"Clothe Yourselves"

How many people remember a children’s story that was written in the mid 1800’s by the Danish author, Hans Christian Andersen, entitled, The Emperor's New Clothes?

Allow me to give you the short version of the story and then we’ll move on.

EXPLAIN THE BASIC GIST OF THE STORY TO THE CROWD

I spoke 2 weeks ago, on the subject of the Ekklesia of Jesus and I mentioned at that time, that I was going to be revisiting this topic over the next couple of weeks or so. (Which, if I may remind you, is always subject to change, based upon the unction and leading of Holy Spirit!)

Anyway, this morning is an indirect continuation of that topic. And what I mean is this. I am talking about the Body of Christ, but a very specific aspect of it.

Today’s message is entitled, “Clothe Yourselves” and it stems from a passage found in the book of .

Now, before we jump into that passage and read it, let me show you a few pictures this morning and as you see them, you tell me what they make you think of, OK?

SHOW SLIDES

Carpenter

Right, that I am a carpenter, or a handyman, right?

Now, let’s say that you see me with

Doctor

Fireman

Baseball player

Astronaut

Police officer

Burglar (IRS representative)

Soldier

Preacher

OK, so my overall point is this, when we see certain outfits, uniforms, or articles of clothing, we automatically label them, or assign them to a certain type of person, or occupation, correct?

If you are an officer in the military and you are wearing your dress uniform, there are standards that one must go through in putting them on and how they should look, right?

If you are an officer in the military and you are wearing your dress uniform, there are standards that one must go through in putting them on and how they should look, right?

It’s not open to interpretation for the individual. The same way with any other professional job, the employer sets a dress code and it is expected to be followed. (Like when I worked for the hospital or Benchmark.)

Even when you go all the way back to the Levitical priesthood and that of the High Priest, God gave specific directions on their attire and how they were to be dressed in the book of Exodus: a breastpiece, a priestly vest, a robe, an embroidered shirt, a turban, and a sash. Only gold and fine linen, woven with blue, purple, and red wool, were to be used for making these clothes.

Even today, within church buildings all over the country, like the slide that I just showed with Reverend Graham in it, people have a preconceived idea as to what a PREACHER is to wear and what they should look like.

And if you take it one step further, many people will go out and buy a whole new outfit, specifically for one church service a year, because that is what is the norm and accepted.

In other words, we can tell a lot about a person, by the what they wear.

Now, please do not take what I just said and run with it, as an excuse to judge others, or look at them as lesser of a person, because of what you see them in.

As we don’t know the circumstances of someone’s life and their background, right?!

But, what I am saying is this. If you know me and you are fairly familiar with me and my life and you know that I have the means to show up somewhere in clean, neat clothing, not expensive, but just clean and neat and yet, whenever you see me out somewhere, I am wearing dirty looking, torn and just very unkempt looking clothing, you would assume rather quickly that I am a lazy, messy person, right?

The way that you CHOOSE to openly portray yourself, that is, the attire in which you want others to look at you wearing and the manner thereof, says something about an individual.

Our society and culture today thrives on showing as much of ourselves to others, as we possibly can.

Social media is full of the infamous “selfies” with young men and women taking and posting photos of themselves that really enhance and portray some aspect of their anatomy through some “skimpy”, to say the least, articles of clothing!

The point is, you and I choose, to a certain degree, to present ourselves before others in such a way as to represent and say something about us. Whether through a regulated choice, like a work uniform that is mandatory, or through our own personal choice of attire.

Large and in part, you and I choose what we want to put on, correct?

I am a 50 year old man and I choose what I am going to put on every day, my wife doesn’t do it for me.

When I was a boy, my mother would help with color matching, but even then, as long as it was clean and neat, she would let me pick out things that I wanted to wear to school or church.

Well, today we are looking at a very similar subject and of how and what we choose to wear, but looking at it from the spiritual aspect. And in doing so today, I am going to show the outfit that a Kingdom Ambassador is to wear!

In the story by Hans Christian Andersen, The Emperor’s New Clothes, we can see a picture of open pride and also of deception. The emperor was very prideful and boastful about the way in which he appeared before his subjects.

And in the midst of his pride and arrogance and narcissism, he opened himself up to deception, which is exactly what happens in this story.

The two tailors come into town and promise that they make the most elaborate and delicate and pristine outfits that anyone had ever seen, by creating materials, that were so fine and precious, they couldn't be seen by people who were either unfit for office or were particularly stupid.

So, not only was the emperor and his staff deceived, because of pride and not wanting to be labeled as “stupid”, by the “world’s” standard, but even the common people in the city, played along so that they were not looked down upon as “unwise” in the ways of the world!

It was only through the honest and humble eyes of a CHILD, that the truth came out.

And even when the TRUTH began to be declared by all who were present, the emperor went on to keep up the facade, so as to keep himself from looking like he had been deceived!

Now, take this same story and let’s apply it to the world we live in today and see how many “emperors” there are all around us!

That is, those who are deceived and living in deception and “wearing” certain garments so as to look a certain way, but not wanting to change what they are wearing, because they don’t want anyone to know the truth about their lives.

You see, when you are presented with the TRUTH, it forces you to do one of two things; fess up and change and repent and turn, or keep on with the lie and deception and see how long you can ride it out!

TRUTH demands action!

And when I am talking about those who are “wearing” the garments of DECEPTION, I am not just talking about the lost sinners all around us.

I am speaking about men and women who attend our EKKLESIA, our church gatherings, every single week!

We have many, many people in and around our daily lives, as well as in the churches we attend, who are living in deception, that is, they are living apart from the TRUTH of the Bible and thus with active sin in their lives.

And yet, they either are too deceived to see that they’re spiritually naked and bare before God and others and not wearing the garments they think they are, or they have been exposed to the TRUTH, but they still choose to live in the realm of deception, because of fear or complacency and keep up the facade of their life!

Just like the emperor, they choose to walk on in the deception, and yet knowing the truth, they exchange it for the lie and they worship the creature, rather than the creator!

Look at exactly what Jesus said about this very thing to the church of Laodicea in ,

Revelation 3:17–18 NLT

17 You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. 18 So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.

And please understand from this point on, that when I am talking about garments within this message, I am speaking on a spiritual level and not physical garments, OK?!

It is important that everyone here, or who is watching this message, realizes that we are prone to the deception of the enemy, if we ever even incrementally slip from the FULL TRUTH of the word of God, we become prone to the devil’s deception!

The Word of God says this about our enemy, the devil, in ,

2 Corinthians 11:13–15 NLT

13 These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

2 Corinthians 11:14 NLT

14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

The devil can come to us as an angel of Light and those who serve him, will come as false workers and deceivers and false apostles of Jesus.

If we do not guard our hearts 100% against the lies of Satan and his messengers, according to the Word of God, then we become open to and vulnerable to his deception and the sin and corruption that comes with it.

I listened to the testimony the other day of a gentlemen who was in a pentecostal service several years ago, for the first time, as he was raised in another denomination.During this service, he said that a message being given in tongues broke out and then someone began to give an interpretation of the message. (As is correct according to the Bible.)

As this took place, the people all began to clap and cheer and praise the message as it was interpreted.

The man said that at one point in the message, he recognized the word “excrement” in Arabic and then he began to pick up on other words in Arabic and realized that the person was giving a message in Arabic and that the interpretation that was being given, was not even close to what the man was saying.

The man was cursing God directly in Arabic and the other man’s interpretation was not even in the ball park as to what was being said and all the while, the people were cheering it on!

“Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” and in this disguise and the way in which he presents himself to us as appearing to be TRUTH, if we are not listening to Holy Spirit and what He is saying and lining up the word of God with what we are doing and saying, then we become fair game for deception!

As the devil comes disguised, CLOTHED, as an angel of light, we can become deceived and clothe ourselves in the old sinful nature that we once were apart of, as Paul mentions in the passage that we are looking at today.

In , the Apostle Paul shows us the NEW LIFE that we are to be living in (not expecting to be in one day, but rather, living in it now as a present reality!). And the way in which Paul explains this, is likening it to that of someone who is exchanging their garments, their clothing, from one style to another.

In verses 1-9 Paul speaks of the “old nature”, the “old you and I”, before salvation came to us through Jesus and what we once looked like, is not to be what we are to look like now.

Paul reminds us that we have a NEW LIFE with Christ and that our minds, our thoughts and desires are to be focused on heaven, where Jesus is and not here.

Do your desires and cares and concerns look like heaven or earth?

In verses 5-9, Paul speaks of the “old garments”, the “old clothing style” , that we are to shed, to take off, as part of this NEW LIFE that we have in Christ Jesus.

,

Colossians 3:5–9 NLT

5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. 6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. 9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.

In the OLD LIFE, we wore the garments of :immorality, impurity, lust and evil desires, greed and idolatry, anger, wrath, malice, slander and filthy language and lying and deceitfulness.

Paul explains that these were all part of the old clothing that we used to wear and that made us LOOK like the world and the OLD LIFE that we were a part of.

He says that we have put off the old self and its practices, if in fact, we are truly children of God through salvation.

And when any of these things are active in our lives, it is like we pick up and put on our old, filthy, stinky clothes that we once wore and don them again!

It is by these old garments, that the world identifies us and identifies with us and calls us one of its own.

Paul goes on to say in verses 10-11, that we have a new line of clothing that we are to be wearing.

He says that this NEW line of clothing will and should, gradually make us look like our Creator.

Just like when people wear the clothing of their idols in our natural life, so that they can identify with them and hopefully receive the complement from someone of being told, “Man, you look like .......!”

What could be a greater complement, than being told, “Man, you look like Jesus”?!!!

Paul also mentions that there are no BRANDS, or LABELS with these clothes that divide or separate us any longer: no Jew or gentile, no circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave or free.

In other words, we are all to look exactly the same, without regard to any petty differences. Christ is all that matters. We are to look like Him, period!

It is like going to the clothing store and going through all of the garments and all of the name brands that people wear and that they identify by and throwing them all out in the garbage.

The only line of clothing that we are to wear for all eternity, is the “JC” line of clothing, so that we all should reflect and bear His glorious image!

So, what does the “JC” line of clothing look like? What are the NEW garments that we are supposed to wear?

Well, in verses 12-15, Paul shows us these garments and explains what wearing them will feel like.

says,

Colossians 3:12–15 NLT

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

In verses 5 and 8, Paul lists out five vices, sins, outer garments, within each verse, that we once wore in our OLD LIFE and that we are to cast off.

NOW, in these verses, Paul lists FIVE new garments that we are to put and these will become the only outfit we ever wear again! (LIKE THE MEN IN BLACK)

SHOW VIDEO CLIP

Just like in this movie scene, we, as Christians, are no longer a part of the world’s system. We are above it, beyond it. We eat, sleep and live within the Kingdom of God and we only WEAR the clothing that has been sanctioned by God!

We are, the “Men in White”!

Just look at these garments again, that Paul has listed out that are our especially sanctioned line of clothing: tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

And the one piece of the outfit that holds everything else in place and just makes the outfit POP, is LOVE!!!!!

Much like in , where Paul is describing the armor of God that we wear for spiritual battle, the belt of TRUTH is the centerpiece that holds everything in place.

Well, here, in our civilian clothing for the Kingdom, LOVE, is the piece that holds everything else in place and in harmony!

Jesus is the TRUTH of God and He is also the perfect image of God’s LOVE for us.

So, it only makes sense that when we are being His witnesses to the lost world, His LOVE is the centerpiece of our outfit that holds it together and makes it work for us!

And as we are always engaged int spiritual battle, TRUTH is the thing that holds every other piece together and allows us to walk in victory!

TRUTH and LOVE are the key components of the Kingdom, as Jesus is both of these and everything else flows from them!

In verse 15 Paul describes for us what wearing these new garments will feel like; that is, what the benefit of them is for the those who wear them. (In the natural, we describe clothing as soft, silky, smooth, comfortable, and that it makes us feel, warm, cozy, cool, etc.)

Well, when we put on and wear the Kingdom CLOTHES, the Bible says that PEACE is what we feel wearing them! The PEACE that comes from Christ, as Holy Spirit now dwells within us, is what we would describe as to how our new CLOTHES feel while we are wearing them!

And just as Paul warns us not to don the old clothes again, when we put on and wear any of the old garments and their accessories, we begin to lose, or completely lose the PEACE that should be within us from wearing our Kingdom Clothes!

Just like a lot of clothing lines have their special labels, logos, insignia's, or marks to identify them by, so do we!

The Bible says in , “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.”

And then in Revelation, it speaks of those who belong to God, have His seal, His name placed on their foreheads!

Having said that we are marked, sealed by God with His Holy Spirit and that by this seal, we are no longer to be recognized as a part of this world, but as Kingdom Ambassadors for God, let me now say this.

If you and I are wearing our Kingdom Clothes and thus having the seal of God on us, then we should be able to recognize one another by our CLOTHES, but even more importantly, the world should recognize us as God’s and not of this world.

Just as Jesus was recognized as to who He truly was, while he was here on earth, by both demons as well as mankind, so should we!

The Bible says in that upon seeing Jesus walking towards them, the demons began to scream at Him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?”

Or in , Jesus is standing in the synagogue teaching and a demon possessed man is in there also and the demon recognizes Jesus and begins to scream out, “Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

Matthew 8:29 NLT

29 They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?”

In we read, “Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at His command, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak.”

And during the life of Jesus, many people recognized who He was: Simeon and Anna when Jesus was but a baby, John the Baptist, Peter, Martha the sister of Lazarus and even the guard at the foot of cross. They all knew and recognized who Jesus truly was.

The disciples were recognized as belonging to Jesus as well. In with the account of the Seven sons of Sceva, we see of when they came upon a possessed man and tried to cast the demon out in the name of Jesus whom Paul preached and the demon said, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?”

Or in Acts a demon possessed girl began following Paul and Silas around and shouting out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”

And just as Jesus and the disciples were recognized for who they were, so should we.

Jesus told us, “ By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Jesus also said that false prophets would be recognized by their fruit......their garments.

As I started off talking about this morning with the story of, The Emperor’s New Clothes, I mentioned that deception was what led to the emperor’s misfortune.

I went on to say that the devil will deceive us, if we are not firmly rooted in the Word and attuned to the voice of Holy Spirit.

The Bible says in , we read, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

Just because someone comes to you with a “word from God”, don’t just jump on it and claim it. Test the spirit. If it lines up with the Word of God and bears witness with Holy Spirit to your spirit, then it has merit.

1 John 4:1–6 NLT

1 Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. 2 This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 3 But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. 4 But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 5 Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. 6 But we belong to God, and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.

Again in , “but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”

TEST EVERYTHING!

Listen people, we are in a highly intellectual and mentally evolving society, that is increasing in knowledge DAILY. But, that is natural, carnal knowledge and this can be swayed by the god of this world to his advantage.

And people are craving the supernatural and delving into it like crazy.

A couple of years ago there came about one of those stupid “challenges” that goes out on social media, called the “Charlie Charlie Challenge”. It was sweeping all over the world and it was basically a homemade Ouija board.

In fact in 20014, the year right before this challenge made it so big, the sales of Ouija boards increased by 300% that December, as it was being marketed for children and adolescents as a board game and sold in places like, Toys R Us!

In , we are told the parable by Jesus of the Wedding Feast. At the end of the parable it says, “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The righteousness of Jesus is the garment that God wants to see, so as to know that we belong in heaven.

Many are called, but few are chosen is what the word says. The gospel message has gone out to the world, but not everyone who has received it, has clothed themselves in the righteous garments of Jesus Christ!

I strongly advise you today, to look at yourself, spiritually and see if you have removed ALL of your old self, your old clothing and if you have donned and completely put on the righteous garments of the Spirit!