Dress for Success:
Things to Take Off and Things to Put On
Text: Colossians 3:1-15
Introduction.
Clothes are very important to us, and it’s very evident when we look at our economy. If we understand how many billions of dollars are spent each year on making, selling, and buying clothes, the clothes we wear reveal our image to the people around us.
There’s a book written about 30 years ago entitled “Dress For Success”. It sold very well at the time it was written and it is still selling today. It has been updated, because the times and environment have changed. We all want to dress in a way that’s appropriate for the environment in which we find ourselves.
If I were applying for a big job in the corporate world, had the educational credentials, but went for the interview dressed in cutoffs and my Nike sneakers, with a t-shirt that said “Make Love, Not War”, somehow I don’t think I’m going to get that job!
On the other hand, if I went to apply for a job that involved hard manual labor (now that means a job where you’re going to sweat) and went to the interview in a 3-piece suit and tie, wearing $200 shoes….well, I don’t think I’d get that job either! Why? Well, because I don’t look like a guy who’s going to want to sweat!!!
Then I think about myself, as the preacher, and I want to dress appropriately for the situation. You might ask, “Well, Doug, what difference does it make?” My answer? “It makes a difference!”
If I showed up on Sunday morning and you looked up and saw me dressed in old overalls with a dirty hanky hanging out of my pocket with a train engineer’s hat on, wearing combat boots, what would you think? You might think (and quite rightly), “Doug, you need to dress more appropriately for the position you hold!”
Why is this?
Because it will detract from the message I’m trying to bring to the congregation! I should have on the proper clothes for the environment in which I find myself….and that’s what I try to do.
Another way to look at it is like this—think of former President Ronald Reagan, who was an actor before becoming president. Right after being elected, many people remarked, “Well, I don’t know how great a President he can be, but he sure can act like one!” I don’t know how good a preacher I can be….but, at the very least, I sure want to look like one!
I’m lucky, because I have people who love me trying to help me be properly attired. My wife, Lynn, is the first one who sees me before the world does. I dress each Sunday morning and, before I leave, I ask her, “Do I look a preacher this morning?” She’ll give me her opinion, and Lynn has excellent taste.
And, Lynn’s not the only one. Sometimes on Sunday, I wear a new tie, and when I come in, Dot Vaughn will say, “Doug, I love that tie!” And that makes me feel good, because I believe Dot knows what is in good taste too, and I value her opinion.
Then, there’s Elouise Kelly, and I value her opinion. One Sunday, she said, “Doug, I love that suit and the black shirt; and, I believe if you wear a red tie with that, it will look great.” So, I took her advice and I’m wearing that red tie today.
I love and appreciate these people, because they are helping me to “dress for success”!
In our lesson today, the Apostle Paul is talking to the Christians at Colossae about “dressing for success” and that their dress reflects the image of what they are. Now, Paul isn’t talking about the earthly clothes we wear—but he is talking about putting on the proper spiritual clothing.
We’ve been talking about earthly clothing—which may, or may not, be important—but the spiritual clothing we wear can mean everything for eternity.
The Bible tells us about a man who wasn’t dress properly—we find that in Matthew, Chapter 22. A king gave a wedding feast for his son. He had invited special people, some of whom decided they were too busy to come. So, the king sent servants out onto the highways to invite people.
Matthew 22:11-13
---11---“But when the King came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw there a man not dressed in wedding clothes,
---12---and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And he was speechless.
---13---Then the King said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into outer darkness, in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ”
Now when we read that parable, we discover the King was God. The spiritual clothes we wear are very important to God. The Apostle Paul knew that—and that’s why he said what we read in Chapter 3.
Why did Paul say those things in Chapter 3?
Because of what he had said in the first two chapters.
Let’s review what we talked about in the first two chapters. We need to understand Colossae and the environment the Church in which they found themselves. Then we can understand why Paul told them the things he did.
The Church in Colossae was a driven church—a church seeking to please their Father. They’d been infested with a bunch of insects or false teachers. Paul told the Christians in Colossians 2:8,
---8---“See to it no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the traditions of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”
Then in Chapter 2, verse 18, he said, “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize…” He went on to tell them those false teachers were creating the things they were telling the Colossian Christians in their own “fleshly mind(s)”.
Paul also told them, “You have been born by the Gospel of Christ, so keep thinking and doing what you have been thinking and doing.” He commended them for who they were and for what they have accomplished; and, he told them the Gospel had transformed their attitudes and their actions.
The false teachers had told the Christians at Colossae they needed more than Christ to be acceptable to God. Some of these teachers were under the Greek influence—a philosophy that came from the minds of men….his reasoning and his intellect.
Others of the teachers were of the Jewish persuasion and wanted the Christians to continue to keep the rules of the Old Law. They didn’t believe Christ was enough for salvation; so, they created a rulebook of “Dos and Don’ts” that must be followed to be acceptable to God.
But, Paul told them (and, I also believe this) that Christ and the cross are sufficient for us. Paul maintained and told them that—
· Jesus is Lord…because of who He is.
· Christ is first and He has all authority!
· Christ is the only one who has the experience.
· Christ is the only one who has the credentials.
· There is only one who is qualified to make the ultimate decisions about what His church should believe and do— only Jesus Christ—Himself!
Jesus is Lord because He is the manifestation of God—
He is the creator of the universe—and
He is the head of the Church.
In Colossians, Chapter 2, Paul says there is a life worth living…and it is not a life based on the rules and regulations of the false teachers. No…it is a life lived by a converted heart that does right, because it loves to do so!
Paul begins Chapter 3 by telling the Christians at Colossae they should do these things because they have been changed—buried with Christ and raised with Christ.
How Were They Changed?
Paul tells these Christians, it’s just what we read,
---1---“You have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
---2---Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Now we have a new identity and we have a new focus, because we have been changed. When did this change take place? Paul had already said when this change occurred in verse 12 of Chapter 2.
Colossians 2:12
---12---“Having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through Faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”
This statement is consistent with what Paul told the church in Rome in Romans, Chapter 6.
Romans 6:4
---4---“Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
And how did all of this change happen?
It happened by the Glory and the Power of God.
Ephesians 1:19-20
---19---“…and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
---20---Which He brought about in Christ when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.”
Paul explains this change—the converted heart—to the Colossians, to the Church in Rome, to the Church in Ephesus—and he said this all happened by the working of God.
Paul didn’t say it was by a work we did, rather through by the power of God. This was the same power that raised Christ and placed Him at the right hand of God.
Paul explained this, not only to the churches at Colossae, Rome, and Corinth, but also to the church at Galatia. In Chapter 3, verse 27, Paul wrote to the church at Galatia, ---27---“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
There’s that word “clothed” again. What does that mean? Some translations say “put on”, which can be translated as “putting on clothes”, “put on the armor of light”, or “put on the whole armor of God”.
Why Do We Need to Change Clothes?
Christianity is not just a philosophy about life; it is a way of life. We not only tell the world what we believe, we also show them by how we behave.
Certain attitudes and actions must be “put off” and others “put on”. The attitudes and actions that are destructive and counter-productive to the Christian life must be “taken off”. Paul tells these Christians, “These things are ways you used to walk and characterized the life you once lived.”
Paul goes on to say “put these things to death”. You see, there are clothes for death and clothes for life.
Do you remember the death of Lazarus as recorded in the Gospel of John, Chapter 11? Lazarus had been dead for 4 days when Jesus came to where he was. Jesus told the people to “remove the stone” and, in verse 40, said to Martha, “Did I not say to you, if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
Then Jesus said, “Lazarus, come forth. And Lazarus came forth, bound hand and foot with the grave clothes.”
Jesus said, “Unbind him and let him go.”
Why?
· Grave clothes are meant for death; they serve no purpose for the living.
· Grave clothes will bind you and enslave you. Different clothes are needed for life.
· When we go from death to life, there are some things we need to “take off” and some things we need to “put on”.
What to Take Off.
When we look at the sins lists in our text, we probably divide then into 2 types. The first list could be called “Sins of Counterfeit Love” and the second list “Sins of Selfish Pride”.
First, let’s look at the Sins of Counterfeit Love. Paul says to put to death “immorality”, referring to “sexual immorality”. The word in Greek is “Porneia”, which is where we get our word “pornography”. Paul refers to any sexual activity outside of marriage. For Christians, the only proper context for sex is within marriage.
“Impurity” is the next word on the list. The word means “a cleaning”. Here it is used in the negative sense, implying a “dirty”, “filthy”, or “unclean” attitude of the heart.
The next word is “lust”. The Greek word is Pathos, meaning “passion”. It refers to sexual passion or desire that is selfish and self centered—that’s what lust is. It is a selfish desire to possess for one’s self without regard for the welfare of the other party.
On the heels of this follows “evil desire” and “greed”. The Greek translation is a combination word that literally means “to have more”. The word “greedy” is NOT reserved just for the rich, because a person can be poor and greedy.
The text connects “greed” with “idolatry”. “Idolatry” is “wanting anything more than God”. Greed leads to idolatry, because it substitutes “things” for God. God does not just want an “important” place in our lives….God wants “First place”!
· God does not want to be “a priority”—God wants to be “The priority”.
· God does not want “prominence”. God wants “preeminence”.
Now, let’s talk about the “sins of selfish pride”. We are to “take off” the “sins of selfish pride”.
Anger leads the list of “sins of selfish pride”. The idea expressed here is of a deep bitterness of heart. This is an anger that has taken root within our very being.
The second word on the list is rage. Rage is described as “the outburst of anger, the explosion of anger”.
The next thing we need to “take off” is malice, which is “an evil intent to do harm to another person”. Malice is a hateful and vindictive attitude.
Then, there’s slander. In Greek, the word is “blasphemia” and, naturally, we recognize that as “blaspheme”. When used with regard to God, it is used in the literal sense; however, when used with regard to a person, it means “to speak evil of, or to demean”.
Paul then tells these people of 2 other types of clothing to “take off”—filthy language and lying. We are to “take off”…to “put to death” these types of clothing, because they are death clothing and fit only for the grave.
Things To “Put On”.
Now Paul turns to things we need to “put on” or “clothe ourselves” in. Paul begins these instructions in verse 12, by saying,
---12---“And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy, and beloved…”
God saves us by His choice. God loves us and chose all Christians before the foundation of the world. We are to be “holy”, which means sanctified and “set apart” for God’s purposes. Christians are called the “dearly beloved”. Jesus came to save the world because of the Love of God.
The first thing we are to “put on” is compassion; which is a heartfelt concern for others. However, not only should compassion characterize us as believers, so should kindness.
Compassion and kindness are followed by humility. A humble person is not a prideful person. Indeed, humility is the opposite of pride. The prideful person is in love with himself! A prideful person thinks of himself as the center of the universe.
Then there is gentleness. One person described gentleness as “a willingness to suffer injury rather than inflict it”. A gentle person is not “soft”, but has a “soft touch” when dealing with people.
Patience comes next. Patience doesn’t seem to be a natural quality. We are always in a hurry. If we do not have patience, we cannot do what Christians need to do. We are told we must “bear with each other and forgive as the Lord forgave us”.
The key to all of this is mentioned next.
---14---“And beyond all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”
The beauty of love is that it binds all of these new clothes together. It’s going to be the thing that coordinates us. Love will bring everything all together for us.
This is how we dress for success. We “put off” the old and “put on” the New!
Conclusion.
Have you heard that old saying, “all dressed up and nowhere to go”? Well, I can assure you—as Paul assures the Christians in Colossae—that when we “dress for success” as Paul described, we will definitely have somewhere to go! And, the place we will be ready to go will be heaven!
Invitation.
