What Not to Wear
Eph. 4:24-32
Intro: When Brigitte wins the remote control wars at our house and manages to banish me from ESPN or Fox News she will usually watch something on Hallmark, the Home and Garden network or TLC.
And seeing how they are girly channels, which usually means I’m forced into watching some sort of girly show which of course diminishes my masculinity.
OK, maybe it’s not that bad...not have to watch some of them.
One of the shows she watches is on TLC is called “What not to Wear”, the US version of a British program where two fashion experts will invade the life of an unsuspecting person who has been “volunteered” for the show by their friends and family.
The person who is featured usually will have some sort of style issues…the still stuck in the 80’s; and the goal is to get them into the 21st century.
Before this takes place our 2 fashion experts will tear apart this person’s closet, as well as their self esteem while trying to get them to see that baggy warm up pants and old concert t-shirts should not be worn to the office if you are an attorney.
They do this by showing them how they look in their current wardrobe in a 360 degree mirror…and then what the need to look for when they are given a $5000 Visa card to build a new wardrobe.
Now I realize that we’ve probably lost the men here who zoomed out as soon as they heard “Home and Garden”…so here you go: Football kickoff is Sept. 4.
Everyone back with me?
Transition: My reason for bringing this up is that knowing the right thing to wear at the right time can make a big difference.
For instance, me showing up for a funeral in a pair of torn up blue jeans and flip flops won’t cut it…
And apparently for some it may still be wrong to wear white after Labor Day…I’m not sure.
But I do know that wearing the right things does make a world of difference…especially for the born again believer; and I don’t mean it being in the sense of physical clothing either.
If clothing defines who you are, what we put on in a spiritual sense is the very essence of who we are.
So, what are you wearing?
Paul explains to us in our passage this morning what we are to wear and not to wear.
Read Eph. 4:24-32 and pray.
Today we wrap up our series, “Change from the Inside” out, this study of the 4th chapter of Ephesians in which the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to explain to those reading these words what our lives should be like as a result of our faith in Christ.
Change in sermon title…realized after printing off outline and working on it a bit more, title didn’t really fit; now “What not to wear”.
Salvation is life change; it is a change that takes place from the inside out.
Our faith, which comes by God’s grace alone, results in a repentance (turning from our old ways into the way of God)…and it happens by God’s spirit being reborn in us.
It brings us from dead in sin to alive in Christ, granting us forgiveness for our sins and the gift of eternal life.
And the cost for us? Nothing.
Christ did it all, He shed His blood and died on the cross for the remission of my sins and your sins and rose from the dead 3 days later to also grant us eternal life.
Our salvation is something that is evident in our Spirit and also should be evident in our lives.
The Apostle Paul explains this life change to us in the closing verses of Ephesians 4 when he tells us what not to wear.
First of all notice that it says it should be…
1. Off with the Old
On “What not to Wear” the first item of business is to evaluate the current wardrobe: see what is in there and hopefully see what is wrong with it.
It may be comfortable, it may be “habitual”, it may be fashionable in your own eyes…but in the eyes of the experts it is anything but.
Paul tells us what we shouldn’t be wearing first and foremost; the old that we must take off and remove from our spiritual wardrobes.
He first of all mentions…
A. Lying, vs. 25
Seems simple enough, doesn’t it?
Possibly not, remember Paul was writing this to the CHURCH of Ephesus; supposedly a bunch of born again believers.
This word for “lying” or “falsehood” comes from the Greek “pseudos” which means false or fake and it comes from the same Greek root used by Jesus in John 8:44
You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Paul wants us to understand that as those who have passed from death into life, which means the things we once did should no longer be evident in our lives…most of all lying.
As born again believers we are followers of Jesus Christ, the one who is the way, the TRUTH, and the life…and truth should be a vital part of who we are.
In fact I’m going to go ahead and say it, it’s like our under garments…the very foundation of what we have on us.
It should be the first thing on and the last thing off for us.
Which means that lying should no longer define us.
In fact, do you know what Jesus ultimately says about liars?
Rev. 21:8, "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
I don’t think it is an accident that Jesus mentioned liars in the same breathe as the “cowardly” and “unbelieving”…because it is cowardly and should only be evident in the life of the unbeliever.
What about you?
Does it define who you are?
Get it out of the wardrobe; it needs to be out with the old.
2nd Paul mentions…
B. Uncontrolled anger, vs. 26-27.
There is nothing wrong with being angry; in fact Jesus displayed anger on at least one occasion when He cleared out the temple in Matt. 21.
What Paul is talking about here is uncontrolled anger, the type that injures and destroys.
“Be angry, but do not sin”…meaning there must be control that begins with the Holy Spirit controlling us and then we getting a grip on our emotions so that we can be angry but not sin.
In fact the Greek word used for “anger” might better be translated as “enraged” or “wrath”.
You get the picture there?
This isn’t just getting upset, this is allowing our emotions to control us to the point that someone is going to get hurt or something will be destroyed.
Is your anger in check or is it uncontrolled?
Paul tells us we need to get it out of our wardrobe; it needs to be out with the old.
Next we see…
C. Stealing, vs. 28a
Once again, seems simple enough, right?
Not so much.
How often do we “borrow” and “forget” to return, or have no real intention on returning?
I remember seeing a Blondie cartoon a few years back where Dagwood was asked to do something and he said “OK” and walked to the door which made Blondie ask “Where are you going?”
He responded, “Next door to Herb’s to borrow my tools.”
There is no excuse for a Christian to be a thief…in fact, it should be impossible.
And young people, with school starting…this means more than just stealing “things”.
Cheating falls into this category too because you are stealing the work of someone who worked hard to do it themselves.
Try to rationalize it all you want, but if isn’t yours and you “borrow” it, it is stealing.
And the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to remind us that this is no longer who we are…and shouldn’t be.
Do you steal?
Do you take what isn’t yours?
This too needs to come out of the wardrobe along with…
D. Corrupt speech, vs. 29, 31.
The easy thing would have been to say corrupt “words”, but I think it is a lot more than words that cause the problem here.
The Greek word for “corrupt” is “sapros” which also means worthless and rotten.
And the words that Paul speaks of come as the result of the heart, because what is in our hearts is what comes out of our mouth.
Listen to what Jesus says in Matt. 7:15:20
15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
What falls into the category of “uncorrupt”? Look in vs. 31
• Bitterness…poison words, nit picking maybe
• Wrath and anger…emotion of breathing hard, destructive
• Clamour…words that lead to a fight, intention
• Slander…gossip falls into this category
Basically anything we say that does not honor, glorify and lift up Christ can fall into this category.
Is this what people see in, or on you?
Remember, Jesus said we will be known by our fruits…by what we wear.
Look at yourself in the 360 degree mirror…what do you see?
• Do you see lying?
• Uncontrolled anger?
• Stealing?
• A corrupt speech?
If so, I really need to ask…have you experienced the life change that comes from experiencing the gift of salvation that is given by God’s grace?
If not, how: ABC
Paul tells us what not to wear, what we are supposed to take off with the old, but he doesn’t leave us hanging.
In fact he also tells us what we can find in…
2. On with the New
Very quickly, what we should be wearing, and what we should find in our spiritual wardrobe.
First of all…
A. Truthfulness, vs. 25
You can either tell the truth or tell a lie, plain and simple.
It really is as simple as black and white, one or the other.
The truth hurts sometimes, and it can hurt us to tell the truth…as opposed to trying to hurt someone else with “truth”; but we should tell the truth no matter what.
You know that saying; “honesty is the best policy”…it’s true.
Not because it makes for better business, but because God expects it out of us.
Are you living in truth and telling the truth?
2nd, put on…
B. Honest Labor, vs. 28b
Don’t be a dead beat.
2 Thess. 3:10, “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.”
While “God helps those who helps themselves” isn’t Biblical, God expects you to earn your keep seems to be.
God expects for us to be honest in our labor, which means working as we should work…and not “fudging” when convenient.
Do you labor honestly?
3rd, we are told add to our wardrobe…
C. Generosity, vs. 28c
“Will have something to share.”
Folks, God expects us to be generous…and not just with our money.
The tithe is the Lord’s first and foremost, but he also expects for us to give an offering above and beyond when we are called upon because it is all His.
Especially if you are a born again believer, even your finances are His.
But not just being generous with His finances, but also with the time He gives us, the gifts He gives us and the experiences He gives us.
Once again God has called you into this body for a reason, and it’s not just to occupy a seat for one hour each Sunday.
You and I are both here for the same reason, to build God’s kingdom through this local church…and that means must be generous with what God has given us.
Does your life illustrate generosity, especially in light of how generous God has been to you?
4th, you need to put on…
D. Encouragement, vs. 29b
God doesn’t need destruction experts, He wants kingdom builders; and since our words can tear down quicker than anything else we need to make sure we use them to encourage also.
Read Hebrews 10:24-25
“And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
Time is short, and we need to build.
Do your words build up or do they tear down?
5th we have…
E. Kindness, vs. 32a.
I find it interesting that the word for “kindness” in the Greek can also be defined as “useful”.
And I also find it interesting that Paul said ‘be kind to one another”…but he didn’t who “another” is; which means anyone and everyone.
God has called us to be “useful”, and part of the usefulness is showing kindness one to another.
It’s another one of those “duh” things of “Yeah, simple enough…” but it doesn’t happen nearly enough; especially within the church where we tend to have a bad habit of shooting our injured rather than helping them to heal.
Are you kind to others?
Even when you think they don’t deserve it?
It’s simple, either you are kind or you are harsh.
And if you are not being kind, you’re pretty useless to God.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my life defined as being “useless”.
And finally this morning, you need to add to your wardrobe…
F. Forgiveness, vs. 32 b
Forgive, plain and simple.
Why? Because if you are a born again believer you have been forgiven.
Think about your sins that Christ paid for on the cross…how many times and how often you crossed the line that God drew in the sand; now compare that to whatever it is somebody might (or might not have) done to you.
Does it compare?
Seriously, does it?
Jesus got us, He understood us and has us figured out…and I think that is why He said this in the Sermon on the Mount:
Matt. 6:14-15, "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”
Do you forgive others as you have been forgiven?
Is there forgiveness in your spiritual wardrobe?
Closing: What are you wearing?
It really does matter, because what you wear depends on who you are.
Just like you would think it odd and out of place for a man to come in here wearing an evening ground…it is odd and out of place for a born again believer to wear the ways of the world.
When you look in the 360 degree mirror of your life, and most important when God looks at you heart…what are you wearing?
If your life is defined by what Paul mentions in the early part of Ephesians 4, it is for one of 2 reasons:
1. You are not a born again believer.
2. You are a born again believer, but you have not given you all to God.
What are you wearing?
Do you need to make a change of wardrobe today?
