Look around our community, listen to the sounds, smell the scents, there is a difference around us. God opens to us an opportunity. It’s not just that we are marching toward the Christmas holiday, or that we approach the beauty of the perfect gift given to us in Christ Jesus, but it is a world that is crying out for the Church to bring peace to a world at war with itself. If we don’t raise up now in the world, then it begs the question whether the church will ever rise to the challenge. Similarly, Jesus came to the world in a time when the religious leaders were at war with each other; we stand now where our world is increasingly in conflict and division, and God sends us to the world. We now find ourselves in a situation and a time and place where the church is called to get up out of our seats and bring the Gospel to the world. Just as Paul called the church in Rome to stand up and get to work, Christ calls us, His Church, to come forward and walk as those bringing the light into the darkness.
11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Romans 13:11-14.
This passage is a wake-up call for believers to spiritual alertness and rings with urgency. Believers, like awakening from slumber, must rouse themselves from spiritual complacency. Time is of the essence, and how we live matters. In ancient Rome, the coming of Christ challenged the people of the Empire, urging them to abandon empty gestures and seek true spiritual awakening. The church of that era was called to rise and become aware of the indwelling Spirit of God. This awareness was meant to be shared with the world, leading to transformation and inspiring others to come to Christ. Yet, the church has spent too much time in slumber, focusing more on claiming Christianity as a global identity rather than living in a manner that would reflect the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. God’s call is not for us to engage in mere entertainment but to lift the world into His hands. The alarm has sounded, and we cannot afford to keep hitting the snooze button. It is time to rise from our complacency and stand for the Gospel. Our mission is to live for Christ and share His glory through our actions and our love for one another.
Embracing light necessitates casting off darkness. This metaphor symbolizes a stark separation from sinful actions. It implores us to abandon immorality, discord, and self-gratification, donning instead virtues such as goodness, righteousness, and truth. Paul emphasizes that within the church, there is no place for division and sin, urging believers to cast aside any darkness encroaching upon the light. Consequently, followers of Christ must acknowledge their sinfulness and strive to cleanse themselves from all that hinders them from living as Christ did. While sin may be alluring, recognizing that we are all sinners should not deter us from pursuing sanctification, for it is Christ’s grace that saves us. However, as Christ’s followers, we are also called to live in a manner that, despite our sinful nature, we must strive to eliminate all sin and submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit, who guides us toward sanctification. As we heed the call to awaken, Jesus summons us, the Church, to embody the perfection to which Christ has called us. This entails repentance wherever sin exists in our lives and entrusting our hearts into the hands of the Almighty.
To live a life that exemplifies Christ’s character and teachings, we must make choices that honor Him and resist temptations that cater to our sinful nature. As Christians, we are reminded to set aside our sinful desires and embrace a new way of living. While it may be tempting to continue living in our old ways, we must strive to love as Christ loved, show kindness to the world, and offer hope through the love of Christ Jesus. In Christ, we are new creations, no longer defined by sin but transformed by the hope of Christ. Our mission in the world is to be a beacon of hope in the midst of darkness. To effectively do this, we must live transformed lives, casting aside sin and allowing ourselves to be molded into new creations. The true hope of the Gospel lies in this transformation, allowing us to live as Christ taught us to live.
During this Advent season, as we anticipate the arrival of Christ, we recognize that we exist in a transitional period—an already, but not yet time. Christ imparts hope upon us through the transformative power of salvation while simultaneously calling us to embrace sanctification by living in enlightenment. Christ graced us with his teachings, guiding us toward a life free from sin, and while our salvation hinges on God’s grace, we also bear the responsibility to spread the hope of Christ by shedding the sins that encumber our own lives. The Apostle Paul implored the Roman church to pursue holiness by living in the light, discarding any lingering darkness. Similarly, as God’s contemporary Church, we must rid ourselves of sin to embody Christ’s compassion within our community, allowing others to witness our transformative journey. This is a clarion call to break free from complacency and allow the Holy Spirit to direct us toward lives defined by transformation. This season is one of hope, and the Church is called to live in accordance with the Gospel. However, it is imperative that we sound the alarm, rousing the world from its slumber and encouraging it to awaken to the hope that the Gospel offers. This awakening can be achieved by sharing the Gospel while embodying the transformative power of Christ within each of us.
Horizon Community Church 