It's Time, Christian!

1st Sunday in Advent, 12/1/13
Romans 13:11-14


It’s Time, Christian!
I. Time to wake up
II. Time to get dressed
III. Time to look forward to a new day


Do you know if you’re a procrastinator or not? I’m sure you’re not surprised when I tell you that there are free, on-line questionnaires that you can take in order to discover whether you have a problem with procrastination or not. Then again, if you really have a problem with procrastination would you ever get around to actually testing yourself? Probably not.

I’m sure if we all think hard enough we could recall a situation in our lives in which we put something off which really needed to be done. It might be as harmless as washing the windows. It might be as serious as seeing your doctor about some serious symptoms you’ve noticed. In those health situations, early detection is critical. Wait too long and the results could be disastrous.

Today marks the beginning of the season of Advent, the season of the church year in which we prepare our hearts for the coming of our Savior. Jesus has told us that he could return at any moment, and, therefore we need to be ready at all times. Procrastinating in that regard isn’t just foolish, it can be spiritually fatal.

Our returning Savior helps you get ready with his words through his Apostle Paul this morning. In sentence after sentence, St. Paul encourages you to get busy, to get ready. He tells you it’s time. It’s time, Christian! Let’s see exactly what for as listen to and ponder his sacred advice this morning.

Part I.

I don’t know if the person who invented the first snooze button was a procrastinator or not, but I can’t help thinking that he was. If you are one those people that hits your snooze button on a daily basis, why don’t you just set your alarm for the time when you know you absolutely must get out of bed? I don’t and I know why. I like to think that I am getting just a few more minutes of sleep than I really should. It makes me feel like I’ve gotten the first victory of my day—some additional sleep. Sure there’s always the danger that I’ll oversleep, but I’m willing to take that risk.

There’s a far greater danger and that’s hitting our spiritual snooze button. You didn’t know you had one? Actually, we all do. It’s thinking that we have a little more time to take care of whatever spiritual matters we may have. The most critical one is getting my life in spiritual order before the Lord Jesus returns. It’s knowing that Jesus is not happy with this part of my life, but I can wait just a little while longer before I actually address it. But hit that snooze button one more time and you may never hit it again. It’ll be too late.

The spiritual alarm clock named Paul shakes us awake with these words, “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber.” It’s time to get up and get going. Doing what? Living in spiritual readiness for Jesus. The most critical part of that is living in daily repentance. I hope you don’t wait until Sunday mornings at 10:05 to confess your sins and take to heart your Savior’s forgiveness. It takes just a moment or two to recall that you haven’t lived up to God’s holy standard but that, as a baptized child of God you have your Savior’s forgiveness. That spiritual readiness activity doesn’t need to take place inside this building. It isn’t limited to doing it out loud with your fellow Christians. Your Lord wants you to do it daily. It’s time to do that.

It’s also time to encourage others to do the same. Contrary to popular culture, you indeed do have a responsibility toward your fellow human beings for their spiritual readiness. Have you been putting off speaking to someone you love about their Savior? Jesus wants to use you to wake them up and soon! Tomorrow may be too late.

It’s time, Christian! It’s time to wake up.

The classic procrastinator always thinks he has more time to do what he knows he needs to do. Jesus knows how easily we can fall into that way of thinking when it comes to our spiritual readiness. No doubt that’s the reason he spoke several parables which point out the foolishness of becoming absorbed with this life to the detriment of our preparation for the next. Shame on us if it takes a special call to repentance in a Sunday worship setting to shake us out of our spiritual slumber! Thank your gracious God that he is still willing to listen to your plea for mercy! Thank him a thousand fold that when we do, he also bestows his forgiveness in richest measure. In fact, he always does that when his people come to him with penitent hearts because he is all about preparing us for the life to come with his forgiveness, a forgiveness he won for us. His sacrifice for our sins was made on the altar of Calvary’s cross. We trust him for it. It’s time, Christian. It’s time to wake up and remain awake.

Part II.

If you spent any time outdoors the past 10 days or so, you certainly made the effort to put on proper winter attire. Like it or not, winter is here and it’s time to dress for it.

There’s also proper attire for the coming of your Savior to this earth. But first, Paul reminds us to shed what isn’t proper attire his appearance. He writes, “So let us put aside the deeds of darkness.” What are the deeds of darkness to which he refers? He helps us with a short list of them. “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.” There are some ugly sins in there, things no Christian should even contemplate, but it happens. But Paul also includes the “lesser” sins—dissension and jealousy, sins that any Christian can and should confess. In doing so, he includes every sin in between. It’s time to take those sins off, whatever they are.

And then do this: “put on the armor of light.” Whether you realize it or not, there’s a battle being waged every day for your soul. It belongs now to your Savior by faith in him but Satan is working night and day to take it from him. In this regard the best offense is a good defense, and that defense is the armor of light. In another one of his letters Paul described that armor as the belt of God’s truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the footwear of the gospel. He told us to take up the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Don’t make those only your Sunday morning attire. Wear them every day of your life as a Christian.

Finally, Paul says, “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s another way of saying, “Be imitators of Christ.” Do what Jesus would do. Speak the way Jesus would speak. Think and feel the way Jesus does. And don’t wait until tomorrow to begin. Tomorrow might be too late.

It’s time, Christian! It’s time to get dressed.

You’re not the only one; it’s happening with all of us. Now that December has hit the rush is on. Without a doubt it is the busiest time of the year for all of us. You might be so busy that you might be led to think that cutting out some time with your Savior is an option. But that would be spiritually sleepy thinking. This is no time to be too busy for your spiritual life. In fact, this is an excellent time to spend more time with him. We have more worship and devotion opportunities this month than at any other time of the year. How often have those opportunities throughout this year gone unappreciated? And yet in his astounding love for you and every sinner, Jesus still wants to meet with you and to share his forgiving love with you, to clothe you in his holiness. It’s time, Christian—time to get dressed.

Part III.

Your refrigerator may be loaded with Thanksgiving leftovers, but December is here. It’s time to put Thanksgiving away and begin getting out Christmas. I’m sure many of you will do one or more things today to get ready for Christmas.

Your Savior would much rather have you get ready for eternity with him. Paul states it this way, “Our salvation is much nearer now than when we first believed.” He uses the word “salvation” in a different way than we’re used to. He’s speaking about the Last Day when the Lord will return. That’s the day on which time will end and eternity for us will begin. Jesus will raise us from the dead, glorify our bodies and take us to live with him. That’s the last act of our salvation. We’re living ready for that day as we live each day with faith in Jesus as our Savior.

As we live our lives focused on the life to come, we’re living out God’s purpose for our lives. So often we question what we should be doing with our lives even though our God has already made it clear. We’re living this life to attain eternal life. That’s the key goal and he wants us to order everything else in our lives under that.

It’s time, Christian! It’s time to look forward to a new day.

OK. So let’s admit it from the start. It’s going to be hectic for most of us for the next 23 days. In fact, you may find yourself viewing those days more in terms of what you don’t have time for than in terms of what you do have time for. The distractions will be daily and endless. But don’t forget what it’s all about. Jesus came to this earth the first time to prepare us for his coming to this earth the second time. That’s what it’s all about. You’re ready for that return by faith in him as the Savior you so desperately needed. By his holy life, by his sacrificial death, by his triumphant resurrection from the dead he has won and secured your eternity with him. It’s time, Christian! It’s time to look forward to that new day with him. God bless your preparations for it in this Advent season! Amen.