Pathway to Victory

David J. Mullins: Hey podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today’s podcast from Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. And right now, your generous gift will have twice the impact thanks to the In God We Trust $1.5 million matching challenge, active now through July 5th. To give a special matching challenge gift, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. Now, here’s today’s podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Dr. Robert Jeffress: Hi, this is Robert Jeffress, and I'm glad to study God’s word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today’s edition of Pathway to Victory, in verse 11 of Romans 13, Paul says we are to do all of these things, knowing the time. What time is it, Paul? What do you mean, knowing the time? Paul says the alarm has already sounded, and first of all, that means it’s time to get up.

David J. Mullins: Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. Nobody looks forward to being jolted awake by the alarm clock in the morning. But when that alarm goes off, you know it’s time to get up and get ready, fast. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress addresses a very urgent and relevant issue: the second coming of Jesus Christ. But first, let’s take a moment to hear some important ministry updates.

Dr. Robert Jeffress: Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. For the entire month of June, I’ve decided to present messages about the country we love. Most messages are fearful about our future as a nation, and many are asking me this natural question: Are we living in the end times? Well, in today’s message, I’m going to tackle that question.

But first, I’ll remind you that time is running short to participate in the wonderful In God We Trust matching challenge. This means that every dollar you give will be automatically doubled in size and impact until we reach the goal of $1.5 million. This matching challenge will accelerate our effectiveness in the months ahead, strengthening believers, restoring families, and carrying the gospel to millions who are waiting to hear it.

Plus, when we receive your gift, we’ll be happy to send you a copy of the full-color book published exclusively by Pathway to Victory. It’s called The 250th Commemorative Edition of America Is a Christian Nation. It’ll reinforce your personal conviction that America is indeed a Christian nation, guided by God’s divine hand. We’ll identify more details about this wonderful book and other resources later in the program.

But right now, let’s get started with today’s study. Some Christians assume that it’s far too early to see Christ’s return within their lifetime. But as the Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 13, it’s later than you think. There are a number of different ways to categorize people. Some people are hot-natured, others are cold-natured. You can differentiate people by their personality types. Some people are what we call melancholy, some people are sanguine.

You can distinguish people by their skin color or by their spiritual gifts. But one way to differentiate between people is by their response to the alarm clock. There are some people that we call morning people. They're really the obnoxious ones. They’re the ones who, when the alarm clock sounds, they bound out of bed. Their best hours of the day are between 5:00 AM and 1:00 PM in the afternoon.

By about 5:00 in the afternoon, they’re wasted and they have to go to bed. Those are the morning people. I used to think of myself as a morning person until the last couple of days. My alarm went off at 2:30 in the morning to get up for Fox & Friends, and I’m rethinking that whole morning thing. But then there are what we call the night people, the night crawlers. They don't even get started until about 8:00 at night.

Their most productive times are between about 8:00 PM and 1:00 AM. But when that alarm rings, they have a hard time getting any blanket victory. They don’t feel like they’re saved until their fifth cup of coffee after 11:00 AM in the morning. Those are the nighttime people. I think you’ll agree with me that if you happen to be a night person, there are some days that it’s not difficult at all to get up for.

The first day of your vacation, the first day of a new job, the day that you’re getting married. There are some days that are so exciting in and of themselves that you get up immediately. You’re able to shake off the lethargy of the night before. In the passage we’re going to look at today, Paul says there is one day coming, in fact, it’s about to dawn, that is so exciting that it ought to cause us to awaken immediately, to get up, to get ready.

And that day is the day of Christ’s appearing. If you have your Bibles, I want you to turn to Romans chapter 13. We’re in the last section of the book of Romans. It’s the section that deals with the practical aspects of righteousness. If we are in a right relationship with God, it certainly ought to impact our daily life. Paul’s been talking about our love that we ought to be extending to other Christians.

He talks about how we ought to treat our enemies. He talks about how we respond to government. But then in verse 11 of Romans 13, he says we are to do all of these things, knowing the time. What time is it, Paul? What do you mean, knowing the time? Paul says the alarm has already sounded, and first of all, that means it’s time to get up. Look at verse 11 of Romans 13. "And this do, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep. For now salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed."

Paul wants us to know what time it is. Remember the sons of Issachar we talked about a few weeks ago? First Chronicles 12, verse 32 says these descendants of Issachar were men who understood their times. They knew what time it was, and they knew what God’s people should do. In Matthew 16, verse 3, Jesus criticized the Pharisees by saying, "You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times."

We need to know what time we are living in right now. What time is it on God’s clock? Well, right now we’re living in the time, first of all, when darkness prevails. Look at verse 12. "The night is almost gone and the day is at hand." Paul is saying it’s still nighttime. When the alarm goes off, if you’ve got it set right, it probably goes off when it’s still dark. It isn’t full daylight yet. And it’s the same way here.

We need to realize that the darkness is still with us. The darkness is still prevailing. The day is at hand, but it hasn’t quite yet arrived. Understanding that helps you make sense of the world in which we live. Galatians 1, verse 4 says that we are living in this present evil age. Do you understand? We’re living in an era where Satan is still in control of this world. Do you need a preacher to tell you that? Just look around you at what is happening.

It is very clear that Satan is in control. The Bible says in Second Corinthians 4, verse 4, he is the god of this world. Ephesians 2:2 says he is the prince of the power of the air. Now, that doesn’t mean that God is not sovereign. God is still in control, but he’s given temporary control of this world to Satan. Satan is like a junkyard dog on a very long leash. His power to destroy is considerable, but it’s also limited.

Nevertheless, we are living in an evil age. That explains a lot of what’s happening in the world today. We look at atrocities like what happened in Charleston last month. These wonderful Christians, gunned down. People ask, "Why does that happen? Why does God allow that to happen?" I was listening to talk show host Michael Savage this week talk about that. He’s Jewish, and he was on a rant about it.

He said, "I cannot understand, if there is a god, why did he allow those people to die?" He said nobody’s been able to answer my question. He talked to three rabbis this week, and none of them could answer his question. Why does this happen? The reason is very clear, the Bible says, because Satan is the prince of the power of the air. He is the god of this world for now. And we will never make sense of our world until we understand that.

Paul said in Ephesians 6, "For our battle, our wrestling is not with flesh and blood. It’s not against other people. It’s against the unseen forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." I was trying to think about how to best illustrate for you the darkness that prevails in this world right now. I thought about statistics I could give you about violence and immorality and so forth. But I came across a letter that I think best illustrates the darkness in which we are living, the darkness of this present age.

Jody McLeod is a high school principal in Tennessee. He was wrestling with the question about how to handle the Supreme Court’s ban on public prayers at football games. And so after much prayer himself, one night at the Friday night football game, he stood in front of the microphone and he spoke these words to the assembled crowd: "It has always been the custom at Roane County High School football games to say a prayer and play the national anthem to honor God and country."

"Due to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, I’m told that saying a prayer is a violation of federal law. As I understand the law at this time, I can use this public facility to approve of sexual perversion and call it an alternative lifestyle, and if somebody is offended, that’s okay. I can even use this public facility to present the merits of killing an unborn baby as a viable means of birth control. If somebody is offended, no problem."

"I can use literature, videos, and presentations in the classroom that depict people with strong traditional Christian convictions as simple-minded and ignorant, and I can call it enlightenment. However, if anyone uses this facility to honor God and ask him to bless this event with safety and good sportsmanship, federal law is violated. This appears to be, at best, inconsistent, and at worst, diabolical."

"Apparently, we are to be tolerant of everything and everyone except God and his commandments. Nevertheless, as a school principal, I frequently ask staff and students to abide by rules with which they do not necessarily agree. For me to do otherwise would be, at best, inconsistent, and at worst, hypocritical. For this reason, I shall render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and refrain from praying at this game."

"However, if you feel inspired to honor, praise, and thank God and to ask in the name of Jesus Christ to bless this event, please feel free to do so. As far as I know, that’s not against the law yet. God bless." That summarizes the age in which we live. It is an age in which the darkness prevails. But Paul says something else about the time we’re living in. We’re living in a time when the daylight is about to unveil.

Darkness prevails, the night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. What day is Paul talking about? The scripture uses "the day" to refer to the time of Christ’s return. In many ways, "the day" refers to all of the end time events. It telescopes all of the end time events together and sees them as one. We know on God’s prophetic calendar, the next event is going to be the Rapture of the church, when all Christians are caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

Followed by the seven years of tribulation, we call the day of the Lord, the day of God’s judgment. Followed by the literal return of Jesus Christ to the earth. Paul uses the term "the day" to refer to all of those events. For example, mark down Hebrews 10:24-25. "And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near."

Or jot down First Thessalonians 5:4-7. "But you, brethren, are not in the darkness that the day should overtake you like a thief. For you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness. So then, let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep, do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night."

Or Second Peter 1:19. "And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts." Do you see that? "The day" refers to the return of Christ. And so in Romans 13:11, Paul says, "For now salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed." Because the day is just about here, salvation is nearer to us than it’s ever been.

This confuses a lot of people. They say, "What do you mean salvation is nearer than it’s ever been? Does that mean we’re not yet saved? Does it mean we can’t know for sure whether we’re truly saved until Christ comes back?" No, that’s not what it’s saying. This is so key to understanding what God is doing in your life. Did you know there are three aspects to your salvation? If you’re truly a Christian, you were saved, you are being saved, and one day you shall be saved.

First of all, the Bible says when you trust in Christ as your savior, you were saved. That refers to our justification. Justification is that one-time act of God when at the moment we trust in Christ as our savior, God justifies us. He declares us not guilty. You were never more justified in your whole life than you were the moment you trusted in Christ as your savior. It is a one-time act of God.

Paul talks about it in Romans 5:1. He says, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." So that’s the past tense of our salvation. You were justified, you were saved. But there is a present salvation going on in your life right now. You are being saved. That refers to our sanctification. Sanctification is the process by which we become more and more like Jesus Christ.

"For whom God foreknew, he predestined to become conformed to the image of his son." It is a work that began the moment you were saved and will continue until the time that you see Christ again. That is our sanctification. You were saved, you are being saved. The third facet of your salvation is still future. And that is our glorification. One day you shall be saved.

The final act of God in your salvation is going to be when he gives you that brand new body. That body that is forever free from the power of sin and death. And that is the last chapter of your salvation that we’re looking for. And so Paul says, when your salvation is nearer than it’s ever been, he’s talking about your glorification. That new body you’ll receive at the Rapture of the church.

What do you mean, Paul, it is closer today than it has ever been? The fact is we don’t know when Christ is coming. We can’t know the time, but we do know the times. Did you know in the Greek text, there are really two words that refer to time? One word is the word *chronos*. It means hour, date, minute, second. We can’t know the *chronos* of when Christ is coming.

But there’s a second word for time, *kairos*. That refers to the season, the era. And by looking at prophetic events, we can know we’re living in the *kairos*, the season, the era of Christ’s return. He said it is closer today than it has ever been. And that’s why Paul is saying in Romans 13:11, the alarm has sounded. It is time to wake up. But number two, it’s time to do something else. Since the alarm has sounded, it is also time to get dressed.

Look at verse 12. "The night is almost gone and the day is at hand. Therefore, let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light." When you get up and finally get yourself out of bed, what’s the first thing you do? Well, you get dressed. And the reason you get dressed is the clothing you were wearing at night may be suitable for the nighttime, but it’s certainly not suitable for the daytime.

There is some clothing that is suitable for the nighttime, but there’s other clothing that is only suitable for the daytime, and you wouldn’t dare think about wearing what you wore at night in the daytime. It just wouldn’t be proper. Paul is saying the same thing about our behavior. He uses clothing as a metaphor for behavior. There’s certain behavior we put off because the night is over. And there’s other kind of behavior that we need to put on.

Throughout the Bible, righteousness, a right relationship with God, is often compared to clothing. The word righteousness means a right standing with God. And there are two kinds of righteousness in the Bible. There’s what we call first of all, imputed righteousness. That is righteousness that God imputes, that is, he credits to our account the moment we become a Christian. Imputed righteousness, it is a gift of God.

The moment we trust in Christ as our savior, we are declared to be not guilty. It is a gift from God. It is nothing we earn. The Bible also describes that kind of righteousness as a garment that God puts on us. Do you remember the illustration I’ve used before about a man who takes his wife to dinner to a very nice restaurant? He’s dressed in nice casual clothes, but when he gets to the restaurant, he discovers there’s a policy that says dinner jackets required.

He complains to the maitre d' that he was unaware of the policy. The maitre d' said it doesn’t matter, that’s our policy. But he said you’re not the only one who’s come in here like this, and that’s why we keep a spare jacket here. And if you’d like, you can borrow this jacket and you can come in and have a great meal. At that point, you have a choice. You can either out of pride say, "If you don’t like me the way I’m dressed, well, you can just hang it on your beak. I’m out of here," and here we go.

Or you can humble yourself and say, "I’ll follow the policy. I’ll accept the gift of that coat. I will put it on so I can enjoy a great meal." The same is true for us spiritually. None of us has the right clothing, so to speak, to enter into heaven. Our righteousness, the best we can do, is like a filthy garment to God, the Bible says. We can never enter heaven in our own.

But God makes us a deal. He said, "You don’t have enough righteousness, but I’ve got lots of righteousness. And if you will confess your sin and trust in Jesus to be your savior, I will put his righteousness around you. I’ll wrap you in his righteousness, and from that point on when I see you, I don’t see your sin, I see the righteousness of my son." At that point, we can say, "God, I don’t care. If you don’t take me the way I am, forget it," and we miss eternity with God in heaven. Or we can humble ourselves and we can say, "God, I believe what you’ve said. In humility, I accept the gift of your righteousness by trusting in Christ."

This is one of those days I wish that Pathway to Victory was a one-hour program rather than a half hour. But I’ve set aside our next program to continue this important study from Romans 13, so be sure to join us again. I’m under no delusion that changing the moral direction of our nation is easy. The only way we’re going to change the morality of America is by changing the hearts of Americans.

And Pathway to Victory is committed to be a light in the darkness for a nation in desperate need. Right now, you can partner with us in ministry by giving toward the In God We Trust matching challenge. When you give to the matching challenge, you’re making an eternal investment in a human soul who is searching, hurting, and waiting to hear the only message that can truly transform a life. And your gift will expand our broadcast reach to acquire additional radio time in key markets.

Plus, every dollar you give will be doubled. In addition, when you give to the matching challenge, I’m going to say thanks by sending a spectacular book to your home. It’s Pathway to Victory’s 250th commemorative edition of America Is a Christian Nation. This is a book to share with your children and grandchildren so that they, too, can learn the truth about God’s divine hand in American history. Now’s the time to act: boldly, urgently, and with the unshakable conviction that God alone holds America’s future in his hands. I look forward to hearing from you today. Here’s David with all the details.

David J. Mullins: When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you’re invited to request the brand new 250th commemorative edition of America Is a Christian Nation. In addition to the book, you’ll receive In God We Trust. It’s a brand new two-disc set featuring music performances by the First Baptist Dallas choir and orchestra and teaching from Dr. Robert Jeffress. To request these resources, call 866-999-2965, visit ptv.org, or you could text PTV to 78800.

And when you give $100 or more, we’ll also send you the America and the Bible message series on DVD video and MP3 format audio disc set. And remember, because of the In God We Trust matching challenge, your gift to Pathway to Victory will be matched and therefore doubled in impact. So be sure to get in touch with us today. One more time, call 866-999-2965 or go online to ptv.org.

You can also send your donation by mail. Write to PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. Again, that’s PO Box 223609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I’m David J. Mullins, inviting you to join us again Friday when the message called It’s Later Than You Think! continues here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas.

You made it to the end of today’s podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we’re so glad you’re here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. And right now, your ministry gift will be matched and therefore doubled in impact thanks to the In God We Trust $1.5 million matching challenge. Take advantage of this opportunity to double your impact before the deadline on July 5th. To give toward the matching challenge, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you’ve been blessed by today’s podcast from Pathway to Victory.