All Dressed Up And No Place To Go

All dressed up and no place to go!

All dressed up and no face to show.

Are you a Put On?

It is interesting that this old addage means to pretend.

In reality, God tells us throughout His Word, to put on a variety of things.

Mt. 22:10-12

10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Evidently, there was an expected standard of attire for the royal wedding. It is also underestood that there would be security to be sure that every guest met the protocol.

Royalty in Bible times and even today in some eastern cultures have/had specific regulations for their weddings. One is/was that the wedding organizer provided the garments for the guest to be worn for the wedding feast. The garment actually became part of the decoration for the wedding. It did not matter if one was rich or poor, educated or not; the invitation was made for all that would come. The only "kicker" was to present ones-self dressed in the wedding garment.

Throughout the Bible, there are different garments mentioned that are expected to be worn by believers.

Garments, clothed, dressed, cloked, etc...

Investment = to clothe, cover, enshroud; to put on vesture or apparel.

I. Garments of Salvation

Isa. 61:10

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Salvation comes with joy.

God covers us with robes of righteousness. It is the imputed righteousness of Christ.

II. Sackcloth

Ps 35:13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.

Ps 69:11 I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them.

There must be the attribute of humbleness in the life of every true christian. It will be evidenced in our character. It is something that we must wear so as to not allow pride to overtake us.

III. Garment of Praise

Isa. 61:3

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Ps. 30:11

Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;

This is a garment that we need to wear at all times. In good times and hard times.

IV. Robe of Righteous Royalty

Job 29:14

I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.

Rev. 19:8

And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

V. Clothed in Godly Character

Col. 3:12-14

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.

14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

This is the attire of a unselfish christian. It is also the uniform of a servant of God who cares about the souls of others.

Yes, there are many things that we must put off, but when we examine the wardrobe that God commands us to put on, there is no way that they would fit if we were wearing the works of the flesh.

VI. Cloked in Zeal

Isa 59:17

For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.

VII. The Vestment of a Burdern

Ga. 6:2

Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Be aware of the needs of others and look for a way of putting their burden on your back (soul).

Sometimes we need to wear the burden of another.

VIII. Clothed in Imortality

2 Co. 5:2-4

2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: