another” To Other Christians.
Does Mean To Extend It To All With Whom We Come In Contact.
Extend Hospitality To Strangers:
Bless Those Who Persecute You.
Do Not Curse Those Who Persecute You.
Repay No One Evil For Evil.
Respect What Is Honorable In The Sight Of All Men.
Be At Peace With All Men.
If Your Enemy Is Hungry, Feed Him.
If He Is Thirsty, Give Him A Drink.
YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.
First:
It Blesses The Person Who Receives Love.
Many People Are Desperately In Need Of A Kind Word.
Many People Need Some Demonstration That Someone Cares.
Second:
It Becomes A Powerful Witness For Christ.
Third:
Love Fulfills The Law.
Love Doesn’t Harm A Neighbor.
Love Therefore Is The Fulfillment Of The Law.
The Person Who Loves A Neighbor Will Not:
Commit Adultery Against A Neighbor's Spouse.
Murder A Neighbor.
Steal From A Neighbor.
Covet A Neighbor’s Possessions.
Harm A Neighbor In Any Way That Is Inconsistent With Love.
It Is Already Time For You To Awaken Out Of Sleep.
For Salvation Is Now Nearer To Us Than When We First Believed.
Be Awake And Alert:
To Greet The Coming Of The Dawn.
To Prepare For The Second Coming.
To Realize The Second Coming Is Imminent.
Paul Did Claim That Jesus Comes Like A Thief In The Night.
He Counseled Christians To Keep Souls And Bodies Sound.
He Taught To Be Blameless So That They Would Be Ready.
He Spoke Of The Second Coming As It Is Now Nearer.
It Is Not Enough To Put Off Works Of Darkness.
Live In The Light.
Do This To Prevent The Darkness From Returning.
Be Armored For Battle.
We Can Expect:
Frequent Temptations.
Constant Probing Of Our Defenses.
Dangers Arising From The Unexpected.
Lifelong Battle Against Evil.
ROMANS 13:13. LET US WALK PROPERLY AS IN THE DAY.
Walk Decently. Not In:
Reveling (Carousing).
Drunkenness.
Sexual Promiscuity (Sexual Immorality).
Lustful Acts (Unbridled Lust).
In Strife And Jealousy.
ONE:
Such Behavior Is Appropriate To Whose We Are.
We Are Children Of Light | Children Of The Day.
We Are Not Children Of The Night | Children Of Darkness.
SECONDLY:
Such Behavior Is Important To Our Christian Witness.
Others Turn FROM Christ When:
Believers Claim To Be Of The Light But Behave Like The Darkness.
Others Turn TO Christ When:
Believers Love Others As Christ Taught Us To Love.
A Threefold Title Placing Emphasis On The Lordship Of Christ.
What Happens When We Make Him Lord Over Our Lives.
Temptation Loses Much Of Its Power.
Temptation Continues | Christ Will Help Us Overcome.
We Begin To Look To Christ FIRST For Guidance In Major Decisions.
We Begin To Avoid Dead Ends And Blind Alleys.
We Seek To Honor Christ In Our Relationships.
We Make No Provision For The Flesh and Its Lusts.
We Focus On Using Our Body For Godly Service.
LOVING YOUR NEIGHBOR FULFILLS THE LAW AND PREPARES US FOR THE DAY OF HIS SOON RETURN.REVIEW THESE SCRIPTURES AGAIN: Romans 13: 8-14.
FULFILLING THE LAW THROUGH LOVE:
Don’t Be In Debt To Anyone.
Except For The Obligation To Love Each Other.
Whoever Loves Another Person Has Fulfilled The Law.
The Commandments: Don’t Commit Adultery, Don’t Murder, Don’t Steal, Don’t Desire What Others Have, Any Other Commandments.
Are All Summed Up In One Word:
You Must Love Your Neighbor As Yourself.
Love Doesn’t Do Anything Wrong To A Neighbor.
Therefore, Love Is What Fulfills The Law.
THE DAY IS NEAR:
As You Do All This, You Know What Time It Is.
The Hour Has Already Come For You To Wake Up From Your Sleep.
Now Our Salvation Is Nearer Than When We First Had Faith.
The Night Is Almost Over, And The Day Is Near.
So Let’s Get Rid Of The Actions That Belong To The Darkness.
Put On The Weapons Of Light.
Let’s Behave Appropriately As People Who Live In The Day.
Not In Partying And Getting Drunk, Not In Sleeping Around And Obscene Behavior, Not In Fighting And Obsession.
Instead, Dress Yourself With The Lord Jesus Christ.
And Don’t Plan To Indulge Your Selfish Desires.
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