service

Exodus 39:1
“Of the blue, purple, and scarlet thread they made garments of ministry, for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron, as the Lord had commanded Moses.”

In order for the Old Testament priest to serve the Lord, he must be clothed in the proper attire. Moses referred to his clothing as the garments of ministry. These garments included an ephod, breastplate, robe, tunic and a turban. It was clear that those who were to do the work of the Lord, must be clothed in the garments of the Lord. Things have not changed. Just as the Old Testament priest must be clothed in the garments of ministry, so the New Testament saint must don the proper attire if he/she is going to serve Christ. Our garments include at least four things.

Matthew 22:12-13
“‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'”

First, we must be robed in the righteousness of Christ. Jesus told a story of people who were invited to a great feast. Each guest was given a new garment upon arrival. Later the master of the feast noticed a man who was not dressed in these new garments, and because he was improperly clothed, he was removed from the feast. All who come to Christ have their sins forgiven, and are robed in His righteousness. Any who attempt to come to God another way, will find that they lack the righteousness required for access to heaven.

Ephesians 4:22-24
“. . . that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

Second, Paul explained that like a worn out garment, we should take off the conduct we practiced before coming to Christ. Like the grave clothes Lazarus wore, these behaviors are no longer fitting now that we have been born anew in Christ.

Luke 24:49
“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

Third, after the Resurrection, the disciples were commissioned to take the Gospel message to every person throughout the entire world. Before they left they must, however, be endued or clothed with the power of God. This happens when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. Both John the Baptist and Jesus referred to this as being baptized with the Holy Spirit, and in the book of Acts we read of the disciples continually being filled with the Spirit. If we are going to be properly clothed for the service of the Lord we need a daily outpouring of the Spirit of God on our lives. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit is given to all who ask.

Ephesians 6:11
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

And finally, the armor of God refers to a number of essentials that each and every believer must be clothed in to withstand the spiritual attack of the enemy. These garments include righteousness, Gospel preaching, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer. A properly clothed Christian is one who makes these things a part of his daily life.

Pastor Jim

Proverbs 14:4
“Where no oxen are, the trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.”

A few years back when we were looking to purchase a home, my wife and I spent our days off going to open houses and visiting model homes. It was easy to tell the difference between the two. The model homes were immaculate. The decor was thematic, the furniture and carpets unstained, and the walls were noticeably unmarked by crayon, ink pen or dirty hand prints. At first glance, I would feel envious for our house looked nothing like that. Our carpets showed evidence of four boys, who were incapable of wiping the mud off their feet before entering the house. The walls bore the evidence that they had not, in fact, washed their hands before or after dinner, and the couches proved that cups with lids are no guarantee against things being spilt. I would look at the model and think to myself, “Wow, wouldn’t it be nice if we could keep our house looking like this.” However, after a little consideration, I realized, there was an explanation as to why the model home was so clean and our house, well, not so much. No one lived in the model. It was a shell, four walls that contained furnishings, but no life.

Solomon is expressing that same thought in another way. Simply put, he is declaring that at times, life is messy. If we try to avoid the mess, we may in turn miss out on living. Many of us work very hard to be comfortable, and we avoid anything that disturbs that comfort. We neglect getting more involved in church, because it may mess up the kids schedule, or we fail to commit to serving the Lord, because it will conflict with our comforts. Our goal should not be living in comfort, but living to please the Lord. There are times when God will ask us to do things which will disturb our routine, or force us outside of our comfort zone. Part of His reasoning for doing this, is our personal growth. It is in those times when we are most uncomfortable, that we look to the Lord the most. When we feel like we can handle things, we press on in our own capacities. It is when we realize we have no experience to lean on, that we find ourselves crying out to the Lord.

Keep in mind, that while stepping out and serving Christ may make life a bit messy, there is great, even eternal value in everything that is done faithfully unto the Lord.

Pastor Jim