It's Time to Get Serious about Living for Jesus

Romans 13 presses the church to get serious about living for Jesus in light of his return. Paul has already dealt with deep doctrine, things like justification, sovereignty, responsibility, and the mercy of God, and chapter 12 turns that doctrine into everyday obedience. Now verses 11 through 14 sound the alarm: “it is high time to wake up out of sleep,” because salvation is nearer than when believers first believed.

Lukewarmness has become an epidemic, and Revelation shows that lukewarmness nauseates Jesus. That lukewarm spirit shows up in a lack of interest in the things of God, a lack of protecting, providing, and pastoring the home, and a lack of loving and leading wives and families. Among men, that sleep can become normal, but Romans 13 will not let it stay normal.

Paul’s first action is watching vigilantly. The word “time” is not about a clock on the wall, but about a season of decision, a crisis moment. The night is far spent, the day is at hand, and every passing day brings Christ’s return nearer. Mark 13 says the Master may come at evening, midnight, cockcrow, or morning, and the danger is that he might come suddenly and find servants sleeping. The picture of nap time makes the warning plain: nap time is over. Men are called to wake up, redeem the time, and embrace their God-given calling as husbands, fathers, disciples, and spiritual leaders.

Paul’s second action is walking virtuously. The text calls believers to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor, the weapons, of light. Virtue does not happen by accident; it requires intentional living. Rioting and drunkenness, sexual impurity and promiscuity, strife and jealousy are not small issues to manage. They are works of darkness to detest and lay aside.

Augustine’s conversion shows the sharp edge of Romans 13. The words “not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness” gripped his heart, and “all gloom of doubt vanished away.” The same text still exposes pornography, drunkenness, jealousy, and every vice that grips the heart.

Verse 14 gives the application: “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh.” Jesus must be Lord, Master, Messiah, and Savior, not a helper added to a self-ruled heart. Sin must be kicked off the doorstep before it gets in the house. The only way to take care of it is to nip it in the bud, because Jesus might just come today.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Nap time is over [43:02] Spiritual sleep is not harmless rest; it is a failure to notice that the Master may return at any moment. Romans 13 treats the passing of time as mercy and warning at the same time. The man who keeps putting off obedience is not standing still; he is drifting deeper into slumber while the day draws near. [43:02]
• 2. Watchfulness belongs to faithful men [38:33] Christ’s return turns ordinary callings into holy assignments. A husband, father, and disciple is not asked to impress God with noise, but to be found faithful when Jesus comes. The question is not whether Christ will return, but whether Christ will find a man awake in the work given to him. [38:33]
• 3. Virtue requires intentional living [44:55] A clean walk does not happen because a man has good intentions or a decent reputation. Romans 13 commands a real putting off and putting on: works of darkness laid aside, weapons of light taken up. The flesh makes plans, and holiness must refuse to give those plans room in the heart, home, or habits. [44:55]
• 4. Sin needs no doorstep welcome [01:01:59] “Make not provision for the flesh” means sin must not be fed, entertained, or scheduled. A vice becomes stronger when the heart gives it opportunity before the act ever happens. The fight begins earlier than the fall, where thoughts are taken captive and the door is shut before darkness moves in. [61:59]
• 5. Jesus changes from within [01:03:11] The command to put on the Lord Jesus Christ is not moral cleanup with religious language. Jesus must have the throne, because a self-ruled heart cannot also call him Lord. Real change begins when faith and repentance bring the whole life, including marriage, family, and hidden struggles, under his rule. [63:11]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [23:52] - Romans 13 and a Lukewarm Epidemic
• [25:11] - Symptoms of Spiritual Sleep
• [26:16] - Doctrine Becomes Daily Obedience
• [28:04] - High Time to Wake Up
• [32:01] - Watching Vigilantly for Christ’s Return
• [35:31] - The Master May Come Suddenly
• [39:18] - Men Called to Lead Faithfully
• [43:34] - Walking Virtuously in the Day
• [46:17] - Casting Off Works of Darkness
• [50:04] - Augustine and Romans 13
• [55:44] - Victory Over Gripping Vices
• [59:31] - Put On the Lord Jesus Christ
• [61:59] - Make No Provision for the Flesh
• [64:48] - Nip Sin in the Bud

Bible Reading

Romans 13:11-14
“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” [28:20]

Mark 13:33-37
“Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” [35:51]

Revelation 3:15-16
“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,” [56:40]

Observation questions

1. In Romans 13:11-14, what commands does Paul give, and what kinds of behaviors does he specifically tell believers to put away? [28:42]
2. In Mark 13:33-37, what picture does Jesus use to explain watchfulness, and what are the servants told to do while the master is away? [36:13]
3. What were some clear signs of spiritual sleep and lukewarmness that showed up in everyday life, especially in the home? [25:11]
4. According to Romans 13, what does it mean to “make no provision for the flesh,” and what word pictures help explain that command? [01:01:59]

Interpretation questions

1. Romans 13 says believers know “the time.” If “time” is not mainly about the clock, but about a decisive season, how should that shape the way a Christian sees this present moment? [33:24]
2. Paul says salvation is nearer now than when believers first believed. How does Christ’s nearness and certain return give urgency to ordinary callings like being a husband, father, disciple, or servant of Christ? [38:53]
3. Paul connects “casting off” and “putting on” with a serious Christian life. Why is that stronger than merely trying to manage sin a little better? [44:48]
4. “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ” is more than religious language. What does it mean for Jesus to be Lord and Master rather than just a helper added onto a self-directed life? [01:00:12]

Application questions

1. “Nap time is over.” Where does spiritual sleep most often show up in life right now: in prayer, in the Word, in church, in marriage, in parenting, or in private obedience? What would waking up look like this week? [42:44]
2. Christ may come suddenly. If he returned soon, where would there be the deepest desire to be found faithful right now: at home, in purity, in leadership, in service, or in consistency with God? [38:33]
3. Walking virtuously does not happen by accident. What habits, patterns, or environments are making holiness harder, and what intentional steps could help put on the armor of light? [44:55]
4. Paul names sins like drunkenness, sexual impurity, strife, and jealousy. Which of those kinds of sins tends to hide most easily behind excuses or respectability, and how can it be brought honestly into the light? [49:31]
5. The battle often begins before the outward fall, in the thoughts and plans of the heart. What does “taking every thought captive” need to look like in one practical area of life right now? [57:22]
6. “Make no provision for the flesh” means sin is not to be fed, welcomed, or scheduled. What is one way the flesh is being given room right now, even before any outward act happens? [01:02:06]
7. Jesus changes people from the inside out. Where is there a need for Christ’s rule and power to bring real change in life, marriage, family, or hidden struggles? [01:03:11]