Clothed By Christ
I Sam 3:18-21; Luke 2:51-52; Colossians 3:12-17 December 28, 2003
Intro: In my basement are several boxes with Steve and Janet’s names on them. Inside these boxes you will find many things, there are books, and toys, and pictures, but filling those boxes more than anything else will be their clothes. Some of the clothes are 20 years old or more, others are relatively new. Some of them are almost worn out, while some look like they came from the store yesterday. There are clothes that were given by international friends and clothes that point to the styles of the late 80's and early 90's.
These boxes, and especially the clothes, tell the story of the growth of my children. Each year brought new ideas and styles and sizes. As they grew, their clothing changed.
In the old Testament, there is a story of mother who had just that kind of box. Hannah, the mother of Samuel, had longed for a child, and yet she was barren. One year while worshiping at the house of the Lord, she was promised that she would have a son. When that baby was born, she dedicated him to God and after a few years, took him to the house of God to live and to be raised by the Priest. Hannah loved her little Samuel deeply, and so each year when she went with her husband to worship, she took him a new robe. Can you imagine the care that went into making that robe. It was to be a reminder to her first-born that she had not forgotten him.
Can you image what those days at the House of the Lord must have been like for Hannah. The first thing she would have said was, “Samuel! How you have grown! You are just shooting up like a weed.” The growth would have been obvious. Then, I think, she would have given him his new robe. And as soon as she got home she would have put it in a special box to save to remind her of his growth.
The Bible records it this way:
1 Samuel 2:18, 19, 21b
Now Samuel was ministering before the Lord, as a boy wearing a linen ephod. [19] And his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. And the boy Samuel grew before the Lord.
The boy grew. That statement foreshadows the statement describing Jesus’ growth in Luke 2. Following a particularly difficult trip to Jerusalem where Jesus, just twelve years old, had wandered off and spent several days talking to the leaders of the temple. After his parents found him here is what we read, “And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
Jesus grew before the Lord. And his mother kept a box of special memories. Jesus grew. He did not remain a baby in a stable, though we sometimes would like to think that. Nor, did he magically become an adult of 30 ministering to the multitudes. No, Jesus grew because growth is the natural result of healthy life. If we could see inside the special box that Mary had for Jesus we would see a bundle of rags that served as his first nightgown. We might see the robe he wore when Mary and Joseph him at his circumcision. Perhaps we would see the cloak they wrapped him in when old Simeon and Anna blessed him in the Temple. The items in that box would pictures of the growth of Jesus from an infant to a mature servant of God. Finally, Mary would have wished to put the robe her son wore as he ministered to the multitudes in that box. It was complete, woven in one piece. It was a special robe that he had grown into. It was a symbol of his maturity and his ministry.
As Samuel’s clothes changed, it was a symbol of his maturing. As Jesus grew and matured, he changed, he grew in wisdom, he learned to understand people, and stature, he got bigger, and in favor with God and men, he developed relationships that positively affected him and the people around him.
In the letter of Paul to the Church in Collossi, is a box of clothes for the follower of Jesus. Paul suggests that our behavior and our lifestyle is the clothing that we wear for the world. When we come to Christ, and as we grow in Christ, we are given a new set of clothing.
The Message puts it like this in Chapter 3:9-10 “You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. [10] Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete.”
Col. 3:12-17
So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. [13] Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. [14] And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
[15] Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. [16] Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! [17] Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.
Dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you! I really like that imagery. In August, I went into Central High School on the first day of School. As soon as I walked in, it was obvious that the students I encountered had not just thrown on whatever they found in their closets that day. Everyone of them had carefully selected their outfit for the first day of school. And I realized that I was certainly not 18 any more. Every piece of what they wore, was chosen to make a statement.
What do we wear? Paul said God has chosen our wardrobe. First, he gives us pants of compassion to wear. The King James translates that “bowels of mercy.” It is care that comes from our deepest heart. To put on compassion is to live passionately, to care passionately, to invest in others with passion. So often we live our lives from day to day with our heads in the fog. Feeling little and being passionate about nothing. There is an excitement in passion. But there is also danger. When we live with passion we sometimes make mistakes. When we live with passion, at times we can be taken advantage of. But when we live with passion, we draw the smile of God.
Second, God has given us gloves of kindness. The only way others will see kindness in us, is through our actions. It is our hands that demonstrate kindness. At age 90, Margaret Cropper wrote a little hymn that captures kindness.Jesus’ hands were kind hands, doing good for all.
Healing pain and sickness, blessing children small.
Washing tired feet and saving those who fall,
Jesus’ hands were kind hands, doing good for all.
Take my hands, Lord Jesus, let them work for you.
Make them strong and gentle, kind in all I do.
Let me watch you, Jesus, ‘Til I’m gentle, too.
‘Til my hands are kind hands, quick to work for you.
Kindness is rare today. If you look at Hollywood, immediately you will see violence rather than kindness. But you don’t have to go that far, how often are our hands not wearing gloves of kindness? I remember visiting a family in WV and the mother sat on the couch talking to me, and not for one moment did her hand ever leave the paddle that was in her lap. How much heartache we could avoid if we would be clothed in kindness.
God gives us the shoes of humility. They are shoes because it is a humble spirit that supports us as we walk through life. I am not talking about a self deprecating spirit, but a humble spirit. Humility is understanding your standing before God and that your standing before God is based only on the work of Jesus. Let me take another stab at that. Humility begins when we realize that because of Jesus love for us, we can approach God without trembling fear, but we can approach God only because of Jesus love for us. The shoes of humility do not make us a doormat, but rather a door keeper. As we mature, God invites us to clothe ourselves with humility.
Paul goes on and tells us to wear quiet strength, a lot of words are not needed. Our character will speak louder and with more strength than anything else. Speak softly, and carry a kind glove. These are the clothes of the follower of Jesus.
He instructs us to be clothed in discipline. Discipline is that part of life that others don’t see. If we were describing a sailboat, discipline would be the heavy keel. You can not see, but if it is properly balanced, the ship can survive almost any storm. It is the personal discipline in life that will carry you through the storms you face. As you grow in faith, be clothed in discipline.
Related to that is the very next piece God provides, it is an even temper. The NAS version translates that “bear with each other.” To wear an even temper is to give others the benefit of the doubt. It means to accept second place, if that is what you deserve. To wear an even temper is to ignore offenses and not respond to slights.
And be clothed in forgiveness. Sometimes this is the hardest. Forgiveness is not about feelings. Forgiveness is not about letting an offense pass. Forgiveness is not about forgetting. Lewis Smedes says “Forgiveness is choosing not to exact the revenge that you deserve.” and “Forgiveness is choosing to treat a person who has wronged you as if it has never happened.” Forgiveness is the work clothes of the believer. It is hard work, and yet without it, we can wear nothing else that God offers us. The forgiveness that is to characterize us is to mimic the forgiveness God has given us. It is to be given with joy and without holding back. Will that make us vulnerable? Absolutely, but without it, we will die in bitterness. Wear forgiveness and offer it to others freely.
And finally, regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Love is your bullet proof vest when you enter combat, it is your silk gloves when you care for a child that will let your kind hands be seen, it is the hat that you wear that keeps you warm in a hostile environment. It is the motivation for forgiveness. regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.
This the clothing that should be in your special box. Not something you just look at, but something that is worn every day. But unlike the robe that Hannah brought to Samuel, this clothing will never wear out. If you would be like Jesus and grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men, then put on the clothing that God provides. And you and life and all your relationships will be transformed.
