What Are You Wearing?

WHAT ARE YOU WEARING? -> COL. 3:14

[for this sermon, a clothes rack was placed on stage with tons of clothes. Each point was printed out and attached to a piece of clothing, when said point is reached, pull it out on the piece of clothing.]

-I’m sure all of you have noticed that there’s something happening this evening… Something big… Some sort of game…

-SuperBowl! Okay, so while every other church in the greater Indianapolis area will be talking about football and relating it to religion in some way, I won’t, because that’s just me.

-instead I want to talk about what you’re wearing. Your clothes. I’m sure you noticed today that there seems to be a fair amount of blue and white in church today.

-so why are people wearing it to church? Because being a Colts fan inundates their lives. It is in everything they do, including church.

-but like being a fan, does being a Christian cross over to all areas of your life? Specifically, do you wear it? And I don’t mean some cheesy “Jesus is my homeboy” t-shirt. Please don’t wear those.

-but do you wear Christ?

**Col. 3:14 -> 14Even more than all this, clothe yourself in love. Love is what holds you all together in perfect unity. (NCV)

-we are supposed to be wearing love. Okay, that’s nice and metaphorical and for all of you like me who hated English, what does that mean?

-well, here’s some questions for you to think about.

1. DO PEOPLE SEE LOVE ON YOU? [shirt that says "Grumpy"]

-is it visible? When you walk into a room can people tell you’re loving?

-does it show on you?

-when we’re talking about love here, we don’t mean some feeling. I don’t want you to wear some gushy emotion like a teenager who was just kissed for the first time. So annoying.

-I mean love is a verb. You show love to people through your actions.

**Heb. 13:2 -> 2Forget not to show love unto strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (ASV)

-are you showing love to strangers? Can they tell you are a Christian by your love (like the old song says)?

-when you go to the store are you smiling or grumpy? Are youpolite or do you ignore the checkout person? If someone followed you around Wal-Mart would they get a good idea of what God is really like?

-and I don’t want to hear any excuses. Just because you’ve had a bad day doesn’t mean you get to stop loving people as Christ loved you for ten minutes and take it out on the guy bagging your groceries. Being loving is always a choice. Always. Just sometimes it’s a harder choice than other times.

-but that’s what God wants from you more than coming to church or pious obedience of traditions.

**Hosea 6:6a -> 6I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. (NLT)

-showing love to people is one of the most important things God wants in your life, because it let’s people see what’s inside you. It’s how we show we have Christ in us. Jesus told us this.

**Matt. 5:14-16 -> 14“You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.  15No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead he puts it on the lamp-stand, where it gives light for everyone in the house. 16In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven. (GNT)

-they’ll see what? The good things you do. Your love in action.

-just like faith without deeds is dead, love without action is dead.

**I John 3:18-19 -> 18My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action. 19This, then, is how we will know that we belong to the truth; this is how we will be confident in God’s presence. (GNT)

-we show that we belong to God by our actions. By wearing our love. The only way love is seen on us is by what we do.

-so what are you doing? Do people see love on you?

2. DOES LOVE KEEP YOU WARM? [winter jacket]

-why was clothing invented? Not to make you look good. That came later. It was originally made to keep you warm. To protect you from the elements.

-most of you did not come to church in a t-shirt today. Why? Because it’s stinking cold outside.

-when I was writing this I thought I’d look up my old town in the mountains to say how cold it is there and guess what? It’s colder here! Go Indy…

-we need clothing to keep us warm. To protect us.