THE GARMENTS OF GLORY OF THE CHOSEN PEOPLE
By Lay Pastor Jusuf Wibisono
Lemah Putro, Sunday, May 19 2019
Shalom,
We sometimes sing “We are called by God to serve Him faithfully”. But do we really commit to serve Him faithfully until the end of our lives? According to the pattern of the Tabernacle, those who serve in the Tabernacle must wear the priest’s garment. What does the word of God say about garment? Collosians 3:12 writes, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;”
God promises five ‘garments of glory’ for His chosen people. How do we get these beautiful garments? Only by the grace of God, through the shedding/sacrifice of His blood. What is the function of these garments? As an access to enter the eternal home in Heaven. By the blood of Jesus, we are equipped with the holy garment, hence we are able to serve our God in His Kingdom forever (Revelation 22:3).
To receive all five garments, we, of course, must start from one garment first; just like the nine kinds of fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) that shine brightly. The Word of God says, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.” (Proverb 4:18)
Obviously, a very bright ray of light comes from a small light which becomes brighter. How to find these beautiful garments? 2 Timothy 3:15-17 write, “and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
By knowing the Word of God as early as possible, we will be equipped for every good deed, until one day these beautiful garments (the deeds of the righteous) will be worn by the Bride of the Lord (Revelation 19:8).
How to know the Word of God?
- Willing to be taught so that we can ‘shine’. Jesus offers us to come to Him, to learn to be gentle and humble (Matthew 11:28-30). Illustration: To turn it into a gorgeous and shiny diamond, a precious stone must be cut, polished, etc.
Being humble means being able to receive the advice from other people. Let’s not be arrogant and feel able to do anything that we don’t need to learn anymore! The humble always puts himself ‘lower’ so that he will be filled easily.
- Willing to receive the Word of God with a meek heart, so that it will be planted in the heart and powerful to save the soul (James 1:21).
- Willing to be rebuked of their mistakes/wrong doings and corrected. Both action and speech need to be corrected by putting to death everything that is worldly (fornication, uncleanness,
lust, evil lust, greed) and throwing away all anger, fury, slander, filthy words but wearing new men who are constantly renewed (Colossians 3:5-10).
All old garments are to be put off in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, then wear the clothes of mercy, generosity, humility, meekness and patience (v.12).
The sanctification by the Word of God must be continually increased to be fruitful as written in John 15:1-3. Furthermore, Jesus asks us to abide in Him and He abides in us (v.4). It means the Word of God unites in our lives. The more fruitful we are, the brighter our light will shine. Let’s keep these beautiful garments carefully so that we won’t be found naked and humiliated (Revelation 16:15).
How do we keep these beautiful gaments? By keeping the Word of God so that we might not sin against Him (Psalm 119:10-11).
We should receive the Word of God that sanctifies us joyfully so that our mouths can praise and glorify the name of the Lord (Colossians 3:13-17).
What is the impact for the chosen people wearing the garment of glory?
- Having mercy to those who hurt them. For instance: Stephen had mercy to those who stoned him. Saul was there and agreed that Stephen be murdered. Because of mercy, Stephen prayed so that God would forgive their sins (Acts 7:54-60).
- Being able to forgive so that their lives are restored. Example: Job was dissapointed with his friends (Bildad, Zophar, Eliphaz) who did not say the truth about his suffering. Nevertheless, when Job prayed for their forgiveness, Job was restored (Job 42:7-10).
- Having a privilege to enter the New Jerusalem.
We should humble ourselves, willing to be taught by God, so we will receive part of His holiness. Of course we need to undergo the process to obtain those garments which are increasingly glowing from day to day. Example: the disciples were educated by Jesus for 3 ½ years and equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit; therefore, they were able to testify the greatness of the Lord, His Kingdom and the very Person of Jesus who had died and ressurected.
If we want to receive the Word of God – which is oriented towards the Heavenly Kingdom and Jesus as the King of kings, we will rejoice. We are strengthened day by day because we are getting closer to Him and He becomes our rock and fortress (Psalm 62). The intimacy between God and us is just like the tree and its branches. How did the small David win against the lion? He had the strength because he used to live in the shepherding. Hence, when facing Goliath who positioned him as a dog (1 Samuel 17:43), David could defeat him easily. Psalm 84:11, 5-8 confirms that it’s better to live for one day in God’s temple than a thousand elsewhere and blessed are those whose strength is in Him. David realized that to be in God’s house was like holding at a strong rock.
Implication: We should be in the shepherding/the pasture to receive the teaching of the Word of God which enables us to ‘destroy’ our enemy. Be careful with our utterance! If we speak the Word of God continuously, it will be fulfilled in us.
As long as we put on the garments of humility and meekness, a tough test can be borne easily. Moreover, it will enable us to put to death all the deed of flesh and put away the dirty words from our mouth.
By wearing the new man equipped with the light of mercy, generosity, humility, patience and meekness, also the nine tastes of the fruit of Sprit, we have a part in the Kingdom of God and have a privilege to the tree of life and enter the new Jerusalem (Revelation 22:14). Amen.
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