Bill Acton :: Romans 13:8-14 - The Responses of the Justified

Sermon Outline for Romans 13:8-14

The Responses of the Justified

1. How God Saves Sinners Completely and Perfectly
   1. Doctrinal – Rom 1-11
   2. Practical – Rom 12-16
2. Human Responses
   1. To God
   2. To self
   3. To the body – Rom 13:8-14
   4. To governing authority – Rom 13:1-7
      1. Serve
      2. Love
3. Explain Responses
   1. Man – not God
   2. “The ball is not in our court”
   3. All God – not man
   4. “The ball is always in God’s court”
4. God Produces the Response in the Justified Ones
   1. We are in process
   2. We keep drawing from Him
   3. This is not the human works system
   4. It is all God
   5. It is all grace
      1. Now the response to our neighbor – Rom 13:8-10
      2. Neighbor – all we are in contact with
      3. Love
      4. Not financial
      5. But a good principle
      6. Love fulfills all requirements
      7. Love fulfills all the law
   6. Love will not hurt the neighbor
      1. Murder, lie, steal, covet, poison dog, keep lawn mower
      2. Every conceivable law is fulfilled by love
   7. Love the neighbor as you love yourself
      1. Not a command to love self
      2. We already do
      3. Everyone
      4. Too much
      5. Not to dwell on self-image – me, mine
      6. Now share that love
      7. What if love prevailed?
      8. No bad relationships
      9. No war, no crime, no jails, no police
      10. The response to all is love
5. The Response to Our Position in Christ – Rom 13:11-14
   1. Why position?
   2. Because we are “Children of the day”
   3. We are in the Kingdom of Light
   4. It is time to wake up to the daylight
      1. It is now – opportunities to love
      2. What it means
         1. Out of the sleep of sin
            1. Carnal security
            2. Laziness and negligence
         2. We need to be stirred, revived, quickened
            1. Watchful – on guard
         3. Concern
            1. For spiritual growth
            2. Righteousness, holiness, purity, moral, ethical
            3. For sin
         4. Expectation – insight into time
            1. Now it is dark
            2. He is absent –
            3. He is Light – night and day
         5. Of Christ’s coming
            1. It is preaching time
            2. It is worshipping time
            3. It is working time
         6. Of our own time
            1. Temporary opportunity
            2. Death
            3. Wake up now!
            4. Prayer for awakening
   5. It is time to get dressed for the daylight
      1. Take off the night clothes
         1. “Put aside the deeds of darkness”
         2. The kingdom of darkness – Col 1:12-14
         3. Hate or despise
         4. Stop
      2. Put on the day clothes
         1. The Kingdom of Light
      3. Put on the armor of light – the armor of righteousness
         1. Do not be undressed
         2. Defense – offense
         3. Spiritual warfare
      4. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ
         1. The best clothing
         2. “What well dressed Christians wear this spring”
         3. Christ is all
         4. Without Him we are naked and indecent
         5. All other wardrobes are as filthy rags – Isaiah
         6. Unacceptable
         7. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ
         8. Savior
         9. Master
         10. Ruler
         11. Owner
         12. Live your life in Him – with Him
         13. Occupied with Him
         14. Looking unto Him – Heb 12
         15. Author – Perfector
         16. Look away – fixed attention
         17. The capacity to love comes from Him
         18. Draw from Him – count on Him
         19. Augustine – this text
         20. Wake up now
         21. Put on the day clothes
         22. Christ – by faith
   6. It is time to live in the daylight
      1. Up!
      2. Dressed!
      3. Live! – Eph 5:8
      4. How to live in the light – day
   7. Three pairs of misconduct
      1. Orgies rioting and drunkenness
         1. Excess of sensual appetite – Luk 21:34
         2. Harmful, endless pursuits
         3. Escape from loving
      2. Sexual immorality and debauchery
         1. Adultery – fornication, pornography, lewdness, homosexuality
         2. Harboring thoughts – dwelling on lust
         3. Indulgence is not love
         4. It is destructive
         5. When married sex is right – pure – holy
      3. Strife and envying
         1. Dissension – divisive or discord
         2. Ill will – malice, bitterness, gossip, criticism, anger
         3. Do we bring people together
         4. Do we harmonize
         5. Seek unity
         6. Love brings unity
         7. One summary warning
         8. Do not dwell on how to satisfy the desires of the sinful nature
         9. Indulging our self – Gal 5:16
         10. Live in the daylight
             1. Conclusion – wake up, get dressed, live!