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Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Suit Up

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The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. —Romans 13:12

If you were to suffer the horrible experience of falling into a septic tank, you can be sure the clothes you were wearing would quickly become a part of your past. You wouldn’t wash them because it would ruin your washing machine. You would simply throw them out.

The apostle Paul wrote, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12).

The idea is to cast off the works of darkness as though you had fallen into a septic tank. Cast them off like dirty clothes. In their place, put on the armor of light. Trade in the old for the new. Suit up.

Then Paul tells us there are things we must get rid of and things we must be engaged in: “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:13–14).

The words “revelry” and “drunkenness,” used together, depict drunken individuals walking through the street. It is the party animal mentality. It seems that people who are drinking always get noisy. They start laughing at things that aren’t funny. They start raising their voices. They think they are acting sober when, in reality, they are acting like people who are drunk because that is exactly what they are.

There are Christians who say they have the liberty to drink and know when to stop, but they still come under the influence. As Christians, we want to be under the influence of God. That is how we are to live as last days believers.

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Are You Awake?

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This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. —Romans 13:11

Have you ever had someone call you very late at night or very early in the morning? You answer the phone, and the voice on the other end says, “Did I wake you?”

What do we always say? “No.”

Why are we so reluctant to admit we were sleeping? Why do we always want to deny it?

The apostle Paul wrote, “Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living” (Romans 13:11–12).

The J. B. Phillips paraphrase states it this way: “Why all this stress on behavior? Because, as I think you have realized, the present time is of the highest importance—it is time to wake up to reality. Every day brings God’s salvation nearer. The night is nearly over, the day has almost dawned. Let us therefore fling away the things that men do in the dark, let us arm ourselves for the fight of the day!”

“The present time” this verse is referring to is the Lord’s return. Paul wasn’t addressing his words to nonbelievers; he was addressing Christians. He was addressing his remarks to genuine believers whose spiritual lethargy and laziness made them appear and act as though they had no spiritual lives.

We, too, can get a little lazy and a little lethargic. Maybe we have been taking in the Word of God without an outlet for what God is teaching us in our lives, and as a result, we are actually falling asleep in the light. We are resting on our laurels and living in our past. We need to wake up. The coming of the Lord is near.

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John MacArthur – Ministering to the Poor

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“If a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and you say to the poor man, ‘You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,’ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?” (James 2:2- 4).

Partiality is an age-old problem that exists in almost every area of life. Perhaps its most common manifestations are racial, religious, and socio-economic discrimination. By implication James denounced partiality in any form, but in James 2:2-4 he specifically mentions preferential treatment of the rich over the poor. He knew such favoritism was devastating not only because it is sinful, but also because the majority of believers in the early church were poor, common people. Discriminating against them would have struck a blow at the very heart of the church!

From its inception the church has upheld the priority of ministering to the poor. Acts 2:44-45 says, “All those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.” Paul organized a relief fund for the needy saints in Jerusalem (1 Cor. 16:1-4), and during one severe famine, “in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders” (Acts 11:29-30).

God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, but some of James’s readers were dishonoring them (vv. 5-6). That had to stop! We too must honor the poor by treating them with dignity rather than prejudice, and meeting their needs whenever possible. Be alert to those around you whom you might help in some practical way.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Ask the Lord to keep you sensitive to those around you, and for wisdom to know how to respond to their needs.

For Further Study:

Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, noting the kinds of people God uses to accomplish His purposes.

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John MacArthur – Receiving the Word in Purity

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“Putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness . . . receive the word” (James 1:21).

When the psalmist said, “I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Thy word” (Ps. 119:101), he was acknowledging a key principle of spiritual growth: you must set aside sin if you expect to benefit from God’s Word. Peter was expressing the same thought when he said, “Putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet. 2:1-2). Likewise, James admonished us to put off sin and receive the Word (James 1:21).

Neither James nor Peter were addressing unbelievers, because without Christ, people have no capacity to set sin aside or receive God’s Word. But we as Christians are characterized by our ability to do both, and must continually purify our lives through confession of sin, repentance, and right choices. That’s why Paul said, “Just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification” (Rom. 6:19).

The Greek word translated “putting aside” in James 1:21 originally meant taking off dirty, soiled clothes. “Filthiness” translates a Greek word that was used of moral vice as well as dirty clothes. Its root word was sometimes used of ear wax, which impedes a person’s hearing. Similarly, sin impedes reception of the Word. “Wickedness” speaks of any evil intent or desire. Together they stress the importance of setting aside all evil actions and intentions.

Simply stated, you should never presume on God’s grace by approaching His Word with unconfessed sin. David prayed, “Keep back Thy servant from presumptuous [deliberate] sins; let them not rule over me; then I shall be blameless” (Ps. 19:13). He wanted to be pure before the Lord. I pray that you share his desire and will always receive the Word in purity.

Suggestions for Prayer:

Memorize Psalm 19:14. Make it your prayer as you study God’s Word.

For Further Study:

Read Colossians 3:5-17.

What does Paul admonish you to put off? Put on?

Why is it important to heed his admonitions?