Sermon for 3/18/2007
Clothes Make the Man
Isaiah 61:1-3, 10-11
Introduction:
A. Clothes are important in our society. In the third world they are thankful just to have clothes but here we must have a certain brand of clothing or we are not happy. What we wear says a lot about who we are and what we stand for.
B. I remember coming from a farming community and moving to Carmel, Indiana the wealthiest suburb of Indianapolis, and going to my first day of Middle School. I was introduced to my peers and many of them asked me, “And what are you wearing?” I said, “Clothes.” “No, what kind of clothes and where did you get them?” They would laugh at me and make fun of my clothes.
C. To help us understand many people’s feelings about clothes lets watch this clip from the movie Joe Vs. the Volcano: Scene #9 to 00:38:25 on the counter.
WBTU:
A. I know what some of you are thinking. I am going to talk about what kind of clothes to wear to church. What a waste of time? Let me tell you on that issue no one is going to win. Since you brought it up, let’s talk about the Two schools of thought on that issue:
1. We should wear our best to church. For men this includes a suit and a tie, nicely pressed and often dry cleaned. For women this includes a full length dress, high heels, well groomed hair, and a modestly painted face. They back it up with Scriptures like (Mal 1:8 NIV) When you bring blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?" says the LORD Almighty.
2. We should dress in casual attire because if we come in formal clothes then we drive away those who are outside of Christ. We want people to feel comfortable and relaxed when they come to church. Many people do not have formal clothes and so we should not encourage formal attire because that would exclude a large portion of the population. They back up this thought with (1 Cor 9:22 NIV) To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.
B. Preacher what do you think we should wear? The Bible says that we should dress modestly. Beyond that, I don’t have a thus sayest the Lord! I wear a suit and tie because that is how I was taught in college. When you get up to preach you can’t go wrong with a suit and tie. Then I watch preachers on TV get up and preach in a golf shirt. Oh well!
C. I don’t mind wearing a suit, if we could just get rid of the tie. Women are the same way with high heeled shoes.
D. This morning I want to do something more productive and look at Isaiah 61. Read vs. 1 and 2a. This is the Messiah talking. We know this to be the case.
E. Read Luke 4:16-21.
F. This whole chapter is about the Messiah, Jesus Christ, and his ministry and the results of his death, burial and resurrection. Jesus stops reading in vs. 2 of Isaiah because he wanted to emphasize the results of his first coming. This is the acceptable year (long year) of the Lord. The day of vengeance is coming when Christ comes again.
G. Go back to Isaiah 61:2, 3.
H. Skip down to Isaiah 61:10-11. This switches from the Messiah speaking to a Christian speaking about the results of the Messiah’s ministry. Read vs. 10-11.
I. We see in these verses 3 pieces of clothing that we should be wearing as Christians. Not physically wearing but spiritually wearing.
Thesis: Let’s talk about these three articles of clothing that all Christians should be wearing.
For instances:
1. Garments of salvation Vs. 10
A. This must be put on first before we can have the other two articles of clothing.
B. How do we put on the garments of salvation? 5 garments of salvation:
1. Hear. (Mark 4:23 NIV) If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
2. Believe. (John 6:29 NIV) Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
3. Repent. (2 Cor 7:10 NIV) Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
4. Confess. (Rom 10:9 NIV) That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom 10:10 NIV) For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
5. Baptism ties them all together. (Gal 3:27 NIV) for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
C. The people thought of the time of the wedding, a time of great celebration, a time of rejoicing. The same goes for today. The bridegroom and the bride—can anyone picture two happier people than on the day of their wedding? That’s what Isaiah says; it’s just like that. It’s like the great joy and expectation on the day of the wedding for the bride and bridegroom.
D. Isaiah realized also, like every believer, it wasn’t because he deserved it. It wasn’t because he had earned it. It wasn’t even because he went out of his way to find salvation, but because the Lord found him and provided him with salvation.
E. Longfellow could take a once cent sheet of paper, write a poem on it, and make it worth thousands- that is genius- not many of us have it. Rockefeller could sign his name to a small piece of paper and make it worth millions- that is called capital- and some of us do not have much of it. The U.S. Government can take another small piece of paper, print Andrew Jackson’s picture on it, and make it worth $20- that is called money- and some of us do not have as much of that as we want. A mechanic can take a piece of metal costing only $5 dollars, and make an article worth $50- that is called skill- and not all of us have as much of that as we desire. An artist can take a piece of canvass costing about 50 cents, paint a picture on it, and make it worth thousands- that is called art- and most of us are a little short on that. But Jesus Christ can take a sinful, ruined life, wash it in His precious blood, fill it with His Spirit, and make it a glory to God and a blessing to humanity- that is called salvation- and we can have all we want.
2. Robe of Righteousness Vs. 10
A. Righteousness conveys the idea of rightness. We are not right!
B. People always compare themselves with others and declare themselves righteous by that comparison. I’m better than so and so! During a battle between baseball’s Babes, Babe Pinelli was the plate umpire and Babe Ruth the batter. Pinelli called the legendary slugger out on strikes. Ruth would have none of it. “There are 40,000 people here who know that last one was a ball, tomato head.” “Maybe so,” the umpire Pinelli said, “But mine is the only opinion that counts.
B. Here’s what God thinks(Rom 3:10 NIV) As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; (Rom 3:23 NIV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
C. Once we are unrighteous we are always unrighteous. Unless Christ comes and gives us his righteousness. (2 Cor 5:21 NIV) God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
D. You and I today rejoice! We are just like Isaiah in that we can say we delight greatly in the Lord. As we look at our life, we realize that we, too, have nothing to offer the Lord except our sinfulness, our wicked ways, and yet the Lord, through His Son has covered us up with a robe of righteousness—not because we deserve it, not because we have earned it, but because of His great love for us.
E. Harry Ironside once stayed with a sheep rancher and noticed a small lamb with the appearance of eight feet. When he asked as to what was wrong with the lamb, the rancher explained that a mother had lost her lamb to death. In that same flock a lamb had lost his mother to death. The rancher tried to have this lamb go and be nurtured by this mother but the mother refused. The mother would not accept the lamb as her own, so the rancher had taken the skin from the dead lamb and draped it over the living lamb. Now the mother was treating the lamb as her own. When God looks at us, he won’t say, “That one is mine” unless we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
E. In one sense this robe is always on, in another sense we have to keep putting on this robe, like we have to keep putting on our clothes in the morning. Sometimes our clothes do not fit! Some of us have experienced this! We are made righteous through Christ, but our old nature wants to take off that robe! We have to work with the Holy Spirit to keep putting that robe back on!
F. (Eph 4:22 NIV) You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;(Eph 4:23 NIV) to be made new in the attitude of your minds;(Eph 4:24 NIV) and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
G. (Col 3:9 NIV) Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices (Col 3:10 NIV) and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
H. How? By studying His Word (new in attitude of mind), being obedient (Do not lie), prayer, being around faithful people, getting involved in service. (Rev 19:8 NIV) Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)
I. When we put on the garments of salvation, some things just stop. I have heard of people who have just quit drinking, cussing, etc. right after their baptism. It didn’t bother them. Some things don’t happen that way. We have to struggle with them all of our days. I wish that the Holy Spirit would just zap them all away but it doesn’t happen that way. We must work with the Spirit to keep putting the robe of righteousness on and keep taking the old robes off.
J. (Col 3:12 NIV) Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
K. Those words sound the opposite of the world today, don’t they? We don’t hear too much about patience or kindness, humility or gentleness. The world doesn’t operate that way. We live in this world. The Lord has clothed us with righteousness. He’s forgiven all of our sins. It’s all the more important for us then, to display those traits of Christian clothing—of humility, kindness, gentleness and patience, especially to the people around us who aren’t used to seeing those things but who need to see them.
3. Garment of Praise Vs. 3
A. (2 Cor 4:8 NIV) We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
B. A Christian should be one full of beauty, joy and praise like Isaiah 61:3 says. We have every reason to praise.
C. I must say that I have seen this happen in some people. In the depths of despair but after putting on the garments of salvation and righteousness, they are filled with joy and thanksgiving.
D. IT is described as a garment that can be seen. It is not hidden!
E. Charles Spurgeon- “If these are Christians, God save us from such Christianity."
F. Billy Sunday said, "If your have no joy in your religion, there is a leak in your Christianity."
Conclusion and Invitation:
A. Tell the story of when I dressed up sloppy and put my hat on sideways and then went through the airport scanner.
B. The clothes really do make the man! This morning what are you wearing!
C. You put on Christ, you go before this trusted beloved family member, your, father in heaven and you say, “How do I look” And he says “you look perfect my son” “You are beautiful my daughter” “That’s how I’ve always imagined you could look!” Or “You look so ugly”
D. (Isa 64:6 NIV) All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.
E. (Zec 3:4 NIV) The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you."
