Putting on Church Clothes

Text: Genesis

2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

3:7  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. 

Help us dear God to not get distracted by the apparel of our pastor today, but to focus on the passage.

Adam and Eve were not perfect, but they were innocent, unknowing of the effects of same.

a.   In their nakedness, they were totally open with one another, no secrets, no same, accepting each other without reservation.

             i.        The first thing they did after disobedience was cover themselves, and the second thing they did was hide themselves.

b.   Sometimes we dress the way we dress vecause they are trying to hide the way they are.

             i.        Many don't come to church because they don't have church clothes. They "know" you aren't supposed to come to church with shorts and a t-shirt, because they are not "church clothes."

            ii.        Understand that some people won't come to church befcause they don't have slacks or a tie, lest they get judged by what they have on.

c.   The Lord is moving us in a different direction than I've personally ever seen.

d.   When we're talking about reaching people with the Gospel, we have to get past this notion that people have to come to church looking a certain way.

e.   James 2:1

1  My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

2  For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

3  And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

4  Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

5  Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

f.    It's a shame that sometimes we accept what God doesn't accept, and then we don't accept what He does.

             i.        It's better for you to be in the house of God the way that you are and let Him change you from the inside, than for you to be worrying about what you're wearing.

            ii.        It is a shame that a person will look down on someone who doesn't have what they have, but not lift a finger to help them.

g.   Faithfulness is not about your words, faithfulness is a lifestyle. Just because are you are good at something doesn't mean you will be faithful at it.

h.   1 John 3:11-13

11  For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

12  Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

13  Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

             i.    See I don't marvel that the world hate me, I marvel sometimes that Christian people hate me.

14  We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

15  Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

16  Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

17  But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

             i.    16 and 17 give you an idea of what it's like to really love somebody. I could tell you I love you all day long, but if I don't have actions to back up my love, I may as well shut up.

            ii.    How does the love of God dwell in a person, who sees that his brother has need, and they can meet the need but they decide not to?

18  My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

             i.    You can always tell when a person is walking with God, because they will love the way they should.

            ii.    Real love cannot be duplicated by the flesh. I If you DO love, it is only because of the grace of God in your heart that allows you to love.

          iii.    You can duplicate some of the other fruits, but you cannot duplicate love. If you are a fleshly person, it is all about you.

 i.        Love is always spoken as an action, not just a word. Whenever you see the word love in the Bible it's not just talking about a word. Love is action, agape love is the highest form, and it's not just something you can say out of your mouth.

             i.        Faith is not something that you can just say I got.

            ii.        Words without actions means absolutely nothing.

What is real church clothes?

1.   You cannot have church clothes if you don't have Christ!

a.        That's the first thing you have to learn to put on, is Christ. If you are saved, lift your hands in testimony of the glory of God.

b.        If you have put on Christ you have put on the first garment of clothing.

c.        Galatians 3:26-27

26  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

27  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

d.        He must be the most important thing in your life.

             i.        Because we are His Children, we are brought into an intimate relationship with Him.

            ii.        There is nothing like being able to walk with God, letting Him heal you and change you.

e.        God help us if we don't take advantage of the intimate relationship that Christ wants to have with us. There is nothing like being able to walk with God.

f.        You need to trust Him so much, that if He told you to walk away from your job, that you would be able to do that.

g.        The culture of church is terrible today. Come into church, get filled with the Holy Ghost one minute, and then get filled with the unholy ghost the next.

             i.        Church culture today looks like the Scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus said on the outside you look beautiful, but on the inside you are filled with bones. You look like coffins.

            ii.        What happened with people like John the Baptist, who was more concerned with the message, than he was of the things of this world. On the outside he was comely, but Jesus said out of all the men born of women, he is the greatest man in the world.

1.   God help us if we put our trust in this world, when one day all this is going to be dissolved. You came into this world naked, and you will leave this world naked.

h.        There is only one thing you will take out of this world. The souls you won for Christ are the only things that you take with you, that end up in glory with you.

             i.        When is the last time God gave you a burden for souls?

 i.        We can't be the kind of people that spend so much time worrying about the here and now. The reason Jesus was able to go to the Cross is bvecause He was looking past it.

j.        Many times we get caught up in the trials of this life, and was unable to see the joy of Christ, because we were distracted.

2.   Put on Christ. The word put on, it means literally "to dress oneself, as if with clothes." This is not talking about the physical dress, but the spiritual dress.

a.        Colossians 3:12-17

12  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

13  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

           a.    Christ forgave me, I have no right not to forgive somebody else. I have no right to treat somebody different and worse than what God treats me. I HAVE NO RIGHT!

15  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

           a.    Christianity has nothing to do with physical dress, but it does affect the physical dress.

           b.    You can come to church wearing spiritual clothes and still not act like a Christian. Christianity is not how you dress, it's how you act. Being a Christian means you Christ-like.

b.        Notice that Verse 12 says humbleness of mind. Many people know how to shut their mouths, but they don't know how to humble their minds.

             i.        When you learn how to demand and control yourself, then you don't have to be beating yourself on your chest at home.

            ii.        Verse 12 says longsuffering. Long-suffering is suffering for a long time without changing. It means I'm not gonna give you the right to make me act in a way that's not pleasing to God.

          iii.        If I am easily offended, my problem is deeper than the people around me.

c.        Verse 12 says charity. What is charity? LOVE.

             i.        Can you put on love without putting on Christ? You can't, you will not walk in love, you will walk in the flesh. And when you walk in flesh you will walk in hatred, wrath, disobedience.

            ii.        The flesh and the spirit are totally opposite. You can tell if someone is walking with God by their attitude better than anything else.

d.        Christianity has nothing to do with physical dress, but as you get closer to God, you physical dress will follow.

e.        We must learn how to dress from the inside out. If we could learn that, we could reach the wrold with the Gospel. God looketh on the heart, but if we are so busy trying to impress people, we end up being like those in Scripture - "They love the praise of man, more than the praise of God."

3.   Clothe yourself with Humility.

a.        1 Peter 5:5-9

5  Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

6  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

7  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

8  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

9  Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

b.        When we are clothed with humility, we can do what God wants us to do regardless of what anyone else does.

c.        The thing that makes us turn from God, makes us retaliate against people, is pride. The reason why we have a hard time living peacefully with people, is because of pride. Pride is deadly, because pride can disguise itself, and sometimes is not easily detected.

             i.        You always know when you're prideful, but the question is, what do you do when you realize it?

d.        How much time did you put into the physical, verses how much time did you put into God today?

e.        When we are prideful, we don't pray.

             i.        When we are prideful, we cast our care upon somebody else. We start looking to others to validate our feelings.

            ii.        Your problem is not with people, your problem is with God.

          iii.        We are never justified to do wrong actions.

          iv.        What does the word offend mean in the Bible? If nothing will offend you, then you will not allow yourself to do something contrary to what is the will of God in your life, no matter what anybody else does.

1.   You wills stay on course because His word is a lamp unto your feet, and a light to your path.

           v.        Jesus was tempted in all points like as we and yet was without sin. If you don't have anybody else, you always have Him, who understands everything that you go through.

f.        God came to Elijah three different times, and every time He showed up He said Elijah, WHY ARE YOU HERE?

             i.        Sometimes when you find yourself in a place that you shouldn't be, you got to ask yourself, why am I here?

g.        1 Kings 19:13-14, 18

13  And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

14  And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

18  Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

             i.    I love the way God shows up. Whenever God comes and walks in YOUR garden, He comes with a question.

            ii.    When God showed up in the Garden of Eden, he asked Adam, who told you you were naked?

h.        Just because you are the only one out on a limb, doesn't mean there aren't any others out on their own limbs.

 i.        Elijah was never alone. Even if he had nobody by him, he was never by himself. So why did he feel alone? Because he got distracted.

             i.        When you get distracted you lose focus of the big picture, because you have made somebody else in your life more imporant than God. Whenever you allow someone to turn you against God's will, you have made them more important than God.

4.   Dressing the inside is more important than looking right on the outside. Stop putting more stock on that which is physical than that which is spiritual. Do not sacrifice that which is eternal, for something that's temporary. Stop doing it.

a.        If you would just take time out to allow God to work on your mind, we could move on to other things.

b.        Fight the good fight. Keep fighting. Sometimes we have to fight against ourselves.

c.        If I don't keep my body in subjection, I could become unusable to God. Don't let that happen Christians, give it to God.