More Evidence of A Life Transformed - Romans 13:1-14
SERMON TRANSCRIPT
It's good to be with you all this morning as we are, I mean we are so close to wrapping up our series in Romans. Not that I want to be done, but it's just nice to know that we're going to complete the whole book of Romans in one year. That is quite a feat for all of us. So, a few more weeks. We are in Chapter 13 today. As we continue to discuss the transformation done by the Spirit of God that occurs in our hearts, in our minds, basically the entirety of who we are, we continue to see, Paul explains, how the Christian life should be lived out, which is with love in all settings. In our series in Romans, we've turned the corner from knowledge and belief, which was a lot of the first many chapters of Romans, to now action and practice. Paul is reminding the believers in Rome of their responsibility to follow Jesus and explaining what that should look like. Last week, Pastor Chris preached on the transformation trifecta, or the transformation hat trick. We all learned what a hat trick, where that came from. Super, super interesting. But more importantly, we talked about what a transformed life looks like. And we continue that conversation today about a transformed life. Something to remember, as Paul is expressing how we live our lives, and how that should be changed to be more like Jesus, this is all under the umbrella of God's kingdom, right? we all belong, if you believe, to God's kingdom. And God's kingdom is a heavenly kingdom, not an earthly kingdom. Meaning it's not like the Roman Empire, it's not like America or any other country today, where it's bound by certain perimeters, and it doesn't come from a certain location or physical traits. God's kingdom, the identifying marker, comes from within someone. Right? It comes from the heart. what Paul talked about in chapters previously, it's what matters inside of your heart that if you belong to God's kingdom or not. In youth group right now, we're going through the parables. And we're talking about why Jesus taught in parables. You know, why did he just come out and say what he was trying to say? Parables are these short stories in the Bible that Jesus really short, and they all contain a lesson or some kind of truth, but it's hidden, right? It's hidden in there. And usually the parables talk about one of two things, either God and who He is and what He does, or God's Kingdom.
Well, Jesus spoke in parables to be subversive about His Kingdom, not to raise the suspicions of the religious leaders or the Roman Empire. Because if Jesus was just out there saying, "Hey, my kingdom is going to last forever. Hey, come be a part of my kingdom," then the religious leaders and Romans would have been like, "What is this guy talking about? And do we need to take care of this guy right now?" I want to raise some red flags. But Jesus spoke in parables, allowing those who wanted to wrestle with it to dwell on that, to figure out that story, and to hopefully come to the right conclusion that Jesus is God, and that his kingdom is a heavenly kingdom. Also, think about it this way. If Jesus really wanted to take over the world with an earthly kingdom, he could have done it, right? That we know who Jesus is and what he can do. But instead, Jesus himself talks about submitting to earthly authorities, to living in peace, and loving your neighbor and even your enemy. So Jesus' kingdom is subversive. It's not needing to overthrow the current kingdom or regime, but it goes for the heart of people. And God's kingdom can grow and thrive, regardless of what authority is in charge here on earth. So Paul continues to describe and exhort a life of transformation in Christ that should be present no matter what circumstance is going on.
So I want to read from chapter 13, we're going to read the first seven verses. Verse 1 says, "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear from the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God's servant for your good, but if you do wrong, be afraid. For rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God's servants, agents of wrath, to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment, but also as a matter of conscience. This is also why we pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. Give to everyone what you owe them. If you owe taxes, pay taxes. If revenue, then revenue. If respect, then respect. If honor, then honor." This section right here is all about submitting to authority. This has been a passage well-referenced in the past three years now. In 2020, when everyone's life, in churches included, got flipped upside down, pastors were flipping to this passage so quickly. What does God say? What—and Christians—just what does God say about submitting to authority? And while we're not going to go into the answer to that question in 2020, I bring it up to say that we today still feel like this is very relevant.
What are we to do? Also, Paul thought it was extremely relevant during the early church. Which means, my point is, this is always relevant for the believer. This tension that we may feel about submitting to authorities is one that we can expect as believers of Jesus. Jesus addresses it, Paul addresses it, we will address it, for the rest of our lives in the church, we will continue to hear about what it means to submit to authority. And within these first seven verses, Paul speaks some truths. The first is, in the first couple verses, he describes that God is sovereign. Paul makes it very clear, "Submit to the governing authorities above that God had placed there." Paul is helping us right now comprehend how government and God relate to each other. And he shares that the governments are God's servants, at least they were supposed to be. They existed for punishing evil and rewarding good. And while sometimes that does happen, and the government is doing what God wants a government to do, we also recognize that we live in a fallen world, right? And there are times when a government is not doing what a government should do, run by people who are not following God's instruction, or not taking the opportunities that God has presented to either punish evil or reward good. But instead, the people in government might act selfishly, sinfully. And unfortunately, it causes injustice to many people. So church, we know we cannot expect to have perfection from a human government. Again, a government run by people who are marred by sin, driven by selfishness and pride. But as Paul says, it doesn't mean that God doesn't have a purpose or a plan or that he's not in control. God remains sovereign, constantly redeeming situations, constantly redeeming people, redeeming circumstances for his good. We'll get to more about submitting to authority and the good that is still happening in government. He also says that whoever rebels against these governments is actually rebelling against God.
Now, we might be quick to think of exceptions, and there are exceptions to this. I was just recently watching a World War II show, and obviously that brings to mind one of the biggest exceptions in history of rebelling against government, and how that, in that case, was better. It was more God-honoring to do that against an authority that was so clearly doing evil. But while there are exceptions, the standard truth that Paul shares that we need to remember and act accordingly is that no matter who is in charge and authority over us on earth, God is sovereign. And the expected actions for believers is to submit to that authority.
The second truth that he brings up is the need for Christians to fear God over the fear of man. Fear God over fear of man. If you want to be free from fear, then honor God. Honor God, follow his ways, and you will have nothing to fear. Now Paul, as you may know, is a bit extreme. He lives like, he'd be an adrenaline junkie if he were around today. I would expect him to be jumping off of cliffs and sky, like all these crazy things. He wrote in Philippians 1 21, "For to me," this is Paul speaking, "For to me to live is Christ, to die is gain." There's a little, I mean, even from his own words, he's like, "I'm living to die really. "I cannot wait to be in heaven with God. "God take me now and I don't care if I die." So while ideally we may all agree, yes, I get what you're saying, Paul. We may not live that hard in our faith. But he is saying, he has the eternal future in mind, and he's saying that that's the most important thing. A lot of things are going to happen on earth. A lot of maybe scary things are going to happen on earth. But ultimately, if we remember number one, that God is sovereign, we don't have that much to fear on earth. The biggest fear we may have is, where are we going to be with God? Are we going to be separated from God or are we gonna spend eternity with God? That is the biggest fear that we can have, an eternal perspective. Our eternal destiny is more important than anything that happens on earth. So Paul is saying, if you do what is right, according to scripture, if you honor God, then you have nothing to fear. Your heart, your mind will be at peace because you're living righteously before God who is judge over all, and that's ultimately what matters. So Paul's reminding believers in Rome who did deal with persecution and could have had a lot of things to fear in their day to day, don't fear them over God. Fear God and obey and follow Him.
And then thirdly, submit to authorities for our conscience because our whole lives are an act unto God. Remember this from chapter 12, verse one, "Your bodies, all of who you are, offer it as a living sacrifice to God." So even how we interact with the government is an act unto God. And so our point actually goes from submitting to authority to submit to God. If we think of it in this way, this will help us as we live out our faith in our day-to-day lives. As people transformed by the gospel, we must submit. You're gonna follow the example of Jesus, of the disciples, of Paul, who submitted to the authorities above them. Now this may mean a change of expectations for some of us, right? Some of us might expect our world today or our government today to perfectly reflect God's standards of righteous living. And as stated above, we live in a fallen world. I'm not saying we shouldn't try to influence this world for good, our government for good. Of course, of course we can and of course we should. We want to see people honor God. We would love to live in a society that has a structure that honors God. But as for our expectations, let's not be so surprised that sin is still rampant in our world. And even in the governments that we are called to submit to. Paul is writing this in the midst of the Roman Empire, which had its own many sketchy accounts, and it has its own history, that this is very needed. And we live today in a world, well, in America with a government that does good and still produces injustice, and we are called to submit. I also wanna remind us of this, that Paul is writing this describing a life of transformation through the spirit, right?
We're going back to chapter 12, was kind of this new section of the book, and we're still under that. This is all proceeding that heading of being transformed by the spirit. So not only are we called to live a life, submitting to the authorities, transformed by the spirit, but we need to be sustained by the spirit. We cannot do this on our own strength, out of our own will. We need the spirit of God to live like this. And furthermore, also from chapter 12, we need to use the gifts that God has given us, and we need to be within the community of a church. Then this instruction is much easier to follow, right? Together, we can submit to authority. We can encourage each other to fear God over man, and we can praise God together that he is sovereign over all, right? Together, we are stronger and able to do this. When one of us is not feeling it, the other, the rest of us can come around and say, "Hey, remember this truth, remember who God is?" And when we're feeling like we're not able to do it, we can have others come and support us. This is all read, meant to be read in the context of a church body. So Paul moves from the civil authorities that are above us to the law of God. That was a more tangible reality for the Jews, but still relevant for us today, as it is wisdom guiding us towards God. It's the law in our hearts. And so I wanna read verses eight through 10, which say, "Let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another. For whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, and whatever other command there may be are summed up in this one command, love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. This is all about loving your neighbor. Love is the fulfillment of the law. When we live out the life that we should, like Christ, it is a life full of love for others. Paul is telling us that the biggest evidence of a transformed life is upholding the law, the way of Jesus, and seeing a love for others coming from our lives. Remember that Jesus, when asked by the Pharisees, what's the greatest commandment? Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, "with all your soul, with all your mind." And the second is like it, "Love your neighbor as yourself." All the law, which as Jesus is saying, is all the Old Testament, all of that and the prophets, hang on these two commandments. So Jesus is saying, "This is pinnacle to your faith." And Paul is repeating that now. "Love your neighbor as yourself.”
These verses here in Romans tell us of a life that God intended for humanity to live, defined by love for one another. Because if we truly love one another, then we don't have late payments and outstanding debts from friends. We don't murder, we don't commit adultery, we don't steal, we don't covet. All those things are selfish. Those are actions that put our own desires, ambitions, before others, and even more so at the cost of others. When we act selfishly, and if we were to do any of those things, we are taking from someone else, but we should not be taking from someone else. Those actions are actions of a life that has not yet been transformed, and does not yet acknowledge Jesus as the ruler of their lives, but still follows their own path, their own heart. And all those evil actions happen when you love yourself first and foremost, when you're not loving God and loving others. So a life defined by the love of Jesus does no harm to neighbors, does not hurt other people, does not take from others. So church, what about you? Are you living selfishly? Are you leaning into your sinful desires and ambitions? Or are you living a life transformed by God, loving others? Are you loving your neighbor as yourself?
Paul continues in the rest of this chapter with this comparison, the difference between a transformed life and one not yet transformed by the Spirit, by addressing a situation that we all go through, but go through differently. It starts in verse 11, which reads, "And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. Paul is talking about living with a godly urgency. Let me ask you this. Have you ever woken up from a night... Yeah, have you ever woken up from sleep so deep, so restful that you woke up actually energized? No coffee needed. You just woke up and you were like, "Oh my goodness, I need to do something. Let's do something today. Let's clean out that shed. What's my to-do list that I haven't gotten to?" You just woke up, maybe it was 12, I don't know how many hours you need to wake up like that. I can't remember the last time I woke up like that. Or any of you, maybe you're like, "I don't know what that's like." But it's a thing. I think our kids wake up like that. They wake up with all the energy and they're like, "Whoa, what am I going to play with right now?" But that's kind of what Paul is talking about here. It's a spiritual awakening. A spiritual awakening is when you give your life over to Jesus, and then he starts to transform you, and you see the new way in which you should live, and it's invigorating. It's, "Yes, God, what is this life that I'm called to? What can I do? How can I love?" And this is important because the time, as Paul says, the time is now to demonstrate faith in Christ and love for one another. Why is the time now? Why does he say the day is near? Well, we often hear the day is near in Bible, and we think of some apocalyptic scene from the Bible where the world is ending. But Paul is not necessarily doing that.
He's more so just describing in a figurative way that the darkness, which is the evil reign of sin in our lives, is coming to an end. In the daytime, the rule of Jesus, right, light in the Bible always representing truth and goodness, that time has begun. So these verses about the darkness ending in a time of light or daytime beginning within us also sound like Paul in Ephesians when he writes, "Put off the old man and put on the new." You guys have heard that verse, talking about, again, a transformed life. " Shed the old sin and the desires of our natural flesh and put on the new man," the one defined by the Spirit. step forward into a life of following Christ. That is what is needed right now. In verse 11, Paul says that our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. Today we would call that the process of sanctification. Through the work of the Spirit in our hearts, we are made more and more like Christ every day. And so when we finally get to heaven, one day we will then be made perfect. No more sin, no more evil, no more darkness at all. Right now, we still deal with that. Hopefully less and less as time goes on as we follow Jesus, but it is always around us. So he's writing to the church in Rome and he's reminding them that their sanctification, that moment of perfection in heaven is growing closer day after day, which should bring hope, which should bring joy and motivation.
And then in verses 13 through 14, Paul ends this section with more practical reminders of what righteous living looks like. A life of faith and obedience to Christ. No matter what is happening around us, if it is end times or not, this is what a life of Christ should look like. I was just met with Daryl a couple weeks ago, and we were talking about end times and how the end times can be a fun, especially intellectual, stimulating conversation. But really the most important thing about any conversation about the end times and that the Bible stresses is how we live as Christians. It's not necessarily important to know when things will happen, what is gonna happen, what it exactly looks like. The most important thing is how will we live as Christians? Will we honor God in those times? Do we feel the responsibility to live for Jesus no matter what is happening? The end times demand that Christians be bold in their faith, confident in their belief, and ready to share the gospel. In the last couple decades, there's a growing genre of movies, of TV shows about the end of the world and whatever that may look like. Zombies, I don't know, there's a bunch of them out there. But it's all about like, hey, the end of the world is happening. You know, movie scenes that like the world is destroyed. And inevitably, in these shows or movies, there is a character who lives out that, you know, the rest of their lives on earth, whatever, however long that is, simply for their own pleasure. Whatever that entails, whatever that means, crossing someone or going over someone, harming someone, they live to get whatever they want. Because why not? It's the end of the world. There's, what are the consequences? They're gonna do whatever they wanna do, no matter what it costs someone else. And that theme in those shows and movies exist because it's a real thought and desire that people have. Hey, if I wasn't limited by all these things around me, this is what I would do. It's something that even Paul recognizes and speaks against here. This isn't a time to live into the flesh, but to live urgently for Jesus. So again, as we consider these two types of people that Paul has kind of presented, one transformed by the gospel and the other not yet transformed by the gospel, we recognize the difference between the two and how they live, especially in light of governments, of community, of people around them. One is only for themselves, selfish, not loving others, but out for their own pleasure and ambition. and the other transformed by the gospel, through Christ, loving others, living with an urgency to share the gospel with other people. And you see church, Jesus wants us to look to the future, not with fear, but looking forward, seeing opportunity, an opportunity to live like Christ, to love others with the love of Jesus, to share the hope and joy and peace that is only found in Jesus. So many people look and move forward in fear and anger and with a negative outlook, but in Christ and transformed by the Spirit, we can move forward in peace, knowing that all of who Jesus is and all that he does is good, and that he is for us. We have nothing to fear but him. So we need to live with a godly urgency. There's no time for us to take our faith so casually, to think to ourselves, you know, I'll eventually get around to addressing that part of my life, but right now it's fine, I enjoy it. It's not good, but you know, we'll focus on this part over here right now. No, no, no. God's not saying that. He's not saying take your time in being transformed. He wants you to commit all out to being transformed by the Spirit.
Live a godly life now, have some urgency. I wanna take some time at the end here to reflect on a few things. And again, bringing forward these two types of people. One is first person who lives according to their own heart, out of selfishness, out of their own strength and whatever limits they may have. They are trying maybe to live amongst people, governments, the ever-changing political landscapes, but naturally they just live selfishly. There's a limit to how much they care for others. And usually they will harm others, hurt others, take from others. And they live in that evil and darkness. And that's tiresome, that's exhausting. It constantly tests the limits of that person, physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and it brings forth no good fruit. It only yields more sin, more selfishness, and more darkness. Now, there's another type of person whose life is continually being transformed by God, by the gospel, someone who depends on God in their everyday life and has a heart and mind that love God and love others, loves others. They can live like Jesus amongst authorities, governments, and communities. They can live a life that fulfills the law, the way of Jesus, the way that God desired humanity to live. And they can live with the uncertainty of what may happen in the world, but confident that Christ is with them, living with an urgency to share the love of God and Christ with other people.
And so which one are you? If you were to take inventory of your life right now, Just think and reflect back, maybe just even in this past week of your life. Think about your actions, your heart, your thoughts, the motivations within you. Which person are you? How have you been living? And have you been living the transformed life? Or have you been living in darkness? Or maybe falling asleep again to the new life that God has called you to? Are you living out of fear of man, of government, or anything or anyone other than God? And if that's you, if you're noticing that your life is not yet showing evidence of Jesus, but you want that to change, then do that today. Pray to God, repent of your sins, and ask that Jesus would reign in your life, and that the Spirit would start to transform your heart and mind. And if you do see evidence, if you've thought back in this past week, if you have moments where like, that was the spirit at work within me, thank you for that, then praise him and continue to strive after him and live dependent on him. So church, we'll close with this. How will you respond to every circumstance in love? Whatever you're going through right now in life, dealing with difficult family members, stressing about finances and it's leaving you frustrated and fearful about the future, trying to navigate your career, whatever it may be, take inventory, are you relying upon the spirit or your own strength to get through that situation? And how will you love others in that circumstance?
And then lastly, what urgency do you have in your faith? We can get so sucked in and hyper-focused on our lives that we forget the larger picture that God has called us to, that we are a part of. The things we think about that we dwell on could be good things, but if they put our faith, our responsibility to the gospel, our responsibility to the kingdom of God, if they put them on the back burner and it puts us to a spiritual sleep, then we are not living with the urgency that we need to. We need to be like Paul, a little bit more extreme, having the gospel on the forefront of our minds, having that eternal perspective on the forefront of our minds. As he says, to live is Christ. To live this life is for him, first and foremost. And to die is gain. My prayer this week is that God would show each of us how to live urgently for him while loving those around us.