True church clothes

Read Colossians 3:12–14 “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Intro

If you’ve guys heard the term Sunday best, raise your hand! (if not church clothes). What does it mean?

When you come to church on Sunday, you wear your best clothes.

Your Sunday best.

Your church clothes.

When you come to church, you probably see people wearing dressier clothing than what they would usually wear.

When I come to church on Sunday, and come down to be with you guys, I see all this drip!

Thats church clothes!

And while usually we think of nicest clothing we have as our church clothes, I want to talk about the truest form of church clothes.

Something deeper than just the fabrics worn on the outside, but something that is worn on the inside spiritually.

And that’s why today’s title is called, True church clothes.

1. Chosen identity (v.12)

A truly changed person is not one who just has a changed appearance, but also a changed identity.

We see this in v.12, when Paul writes, ‘therefore’.

‘Therefore’ is connecting back to v.11, which taught that Christ is the unifying identity of Christians.

That’s why regardless of us looking different, and coming from different background and ethnicities, our identity of being in Christ is what unites us all.

And Paul brings out a unique aspect of our identity as Christians with the phrase, ‘as the elect of God’.

What does elect mean?

When we elect a president we are selecting that person for that position.

Likewise as Christians, God has selected you, chosen you.

That means that it is not because of your will, or your decision that you are saved.

You are saved, because God has chosen you.

Look at John 1:12-13

John 1:12–13 (ESV)

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

As the Apostle John explained, becoming a child of God has nothing to do with your efforts or decision.

But it has everything to do with God’s will and decision.

This idea is explained even further in John 15:16

John 15:16 (ESV)

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

This verse is very close and dear to my heart.

Because this was the verse that God used to save me.

I want to talk about a time when I was in high school. (high school picture)

Growing up without a dad, I was raised by a mom who had to work 7 days a week to provide for both herself and I.

And what this meant, was that throughout late elementary school and all the way through college, I was constantly alone at home.

And so without having a dad in my life, I had a lot of emotional insecurities and then adding that I was home alone all the time, I became very depressed and even suicidal.

But then later on in high school, I suddenly had a desire to seek God.

And as I became more depressed, my hunger for God grew, until finally in early college, I went to a church to hear the bible being read, because I wanted to hear God’s word.

I became so desperate, that I started to go every night just to hear the bible being read.

And one day in February 2014, they read John 15, and specifically when I heard John 15:16, I knew I was saved.

I realized that I had no ability to save myself, and that God alone had the power to save me.

And He made it as clear as day, when He said, that I did not chose Him, but He chose me.

lt was because He chose me, that I suddenly had a desire to seek God, when others would continue a dark path unto death.

And students, if you are a Christian, you also didn’t choose God, but in reality, God chose you.

And what this should do, is humble you.

It shouldn’t make you proud or make you think that you are better than everyone else because God chose you.

Because you realize that it was out of God’s grace that God chose you,

You did not deserve to be saved, but instead deserved to go to hell.

That is amazing grace.

That saved a wretch like me!

And not only did God chose you, He chose you for a purpose!

Paul writes, ‘holy’.

Just as how we elect a president for a purpose: for the job of president, God has elected you for the purpose of being holy.

Holy means to be separate.

God has chosen you to be different from everyone else around you, so that they can see Christ in you, and be saved too.

God has done this because He loves you.

That’s why Paul writes, ‘and beloved’.

Thats another part of your chosen identity: beloved.

God the Father loves the son Jesus Christ deeply.

When Jesus was baptized by the John the Baptist, this is what God said,

Matthew 3:17 (ESV)

and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

And as Christians, since we are united with Christ, and when God looks at you He sees Christ, God also says to you, ‘you are my beloved son and daughter.’

God loves you deeply, and has chosen you to go and be holy among your friends, fellow classmates, fellow coworkers, and family.

Because you see students, what good are nice church clothes when the person wearing them is not changed?

When the person wearing them has no identity?

But thanks to Jesus, He not only gives us true church clothes, but He even changes our identity to chosen, holy and beloved, so that what we look like on the outside, matches what we are on the inside.

2. Attitude (v.12b)

Now that our identity has changed, we can finally wear true church clothes, beginning with our attitude.

That’s why Paul says, ‘put on’.

And the first true church clothing we are to put on are, ‘tender mercies’.

Another way to translate it is, ‘compassion’.

To help illustrated this, I want to give you an example of the complete opposite of compassion.

picture slide of bystander effect

There’s a social phenomena called the bystander effect.

And this happens in places where there are crowds of people, and then suddenly an emergency situation happens where 1 person is in serious trouble.

They could be having a stroke, or could be on the floor for some reason in pain.

And what often happens in this kind of situation, is that nobody does anything.

They just ignore the person who needs help, and this called the bystander effect.

Compassion is the complete opposite of that.

It is a strong care for others that is so strong that you can feel it.

Not a hardened heart that doesn’t care about others.

The next word Paul gives us, kindness.

This is a positive attitude towards others, that you wish the best for others.

Not wishing another person’s demise or downfall.

In fact God has an amazing attitude of good will towards others.

1 Timothy 2:4 (ESV)

who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Just as God who desires for everyone to be saved, we are also to want to best for others.

If kindness is the attitude towards others, the next word, humility, is the attitude towards oneself.

Instead of delighting in your achievements or what others say about you which is pride, humility doesn’t hold those things in great regard.

Jesus is the highest example of humility as we see in Philippians 2:5-8

Philippians 2:5–8 (ESV)

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Jesus who had every right to demand the best and finest things in life, as God, did not take that right,

but instead humbled himself by taking on human flesh, and decided to serve us by dying on the cross for us.

That is ultimate humility: sacrificing deserved privileges for the sake of others.

Even unbelievers understand this.

Servant leadership has become a popular thing in the unbelieving business world.

When Kobe Bryant was asked for advice on leadership, he said, ‘don’t lead, serve’.

Humility is the attitude of seeing yourself not as a king to be served, but as a servant.

The next word is, meekness.

Another way to translate it is, gentleness.

Meekness and being gentle is a way of approaching people.

A good test of gentleness is this: when you bring someone a criticism, do they find it discouraging or helpful?

Meekness and gentleness is so powerful, that Jesus said in Matt 5:5

Matthew 5:5 (ESV)

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Jesus didn’t say it’s the warriors or the fighters, that inherit the earth.

But the meek.

And that’s because fighters kill each other, leaving the meek and gentle left to rule the earth.

Do you like to argue with people?

Then remember what Jesus said about meekness.

The last word here is, longsuffering.

Another translation is, patience.

While meekness and gentleness is our approach to people, longsuffering and patience is our reaction to how people treat us, especially when we are treated wrongly.

Instead of a quick and swift anger, longsuffering is slow, and able to control anger.

And it comes when we understand that Jesus is returning to bring ultimate justice to this world.

How do you react to negative things?

Do you react in swift anger or patiently hoping in Jesus?

All of these attitudes, are the true church clothes that we wear.

But the next are what’s worn on top of these, like a coat.

3. Actions (v.13)

When you have these attitudes, they lead to visible actions on how you treat other people.

And the first that we see in v.13, is ‘bearing with one another’.

And what this means is, being able to put with immature and tiresome actions from others.

As the church, we are made up of many different people.

And so even as Christians, it’s inevitable that you’re going to be hanging out and talking to people you normally wouldn’t.

And there going to have a different view than you on things, and might find it annoying.

But there has to be an acceptance of people that you don’t necessarily get along with.

You have to let them be who they are.

Because guess what, the people that you find annoying and weird, also think you’re annoying and weird.

And that’s because no one is perfect.

If I ever found a perfect church, and I joined it, that church is now no longer perfect, because I am there!

Jesus didn’t make His church in my image, or your image, He made the church in His image.

And so students, you need to let others different than you be themselves.

Let them be different, because you are different too.

There is one more action that happens when we have the inside church clothes, and that is ‘and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another;’.

If someone has done something wrong against you, you must forgive them.

Forgiveness is letting go of grudges from unfair treatment you received, and moving forward from it.

Now many people say, that in order to forgive others, you have to forgive yourself.

And that is completely wrong and actually blasphemous.

Because if you are ‘forgiving yourself’ you are making yourself not only the victim, but also the judge.

And students, if you see yourself as the judge, you will never forgive others.

You will only judge others.

The true reason we are to forgive, Paul tells us is: ‘even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.’

There is only one judge students.

And that is God: Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 18, Jesus tells a story of forgiveness where a servant owed a king 6 billion dollars, a debt he could never repay in his entire lifetime.

The king had pity and compassion on him, and so forgave that servant that unpayable debt.

But ironically, that servant eventually had another servant who owed him $12,000.

Absolutely nothing compared to 6 billion dollars.

And that servant instead of forgiving him, threatened him to pay it back.

And the king says in Matt 18:32-33

Matthew 18:32–33 (ESV)

Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’

Students this is the true reason to forgive others: and that is if you are a Christian, God has forgiven you, so you need to forgive others too.

As Christians we all owe God $6 billion dollars spiritually, and yet He forgave us through His blood on the cross.

I remember taking classes in high school and college, where I did really bad on a test, but then all of a sudden the teacher adds a grading curve making my test passable.

What a relief I felt, I can finally breathe!

What a true relief knowing that as Christians, you no longer have to face hell for your sins.

If you truly have on true church clothes, the clearest way you can see it is if you bear with one another and forgive one another.

And so students, forgive one another.

The final true church clothes is the most important and ties everything together.

4. ____ (v.14)

4. Love (v.14)

Paul says in v.14, ‘But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.’

Love is like the belt that holds everything together.

It keeps all the other clothes from falling off.

And that’s why it’s the most important.

If you don’t have love, then everything else falls apart.

If all you want to do is fight, and not be gentle, it’s because there is no love.

If you can’t bear with people who are different than you, it’s because there is no love.

All the other church clothes we mentioned are very specific, but if you ever forget any of them, just ask yourself, ‘do I love this person?’

Because students, what was one of the words in v.12, that is part of the new identity Christ gave you?

‘Beloved’.

If God has chosen you, and loved you, how could we not love others?

John 15:13 (ESV)

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

If you want to see the greatest example of love, it is Jesus laying down His life for those who would believe in Him on the cross.

True love is sacrifice for the good of others.

But how can we give something so precious as love when others are mean to us?

When you realize the unlimited love that God has for you.

Then you can give that love to others.

Conclusion/gospel

Today, if you are listening and you don’t know the unlimited power of God’s love,

Then I want you to experience, by putting your faith in Jesus Christ alone today.

Realizing that it’s not your efforts that will save you.

But only Christ and His finished work that can.

Put your faith in Christ today, so that you don’t have to experience eternal punishment forever.

Let’s pray.

The Lord’s Supper

The Lord’s Supper is a memorial for Christians to remember what Jesus did for us on the cross.

In celebrating The Lord’s Supper, we are identifying with Jesus and other Christians that we are united by the body and blood of Christ.

If you are not a Christian or you are in unrepentant sin, please let the elements pass you and simply observe today.

Matthew 26:26–28 ESV

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.