Title: Romans 13:11-14 Know This Time
Content Know this time. (Romans 13:11-14)
"The night is deep and the day is near; therefore let us put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." verse 12
A man suddenly lost his sight and became blind. I went to an ophthalmology hospital and had surgery. His eyesight was restored, but strange symptoms of amnesia appeared.
I can't remember anything from the past.
The doctor panicked and performed a reoperation. So I restored the lost memory. But he lost his sight again. Couldn't, the doctor asked the patient. You must choose one of the two alternatives. Would you choose sight? Would you choose memory? The patient made a decision after thinking deeply.
"The past is already a thing of the past, it is okay to forget it. But please restore the eyes to see the present and see the future."
If it were you, what would you choose? Many people have little knowledge of the past and are cluttered with useless memories of the past. We need to know the present and know the future.
1) Time has a natural time. There is a time that flows endlessly like flowing water.
There is a past, there is a present, and there is a future. The future becomes the present, and the present becomes the past. Time is changing. In that time, everything wears out. When I first came to Hanyang Church, I was a blue young man in my late 30s. I hardly ever had black hair. But back then there were very few gray hairs.
Men grow old at the age of 26. It is said that women grow old at the age of 24.
Almost all of us are getting old and starting to die.
Time waits for no one. We are going step by step as God has ordained.
How can we be stable in this changing time? We can be stable when we change together in a changing world. Standing alone on the highway when all the cars are running makes me anxious, but when I run together, I seem to stand. Rather, I feel the road coming closer to me.
2) There is a philosophical time.
You must have enlightenment. Time to sleep, time to just be dazed. This is dead time.
Only conscious time belongs to time. There are people who realize a lot, know a lot, and are very conscious even while having the same time, while there are people who just spend time foolishly without knowing anything.
Even if you are old, you are foolish if you only think bad thoughts and only count what has fallen under your feet. You have to take your time away. After you die, you should be able to see far away.
You should even think about your own funeral. We have to live today while thinking about the time to go before God and then thinking that will lead to eternity.
3) There is a theological time.
We need to think about the time of sanctification from the time of regeneration to the starting film, the time of taking off our physical body and entering God's presence to enjoy eternal life. I have to think about rebirth, sanctification, and the history of cinema within my time. This is called the theological time of the saints.
Today's text tells us to know this time.
Whether it is natural time, philosophical time, or theological time, it tells us to know this time.
This period [Ton Chiron] the present time This is not a small clock-time Chronos. It is called that period because it is a time of great and deep meaning that has the same characteristics as the seasons.
Obviously, time is time, but it means the present time, not the hours and minutes, the time that belongs to me, given to me.
Now, when is this period, and how should the saints live at this time?
1. When is this period?
(1) Say it's time to wake up.
“It is already time to wake up from sleep.” It is said that it is time to wake up from the sleep of sin.
Now is not the time to sleep in sin.
Why do you need to wake up
1) Because salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
Salvation is not a one-time, immediate salvation by justification, nor is it a gradual and repeated sanctification salvation, but it means a glorious salvation toward final and eschatological perfection.
“Because I am closer than when I first believed.” Personally, it means that the time to meet the Lord after passing away is near, and that the time of the Lord's second coming is imminent.
The believer guarantees salvation from justification to glorious salvation. New Heaven and Earth was near.
2) Because the night is deep and the day is near.
When the night is deep, the day approaches. The deepest night is when the righteous suffer.
The deep night means that it has advanced, that much has passed, that the day is now near.
When sin reaches its extreme, God's judgmental intervention begins.
The Lord reminded us to think back to the days of Noah and reminded us of the days of Sodom and Gomorrah. Look at the history of our nation. Look at the end of the 500th year of the Joseon Dynasty. Look at the 36th year of Japanese colonial rule, 4.19. Look at 5.16 times. Now look at the multiple terrorist incidents in the United States.
It is said that the night was deep. The night is getting darker. The night is the world right now.
Day was near. It means the coming of heaven that begins with the second coming of the Lord.
2. How should I live this time?
(1) They are told to put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Paul conceived of wearing different clothes at night and during the day. It tells you what to take off and what to wear. The work of darkness contrasts with the evil forces, that is, Satan and the evil work, and the light contrasts the good work with God's work. Armor of Light reminds us of the armament of a soldier with war in mind.
(2) As in the daytime, it must be done neatly.
Assume that it is night now. But the believer is to walk modestly as in the daytime, as the day draws near. Modestly, it is the opposite concept of (debauchery and drunkenness), (lewdness and sensuality), and (quarrel and envy).
This shows the social climate in Corinth, where Paul was writing Romans.
But let's not forget that this mood is the mood of the whole world today.
(3) Put on only the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not seek the works of the flesh for lust.
1) Just put on Jesus Christ. It means the state of being prepared to fulfill the duty of sanctification by restoring the image of God. It is to adorn yourself with the garments of righteousness through Christ.
It is to be spiritually united with Christ and adorned with the light of Christ.
2) "Don't even think about gratifying the lusts of the flesh" (Joint translation)
It is different from the dualist theory that 'everything in the flesh is evil'.
This is simply not to give up on the pursuit of lust.
The text urges the eschatological life of the saints waiting for the Lord's return. I believe that the eschatological awakening will be the vital force that can sustain the vitality of our faith.
Do you know this period? How should I live?
The night was deep. now the morning comes