Thursday, October 15, 2015

The Night is Nearly Over.



Romans 13:12-14 (HCSB) 12 The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires.
1. What do night and day have to do with us?
The contrast between night and day, light and darkness is not only a familiar Biblical theme but is found in the Dead Sea scrolls as well. The people of God know there is a distinct line between evil and righteousness. Yet reminders are constantly necessary. Wycliffe Bible Commentary 
And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. John 3:19-21 (KJV)
The Christian is now viewed as a moral dinosaur, holding to rigid concepts of right and wrong. The modern skeptic views morality as relative. Nothing can absolutely be called wrong, it’s up to the individual to decide. The idea of a moral code imposed upon humanity from a transcendent law giver is laughable to the post modern thinker. The mantra of today is “trust your feelings”.
“Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before.”— Mae West 
If I can rationalize away my sin by calling it something else, an alternate lifestyle instead of sodomy, women’s reproductive rights instead
of the murder of the innocent unborn, it’s an affair instead of fornication, vital information instead of gossip, income redistribution instead of theft, then I don’t have to feel guilty.
The whole profession of psychiatry is based on trying to remove feelings of guilt. The head of the largest psychiatric hospital in London
stated that 70% of his patients could walk out of the hospital if it were not for repressed quilt.
“Right is right even if no one is doing it; wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it. “ — St. Augustine of Hippo
2. What is Paul asking us to do?
There is something we need to do, an action we need to take.
Discard, put on armor, put on Christ.
Therefore, let us lay aside for ourselves the works of darkness and let us clothe ourselves with the weapons of light.  After Paul exhorts the readers to behave decently, as in the day, he lists specific activities that are to be avoided. These are carousings or revelries, and drunkenness, unlawful sexual activities and sensual indulgences, strife and jealousy. Finally, victory demands that the believer act. He is to clothe himself with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is to stop making provision (forethought) for the flesh to arouse desires for that which God has forbidden. Wycliffe Bible Commentary 
We must know what we believe, know why we believe it and then have the confidence to never deviate or compromise with the unbelieving worldview.  There is no neutral position. You are Christians and you need to live as Christians.
Augustine believed that reason can never be religiously neutral. Reason is not one independent approach to the truth while faith is another. Reason is a function of the whole person and is affected by the orientation of your heart, your passion, and your faith. As he puts it, “Faith seeks, understanding finds; whence the prophet says, ‘Unless ye believe, ye shall not understand.’”
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Gal 2:20 (NIV)
Everything starts with your belief. Your worldview is based on one simple fact.
In the beginning, God………………this is our starting point.
3. OK now I have my worldview straight, now what?
“The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today” — St. Francis of Assisi
Our actions are totally dependent on our mind.
Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve  what is  the will of God– what is good and well-pleasing and perfect. Rom. 12:2
We have a responsibility to act according to the two commandments that Jesus left us with.
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matt 22:37-40 (KJV)
Avoid the Harmful
Proverbs 23:20-21 (HCSB) 20 Don’t associate with those who drink too much wine or with those who gorge themselves on meat. 21 For the drunkard and the glutton will become poor, and grogginess will clothe ⌊them⌋ in rags.
4. But how can I keep myself free from the influence of the world and still be an effective influence on the unsaved world.
 In the dark ages, monks lived in monasteries, in total isolation from the world, so that they may remain unpolluted from the world around them.
This is one reason it was called the “dark ages”. The light was hidden away. The people who should have been influencing society, being the “salt of the earth”, were afraid to mix with sinners.
To those whom you gave me out of the world ………but they are still in the world John 17:11,16 (NIV)
We must interact with people around us, but that doesn’t mean we have to participate in their activities.
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Matt 10:16 (NIV)
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matt 9:10-13 (NIV)
5. How does this work?
It’s basically a series of moment by moment decisions. When the other people are gossiping, you make the choice to subtly change the subject. When the other guys in the office are all gathered staring at some chick who walks by, you decide to take one look and get back to work, avoiding all the gawking and inappropriate comments. Maybe you decide to act as though your wife was standing there next to you. Would she approve of your behavior? At the after work gathering, you have your one beer and then drink coke the rest of the night, instead of drinking yourself into a stupor like some of the others. When the cashier at Raley’s gives you 10$ too much change, or forgets to charge you for that case of Pepsi under your shopping cart, you bring it to his attention.
“Attack the evil that is within yourself, rather than attacking the evil that is in others.”—Confucius
“Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society.” — St. Francis of Assisi
Adopt the Beneficial
Daniel 1:8-16 (HCSB) 8 Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief official not to defile himself. 9 God had granted Daniel favor and compassion from the chief official, 10 yet he said to Daniel, “My lord the king assigned your food and drink. I’m afraid ⌊of what would happen⌋ if he saw your faces looking thinner than those of the other young men your age. You would endanger my life with the king.” 11 So Daniel said to the guard whom the chief official had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for 10 days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king’s food, and deal with your servants based on what you see.” 14 He agreed with them about this and tested them for 10 days. 15 At the end of 10 days they looked better and healthier than all the young men who were eating the king’s food. 16So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.
6. What was Daniel’s situation?
  When the Babylonian empire led by King Nebuchadnezzar conquered the nation of Judah, they carried off to Babylon the best of the Jews to work for the King. Daniel was a young man, possibly a teenager when this happened in his life. In Jewish culture there were very strict rules as far as eating certain foods, but now he was in a different culture and was faced with the decision of following what he felt was right or what his captures required him to do.
                                                      
 7. How did Daniel resist the pressure to conform without being seen as rebelling against authority?
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. Romans 13:1-2 (NASB)
We as Christian are always subject to the laws of the land, and should as much as conscience permits obey.
He suggested a positive alternative. He offered a test. Most people are practical and are looking for something that works. The trick is to not become defensive and obstructionist unless you have to. When possible be creative and non threatening.
Instead of legalizing gay marriage, we offer civil unions. Instead of burning down abortion clinics we push to expand adoption and make it more accessible. Instead of race riots, we peacefully march for civil rights. Instead of armed rebellion we register to vote people who share our politics. Instead of complaining about the government, we put down the remote and educate ourselves about candidates so we can elect candidates with values instead of those with $800 haircuts.
If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Romans 12:18 (NASB)
“Peace if possible, truth at all costs.”Martin Luther
8. What happens when our best efforts fail, and we have to choose between obeying an evil ungodly authority or obeying God?

This indeed happened to Daniel’s friends.
Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 ……. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?” 16  Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. 17  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18  But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Dan 3:14-18 (NASB)
 At this point we must be prepared to pay the price for our resistance. If that “Occupy Wall Street” crowd knew they were going to have to pay with their lives for their advocacy, that place would clear out in 5 minutes.

  

Christians have been paying the price for over 2000 yrs.

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