What are some of the most difficult decisions you make every morning?
For some of you to get out of bed is difficult. For many the first decision you make is to hit the snooze alarm at least once if not several times before you get up. For some what you will eat for breakfast is the most difficult decision you will make. But for most of us the most difficult decision we will make each day is what to wear.
What kind of clothes does the Bible tell us to put on?
Righteousness: Job 29:14 – “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban.”
Contemporary English Version (CEV): “Kindness and justice were my coat and hat.”
God’s Word (GW): “I put on righteousness, and it was my clothing. I practiced justice and it was my robe and my turban.”
The word righteousness means, “what is right or just or normal, rightness, justness (of weights and measures).” It is putting on “justice” being fair and honest in all the things we do.
Job said, “it clothed me.” It was his covering. He dressed himself with righteousness/justice every day.
It says that his “justice” was like a robe. The word “robe” denotes the “mantle” or outer garment that is worn by an Oriental. It constitutes the most elegant part of his dress. The idea is that his strict justice was to him what the full flowing robe was in apparel. It was that for which he was best known; that by which he was distinguished, as one would be by an elegant and costly robe.
Praise: Isaiah 61:1-3 – “(1) The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; (2) To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, (3) To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified."
We are to take off the garment of heaviness and exchange it for a garment of praise.
“For the spirit of heaviness” - Instead of a heavy, burdened, and oppressed spirit. The word used here (kēhâh), usually means faint, feeble, weak. It is applied to a lamp about to go out Isaiah_42:3; to eyes that are dull 1Samuel_3:2; to a faint or pale color Leviticus_13:39. Here it denotes those of a faint and desponding heart.
How many here have ever had on a garment of heaviness? How many of you here today have on a garment of heaviness? If you have on a garment of heaviness today I want to exchange garments with you today. I want you to give me your garment of heaviness and I want to give you a garment of praise.
There is something about praising God that takes away heaviness.
Holy Spirit Power: Luke 24:49 – “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high” (NIV).
The word endue carries the idea of “to clothe.” Before they were to begin their ministry of witnessing about Jesus they needed to be clothed with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Armor of Light: Romans 13:12 – “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”
The word “put on” means: clothe.
Light dispels darkness; no matter how dark it is darkness cannot put out light. Light will always shine in darkness; darkness cannot penetrate light. As long as we walk in the light, put on light, commune with the light darkness want be able to enter into our lives. It is when we drift away from the light that darkness begins to invade our lives; it is when we cut off light that darkness begins to take hold.
We must cast off darkness – darkness representing anything that has to do with satan or evil. If there is evil in our lives we open the door for the devil but the devil has to flee in the face of light. He alludes to persons throwing off their bed clothes, and covering of the night, and putting on proper raiment for the day. By "works of darkness" are meant evil works, which are opposite to the light; to God, who is light itself; to Christ, the light of the world; to the word of God, both law and Gospel, which is a light to our paths.
There must be a dislike for anything that has to do with darkness.
Jesus Christ: Romans 13:14 – “(13) Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. (14) But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
Verse 13 {International Standard Version}: “Let us behave decently, as people who live in the light of day. No wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, rivalry, or jealousy! “
We are not to walk in the way of verse 13 but to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and walk the way He walked. The phrase to “put on” a person, which seems a harsh expression in our language, was one not infrequently used by Greek writers, and means to imbibe his principles, to imitate his example, to copy his spirit, in other words to become like him.
To put on the Lord Jesus means to take him as a pattern and guide, to imitate his example, to obey his precepts, to become like him.
New Man: Ephesians 4:24 – “and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
The new man refers to the renovated nature. This is called in other places, the “new creature, or the new creation” and refers to the condition after the heart is changed. The change is so great, that there is no impropriety in speaking of one who has experienced it as “a new man.” He has new feelings, principles, and desires. He has laid aside his old principles and practices, and, in everything that pertains to moral character, he is new. His body is indeed the same; the intellectual structure of his mind the same; but there has been a change in his principles and feelings which make him, in all the great purposes of life, a new being.
“After God” - the idea is, evidently, that man is so renewed as to become “like” God.
The Armor of God: Ephesians 6:11-18 – “(11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (13) Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (18) praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.”
Tender Mercies, Kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, putting up with each other, forgiveness and love: Colossians 3:12-14 – “(12) Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; (13) bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. (14) But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”
Tender mercies or heart of compassion. Compassion is feeling love for someone.
Kindness like the good Samaritan. Kindness is doing something loving to someone.
Patience: This means to be long-tempered.
Forbearing means to put up with.
“If any man have a quarrel against any” - or “complaint.” The word used here, momphe - occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means, “fault found, blame, censure;” and here denotes occasion of complaint. The idea is, that if another one has given us just occasion of complaint, we are to forgive him; that is, we are:
(1) to harbor no malice against him;
(2) we are to be ready to do him good as if he had not given us occasion of complaint;
(3) we are to be willing to declare that we forgive him when be asks it; and,
(4) we are always afterward to treat him as kindly as if he had not injured us - as God treats us when he forgives us.
Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye - Learn here that Christ has power to forgive sin; Christ forgave us:
(1) Freely - he did not hesitate or delay when we asked him;
(2) Entirely - he pardoned all our offences;
(3) Forever - he did it so as to remember our sins no more, and to treat us ever onward as if we had not sinned. So we should forgive an offending brother.
NLT: “And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.”
The Message: “And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all purpose garment. Never be without it.”
No matter what you put on to wear don’t leave the house without putting on or clothing yourself with love. It is like that piece of clothes that without them everything else doesn’t look right. You need love for the rest of the outfit to look right.
