Intro: How did you decide what to put on this morning? I usually put on what my wife says I can wear. That’s why, if anyone ever says to me, “Oh, you look nice in that!” I can tell them, “My wife dresses me nice.” It’s true. If it matches, or anything close to it, I didn’t do it!
Most of us, like going to the grocery store, the refrigerator, or other places, need to step back from our closet and see how blessed we are. Just this week, I went to the basement and there, on a rack, were my shirts for warmer weather. I grabbed them up, and brought them up to my closet. I’ll also be putting away a stack of clothes that are for cold weather. I know that’s taking a risk, but I’m counting on no more snow this spring.
I have enough clothes – enough to be covered, and to be appropriately dressed. How about you?
I used to have T-shirts from high school – Carrie got rid of them when I was gone on a trip.
She once bought me a pair of slacks from LL Bean online. They were a clearance item. It turns out they were there because they were blue – really blue – Smurf blue. But, hey, we paid for them. I was going to wear them. That’s what you do, right? Before long, the kids were calling them my Smurf pants. If I was wearing them, my daughter would ask Mom to come and pick her up. I took them on a mission trip to Haiti, and I left them with a guy there who needed them more than I did. No more Smurf pants. Maybe today there’s a guy in Haiti whose kids are embarrassed by him!
I remember thinking through not having clothes to wear. It was in India. Our time had packed clothes that we would leave at the end of our trip. Sometimes, dozens of people would respond to the invitation to accept Jesus, and they were all set to be baptized, but it would be 5 o’clock or so and in January the nighttime temperature dipped down to the 70’s there in Southern India. Many of these people waited to be baptized until the next day, because they owned only one set of clothes. They couldn’t get them wet because they would have been too cold that night.
A couple years ago, I set out to see what the Bible has to say about clothing and what we should think about it – to develop a “theology of clothing.” So I worked to find everything the Bible has to say about clothing. What I ended up with was 7 sheets filled with verses (it wasn’t all done), and a whole lot of reading to do. So, I set it aside until sometime in the future when it was something I had to deal with. Then came this message, and here I was, dealing with it!
Clothing has been an important subject of the Bible since Genesis 2:25 where Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed. It’s important as Ruth puts on her best clothes to go ask Boaz for his care and protection. It’s important as a purple robe is put on Jesus to mock Him, and as his executioners cast lots to see who would get His tunic. It’s important as the men who stoned Stephen laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul of Tarsus. That same man would later write from prison to Timothy, asking him to bring him his cloak before winter. And clothing is still an important subject clear through to Revelation 22:14 where the New Jerusalem is inhabited by people who have their robes washed clean by the blood of Jesus.
A book could be written on this subject. Maybe it has. Today, we’re just going to scratch the surface about it. So, roll up your sleeves, loosen your collar, take off your shoes, and let’s go! Here are some angles about clothing to put in your pocket and take home.
Clothing…
An opportunity to help
To Work
I’ll put a few pictures up here. Tell me, what does this person do? [doctor; policeman; McDonalds; Hockey player; Captain, etc.] How could you tell? Their clothing!
Target employee. – Once when we were out of town and Andy was here at home, he bought a red polo shirt, put it on with his khaki pants, and went to Target just to hang out and see how many people asked him for help!
Lots of vocations have specialized clothing that help people do their jobs – clothing that protects them, or equips or identifies them in some way. You don’t see many mechanics wearing a tie, because that could be very bad! And you don’t see many attorneys appearing before judges in greasy jumpsuits, because that could be very bad too!
So Paul says to put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Armor is a covering that helps you, and you need to be covered.
To serve
Some clothing is designed for service. Aprons are all about service.
Have you ever noticed the very nifty CCC aprons our people wear when we have dinners? Those aren’t just for looks, although they look nice too! Aprons help you serve without worrying about getting grease or flour on your clothes. You too can wear a CCC apron! Just jump in to help the next time there’s a big food event!
When Jesus prepared to serve the disciples by washing their feet at the Last Supper, we read in John 13 that He took off His outer clothing and wrapped a towel around His waist…to serve.
To repent
We’ve lost this in our culture, but it shows up a lot in Scripture: If you want to show that you’re serious about repentance, do it with clothing. You can put on sackcloth and cover yourself with ashes. Or, you can just reach up and tear your clothes. Those are both ways to show you’re upset, with yourself, or someone else. For some reason, that has gone out of fashion with us. Maybe too many of us would be running around with torn-up clothing!
To show respect/love – (funeral, wedding, date)
When Esther went to appear before the King uninvited, it was a life or death situation. If he didn’t extend the scepter to her, the law was that she was to be executed. So, as part of getting ready, she put on her royal robes. Maybe it helped, because the king welcomed her.
We understand, don’t we, that there are occasions where the right thing to wear is our best? It’s one way we say that the situation deserves respect and honor. That’s why we dress up for weddings and funerals and other special occasions. If you ever look at someone coming in to worship on Sunday morning, all dressed up, that just may be the reason – they want to show respect to the occasion of us gathering to worship God together.
Go ahead, turn to the person next to you and say, “Oh, you look really nice today!”
So, here’s the point: clothes can be an opportunity to help us. They’re supposed to serve, not have us become their servant.
You see, there is also in clothing…
A potential problem
We need to consider if we have allowed clothing to do damage. Clothing, damage? Yes! Not just what some ladies do to their feet with ridiculous heels.
Like so many things, clothing has the potential to do good and also to do harm. For instance,
When it’s a substitute for character
From the very earliest age, Carrie and I drilled into our daughter that her outward appearance was important, but that her inner person was much more important. “Jenni, what’s more important than looking pretty?” Acting pretty.
Clothes don’t make the man. Clothes cover the man. And if the man or woman underneath the clothes is lacking character, no amount of clothing will make up for that.
Ladies, have a look at
1 Peter 3:3-4 (NASB)
Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.
Proverbs 11:22 (NIV)
Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.
Looking good on the outside, which includes what you wear, will never compensate for ugly on the inside, but a lot of people are trying to. That’s a problem for some, including the people who look only at the outside.
Another potential problem for clothing is…
When it’s used against people
James talks about the way people in the church can become judgmental toward people who dress poorly.
James 2:1-4 (NIV)
1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
In case you noticed in the past year, I don’t wear a suit or tie as often on Sunday morning, let me tell you there’s a reason for that: I don’t want clothing to ever be a hindrance to someone meeting Jesus. I want to be approachable by as many people as possible. I want our 5-yr-olds to be able to walk up to me and say, “Hi, Mr. Sherm!” without being intimidated. More and more people are wearing fewer suits. In fact, there are many people who don’t own a suit. That may be very troubling to some. I think we’ll survive it! There are also fewer people wearing hats, leg warmers, boots that button up, and hoop skirts. Fashion trends change. You can hold out and continue to wear your chartreuse leisure suit if you want to. I had one 37 years ago. I understand. I can’t picture buying jeans with holes already ripped in them. But it’s just clothes! I’m a whole lot more interested in the person who’s inside the clothes, aren’t you?
Let me suggest that we don’t want anyone to feel like they don’t belong with us just because of the clothes they do or don’t own. If I can dress in a way that may help someone know Jesus, that’s the way I want to dress - even if it includes wearing a pink tutu and sparkly cowgirl hat! It’s just clothes! Rather than let it be a problem, let’s turn it around and use it for good where we can. That’s exactly what God does with the whole subject.
OK, let’s get a little deeper. The Bible also helps us to see that clothes provide…
A lesson for real life
Here’s the lesson: We got dirty.
I was about 4 yrs. old when my brother Dan was married. I vaguely remember going out after the ceremony, and somehow I ended up on my knees in the grass outside. I got dirty. Sure enough, if you look at all their wedding pictures, there I am with grass stained knees! Mom was not pleased!
Spiritually, that’s you and me. We started out life in perfect innocence, dressed to kill, picture-worthy. Then, we snuck outside to play around. We sinned, and, in the figurative sense, we got grass stains on the wedding suit. Actually, it’s worse than that. We got totally filthy.
The prophet Zechariah describes a scene in Heaven in Zech 3. There is Joshua, the high priest. He represents the nation of Israel. And Satan is standing next to him, it says, to accuse him. And Joshua is “clothed in filthy garments.”
Just picture that for a minute, only put yourself in Joshua’s place. There you stand, presenting yourself before the perfection and holiness of God, dressed in the smears and stains of every wrong thing you’ve ever done. As if that’s not bad enough, there’s the devil, grinning, because he was the one who egged you on into every one of them. His reason for being there now is simple: to point out just how big of a mess you are. “Look at that one, God! That will never wash out! What a mess! What a loser! You gave him a perfectly clean start, and he just went through life and trashed it!”
Sure enough, the prophet Isaiah even compares our righteous deeds to a filthy garment – our good deeds! (Isaiah 64:6) But the good news is Isaiah 61:10
Isaiah 61:10 (NASB)
I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
So let’s take the last couple minutes so see how clothing can be…
A source of help
The simplest of clothing can be a…
Protection from the elements
In James 2, we’re commanded to put faith into action. If we see someone who doesn’t have clothing or daily food, we have a chance to help that person to be warmed and fed.
In Matthew 25, where Jesus lists the people He refers to as “The Least of These,” He includes those who are in need of clothing. In the most practical of ways, giving someone clothing can help protect them from both cold or heat.
Something we can give to those in need
As people came to John the Baptist and asked him “What should we do?” one of the answers he gave was “The person who has 2 tunics should share with the person who has none, and he who has food should do the same.” (Lk 3:10-11)
So, we contacted one of our missions, Oblong Children’s Christian Home in Oblong, IL to see how we might provide for needs there. OCCH is a mission that takes in children whose home life has crashed somehow. They’re kids in need – the least of these. They wrote back to us with a list of needs, not exactly clothing, but the list of things they could most use. So, we put that together and into your hands today. We want to encourage you, if you’re able, to help by bringing in something on that list, next Sunday morning, and we’re going to pile it right here on the stage.
May 24th, Amy Kemp from Oblong will be here to share with us briefly about the ministry work there, and we’re going to stuff that pile into her car for her to take back with her!
Isaiah 58:6-7 (NASB)
Is this not the fast which I choose…to divide your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into the house; When you see the naked, to cover him; and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Clothing is a source of help for those who need it.
This morning, you can leave here clothed in Christ!
Galatians 3:26-27
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
We all need this robe of righteousness – the righteousness of God that He wraps around us.
