Love is Our Hope

Call to live righteously now!

Romans 13:11–12 NLT

11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.

Do “This” now...

What is this?

This is loving your neighbor that was previously mention in this letter.

Romans 13:8–10 NLT

8 Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.

Owe nothing but love. Love is why we are here. God’s love came down to rescue us from sin and death.

We are waiting on the return of Jesus.

Christmas celebrates the waiting for the Son of God.

We are are to now be sober for the moment of his return is near.

The moment of our salvation is closer now..

We are to live now in the conversion of the future. The time of our salvation will soon come. Man does not know the day or the hour of the return of Christ, but we are to live with great anticipation of the coming of the Lord.

To show the urgency Paul uses contrasting language.

Wake up vs. sleep

Day vs. Night

Put on vs. lay aside

Put on armor of light vs. deeds of darkness

Behave like it is day vs. wild night living

Night living - drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, strife and jealousy.

Day living - put on the Lord Jesus Christ - making no provision for the flesh in the regard to its lusts.

Paul’s use of this language is to show the urgency for the Roman believers to live for the Lord now and be committed to change in their life from their past sins. The Day = Light = Holiness = Living for God and his Kingdom. Therefore living in the Light and the Day you will dress in the Lord’s clothes of light and works of righteousness over the deeds of the Dark=sin=works of the flesh=night living.

We are to put on the new and take away the old. We are born again renewed children of the Living God. We are called to live in the light and be children of the Light. John says it this way in his first letter...

1 John 1:5–7 NLT

5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. 6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. 7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

Paul understands this imagery and urges the Romans the same way of living in light as God is light. God is light so much that there is no need for sun or moon in new heaven and earth (Revelation 21:23). God himself will illuminate the City and the Lamb will be the lamp.

Revelation 21:23 NLT

23 And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light.

I want to be in that Light

To be in his presence is to live in his Spirit. We have this access now to live in the light. The call of action has been given our response is to surrender to the Spirit and walk in the light now.

Living for this Hope

Romans 13:12

Romans 13:12 NLT

12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.

Living out this hope will lead us to live now as we are already in the kingdom. We living now in light and not in darkness.

Romans 12:13 NLT

13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Romans 13:13 NLT

13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.

The deeds of the sin are done in darkness and night. Jesus tells us that darkness reject the light.

John 3:19–20 NLT

19 And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. 20 All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.

Light discloses the sins of the dark. People feel secure in doing evil in the dark thinking it will not be exposed. Jesus the Light of the world will expose the sin of the world as he died for the sin of the world. God will judge sin and will reward the faithful.

Living for the Kingdom

Romans 13:14 NLT

14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.

The eternal presence and reign of Christ we are living for and waiting for in our lives presently. Jesus is king and will soon establish his kingdom for us to see. The kingdom of the Lord is in our hearts and should be reflected in our daily life. This is shown by how we love one another.

The future is our present.

We live in love.

We live to show the Kingdom is present.

We do not live in the past.

We do not live in the past.

We leave behind our sinfulness

Therefore we should live in victory we have in Christ.

We will be with Christ in Victory!

1 Corinthians 15:55–57 NLT

55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 corinhians 15:55-57

We have victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

We will all be changed ().

1 Corinthians 15:51 NLT

51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed!

We will be changed to be like our King and savior, Jesus Christ!

1 John 3:2 NLT

2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.

When we are changed in his coming this mortal bodies will be changed to a glorious body like his own!

Philippians 3:21 NLT

21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.

“The Anthem” - Planet Shakers

By His stripes, we are healed By His nail-pierced hands, we're free By His blood, we're washed clean Now we have the victory

The power of sin is broken Jesus overcame it all He has won our freedom Jesus has won it all

Hallelujah, You have won the victory Hallelujah, You have won it all for me Death could not hold You down, You are the risen King Seated in majesty, You are the risen King

“The Anthem” by Travis Green

Hallelujah You have won the victory Hallelujah You have won it all for me

Death could not hold you down You are the risen king Seated in majesty You are the risen king

Crucified with Christ Dead now I'm Alive When they call me I will rise You are the Promise Keeper Resurrected, You rose in Victory But in the grave You did redeem me By Your love the world will see I'm alive because of You I'm alive You're Alive