(Jwplayer)

April 26, 2017

Wake Out Of Your Spiritual Sleep & Realise That Time Is Short...


Romans 13:14King James Version (KJV)

14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof

Living under the power of God (Romans 13):
Paul completes chapter 13 noting that by loving other people, we ful­fill the commandments. Living in the Spirit inherently fulfills the Jewish law, even by those who don’t know it. He reiterates that this comes not by human striving, but by the power of Christ in us. “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” he concludes (Rom. 13:14).

Romans 13

V 1–7: SUBMISSION A Christian must submit to governmental authorities. This is not just because he will suffer the wrath of authority if he fails to do so, but because of his Christian conscience and the need for government and judicial control in a civilised world. Obligations must be met which are rightfully due to civil authorities. Thus taxes are to be paid and honour is to be given. V 8–10: SUMMARY A Christian should not have outstanding financial debts. This means that any money borrowed should be repaid by the agreed due date. The Christian’s debt is to show the love of Christ to others and to obey God’s commandments. Five of the six commandments relating to relationships with men and women are then mentioned. The only one not referred to is the fifth commandment to honour parents. This is because the passage deals primarily with relationships outside the family. All those commandments quoted are summarised under loving one’s neighbour. The practical application of love fulfils the law. But love is not just a warm feeling; it is doing what God requires, and He requires that we keep His commandments. V 11–13: SLUMBER Paul bids his readers to wake out of their spiritual sleep and realise that time is short. That awakening should mean casting off ‘the works of darkness’ and putting on ‘the armour of light’. They are to walk as children of the day, rejecting their former worldly and lustful lifestyle of strife and envy. V 14: SANCTIFIED A sanctified walk involves both a positive and negative intent. They must ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ’, which means experiencing His cleansing and living under His righteousness. But also they must make ‘no provision for the flesh, to fulfil its lusts’. They must reject not only sin, but the situations that will lead them into sin. Temptation is to be avoided, as well as resisted.

King James Study Bible:
  • Introduction to the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans  

    Introduction to the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans

    This epistle was probably written at Corinth. Phoebe (Rom. 16:1) "of Cenchrea conveyed it to Rome, and Gaius of Corinth" entertained the apostle at the time of his writing it (16:23; 1 "Cor. 1:14), and Erastus was chamberlain of the city, i.e., of" Corinth (2 Tim. 4:20).
  • Rom. 13:14  Make not provision for the flesh: One should not seek opportunities to satisfy the deep-seated desires of the sin nature, but should seek occasion to manifest works that are consistent with...

  • James 1:13–15  The temptation of verses 13–15 differs from that in verses 2–12, as the context shows. Here the source is identified as internal, from one’s own lust, and the outcome is death. In verses ...  







Romans 13:14 "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]."
Here with this verse we see what summarizes sanctification, the continuing spiritual process in which those who have been saved by faith are transformed into His image and likeness.
The image given here by Paul to us describes the process which is like taking off and putting on clothes which is symbolic of thoughts and behavior.
The phrase “not provision” has the basic meaning of planning ahead or forethought. Most sinful behavior results from wrong ideas and lustful desire we allow to linger in our minds.
Galatians 5:17 “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would".
In all these lessons, I have explained that we are a spirit that dwells in a body of flesh. The soul of man is either controlled by the desires of the flesh [which is sin], or we are controlled by the spirit which desires to do God's will.
Galatians 3:27 "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ."
We cannot overcome the flesh ourselves, but the Spirit of Christ within us can overcome the flesh. You see, we have no power of our own. It is the power of Christ that overcomes.
Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

Romans 13:

V11-14 Four things are here taught, as a Christian's directory for his day's work. When to awake; Now; and to awake out of the sleep of carnal security, sloth, and negligence; out of the sleep of spiritual death, and out of the sleep of spiritual deadness. Considering the time; a busy time; a perilous time. Also the salvation nigh at hand. Let us mind our way, and mend our pace, we are nearer our journey's end. Also to make ourselves ready. The night is far spent, the day is at hand; therefore it is time to dress ourselves. Observe what we must put off; clothes worn in the night. Cast off the sinful works of darkness. Observe what we must put on; how we should dress our souls. Put on the armour of light. A Christian must reckon himself undressed, if unarmed. The graces of the Spirit are this armour, to secure the soul from Satan's temptations, and the assaults of this present evil world. Put on Christ; that includes all. Put on righteousness of Christ, for justification. Put on the Spirit and grace of Christ, for sanctification. The Lord Jesus Christ must be put on as Lord to rule you as Jesus to save you; and in both, as Christ anointed and appointed by the Father to this ruling, saving work. And how to walk. When we are up and ready, we are not to sit still, but to appear abroad; let us walk. Christianity teaches us how to walk so as to please God, who ever sees us. Walk honestly as in the day; avoiding the works of darkness. Where there are riot and drunkenness, there usually are chambering and wantonness, and strife and envy. Solomon puts these all together, #Pr 23:29-35|. See what provision to make. Our great care must be to provide for our souls: but must we take no care about our bodies? Yes; but two things are forbidden. Perplexing ourselves with anxious, encumbering care; and indulging ourselves in irregular desires. Natural wants are to be answered, but evil appetites must be checked and denied. To ask meat for our necessities, is our duty, we are taught to pray for daily bread; but to ask meat for our lusts, is provoking God, #Ps 78:18|.
~Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.


Jesus really loves children but He gave Himself for us that we may grow up in our Father, by following His Spirit and example...


" "DEVIL'S FAITH:"  GOD'S TRUE WORD CALLS 'ETERNAL SECURITY' OR ONCE-SAVED-ALWAYS-SAVED WITHOUT OBEDIENCE TO HIS MORAL LAW OF LOVE, THE KIND OF FAITH THAT DEMONS HAVE.  
The book of James, rejected by those in defense of the Predestination or Eternal Security dogma, states: "What does it profit... if someone says he has faith but does not have [Moral Law] works? [Jn. 13:34.)   Can such faith save him?  If [someone] is [really] naked and hungry,  and one says, [I bless you and pray for you...] but [does not help,] what does his faith profit him?  Thus faith by itself, if it does not have [Moral law] works, is dead... You believe that there is One God.  You do well.  Even the demons believe [without obeying Him] and they tremble!  [Because their chosen destiny is eternal hell.]  Don't you know, o foolish man, that faith without [obedience to God's Moral Law of Love] is dead?  Was Abraham justified by works when he offered Isaac...?  Do you see that faith was working together with his [obedient] works, and by works [OUR PERSONAL FAITH NOT THE FULL ATONEMENT OF CHRIST] WAS MADE PERFECT?  ...You see then that a man is justified by [obedient Moral law] works and not by faith [in Jesus Himself and in His full atonement] only...  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."  Yet, some Protestant churches even go as far as to reject entire New Testament books such as James, which absolutely refute the doctrine of Predestination or Eternal  Security.  The entire New Testament/Covenant stands on the fact that humanity has a God-given free will to choose Jesus and His full atonement in their place.  Then, they must choose to follow Jesus through obedience to His only New Testament law, the Royal or Moral Law of Love, because, as the body without the human spirit is dead, so faith without obedience to the commandments of Christ is dead, (Jam. 2:15-26; Jn. 14:15; Jn. 8:31; 1 Jn. 2:4.)"
~Renette Vermeulen

Dictionary of Bible Themes