Dressed for the Day

Instructions

Will you take your Bible and turn to Romans 13:11-14? Please search the Scriptures with us. Don’t be afraid to use your index.

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Capture

You know the feeling—the alarm blares, you fumble in the dark, hit snooze, and roll over. Just five more minutes.

The bed is warm, the room is dark, and surely five more minutes won't hurt. The world can wait.

But when it sounds again, you're late and scrambling.

The night is gone, whether you're ready or not.

The Lunch-Break Nap Video:

A young man climbs into his car for a quick nap during lunchtime, setting his alarm for thirty minutes.

The next thing he knows, he wakes up groggy and disoriented—it's pitch black outside.

What was meant to be a short rest somehow stretched into the night.

Significance

Paul ends Romans 13 with precisely that picture.

Many Christians are living their lives hitting the spiritual snooze button.

We know Christ is coming back.

We've heard about holy living.

But the moment feels distant, the world feels comfortable, and spiritual urgency feels like overreaction.

So we keep sleeping while the alarm keeps sounding.

Context

In Romans 12-13, Paul has unpacked what the transformed life looks like within the church, toward enemies, and under government. Now he provides the ultimate motivation behind it all: Christ is coming back. He is shifting from the what to the why, lifting our eyes to the eastern sky, to the imminent return of Christ.

The Question

If you really believed Jesus could return today, would you live differently?

Bible Verse

Romans 13:11 CSB

11 Besides this, since you know the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

Exposition

Because our King is coming, this reality demands three immediate actions.

1. WAKE UP! (v. 11)

Romans 13:11 CSB

11 Besides this, since you know the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

Paul begins with a startling phrase: "You know the time."

And “salvation,” here, is future—”nearer than when we first believed.”

This is not about lacking assurance; glorification still awaits.

Romans 8:23 CSB

23 Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits—we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

You live between the first and second advents of Christ, and every tick of the clock brings you closer to your final salvation.

We are living in the hinge of history, yet many who name Christ are drowsy.

Matthew Henry warned that "a sleeping condition is a sinful condition."

Spiritual apathy, not open rebellion, is the enemy of holiness—it’s the soul's slow drift toward worldliness.

When you're asleep to Christ's return, you're awake to the world's temptations.

Spiritual sleep looks like indifference to sin, lack of concern for the lost, listlessness in duty, and comfortable absorption into this present age.

You are called to wake up, not out of fear of condemnation—that was handled at the cross—but out of holy desire to be found faithful when the King arrives.

Every tick brings us closer to the Judge's appearing.

Take-Home Truth:

Your eschatology determines your ethics.

Eschatology is the study of last things.

What you believe about the end times will radically change how you live in the present.

Eschatology is not for speculation but for sanctification.

The certainty of Christ's return demands decisive moral living now.

Augustine, reflecting on this verse just three centuries after Paul, said: "Paul said this, yet look at how many years have passed! Yet what he said was not untrue. How much more probable that the Lord's coming is near now."

Two thousand years later, we are closer still.

John Peter Lange said, "On the certainty of the event our faith is grounded; by the uncertainty of the time our hope is stimulated."

God hides the date to keep us awake.

As Henry wrote, "Is there but a step between us and heaven, and shall we be so very slow and dull?"

The nearer we are to our destination, the faster our pace should be.

The Christian who knows the nearness of glory runs harder, not slower.

The nearness of heaven should quicken our pace on earth.

But we've become comfortable, complacent, and spiritually drowsy.

Why is there no urgency in your pursuit of holiness?

Why do you tolerate patterns of sin you know dishonor Christ?

Every day, the believer should rise asking: "If Christ returned today, would He find me awake?"

2. CLEAN UP! (vv. 12-13)

Waking up isn't enough. You must get dressed.

Romans 13:12 CSB

12 The night is nearly over, and the day is near; so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

"The night is nearly over," Paul says.

Calvin writes that believers live "between dawn and sunrise—redeemed but not yet glorified."

You belong to the day even while shadows remain, but the shadows are receding.

Paul then uses the metaphor of clothing to describe sanctification.

Paul commands two simultaneous actions: cast off and put on.

First: Discard the Deeds of Darkness

"Discard"—ἀποτίθημι (apotithēmi)—means to throw away, to strip off violently.

The Inflatable-Costume Odor Spray Video:

A group of friends in inflatable Halloween costumes start laughing when one sprays liquid odor into the costume’s vent fan.

Within seconds, chaos breaks out—everyone’s trapped in their own suit, panicking to unzip and escape what they caused themselves.

This isn't gentle suggestion but a command to rip off the filthy garments.

Then Paul names specific sins:

Romans 13:13 CSB

13 Let us walk with decency, as in the daytime: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy.

The first pair are sins of excess: carousing and drunkenness—wild partying and intoxication—these are attempts to drown the conscience with distraction.

Paul’s warning isn’t just about the barroom; it’s about any lifestyle that dulls alertness to Christ’s nearness.

Anything on your schedule or any substance that numbs the soul is a form of intoxication.

The second pair are sins of passion: sexual impurity and promiscuity—these are corruptions of God's gift of intimacy.

This includes:

Pornography, suggestive social media content, or flirtation outside marriage—

—dressing or joking in ways that invite temptation.

Emotional entanglements that masquerade as “harmless friendship.”

The believer’s thought life must match his church life.

We can’t put on Christ and keep a hidden affair with the flesh.

The third pair are sins of attitude: quarreling (fighting) and jealousy—these poisons relationships through pride and envy.

This is not about fistfights but friction:

Arguing to win

Turning every disagreement into a debate

Harboring a spirit that must always have the last word

Reacting with sharp words when corrected or crossed

When Paul says, “not in quarreling,” he’s not picturing a brawl in the parking lot.

He’s warning against the kind of fighting that breaks fellowship long before it ever raises a fist.

And Robert Mounce notes the irony: "Alongside socially repugnant acts of drunkenness and debauchery Paul includes quarreling and jealousy. Unfortunately, the church is considerably more tolerant toward such sins."

These are the respectable sins Christians tolerate.

Resentment between church members.

The subtle hostility behind sarcasm or criticism.

We condemn drunkenness but excuse gossip; we blush at immorality but not at bitterness.

Nevertheless, envy and strife quench the Spirit.

Paul binds them together as garments of night that must be discarded.

God is not a cosmic killjoy.

He's a loving Father who knows that sin destroys.

Drunkenness doesn't bring joy—it brings regret.

Sexual sin doesn't bring intimacy—it brings shame.

Quarreling doesn't bring resolution—it brings division.

Holiness is not repression—it is ordered joy.

These are works of darkness because they spring from ignorance, seek concealment, and end in destruction.

They have no place in the daylight of God's kingdom.

In sum, if you're hiding it, it's probably wrong.

That desire for darkness—not being seen—is itself admission of wrongdoing.

Put another way: if you’re hiding it, you should hate it.

Ask yourself: Would my private habits look different if my life were lived in full daylight?

Corporate Holiness

Notice Paul says "let us."

This isn't just individual holiness—it's corporate.

Sanctification is a team project.

We rise together or drift together.

We are soldiers dressing together for battle.

Second: Put on the Armor of Light

Why armor?

Because, as Leon Morris reminds us, "The Christian's life is not a sleep, but a battle."

Alexander MacLaren said, "The garb for the man expectant of the day is armour. There is fighting—always fighting—to be done."

You are dressing for spiritual warfare.

Think of a soldier in his PJs asleep in a bunker with a war raging around him.

Saint, you are a soldier of Christ in the midst of battle. How can you possibly remain asleep?

How can you continue to wear the filthy rags of the world when the shining armor of your King is laid out for you?

You are not a sleepy, vulnerable civilian.

You are supposed to be wide-awake, fully-armed, ready for battle!

3. SUIT UP! (v. 14)

Where do we get this armor? Paul gives one all-sufficient answer:

Romans 13:14 CSB

14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.

Here's the ultimate command: "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ."

This is not merely imitating Jesus' example.

To "put on" Christ is to be so enveloped in Him that His character becomes your conduct.

Spurgeon captured it: "Christ must be in us before He can be on us. Grace puts Christ within and enables us to put on Christ without."

You cannot manufacture Christlikeness through self-effort.

This is a call to live out the gospel reality.

You cannot put on Christ until you first come to Him.

Notice Paul's full title—the Lord Jesus Christ.

When Paul tells us to ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ,’ he’s not stringing together religious titles—he’s naming the fullness of who Christ is:

He is Lord (“Master,” “Owner,” “King”)—He rules you.

He is Jesus (“Yahweh saves.”)—He saves you.

He is Christ (“Anointed One,” the Messiah.)—He anoints you with the Holy Spirit's power to obey.

Christ fulfills this text:

Christ Himself lived the perfectly awake life we couldn't live.

He wore perfect righteousness

At the cross, on your behalf, He defeated our darkness.

Then He awoke from death, cast off the graveclothes of sin's curse, and was clothed with immortality.

Now He calls His people to share that newness of life—to walk as children of day, radiant with His holiness.

Our hope is not in our ability to stay awake, but in the One who never slumbers nor sleeps.

Holiness is not imitation by effort but participation by union.

You can "put on Christ" because, by grace through faith, you are already in Christ.

Make No Provision for the Flesh

When you are fully clothed in Christ, there's a corresponding result: you make no provision for the flesh.

To "make provision" means to plan ahead, to set up opportunities, to leave the door open.

It's keeping the ex's number "just in case."

It's staying up late scrolling when you know where it leads.

It's tolerating bitterness because confrontation is hard.

We want to wear the armor of light, but we keep a few of our favorite sins folded up in a drawer.

You're feeding the flesh, giving it time and space and resources. And Paul says: starve it.

Spurgeon warned: "If you cook a dinner for the devil, he will take a seat at your table."

Are you preparing meals for the old nature?

Entertaining thoughts you know will lead to sin?

Placing yourself in situations where temptation thrives?

Consuming media that stirs lust, anger, or envy?

Sin thrives on convenience; Paul says make it impossible.

Don't make it convenient for sin. Make it costly. Make it impossible.

Delete the app. Avoid the place. End the friendship.

Whatever provision you're making for the flesh—cut it off.

You cannot conquer sin you’re still scheduling.

Holiness requires inconvenient obedience.

Summons: The Urgency of the Dawn

This text changed history.

In the 4th century, a brilliant but morally corrupt man named Augustine sat weeping in a garden in Milan,

Just then he heard a child's voice singing, "Take up and read! Take up and read!"

Taking it as a divine command, he opened the Scriptures and his eyes fell on these exact words: "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh."

Augustine later wrote: "Instantly, at the end of this sentence, a clear light flooded my heart and all the darkness of doubt vanished away."

That young man became one of the greatest theologians in church history—all because he heard the alarm and woke up.

This Word is just as living and active today. The alarm is sounding for you.

To the Unbeliever:

You are still asleep in darkness.

You may think you have time, but eternity is approaching at full speed.

The day of judgment is nearer now than when we began.

Wake up!

Christ has risen, and the light of His mercy is breaking upon you.

Come to Jesus as your Savior and Lord so you might be clothed in His righteousness.

To the Believer:

Where are you spiritually asleep?

Some of you rest easy, confident in a past profession yet careless in present holiness.

Paul's alarm is for you.

God will not allow His people to slumber in sin.

Stop hitting snooze.

Throw off the rags of impurity, indulgence, resentment, and pride.

Put on Christ—His priority in your home, His purity in your thought life, His humility in your relationships.

Others of you fear you've slept too long, wasted too many years.

Take heart.

The same Christ who roused Augustine can rouse you.

The alarm is sounding. Christ is coming.

Beloved, the night is almost over.

Every headline, every funeral, every tick of the clock says, "The day is at hand."

Some of you think tomorrow will be like today, that repentance can wait, that holiness can be postponed.

But when the King appears, there will be no time to change clothes.

You will meet Him wearing whatever garment you die in.

So, what will you do with this hour?

Repent, Believe, and Be Baptized

If you've not been clothed in Christ's righteousness, you will stand before God in filthy rags. The gospel is this: Christ lived the perfect life you couldn't live and died the death you deserved to die. He offers to clothe you in His righteousness.

Spurgeon said: "Ungodly man, if thou art ever to be saved, thou must draw nigh to God in prayer. Go to him at this moment, just where thou art sitting, and confess all thy sin to him; there is no need for thee to utter a word that any of us can hear, for God can read the language of thy heart."

"Dear Jesus, I confess I'm a sinner deserving judgment. I've lived in rebellion. I cannot save myself. But I believe You died for my sins and rose to give me eternal life. Forgive me, come into my life, and grant everlasting life. Help me live for You. Amen."

Baptism is the visible side of faith and a public confession of your commitment to follow Christ. To sign up for baptism, text BELIEVE to 706-525-5351 or visit www.mtcarmeldemorest.com/baptism.

A Prayer of Response

Father, forgive us for hitting the snooze button on holiness. Forgive our complacency, our indulgence, our tolerance of darkness. Awaken us by Your Spirit. Give us grace to cast off the works of darkness and clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ. Help us make no provision for the flesh but to starve it of every opportunity. Make us a people who are awake, dressed, and ready for our King, the Sun of Righteousness who will soon appear. In Jesus' mighty name, Amen.