08-21-11 The Armor Of Light

Every so often I find myself

utterly overwhelmed with the absurdity

of the things we say to one another about God.

Or, more accurately,

I find myself overwhelmed with the absurdity

of the things we NEED to say to one another about God.

During the next few minutes of our lives

you will sit and listen

and I will stand before you and tell you

that our God is absolutely worthy of our trust,

and our faith,

and that we need have no fear whatsoever

of relying upon every word He has spoken to us

and no fear of building our lives

upon those words.

And, if all goes well,

my words to you

will make it a little easier

for you to reach out to God,

trust what He says,

and rest in the reality of His love for you.

But, logically, the very fact that we need to do this is absurd.

We are created beings,

brought into existence by our Creator God

so that we could live in an eternal love relationship with Him.

The thought that we would have to fight our way,

one agonizing step at a time,

back into a trust relationship

with the very God whose love for us brought us into existence

seems ridiculous.

And yet, it is the way things are.

His having created us with free will,

and then our having used that free will

to rebel against His authority over us

has created what is, logically,

the most absurd situation that could ever exist -

a world full of created beings

terrified of their Creator

who loves them with an everlasting love,

and His determined efforts

to coax us back into His arms,

His love,

and faith in His good intentions for us.

And so we live in a world

in which it is necessary

for one human being to say to another:

This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. (Lamentations 3:21-25)

We are here for only one purpose -

I don’t mean here in this room,

I mean here on this earth -

we are here to discover the truth about out God,

that He created us in love,

that even in the face of our total rebellion against Him He loves us still,

and that through the death of His own Son for our sins

He has provided a way for us to reenter an eternal love relationship with Him.

We are here to discover

the endless goodness of our God.

With that discovery

everything else in our lives

begins to find its proper place.

Until we make that discovery

we find ourselves forever driven

to find some God-substitute -

something or someone

that will serve as the center of our world.

Success...

money...

sex...

passion relationships...

power or control over others...

vengeance against those who have hurt us...

recognition and affirmation from others...

the abuse of drugs or alcohol...

adrenalin highs...

food...

travel...

work...

and on and on.

Many of those things are great parts of life,

until we try to form them into our God-substitute,

demanding that they provide us with an adequate and fulfilling reason for getting out of bed in the morning.

But once we attempt to use them for the foundation of our existence,

building our world upon them,

they will crumble under the weight.

For the past few weeks

we have been talking about the warfare raging around us,

and in us.

It is a warfare that involves God Himself,

and Satan,

and each of us.

And, at its heart,

it is a battle for the discovery that our God is absolutely, and eternally, and utterly GOOD,

and that He is eternally GOOD

to all those who come to Him.

We are studying four verses

in the 13^th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans.

It is Romans 13:11-14.

I’ll read the passage for us,

and then we’ll jump back into our study of this passage.

ROM 13:11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed.

ROM 13:12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

ROM 13:13 Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.

ROM 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

We saw last week that the passage begins

with Paul calling the people of God to an attitude.

He wants us to realize

that when we enter into Christ

we also enter into an ongoing transition from darkness into light.

Prior to our union with Christ

we viewed the world around us

on the basis of the rules written by a society that denied the fundamental truth of life -

the truth about God Himself.

But now, as our Lord begins to flood our minds and hearts with light,

we see things as we have never seen them before,

as they really are.

Then, from that attitude,

Paul talks with us

about the actions that will flow from that attitude.

I didn’t mention it last week,

but there is a phrase used by Paul in this passage that fascinates me.

He uses the phrase, “armor of light”.

He calls us to “put on the armor of light”.

That’s really great stuff!

That is Paul giving us a visual image

of what takes place in our lives

when we make choices that grow out of our trust in what our God has said to us.

We create around our spirits the armor of light.

And let me just point out the obvious here -

armor protects,

armor guards,

armor deflects the attacks of those who would destroy us.

In these four verses here in Romans 13

the 5^th principle Paul is offering us

for effective living within the family of God is this: clothe yourself in the armor of light.

Do you know the type of things

that have the power to defeat us in life?

It isn’t the threat or the reality of an economic downturn.

It isn’t a volatile stock market.

It isn’t an earthquake in Japan.

It isn’t another terrorist attack,

or escalation of the crisis in the Middle East.

It isn’t any force,

or circumstance,

or event,

or individual that can ever attack us from the outside.

The real enemies in life all come from within.

They are things like

our sense of shame over things we have done,

and the fear of being found out.

It’s our load of guilt,

and our physical and emotional addictions,

and our damaged relationships,

and our uncontrolled lusts for people,

or power,

or possessions that we hope will then bring us peace with ourselves

and fulfillment in life.

And when Paul talks with us

about putting on the armor of light,

he is telling us that,

as we move from darkness into light,

from lies into truth,

one of the fringe benefits of that process

will be the growing creation of the protective armor of light around us.

If that sounds a little weird or mystical,

let me put it more simply.

The greatest personal security a person can ever know

comes from living in a way

that does not require us to hide anything from anyone.

It comes from living in such a way

that we never have to ask ourselves the question, “But what if someone finds out...”

It is the development of that kind of life

that God seeks to create for each of His children.

We live in an American culture

that has recently added a new commandment to our popular social religion.

For the past 30 years now

perhaps the greatest commandment in our social religion

has been the defense and protection of the personal rights of the individual.

But more recently we have added to that

the defense of our right to privacy.

According to the highest values of our culture

we are all entitled to the right to privacy,

and any time anyone

or any agency or organization

attempts to violate that right

we rise up in rage.

But did you know that God never promised the Christian the right to privacy?

In fact, not only does He not promise a right to privacy,

but He tells us that we should expect our lives to be put on public display.

Paul told the Corinthians,

2CO 3:2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;

When our Lord described the role His people would play in this world He said,

MAT 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

MAT 5:15 "nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

MAT 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Not only did He not promise us the right to privacy,

but He told us He wanted our lives

to be like lights set on the top of a hill

so that they can be clearly visible to everyone.

The society in which we live

seeks to offer us an impenetrable right to privacy.

Our God offers us the ability to live in such a way

that, even if our lives are displayed publicly before the world,

we do not need to fear

because we have nothing to hide.

That is what Paul is talking about

when he calls us to “put on the armor of light”.

But obviously none of us start there.

In fact, when Paul describes our lives

prior to our union with Christ

he tells us,

EPH 2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

EPH 2:2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

EPH 2:3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

We, like everyone else,

had lots we wanted to hide,

lots that brought a sense of shame,

and fear,

and guilt.

That’s where we start,

with lots we want to keep hidden

both from ourselves

and from the world around us.

Our world calls it the right to privacy.

Paul calls it hiding in darkness.

But from there

our Lord invites us into a journey,

a journey from the darkness into the light.

He extends to us the invitation

to allow Him to reconstruct our lives,

one step at a time,

one issue at a time,

into greater and greater conformity to the image of Christ.

And in the process

we will find ourselves

being clothed more and more in the armor of light.

And just so that there is no misunderstanding,

let me point out the three essentials we’ve seen so far.

1. This is not a point, it is a journey.

I mention this again

because it is essential that we give ourselves permission

to let it be a journey.

The question is never “have I arrived?”,

because the answer to that question is always, “NO!”

The question is, “Will I walk with my Lord again this day?”

Of course Paul says it much better.

PHI 3:12 Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

PHI 3:13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

PHI 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

2. It is not something we do for God,

it is something God has committed Himself to doing in us.

It is not “Us for Christ” that gives us the hope of change.

It is...COL 1:27 “...Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

3. He does not force change onto us,

He invites us into the changing process,

and it is an invitation that we can accept or refuse at any point in our lives.

Which brings us, of course,

to the question, “What, then, is our role in this whole process?”

If we are not called to try to psyche ourselves up

into some sort of wild attempt to flesh out a changed life,

then just exactly what is it we do?

Which brings us back to Paul’s final comments to us in this passage in Romans.

In the final verse of this passage

he tells us the part in the process

that is assigned to us.

He knows we cannot change ourselves

by some massive and determined act of the will.

He knows that only Christ can change the human heart.

Only Christ can create within us

a true love for righteousness,

a hunger and thirst for a life that pleases our Lord.

And only Christ in us

can bring into our lives

the tools necessary to break us free

from those areas of bondage that rob us of our ability to be in practical actions

what we long to be in spirit.

But, having said that,

there are two specific instructions

that Paul does give to us,

instructions that serve as the doorway

through which we accept God’s offer of change in our lives.

Those two instructions are found in Romans 13:14.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

We looked at the first half of that verse last week,

and we want to complete the picture this morning.

The first half of the verse calls us to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ...”

We saw last week that

when Paul calls us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ,

he is calling us to choose to consciously live with the awareness

that we are immersed in the presence of Christ.

Don’t shut Him out mentally.

Don’t pretend He isn’t with you,

in you constantly.

Share your life with Him.

Share that struggle with Him.

Talk to Him about what’s going on in your mind.

Are you afraid to trust Him?

Then tell Him.

Do His instructions to you

seem to make no sense at all in some area?

Then tell Him how you feel,

and let Him know He’s going to have to give you eyes to see it as He does.

Do you feel trapped or helpless or scared in some area of your life?

Then talk to Him about what’s going on.

Life with Christ is not a test, folks.

It’s not a contest to see who gets it right and who doesn’t,

with Christ evaluating your performance each step of the way.

Life with Christ is just that - life WITH Christ.

And the first huge step forward

in this whole changing process

is to live each day in the conscious presence of Christ.

Once we understand this truth

it will transform our attitude

toward prayer.

We will discover that most of the praying we do

takes on the form of a never-ending conversation we have with our Lord

as we move through each day.

And then Paul gives us one additional vital instruction we need

in order to effectively equip ourselves

for this journey Christ calls us to.

He says, “...and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

And with that phrase

Paul is telling us that most of the moral choices we make

are made long before we every reach

the point of conscious decision.

He is calling us to fight our moral battles

in the arenas where we still have the ability to choose.

All sin,

all immorality is, by it’s very nature, addictive.

Now, each of us are uniquely susceptible

to some sin addictions more than others,

but all sin has hooks in it that have the ability

to sink themselves deep into our personalities.

Ever wondered why so many people

perpetuate so many behaviors

that are so obviously self-destructive in nature?

Have you ever wondered why you

cannot look logically

at that self-destructive pattern in yourself

and just set it aside and move on?

Once we have allowed the process to take place in some area of our life,

once we have allowed the hooks to be set,

breaking the power of that sin

takes a special redemptive work of God in our lives.

That process begins at the heart level in the Christian.

It begins with His creating within us

a hunger and thirst for righteousness.

I’m not talking about feeling guilty,

I’m talking about a longing to accurately reflect the life and image of our King.

I’m talking about His creating within us

a hunger to live a life that brings honor to Him.

Any religion can create an emotional guilt for sin.

But only God can create within us

a hunger and thirst for righteousness.

That is step one in God’s healing process for us.

But then,

having created the longing,

our Lord begins to lead us through

the process of breaking the hold that sin has in our flesh.

And one of the crucial ingredients in that process

is being addressed in this statement we’re looking at right here:

“...and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”

OK, we have only a few more minutes together this morning,

a few more minutes in which, hopefully, I can help you to better understand

what that phrase means.

And what I’m about to do here

is the only truly honest thing I can do.

I do it knowing it may not be what you expect,

but I also know the alternative is not acceptable.

When I taught Romans a decade ago,

when I got to this passage

all I did was to encourage you

to make your moral choices earlier in the battle.

If you struggle with compulsive gambling,

plan a vacation somewhere other than Las Vegas

rather than praying for strength once you’re inside the casino.

If you struggle with internet porn

don’t do the Google search for what you’re looking for

rather than praying for strength once you’re on the site.

If you’re seeking sexual purity in your dating relationship

don’t plan a camping trip together with one sleeping bag.

And all of that is good advice

and I certainly still strongly encourage you to follow it.

But after having had another 10 years of thinking about this

I no longer believe advice like that really goes to the heart

of what’s going on inside us when a Christian gets pulled into immorality.

You see, we Christians really are such strange creatures.

I have sat with incredibly precious Christians,

as they agonized over choices they’ve made that they knew in their hearts were wrong,

and heard them say, “Why did I do that? That isn’t who I am...that isn’t who I want to be.”

One of the great and amazing miracles of our lives

is that we truly do long for a life that...well, that looks like Jesus.

We’re not in rebellion against our Lord,

we’re not still trying to prove to Him and to ourselves that we’re in control.

Which makes me believe

that, when it comes to Paul’s instructions to us

that we make no provision for the flesh,

I believe what he’s calling us to do

is to ask ourselves honestly, “Why DO I make those choices?”

You see, with every immoral choice we ever make

there is within us a lie we have believed

that makes that choice seem reasonable or necessary.

And until we can recognize the lie

and see it as a lie

the sin will still hold power over us.

It is that lie most of all

that drives us to “make provision for the flesh”.

The problem with my pointing this out

it is that it doesn’t seem to be of much help

in telling us how we can then fix what’s broken in our lives.

But then the truth is that we can’t fix what’s broken,

only our God can.

What we can do

is to recognize that, when a sin pattern still has power over us,

it is a clear marker of the presence of an unresolved lie in our life

and our calling is to ask our King

to bring us into the discovery of what that lie is

and show us the truth that has the ability to break its power in our life.

So let me close by simply stating the truth...God’s truth about you,

and where ever what you feel or think differs from this truth,

you’ll find there a doorway into a lie that will continue to give sin power in your life.

You see, the truth is your God loves you with an everlasting love.

He has carefully designed you first for friendship with Him,

and then for your own unique expression of that friendship to the world around you.

Right now He holds you in the palm of His hand,

pouring out on you His grace and His love in a never-ending flow.

He has freed you from your past,

walks with you each step in the present,

and has for you a future more fulfilling than you could ever imagine.

Every word He’s every spoken to you,

every instruction He’s ever given you

has been given to bring you into freedom.

And all He asks from you now

is that you daily choose to believe He’s right here with you,

and that His one desire is to show Himself a rewarder of all those who seek Him.

That’s the truth,

and whenever we find ourselves thinking or feeling in a way that is contrary to that truth

we will also find within us

a lie that will urge us to make a provision for the flesh.