Take care of your uniform

Date of Sermon Delivery: 20. 10 . 2024

Place of sermon Delivery:  Delhi, India

Sunday Worship Service 

Speaker: Brother Jatin  

Title: Take care of your uniform

 

Bible: Revelation 7:9-12

Revelation 16:15 Look, I come like a thief, blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.

Praise the Lord.

I thank God very much for giving me this opportunity to share the words of God among you.

I hope you all are well and growing with the Lord in your spiritual life through prayer, through reading the Word, through fellowship, and through seeing all the small and big things the Lord is doing in your life.

Whether you do something or not but improve your spiritual life, inspire yourself to do those spiritual things that improve your spiritual life.

Because spiritual life is a source that keeps us with the Lord and improves our physical life too.

How many of you are ready to listen to God’s word?

How many of you have the Bible in your hand?

God says his Word is alive and has life. We need the words of God more than bread because it has spiritual guidance (like finding the purpose of life and understanding their place in the world).

emotional support (comfort, hope, and encouragement).

Personal growth (like personal development and discipline through teaching and parable).

and practical wisdom (like life lessons that provide practical advice for everyday situations and offer principles for forgiveness and reconciliation). 

I hope that you will be reading it every day, and even if you are not, you still have to read it; there is no exemption for it.

Because it is very important for your spiritual, emotional, personal, and practical growth.

Let us prayer to God.

We come before you today with grateful hearts, thankful for the gift of your word and the opportunity to gather in your name.

We invite your holy spirit to be present among us as we prepare to heart to listen you.

Lord, we ask that you open our hearts and minds, allowing us to receive your truth with Joy and understanding.

Lord, I & brother Sachin may speak with clarity and conviction guided by your wisdom.

We pray that this message will touch our lives, inspire us, and encourage us to grow closer to you.

Help us to commit this time to your purposes and to be responsive to the teachings we receive today.

In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.

There are many topics in the Bible that are rarely read or talked about.

In today's time, Christian society wants to talk more about those subjects that are related to the world, the things of the world, or the comfort of the world.

We want to hear about disease healing, how to be rich, how to be blessed, and how to be successful. We love to hear and hear more about such topics.

But we rarely want to listen to those matters of God that have great value in His kingdom.

Or, in other words, we give less attention to those matters that are related to our eternity or eternal life.

This morning we will talk about the same topic; that is a topic we rarely talk about. I will pay attention to you to see it.

For this, I want to take your attention on Revelation 7:9–12.

Here we can see, there is a huge crowd in front of the throne of God, and with palm branches in their hands, they are wearing a white coloured garment.

All these people are wearing clothes of one colour, and the people here are from every nation, tribe, and language. They are so many that there is no counting of them.

This is the beauty of the Lord Jesus; for Him, the human being is equal. His kingdom, do not divide by the boundaries of their country, by their languages, by their colour, or by their languages.

But for him all are the same because all people are his creation and all are made in his image.

I want to draw your attention to their clothes.

They are all wearing the same clothes—white robes, no other clothes.

When a group wears the same clothes, we call it uniform.

Like the army, they have the same clothes; if there are one lakh soldiers, then their uniform will be the same.

The group of people in verses 9–12 are wearing the same uniform.

The main reason for wearing a uniform is to distinguish oneself from the rest of the group.

If the army is coming from the market, then it will be recognised differently.

If any strange person comes in the crowd of uniforms, he/she will have to be identified separately.

In Matthew 22, Jesus gives one parable of the wedding banquet.

This is a celebration of a feast, and many people came to it.

Everyone wears the same uniform, and when the king comes, everyone is wearing the same clothes, but when the king is looking at them, he stops at one person who is wearing different clothes from all of them.

He doesn't have the uniform that everyone else has; he is wearing clothes of a different colour.

When the king saw that his clothes were different, he asked, "Friend, why have you come here without wearing wedding clothes?" but he has no answer.

Then the king told his servants to tie him hand and foot and throw him outside into the darkness, where there would be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

He did not wear the uniform; it has opened the door to hell for that person. If his clothes were the same as those of the entire group, then that person would not have been thrown out of that wedding ceremony.

If you see your bible, it speaks with details about white uniforms and clothes. Isaiah 61:10, Mark 16:5, Mark 9:2-9. Ecclesiastes 9:8, Matthew 28:3, Matthew 17:2, Luke 9:29.

But if we talk about Bible revelation, God has talked about this uniform a lot in this book.

We must have uniforms, like the army has, or we see in our schools.

Similarly, the Lord has bestowed that uniform upon us.

We will see how great the value of understanding this uniform and being above us is.

If you will see, revelation 19:8. There is also mention of garments.

Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.

(usko sudh aur chamkdar mahin malmal pahinne ka adhikar diya gya.

Who has been given this authority? It is written in verse 7.

The wedding of the lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

The lamb bride is ready and has been given the right to white and linen clothes.

This uniform has been given to the bride; this uniform has been granted to the bride

And if we look at Revelation 7, we know that a great multitude are wearing those garments.

But where did these clothes come from?

Why have they been granted these clothes?

Is this clothing necessary to be among those people/group?

If you look at revelation 3:17-18

17.  You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 

18.  I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

If you will see verse 18, God says, I counsel you to buy from me these white clothes.

In Hindi it is written merse savet vastr mol le lo.

In English it is written, I counsel you to buy from me these white clothes, that you may clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed.

And in Revelation 16:15, Look, I come like a thief, blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.

The Lord is talking very much about this garment, but most of the time we are not concerned with it.

We do not have concern about these clothes; we do not have concern about what kind of clothes this is. How will we get it? How will it grant to us?

Today the world is just running before healing, success, settlement, money, big houses, and prosperity because this is what happened in the time of Jesus and it is the same even today because this is the nature of the world.

But in today's words, the Lord is talking about white clothes. He is talking about a large crowd that is wearing white clothes and is praising the Lord.

The Lord is saying that there is a bride who has been given the authority to wear fine linen and white clothes.

The Lord is also saying to stay awake and remain clothed, lest you be found naked.

In revelation 3, God is saying, Buy these clothes from me.

The root word "buy" come from the Greek word “agora”.

Which does not only mean buying, but it has a much deeper meaning.

Agora means that if you want to take something, then you will have to exchange something with it.

When God is saying, buy from me, which means he is saying, Give me what you have or what was given to you, and then I will give you these clothes.

The Lord says that the clothes you will wear while living with me and roaming with me, you will have to exchange them with me.

Take this uniform from me, but you will have to give me the uniform that I gave you and that you used to wear in this world.

Without wearing these new clothes, you cannot get into the wedding ceremony.

But to get this new uniform, you will have to understand what this old uniform is and where we will get it because, without it, we will not get those new clothes.

For example, just imagine that you are in front of God, and God is in his white clothes. He will say to you, Take this cloth from me, but give you what you have given.

But what clothes has he given us while living on this earth?

Why does he say that you should stay awake, remain clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed?

Here, nakedness is associated with sin.

When Adam sinned and broke God's promise, he became naked, and he came to know that he was naked and became naked in both ways, spiritually and physically.

In simple words, if you do not wear what he has given to us and are not aware. Or wear other clothes, then we will all shamefully be exposed there. Whatever we have done throughout our lives will be shown on it.

But those who continue to wear the clothes that God has given us, his nakedness will not be visible.

Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness with their own made cloth but could not save their shame, but God covered their nakedness. Only God can cover our nakedness.

If we take care of the uniform given to us here, then we will get the uniform of eternal life. There is a bible verse in Galatians: “A man reaps what he sows. (Galatians 6).

So, what is that uniform that he asked us to wear while living on this earth?

To understand this, I would like to take your attention on Colossians 3:12-14

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 

13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Which clothes is the Lord asking you to wear?

Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, forgiveness, and, above all, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

This is the uniform that God has prescribed for us, and it comes to us through Jesus Christ.

There is no option.

Like there is a uniform for an army and it does not have the option of wearing a suit or a tie, or I will not wear this uniform.

If he does not wear that uniform of the army, then he is disqualified from the army; he is not part of the army.

So, how can we join the people of Christ without wearing the clothes given by God?

My brothers and sisters, it is very important to understand this, which is written in the book of Colossians.

Compassion

Kindness

Humility

Gentleness

Gentleness

Forgive

Love.

We cannot say that I do not wear this or that. I wear compassion but will not wear kindness. But if you still want to stay in God’s gathering, then it will not be possible, brothers and sisters.

But if we have to put all of them in one box,.

Then we can read Romans 13:14a

Rather, clothes yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

 

If you want to see the gist of what is written in Colossians, it is written in Romans, and that is Jesus Christ.

He says put on Jesus Christ.

Our clothing is Jesus Christ; the nature of Jesus, the habits of Jesus, the behaviour of Jesus—He is our cloth, He is our uniform.

So my question to you and me is, are we wearing this uniform?

Romans 8:9 says

And if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

If we do not have or wear the spirit of Jesus, then we do not belong to Christ.

You can find the spirit of Christ in Philippians 2:6-9.

6.Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7. Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross!

9 Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.

He is our uniform. He is our cloth.

It is not so easy that we just go and get that eternal uniform.

We saw a large crowd wearing white cloth/ lien clothes; the bride has authority to wear white cloth. 

But today we saw the answer to whom this cloth will give?

Revelation 16:15 Look, I come like a thief; blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.

It will give to them, who stay awake and remain clothed.

This is the one to whom it was given; he has worn it and examined it; acknowledge it. He has not taken it off; he has not left it.

But today many people wear the uniform of the world, but the uniform of the world is the opposite of the uniform of God.

There is humility in God's uniform, while there is pride in the world's uniform.

There is love in God’s uniform, but there is hatred in the world's uniform.

There is compassion in the uniform of God, but there is jealousy in the uniform of the world. 

There is patience in the uniform of God, but there is own will or way of wanting in the uniform of the world.

What uniform are we wearing today ?

We have to ask ourselves.

Are we wearing the Colossians 3:12-14 and Romans 13:14a uniforms?

If you are wearing it, the Lord will come and give you eternal cloth, and from you he will take away the uniform that he has given you on this earth.

We will give it to him with joy. Lord, this is the uniform that you gave me, and I have examined it.

Dear brothers and sisters:.

As we are in this world, we are wearing expensive clothes; we are wearing nice clothes, a nice suit, a nice kurta, and a and a sari.

This is not bad; it is a good thing. We dress well so that people know that he is a teacher, he is a gentleman, and he is educated.

But more than to give attention to worldly clothes, it is important that we may give attention to the standards that God has set for people.

Night, day, morning, someone is harassing you, someone is doing bad, whatever the situation, that uniform should not be taken off from us.

Because that uniform covers our nakedness, like if we're not wearing that uniform, our sins will be exposed.

Without clothes, we will be naked, but that cloth has covered us; Jesus has covered us.

When we wear Jesus, we are cleaned; all the nakedness runs away when we put on Jesus Christ.

Today we have to be aware of our clothes; we have to take care of clothes that we received by the blood of Christ.

Because through that uniform, Lord, give us an eternal uniform with which we will glorify Him for eternity.

May the good God help us to take care of the uniform he has given to us.

 Amen.