DID YOU CHANGE CLOTHES?
  1. INTRODUCTION:

    1. SCRIPTURE READING: Luke 5:36-38 = "And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old. [37] And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish. [38] But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved."
      1. We can not mix old garments (sin) with that new garments (righteousness), as they will not hold (work together) as they are in opposition to each other.
      2. Paul in Colossians 3:5-10 = "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: [6] For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: [7] In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. [8] But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. [9] Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; [10] And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:"
        1. The old man of sin (clothes of sin) must be put off. Colossians 3:9 = "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;"
        2. The new man of God (clothes of righteousness) must be put on. Colossians 3:10 =- "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."

    2. THE QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE REALLY PUT OFF OUR FORMER CLOTHING OF SINFULNESS?
      1. Paul wrote further in Romans 6:1-13 = "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? [2] God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? [3] Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? [4] Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. [5] For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: [6] Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. [7] For he that is dead is freed from sin. [8] Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: [9] Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. [10] For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. [11] Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. [12] Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. [13] Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God."
        1. We cannot continue wearing the clothes of sinfulness (Romans 6:1-2).
        2. We have risen from burial grave of baptism to "walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4), the old man of sin (clothes of sin) have been crucified and destroyed that we should wear them no longer (Romans 6:6).
        3. We have died to sin that we might live unto God (Romans 6:10-11).
        4. We must not let the clothes of sin any longer reign (have control over), or as Paul says: (Romans 6:12-13) = "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God."

  2. DISCUSSION:

    1. WHEN WAS THE CHANGING OF CLOTHES TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE?

      2. NOTE: This was in the cleansing process of Baptism.

      1. This is where Saul’s sins was washed away. Acts 22:16 = "And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord."
      2. It was this same Saul, now the apostle Paul that wrote in Ephesians 5:26-27 = "That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He mighy present it to himself a glorious church, having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

    2. DID YOU REALLY CHANGE CLOTHES?
      1. That is when you came forth from the baptismal grave to be born into the body of Christ?
        1. Did you wash away (bury) in that grave the clothes of sinfulness?
        2. Did you come forth clean (newness of life) and yet put back on the clothes of sin.? II Peter 2:20-22 = "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it , to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto the. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."
      2. When you obeyed the truth you purified your souls, why dirty them again with the garments of sin? I Peter 1:22-23 = "Seeing ye have purified yours souls in obeying the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible see, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."
      3. Once cleansed (purged) of sin, we a vessel of honor, sanctified and ready for the masters use.
        1. COMMENT: I can remember when young, mother saying to me, "Son, you’ve had your bath and have on cleaned clothes, now do not get dirty again, as you are now ready to go to the Lord’s house."
        2. Now listen carefully to what Paul wrote in II Timothy 2:21-22 = "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart."

  3. CONCLUSION:

    1. HAVE YOU HAD YOUR SPIRITUAL CLEANSING?

    2. ARE YOU A VESSEL OF HONOR, SANCTIFIED AND MEET FOR THE MASTER’S USE?

    3. DO NOT LOOK AT YOURSELF THROUGH THE EYE OF MAN, BUT THE EYE OF GOD.
      1. Man will overlook sin as he has difficulty in seeing clearly around his own sinfulness. Matthew 6:23 = "But if thine eye be evil, they whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness." Proverbs 30:12 = "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness."
      2. There is a difference in the way man looks at things and the way the Lord looks. I Samuel 16:7 = "…For the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
      3. To see ourselves as God sees us we must use His Word and see if we free of all blemishes. James tell us (James 1:21-25):
        1. "To be doers of the word" (James 1:22)
        2. One that is not a doer is one that hears the word but does pay any attention to what it says. Like beholding yourself in a mirror and then forgetting what you saw (James 1:23-24).
      4. When man refuses to remove the sin that Word of God has shown to be in our life, then that Word will refuse us admittance into heaven. (John 12:48-50).

    4. GIVE A CLOSE LOOK AT YOUR APPEARANCE BEFORE THE LORD AND TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BE SURE YOU ARE STILL NOT WEARING THE CLOTHES OF SIN.

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