Wakeup call at our house – a ritual!
First call – “Time to get up and get ready.”
Fifteen minutes later – “Come on get out of bed! We have to go soon!”
Then in frustration and desperation Glenys pulls the blankets back and hollers, “DALE, it’s time to get up! We leave in an hour!”
You thought it was the girls!
Morning comes very quickly doesn’t it?
Scripture - spiritual awakening and getting dressed. They speak extensively about “putting on” or “changing our clothing” – speaking figuratively of a change of character, of heart, of behaviour and intentional striving toward moral and spiritual excellence:
– Romans 13:14, “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ.”
– Ephesians 4:24, “Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
– Ephesians 6:11, Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
THE PUZZLING QUESTION
If the command is important enough for God to repeat it multiple times in Scripture, it is important enough for us to pay attention and obey. But what does it mean to “put on” Christ? How does one do that?
1. LIVE IN GOD’S WORLD VIEW
Begins with looking at life through a different lens, from a different perspective:
Verses 1-4…
1Since you have been raised to new life with Christ
– Paul is presuming that because of new life, we are not living according to the old way of life. If in fact we are, his message is, we shouldn’t be and don’t need to be.
– Ants are born with wings which they tear off and live as insects on the ground rather than have the scope of the skies. Sadly we often choose to be less than what we were made to be.
– Verse 1 the catalyst for victory; our confidence!
set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honor and power. 2Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. 3For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. (Aliens – 1 Peter 2:11, “Dear brothers and sisters, you are foreigners and aliens here.”) 4And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
When we look through a different lens (see above) we quickly identify
2. OLD CLOTHES
Remember those days of new school clothes?...
My early days of meeting my wonderful young bride-to-be – I didn’t invest much money in new clothes. I looked poorly because much of it was so worn…
Since we are commanded to “put on” Christ it is necessary to assume that there is equally something that needs to be “taken off”.
Verses 5-9…
5So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don’t be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry (Good things often have a compelling force that we struggle to reject and so they replace God’s priorities). 6God’s terrible anger will come upon those who do such things. 7You used to do them when your life was still part of this world. 8But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior (spite, deliberate in trying to harm people – e.g. malicious gossip), slander (rumours, false statements), and dirty language. 9Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds.
We not only hear the command. Knowing the alternative through heaven’s eyes we want nothing more than to obey!
Back to our earlier question, what does it mean to “put on” Christ? How does one do that? 1) Live in God’s world view; 2) Identify what is old clothes to be removed; and now we put on
3. NEW CLOTHES
Verses 10-13…
10In its place (back to verses 5-8 to recap) you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ,
My mind captures the picture of one with a new prosthetic limb – from awkward to becoming a part of human function.
Recall how learning a new job or new skill – at first it takes careful effort and practice but over time it becomes natural and you can function without a second thought to what you’re doing.
My first job – sorting capelin! I didn’t know the difference between male and female or “spawn” capelin. I was slow but once I knew the difference I was processing capelin as good as any person could!
11In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. No cultural boundaries or restrictions. What is commanded here is for all people of all times, of all places, of all races. Jesus Christ is enough for every one and every nation!
12Since God chose you to be the holy people whom he loves you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13You must make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Not how the world behaves or thinks…
We are @ a crossroads:
– Verses 5-8 OR
– Verses 10-13
– What is your decision? CHOOSE.
– “I CHOOSE to be holy.”
– “Be holy” (1 Peter 1:16, citing OT law of Leviticus chapters 11, 19, and 20) The Message gives wonderful clarification of the command – “let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, "I am holy; you be holy." Not a genie rendition of imparted holiness – not a “poof, now you are holy.” It is an intentional partnership between you and God. Allowing ourselves to conform to God’s design is our step of choosing to be holy. It cannot happen without our will for it to be so. CHOOSE.
– REMEMBER – it’s a process (verse 10)
What does “put on” Christ mean?
1) Live in God’s world view; 2) Identify what is old clothes to be removed; 3) “Put on” or be characterised by a different value system and finally keep an eye to
4. THE MOST IMPORTANT CLOTHES
The challenge to “put on” Christ is the experience and evidence of one reality – LOVE.
Verses 14-17…
14And the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.
Garments of eastern culture in which Paul found himself were his analogy. All the layers of clothing worn would hinder a man from walking if they were not all bound together by one common item, a type of girdle that held them tightly in place. It is this picture of love that Paul casts…
15And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful.
The reason for lack of thankfulness is often the result of lack of peace – want to do this, go there, or have that. We attempt to pursue peace through happiness – e.g. happiness=peace. The equation is wrong! Jesus showed us that, for in the anxiety of the cross he remained at peace.
How is love experienced by others?
16Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise. Use his words to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. 17And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father.
May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)
Words reflect the presence or absence of love
NO LOVE – no new clothing
NO NEW CLOTHING – still wearing the old clothing
OLD CLOTHING – no growing knowledge of Christ
We must ask ourselves, “where do I fit in relationship to God?”
LOVE is:
5. THE EVIDENCE OF HAVING PUT ON CHRIST
Exercising LOVE is not a mere sentiment or emotion. It is an intentional effort of living in community. LOVE is proven not spoken. I found two types of references of first-person statements of love in the Bible. Jesus spoke them in John 15:9, 12. Apart from these references, God’s love for us is in the third person, similar to John’s words when he wrote, “God loved the world so much that He gave…” (3:16) - Such writing was prompted by proven love not spoken love.
John 13:35, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” What does that look like to the spectators? When people see us demonstrate tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (verse 12) they will believe we are followers of Jesus Christ. When people see us “make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends {us}” (verse 13) then and only then will they conclude we are followers of Jesus. When they see “peace…rule our hearts” (verse 15), the rich words of Christ flow from our mouths (verse 16) and observe an attitude of teaching and counsel (verse 16) toward each other, then they will believe what we say.
Are we there – not only as a church but more especially as individual followers of Jesus? These speak of the evidence of being dressed with holiness.
It’s time to get up and get dressed…
When these traits characterize who we are, we are like the run-a-way son of Luke 15 (brief description of the account…) When he returned home and got part way through his speech his dad cut him off and “said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet.” (Luke 15:22)
When one belongs to Christ, people are not left guessing whose we are! The evidence is plain! Even when they do not know Christ, they know that we do not belong to this world for we do not behave as the world does.
It’s time to get up and get dressed…
Oh that “the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” (2 Corinthians 4:10) or to put it another way, “the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.” (NLT)
“Morning” comes quickly. Will you be ready for it?
Get up and get dressed. Jesus is coming again!
