No Provision for the Flesh

Introduction

To be human is to be rebellious. To be influenced by the flesh. It’s in our nature—we see it start in the garden. “Don’t eat that! It’s bad for you.” And then of course Adam and Eve eat that.

It didn’t stay in the garden. Tell a toddler not to do something and the very mention of something that is prohibited makes it the most tantalizing thing in existence. The effects of the “The Fall” are evident everywhere—and I’m not talking about Pumpkin Spice Latte.

And in America we have it even worse. The history of our American culture IS rebellion. “Don’t tell us what to do! Or we’ll throw your tea in the harbor and create our own country. Death to the tyrant King George!”

So it shouldn’t be surprising to us that God’s Word addresses the corrupting nature of the flesh. Our text today is Romans 13:1-14. I invite you to turn there or follow along on your digital Bible with us as we walk through God’s Word.

The last verse of our passage says, “Put on the Lord Jesus and to make no provision for the flesh.” Our passage is about fighting the flesh that is all to ready to rebel, love itself, and live shortsightedly.

In our passage we are going to see that we make no provision for the flesh by I. Submitting to God’s Authority (1-7), II. Loving Our Neighbor (8-10), III. And Living in the Light of Eternity (11-14)

I. Fight the Flesh; Submit to Authority (1-7)

As we have been studying the 2nd London Baptist confession on Tuesday nights we have spoken a lot about God’s Sovereignty. God being sovereign means that nothing is outside of his good governance. That all things that have come to pass, all things that are, and all things that will come to pass do because God has decreed that they will.

Chapter 3, paragraph 1 of the confession says, “God has decreed in Himself, from all eternity, by his most wise and holy counsel…all things whatsoever comes to pass.”

The writers of the confession has Isaiah 46:10 in mind when they wrote it. Which says, “declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’”

This means friends, that as we read the first verse of our passage we find that government is not ultimately a creation of man, but the plan of God. Read with me,

Romans 13:1 “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”

What does this mean? It means that when we think of government—if our first thought is that government is evil—that it is to be rebelled against, we better know who we are actually rebelling against.

The Word says, that the governing authorities—The President, his cabinet, Senators, Congress-folk (have to be PC), State legislatures, Mayros, Police officers—all governing authorities—are God’s idea. And friends, if they are God’s idea, then it is a good idea.

Sometimes I have bad ideas, but God never has. That should comfort you.

And I can almost hear your thoughts at this moment, “Pastor, what about corrupt authority, what about ‘evil’ government.” Don’t worry, we’ll address that after verse 7.

But until we get there, trust me and track with me. Amen?

As we consider the governing authorities in our life we must transform our thinking and know that the authority that they wield in our lives is ultimately God’s authority and it is for our good—that’s what God says.

This should cause us to pause as we consider how we respond to them then. If this was God’s idea and it was instituted by God then you and I should have a godly posture towards government. That’s what our text continues to say. Look at verse 2 with me.

Romans 13:2 “Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.”

“Therefore whoever--- “raise your hand if you are a whoever”--- resists the authorities resists what God has appointed.

So when I was a kid and I was breaking the law I wasn’t just “sticking it to the man”. I was rebelling against the plan of God to keep peace and order in my society. I was resisting God’s will.

So, that’s number one. We don’t want to resist God.

But, number two, we don’t want to resist the authorities becasue there are consequences for doing so.

“…and those who resist will incur judgment.” Let’s keep looking at the text.

Romans 13:3-4 “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”

First, notice that the authorities are “God’s servants for our good”. For a moment imagine a society that had no governing authorities. People are tempted to think that may be a good thing. But without police, emergency services, and government to run and fund it we would live in a society of chaos where the strong take advantage of the weak. Look at Haiti right now and you’ll get a picture of what this looks like today in 2022.

It would be like the book of Judges where everyone did what was right in their own eyes. And if you think that sounds good—you have read the book of Judges—because when you leave fallen humanity to live by the laws of their own hearts you get misery and chaos. Governance exists because God loves us.

Also, God tells us that if we don’t want to fear the authorities then we should commit to doing what is good.

To this day I get nervous when I see a police officer, (not you brother) because for a number of years in my life I did not have “good conduct and so I feared the authority” because I knew that there are consequences for breaking the law.

If we do bad then we need to know that the governing authorities don’t bear the sword in vain. They are given the sword so that God’s wrath would be carried out on the evil doer. Dispensing justice is part of God’s plan to care for those who are righteous. By God’s design, that’s what government is supposed to do. So what do we do? Let’s keep reading...

Romans 13:5-7 “Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”

Paul says that we not only submit to the authorities to avoid the wrath of God, but also so that we can have a good conscience.

Friends, you cannot have a good conscience as a follower of Jesus if you willingly break the law, if you rebel against good rulers. Being subject to those who are in authority over you is your responsibility as a follower of Jesus with a witness of Christ.

One of the applications here in Romans 13 is that you and I should pay our taxes as we are supposed to because taxes fund the government which God says ministers for the good of His people.

God says to pay what you owe, taxes, revenue, but he also speaks to our heart attitude. He says respect and honor those who are owed respect and honor.

What does this mean? Don’t malign your leaders verbally. God’s word tells us to do the opposite.

1 Timothy 2:1-2 “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”

Don’t talk about what an idiot the president is, or the mayor, or your local town official. One time in the car one of my children said something about “Joe Biden being a moron.” And I rebuked him.

Now listen, I’m not a fan of Joe Biden. But he is my president, and he was put there by God and I will respect the office of the president. He is a man made in the image of God and I will glorify God by loving those made in his image. I’m not gonna vote for him, but I will love him. And I will give him the respect and honor that is due him because of his position in my life. And you should too.

Not because I’m saying so, but becasue God says so. Amen?

Look, and don’t think that this only applies in a lofty manner. Are you subject to the authorities as your work? Do you respect their position in your company, on your work team, in your school? God’s word here applies there too. Amen?

Ok, before we move on I want to address the question that may be burning in your head and heart. Okay we are supposed to submit to the authorities. They are God’s plan. They are placed by God. They are for our good. And here’s the question, “What about those who are corrupt? What about the ruler who is evil? How are we to relate to them?”

Some commentators remarking on Romans 13 says that Paul seems to be oblivious to the reality of wicked rulers. But Paul was not oblivious—he lived in the time of Nero—he was writing to Roman Christians living in Rome under the rule of Nero who hated Christians and was insane. At the end of his rule he used Christians as torches for his dinner parties. Paul knew that the wickedness of men was not absent in the seats of power.

And Paul in the face of that kind of wickedness doesn’t malign government as evil, he doesn’t call the Christian to rebel and overthrow. He calls us to respect and honor.

Here’s the rule friends, it’s really simple. Obey the governing authorities in your life, even the wicked ones, as long as obedience to them doesn’t make you disobedient to God.

Acts 5:28-29 “saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”

If you are faced with obeying God or your rulers. If their rule is in opposition to God’s then you must obey God—no matter the consequences. That’s the exception. Good enough?

Transition: Ok, So subject yourselves to God’s authority expressed in our governing authorities. But as we continue we see now that Paul is also exhorting us to make no provision for the flesh when it comes to our neighbors.

II. Fight the Flesh; Love Your Neighbor (8-10)

Last week we talked about loving those made in the image of God. And I said that how you love people is a commentary on how you love God. How you love those who bear the image is a commentary on how you love the image bearer.

Did you know that your obedience to the law is an act of love toward your neighbor? Let’s read.

Romans 13:8-10 “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

Paul says owe no one anything but this is not a proof text for never taking a loan out on something. Your not in sin if you have a car loan or a house loan. That’s not Paul’s point here.

Paul is repeating Jesus. Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40 “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.””

What you truly owe to your fellow man is to love them. And this is a debt that you never pay off. Hopefully there comes a time when you no longer pay on your car. Typically it’s right when that car is about to break down—so you can get a new car loan.

But when it comes to one another we never come to the end of that debt. We owe unending love for one another because God loves you and I without end.

And in fact loving one another fulfills the law our text says. There are many commands of love that God gives us. Love one another. Honor one another. Serve one another. Be kind with one another. Provide for one another. Share one another’s burdens. Do you see the theme here?

As followers of Jesus we can’t do what God calls us to do without the body of Christ. So if you and I are to fight the flesh and make no provision for the flesh then we must love one another.

But as we say this we have to ask the question. “What does it mean to love them—how do I love them?”

Well a good place to start—Paul says don’t commit adultery. When you do that you are not loving your spouse well and you are not loving the person you are committing adultery with well. And you are not loving your church family well. Don’t take the marriage covenant and trample it. Paul says that doesn’t love people well.

By the way don’t murder them, either. I hope you’re not surprised to find out...Murder—not a good way to love somebody.

What else does Paul say? Don’t steal, don’t covet. Don’t take what belongs to someone else. Don’t covet their things and don’t take their things. When you do this you are not loving them well. Does this seem obvious.

And you are probably thinking. Check. Done. I don’t do any of these things. What if you apply Jesus words to this? He says if you are angry with your brother and you don’t resolve it you are guilty of murder. If you look at one another lustfully you are committing adultery.

Our thoughts about one another matter. Thoughts incubated long enough turn into some kind of action. If you find yourself thinking inappropriately about another person in the church, entertaining romantic or physical ideas and you think that this is harmless---One you need to believe God’s word which says it’s not harmless---and two you need to take that sin seriously and kill it.

Because if you let those thoughts become a regular part of your mind you will act on them in some way. You’ll say an inappropriate thing or act in an inappropriate way. And this can and does lead to adultery. And that doesn’t love people well.

The same thing goes for anger. If you are angry resolve it. Or you will create a problem in your heart between you and another person. And this will affect your relationship with them. It will create a coldness in your heart toward your brother or sister in Christ.

Are you passing that test friends? If not—go to the Lord, confess your sin and love your fellow saints well.

And of course this list isn’t exhaustive—Paul’s point here is that if you love your neghbor you are going to obey all that God has commanded you. And all that God has commanded you has something to do with loving your neighbor well.

Loving our neighbors is about faithfulness (not adultery) about wanting to see others flourish (not un-aliving them), about blessing others. (Not stealing)

And we have to fight our flesh on this, because our sinful inclination is to serve ourselves, to love ourselves.

Fighting the flesh is helped tremendously as we put our focus on the good of our neighbor by the obedience to God’s laws in His Word.

And our best example is in the life of Jesus himself.

Jesus lived his life with the glory of God and the good of others in mind.

Jesus lived his life loving his neighbors well. He obeyed every command of God to the benefit of his neighbors. He was faithful and generous and kind and gentle In his life.

And by his death he loved us. He gave himself up for us so that we may be forgiven of our sins. So that we can be a people no longer under the bondage of sin, unable to love one another. He lovingly had you and I in mind as he died on the cross so that we can be saved.

If we are to fight our flesh then we are to submit to authority, love our neighbors, and...

III. Live for Eternity. (11-14)

As we move to the end of our text Paul wants us to be aware of the truth of reality. Namely that this world in which we live—this world that so many are caught up in---trying to live their best life now…is temporary. Read with me.

Romans 13:11-12a “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.”

Let’s stop there for a moment.

Friends, one day the Lord Jesus will return. The world will be shocked when Christ comes in the way that he left. He left ascending into the clouds and he will return in the air.

Matthew 24:30 “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

This world is not meant to last. This world and it’s brokeness will find it’s end in the return of Christ. When he comes for his church.

In the grand scheme of our existence friends, this time on earth is but a fraction of a blink. It is impossibly small compared to the unending expanse of eternity.

So do not live this life as if this life is your future! Do not build up for yourselves treasures here. Do not let comfort here and position here be the ruling mechanic of your life. Because the richest man or woman here can take none of it with them. I’ve done a fair number of funerals and I’ve never seen a U-Haul drive behind the hearse.

Listen, I’m not saying having money is a problem. But if your life is caught up in living for this life then you are making a fool hardy mistake. Because what we know for sure is that this life will end. And eternity waits.

So live for eternity. Build up your treasures in heaven. What does that mean exactly?

One, treasure what God treasures. A contrite heart, a humble spirit. Love for the saints.

If you commit to loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And you commit to loving your neighbor with as much concern as you love yourself then you will build treasure in heaven.

The Holy Spirit is working in every follower of Jesus and is making them more and more like Jesus. That’s what 2 Corinthians 3:18 says. Do you know what’s happening to us in sanctification friends? We are being prepared for eternity. We are becoming more and more citizens of that heavenly kingdom and abandoning this worldly one that will pass away.

And as we continue in the text we see that this is not just a spiritual exercise bereft of any physical affect. Let’s keep reading.

Romans 13:12-14 “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 quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

If we are to fight the flesh then we must fight the desires of the flesh. We must not separate our actions from ourselves.

Why does Paul tell the Roman Church to steer clear of sexual immorality, sensuality, drunkeness, quareling, and jealousy?

Because they are temptations and possibilities in the surrounding culture that they lived in and almost 2000 years later it is no different.

All of what Paul mentions here is still a temptation and a reality today. And about them the Word says,

“Cast them off and put on the armor of light. Walk properly as a follower of Jesus in the light.”

Paul references the spiritual armor in Ephesians 6 “the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, the gospel of peace. the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

Fighting the flesh means leaning into the things of God. With eternity in mind we dress ourselves in the armor of God by the power of the Spirit and we cast off all sin because we belong to the Lord, we are his workmanship and his people and by his power we can cast this sin off and live for the coming day of eternity. For God’s glory and our good.

And I want you to know that if you are caught up in a sin in your life that this Word of God is a message from the Holy Spirit to you that you must kill it. And that in Christ you can. Do not believe the lie of the enemy that there is sin and bondage that you’ll never master and overcome.

Because the Word of God says that you only have one master and it’s Jesus Christ, and all authority belongs to him and is subject to him,

and he has already defeated all death and sin on your behalf—so walk in his power that is abundantly yours in Christ! Amen.

Whatever that sin is—resolve today that today will be the last day that you give it harbor. Amen?

Conclusion

It is in our nature to be rebellious. When we are born we are born as sinners with hearts inclined toward sin.

But for the follower of Jesus we are not merely flesh—we are born again children of God with new hearts that can follow our God.

We are called to live out the gospel in tangible ways as we fight against our flesh and make no provision for it.

We do this by living righteously submitting to our governing authorities in every way that we can. That we would be a people of peace.

We do this by loving our neighbors well. We look to actively bless them as agents of Christ in this world.

And We do this by having the truth of eternity ever before us. We do not waste our lives building our kingdoms here. But we live our lives with eternity in our hearts so that those in this world would see a glimpse of heaven in the light of our lives.

And we do all of this for the glory of our God because we love Him who first loved us. Let’s pray.