Put on Christ
Scripture Texts: Romans 13:11-14
How many of you have been watching the Olympics in Milan, Italy? How about curling? Lots of records are being broken and lots of history is being made. I wonder if there is anyone in Milan who knows about some other history made in Milan over 1600 years ago.
One day some children were playing a game inside a courtyard and they were saying over and over again in Latin, “Tolle, lege; tolle, lege”, take up and read, take up and read. Unknown to them there was a man sitting on the other side of the wall in utter misery, deeply dissatisfied with his life. For decades he had lived gratifying every sinful desire of his flesh. Decades of sexual immorality, sensuality, drunkenness, wine, women and song. And all of this even though he had been raised in a Christian home. But he didn’t know God. Here he was miserable, crying, trying to pray, and then he hears these children’s voices. “Tolle, lege; tolle, lege”, take up and read, take up and read.
Next to him on a bench was a copy of the NT so he picked it up and opened it totally at random and started reading, “not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
In that moment his life was changed. A life consumed by gratifying the flesh, transformed by the sword of the Spirit, the sword of the Word of God. This verse drove him to Christ to seek mercy and relief from the dominion of sin and the fear of hell. That was the history changing grace of God that found Augustine in that Milan garden. From there he became a giant pilar in the Church of Jesus Christ.
Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of sinful nature.
But our flesh is always hungry and thirsty, always looking for and wanting more. Our flesh is insatiable. Just a little more, but never satisfied. Our flesh is always asking us to find ways of getting what it wants. More money, more lust, more trying to please others, more stroking the ego, more pleasure, more comfort. More me, me, me. More, more, more.
The mantra of the flesh is “some is good, more is better and too much is just right.”
So how do we stop this vicious cycle? Let me offer three steps from our text.
Wake up. Change your clothes. Go for a good walk.