“God Has Given Us a Dress Code”
(Sunday Morning January 14, 2012)
Passage: Ephesians 4:17-24
In scripture, “Clothing” or “Garments” are often used to describe our i______
nature and our m______character from God’s perspective.
Gen 3:21“The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them”
Zech 3:1-3 (Reference)
Isa 64:6 (Reference)
Zech3:4 “He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, ‘Remove the filthy garments
from him.’ Again he said to him, ‘See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe
you with festal robes.’”
John 11:39 “…Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days” (KJV)
John 11:44 “The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped
around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’”
I. We Should Take Off Our G______Clothes
1) We Have a C______vs 17
1 Thes 4:5 “not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;”
Paul had a sense of urgency in his heart, because these believers in Ephesus were living in an e______s______environment.
Dan 1:8 “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food or with
the wine which he drank;…”
2) We Have a C______vs 17b-19
a. The Ungodly are in Mental D______
Eccl 12:8 “’Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher, ‘all is vanity!’"
It is not that the ungodly all live v______lives, but they do all live v______lives.
1 Pet 4:3 “For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having
pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable
idolatries.”
Some lost people are brilliant intellectually, but they are unable to u______Spiritual truth.
2 Tim 3:7 “…always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth”
John 3:3“…unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
b. The Ungodly are Spiritual D______
He is saying that, if a lost person continues to reject the gospel, their heart will eventually
become p______and incapable of responding.
John 12:37-39 (Turn and Read)
II. We Should Put on Our G______Clothes
1) We are Being C______– vs 20-21
Paul did not link Christian belief and behavior to a creed or a code; he linked it to Christ,
because Christianity is not a religion, it is a r______.
1 Cor 1:21“For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God
was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe”
2) We are Being C______- vs 23-24
The good news is that the “old self” or the “old nature” that Paul is referring to here is p______
to d______whenever we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior.
Rom 6:6“…our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with,
so that we would no longer be slaves to sin”
Gal 2:11-13 (Reference)
Phil 4:1-3 (Reference)
Gal5:19-21 (Reference)
1 Cor 9:27 “…I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not
be disqualified”
Phil 2:12 “…work out your salvation with fear and trembling”
The way we take off these grave clothes and put on these grace clothes is by practicing what Bible
scholars call the s______d______.
Ps 119:9 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word”
3) We are Being C______- vs 25-32
a. In Our Conduct
James 1:20 “…the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God”
b. In Our Conversation
Eph 5:4“…there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving
of thanks”
D______j______, p______and rude speech,
none of this belongs in a Christian’s life; and as we take off our grave clothes and put on our
grace clothes, God will help us to put these kinds of things behind us.
Matt 22:11-13 “11…the king came in to look over the dinner guests, (and) he saw a man there who was not
dressed in wedding clothes, 12 and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without
wedding clothes?' And the man was speechless. 13 ‘Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind
him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.'”
-> And of Course, That Perfect Righteousness Can Only be Found in Christ
-> So, the Bottom Line is This
-> Because God Has Provided All of Us With the Garments of Righteousness That We
Need to Have in Order Come Into His Holy Presence, He Has a Right to Expect Us
to Put Them On
-> He Did That for Adam and Eve; He Did That for Joshua; He Did That for Lazarus;
He Did That for This Man at the Wedding, and He Has Done That for You and Me
-> So Take Off Those GRAVE Clothes and Put on His GRACE Clothes
-> Inherit Eternal Life by Repenting of Your Sins and Receiving Jesus Christ
as You Savior; and Then, Begin to Live as God Intends for Us to Live
c. In Our Conduct
Q.n = So, How Do We Take Off This “Old Self” This “Old Nature” That Causes
Us to Continue to Sin?
Q.n = And How do We Put on This “New Self” This “New Nature” That Enables
Us to Live as God Has Intended for Us to Live?
Ans = Well, Let Me Begin by Saying That It Doesn’t Just Happen
-> Some People Say That It Does, But I Can Assure That It Doesn’t
-> In 1 Corinthians 9:27, the Apostle Paul Said,
“…I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached
to others, I myself will not be disqualified”
-> And in Philippians 2:12, Paul Said That We are to ….
“…work out your salvation with fear and trembling”
Ans = Listen, the Way We Take Off These Grave Clothes and Put on These Grace
Clothes is by Practicing What Bible Scholars Call the Spiritual Disciples
-> Here Paul Uses the Phrase “Renewed in the spirit of your mind”
Q.n = What are the Spiritual Disciplines?
Ans = Let Me Just List Some for You
a. Bible Study and Meditation
-> Psalms 119:9 Says
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your
word”
b. Prayer and Worship
-> Listen, if I Was a Christian Who Was Really Serious About Taking Off My
Grave Clothes and Putting on My Grace Clothes, I Would Try to be Here
Every Time the Doors Were Opened
c. Stewardship and Obedience
d. Ministry and Evangelism
-> In My Opinion, Romans Chapter 12 Verses 1 and 2 Provide Us With a Perfect
Commentary for These Verses in Ephesians
-> Listen Carefully as I Read These Verses, Paul Said,
“1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies
a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service
of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that
which is good and acceptable and perfect”
1 Cor 9:27
I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
NASU
, for Example, Paul Described a Backslider by the Name
of Demas, and He Said,
“…for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone
to Thessalonica;…”
for Example, and It is Used
prejurative
-> Peter is Saying, in Essence, That Some of Us Have Already Had Enough
of That Nonsense in Our Life
4 In all this, they are
surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation,
and they malign you”
-> Because That is Exactly the Way a Lot of Lost People Right Here
1 Pet
P
NASU
Eccl 1:2
2 "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher,
"Vanity of vanities! All is vanity."
NASU
Romans 8:21
21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
NASU
so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.
NASU
in Daniel 1:8
Because There are so Many Temptations Out There in Our World Today
-> Our Culture May Not be as Far Gone as the Culture in Ephesus, But It is Not
Far From It
-> And for a Young Person in Our World,
is Probably Not as Depraved as the City
1 Thessalonians 4:5
5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
NASU
1 Thessalonians 4:2-4
2 For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;
4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
NASU
Matthew 22, Jesus Described a Great Banquet That We Have All Been Invited
to Attend; And Then, in Verses 11-13, He Says That the King Expelled One
of Those in Attendance, Because He Did Not Have His Wedding Clothes On
Q.n = Now, What Was This Man’s Problem?
Ans = He Wasn’t Dressed Properly
-> And Listen, in Those Days, a King Would Provide Appropriate Clothing for His
Quests, and They Were Expected to Wear the Clothes That He Provided for Them
-> In This Parable, the Wedding Garments Represented God’s Perfect Righteousness;
and Apparently, This Man Thought It Was Unnecessary to Put These Garments On
I Will Ask You to Allow Me to Embellish This Just Slightly by Saying
That God Took One Look at Joshua, and He Shook His Head, and He Said,
“Oh My, Oh My, Oh My, These Garments Simply Won’t Do”
“Your Garments, Which Represent Your Righteousness, Simply Won’t Measure Up;
So, I’m Going to Have to Provide Some New Garments for You”
Pt = We are Told in Galatians 3:27 That All of Us Who Have Been Baptized Into Christ
Have Been Clothed With Christ
-> This Means That We Have Been Clothed in the Righteousness of Christ,
and His Righteousness is Perfect
-> So, in the Sight of God, Every Christian is Righteous in a Positional Sense;
and Now, God Wants Us to Become Righteous in a Practical Sense
-> In Other Words, He Wants Us to Take Off Our Grave Clothes,
and He Wants Us to Put on Our Grace Clothes
Galatians 3:27
27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
NASU
That He Could Not be True to His Own Character
Zechariah 3:1-7
1 Joshua, the High Priest
Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.
2 The LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"
3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel.
4 He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, "Remove the filthy garments from him." Again he said to him, "See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes."
5 Then I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the LORD was standing by.
6 And the angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying,
7 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, "If you will walk in My ways and if you will perform My service, then you will also govern My house and also have charge of My courts, and I will grant you free access among these who are standing here.
The Branch
NASU
of the Condition
2 Peter 1:4
partakers of the divine nature,
NASU