What's in Your Wardrobe?, Part 1

Maybe you're wondering why two people who love each other can't be intimate with each other.

Surely that's a beautiful thing. Maybe you're wondering why certain criminals shouldn't get away with their crimes. Surely they were disadvantaged. Maybe you're thinking the children ought to determine their own rules and lifestyle. Surely they have something to teach their parents. Maybe you're wondering why pornography is such a big deal.

Surely God made our bodies to be seen. Ladies and gentlemen, I have personally heard every one of those things in my study from the lips of people who are leaving the path of light and embracing the path of darkness. If we're not careful, we can begin to adopt the mindset of the world. We start making excuses for why sin is okay. We start moving from the light into the darkness. The early warning sign is that our thoughts begin to reflect the world. How can we stop it before it starts?

And how can we pull back if we've started down the wrong path? Stay with us as Stephen looks at these kinds of issues today. This is Wisdom for the Heart with Stephen Davey. Stephen, the president of Wisdom International, has a message for you called, What's in Your Wardrobe?

We come today to the end of our series I've entitled Livin' Like You're Leavin'. Last Sunday I showed you a special vase of mine filled with marbles, each marble representing one month of my life, and I had calculated them out, assuming, hoping, praying, if God so choose that I would live to be the age of 75 at least, that I had that many marbles in there. I should have had over 300.

I told you that I had about 240 some. I couldn't remember exactly, but somebody had taken 79 marbles out. Well, I want you to know some dear man in our church sent me a jar. It was delivered to my office of marbles, the same color, everything is the same. And on the lid he wrote, God spoke to me, here's a few more years.

They're great. You know, some gifts, they just mean a lot. So I've already had taken out the proper number, and the proper number now are back in the vase. It's sitting on my window sill in my office here at church. And I have since installed a video surveillance camera. I don't want to lose my marbles faster than I have to.

I want to find out who that person is. Well, this is the perspective of Paul on life, is it not? A perspective that we should be living because we're going to be leaving and we don't know when it is. Let's go back to Romans 13 one last time as we wrap up this chapter and this series. Let's get a running start by going back to verse 11. Romans 13, 11.

And this do, knowing the time that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep. For now salvation is nearer to us than when we believe the night is almost gone and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the daylight, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy, but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. You could easily outline this last portion of the chapter with three exhortations. Wake up, clean up, and dress up.

The believer here is challenged to wake up. Don't be sleeping. That is, don't be inactive. Don't be passive.

Don't be complacent. Wake up. And in light of the coming day, clean it up. Clean up your act, Christian. Live a pure life.

And the only way you're going to be able to clean it up is to dress up. Dress for battle. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ is the last of two things he tells us to put on. You remember earlier in this text in verse 12 we're told to put on the armor of light and now here he says put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regards to its lusts. Now you could take a pencil or a pen and you could write an exclamation point after the name Christ because it is an imperative in the original language.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ exclamation point. Do not make provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts exclamation point. What an interesting verse this is within this context. Look back at verse 13.

He talks about carousing and drunkenness and all of that. It's as if he says this is what you were. Now verse 14 this is who you are. What does Paul mean when he says put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Well the Roman believers would have immediately understood this metaphor. They would have immediately understood what it meant to put on Christ as you would a robe because the rabbis were currently teaching and had for generations prior to the Apostle Paul with the same metaphor they use the illustration of putting on clothing as symbolic of dressing in moral or spiritual behavior. The rabbis were teaching during the days of Paul that true worshippers were to put on literally the cloak of Shekinah glory that is they were to wear the glory of God. Paul will talk about roving ourselves with doctrine with truth. So this truth would have been easily understood and immediately recognized as we were to put on as if we were challenged like the rabbis.

Only Paul is tweaking it just a little bit. He says the Shekinah glory is literally the Lord Jesus Christ put on the Lord. He is the true and living God. In other words the true worshiper of the true and living God then was to live in a way that would reflect the glory and the light and the character and the nature of God.

That's his point. Now we need to stop for a moment and make sure we understand theologically what he's saying here. We as believers are already robed with Christ in one sense that occurred at salvation.

We refer to that as justification. We were robed with the righteousness of Christ that will never be taken away. Paul wrote to the believers in Galatians 3 verse 27 about this truth as he told them all that all who were immersed into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ. The prophet Isaiah in fact used the same metaphor referring to salvation when he wrote I will rejoice greatly in the Lord.

Why? For he has clothed me with garments of salvation. He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness like a bridegroom decks himself with a garland and as a bride adorns herself with jewels. Isaiah 61 verse 10. So every believer has been clothed with Christ.

We call that a part of justification. Once for all time clothed in the righteousness of Christ. But there's another aspect to this metaphor this illustration clothing ourselves with Christ refers to our sanctification our growing up of the outward living of that inward justification. We were justified we are being sanctified and that's Paul's focus here when he tells us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. He means that we are to choose to wear the light of Christ's glory that we are to choose to walk through life reflecting his nature and his character which means we've got a lot of growing up to do don't we of all.

That's the challenge here. So Paul would write to the Ephesians you who were once darkness are now light in the Lord walk as children of light Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 8. You who are robed with Christ now choose to wear Christ in the way that you live which means you will choose not to wear the deeds of darkness like carousing and drunkenness and sexual promiscuity and on and on. This morning I stood in front of my closet and I picked out my sport coat. It was hanging there in the closet up there with about a half a dozen others.

They are cheaper nowadays because men no longer wear them. And I looked at this one and I thought well I might. I looked at that one and I thought no makes me look heavy. I looked at another one. No that's not my color.

You know those things men think as we get ready in the morning right. I said I'll wear this one. What was I deciding. I was deciding to wear this one but I was also deciding not to wear those. See this is the one that's going to accompany me today. And apart from this illustration I probably won't take it off until three o'clock this afternoon.

I'll be glad when that moment comes. But right now this is going to follow me everywhere I go. I'm not going to decide now should this go with me when I walk over there to the visitor's reception room. Should I wear this as I'm seated up here. It's going everywhere with me and I've chosen not to wear the other ones. That's the point I think here when we choose to wear the Savior we are choosing not to wear the deeds of sin.

You cannot in this process of sanctification wear the Savior and at the same time wear sin. I think it's interesting as I thought about this metaphor of clothing you know what little kids love to do play dress up. You know rainy afternoon is an invitation to ransack mom and dad's closet.

They love wearing other articles of clothing beside their own. I'll never forget when our boys were around five years of age and their little sister before the fourth was born little sisters about three and a half and I was in my office and I got a frantic call from Marsha and she said honey I don't know what to do. I said what's wrong. She said one of the boys is outside jumping on the trampoline wearing his sister's one piece swimsuit.

He's out there jumping around like Tarzan wearing his sister's bathing suit. What do I do. I said get the camera. We can't pass up this opportunity for future blackmail. She said are you serious.

I said absolutely take as many pictures as you can. The grandchildren will be ours. We get pictures. My son who's now in Bible College laughs with us over that event whenever it comes back to our minds and it comes back often. Have you ever seen your child wearing your shoes pretending to walk like you pretending to be you. See we are to wear the clothing of Christ as it were we are to pretend to be like him but it's for real. We are to try to walk like him.

It's for real. We wear the clothing of Christ. So I have a question for you. What's in your wardrobe which is a lot more important than asking the question what's in your wallet.

Right. What are you wearing. What do you have on as you go out there to face your day.

What clothing have you robed yourself in. Is it Christ or is it corruption. Would you notice that Paul uses the full expression of the Lord's name. He says put on the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord because we're wearing the declaration of his deity his sovereignty his mastery over our lives. Jesus we're declaring that he is truly the God man more than a prophet more than a moral man more than a good teacher.

We are declaring that he is also Christ that is the only true savior he is the Messiah come to deliver us put on the Lord Jesus Christ the fullness of his character everything that he represents and now as little children walk through life growing up to be like him. This is the principle of a lifestyle. Paul also in the latter part of this verse gives us a prohibition the prohibition of a lifestyle make no provision then for the flesh in regard to its loss. The principle of a lifestyle asks the question what's in your wardrobe. The prohibition of a lifestyle asks the question what's in your waste basket.

Not just what are you putting on but what are you throwing away. Make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. There are a couple of words in this phrase that I want to highlight first is the word provision is from the Greek original word pronoia which means to perceive in advance to care for to note beforehand to take thought of see Paul is painting a picture of the believer that we'd probably not rather see. He's suggesting that every believer has the potential to think ahead in advance to sin to note beforehand where sin is and go join it to an honest picture.

The famous painter John Sargent once complained every time I paint a portrait I lose a friend. Likewise we may not like the portrait that Paul draws and we'd like to say well he's got to be talking about unbelievers. No this is to the Christian. We know how to plan sin which means none of us ever fall into sin by accident. We plan we sin on purpose.

So don't hook up the cable movie channel and then wonder why. Don't plan to meet someone you shouldn't and then wonder why. Don't ignore godly counsel. Don't ignore the word or prayer and then wonder why the devout puritan preacher of generations ago Thomas Manton wrote every corruption has a voice and they call out to you. Every sort of sin finds a way to bring itself he wrote to our minds and hearts. So don't leave the door of your heart unlocked.

If you do you're you're making provision for the flesh. But in that is the good news. You can never be caught in a place you never visit.

You will never be trapped somewhere you never go. That's why Solomon warned his son of those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness. That's the warning here. Even to the believer whose paths become crooked who become devious in their ways. Be warned so that you will walk in the way of good men and keep to the paths of the righteous. Proverbs Chapter 2 make no provision. The second key word is the word lusts make no provision for the lusts of the flesh.

The word is epithymia. It's used for both good things and bad things in the New Testament. It's used to refer to a hungry person longing for food in Luke 15 verse 16. It's used for a man desiring the office of elder first Timothy 3 1. It's used of the angels longing to understand salvation in First Peter 1 12 it's used of Old Testament prophets who desire to see and hear the Messiah.

Matthew 13 17. Most often the word is used of evil things men lusting after other women. Matthew 5 28 people consumed by materialism literally lusting after things.

Mark 4 19. Furthermore this word lust is used in relation to the lust of the body. Romans 6 12 the lust of the flesh. Ephesians 2 3 the lust of the heart. Romans 1 24 the lust of the eyes.

First John 2 16 worldly lusts Titus 2 12 defiling lusts in Second Peter 2 10. And that's just the beginning of the use of the word. This is just the beginning but it is a word that paints a portrait of who we are capable of becoming. We were this.

We can still become that. No wonder Paul wrote to the Galatians warning them walk in the spirit that is walk by means of the spirits enabling and then what you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Galatians Chapter 5 verse 16. And here Paul warns the Romans not only will you not perform the deeds of darkness but you must consciously then robe yourself with a light. Verse 12 robe yourself with Jesus Christ. You know you go to the Christian bookstore today and you can find all kinds of books they give you the three quick ways to become godly. You know how to become holy in a hurry. It does not exist. No such thing.

That's why the hymn needs to be sung again periodically take what time to be what holy. Let me get as practical as I can and ask you questions I have asked myself this week. Throughout your typical week take inventory. What are you watching. What are you reading.

What are you listening to. We cannot address this text and talk about the loss of the flesh in our generation without squarely and honestly looking at the media and the Internet and print. Let me sort of pick and choose my way through these questions and I'll not address everything but perhaps I'll touch on something that God wants to provoke in your heart.

First of all as it relates to making provision for the loss of the flesh. What are you watching. Jeff Botkin in an address he made not too long ago at vision forums independent film festival made the case that Christian aesthetics which is the biblical definition of what is good true and beautiful. He says it has been under attack in cinema and he documents it since the 1920s. He makes the comment and he's speaking to other filmmakers by the way that we as believers and especially parents need to wake up to the fact that even the most shallow television show is teaching lessons. Even the worst movie teaches by nature of its visual perception and impact a curriculum of values. We expect the world to produce dark values that are anti-truth anti-good anti-beauty. But for the believer we are to be guarded against them.

Jeff posed the question even in our culture how do you go from Shirley Temple to Madonna in less than two generations. Part of the answer is that your world ladies and gentlemen is not in neutral. The doctrines of demons Paul called them have an agenda. The prince of the power of the air is not in the habit of napping.

He is not without a strategy a scheme. Paul says why else would we be exhorted as believers as we are headed toward the tape. The moment we are not live in here and we are leaving for there to wear the armor of light. I speak in those terms that we are to robe ourselves consciously with the character of Jesus Christ.

Why. Because we have already learned from the apostle Paul that we should both expect and anticipate the siren song of the children of darkness. Benjamin Stein whom he quotes served as a speechwriter for Nixon and for Ford entered Hollywood and acted himself in about 40 films. As an insider he began evaluating the themes of cinema and has done so. He went all the way back to the 20s and came on up into our generation and began evaluating thousands of scripts.

And he delivered the news of course that would be ignored by the children of darkness but I think it ought to give us pause as children of light. He came up with eleven characteristics that he says dominate the cinema today. Programs, sitcoms, whatever. Let me give you these eleven. Number one, that sexual relations are inevitable before marriage. And this is the curriculum.

Sexual relations are inevitable before marriage. Number two, children are wiser than parents. Number three, successful businessmen are evil. Number four, clergy are uninformed and ineffective. Number five, government social workers are noble. Number six, homosexuality is genetic and should be celebrated. Number seven, the military are psychotic sadists. Number eight, fathers are stupid. Number nine, criminals are only the result of poverty or racism. Number ten, profanity is a part of honest reality.

And number eleven, women who reject motherhood are heroic. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the predominant curriculum of a world dominated by the lust of the flesh. And you cannot allow yourself to spend time being educated by anti-biblical movies and media which move your emotions and shapes your perspective and then wonder at some point in your life, why are the truths of the Bible so narrow?

Why are you people so uptight? Maybe you've already bought into one of the eleven things that children of darkness produce. Maybe you're wondering why two people who love each other can't be intimate with each other.

Surely that's a beautiful thing. Maybe you're wondering why certain criminals shouldn't get away with their crimes. Surely they were disadvantaged. Maybe you're thinking the children ought to determine their own rules and lifestyle. Surely they have something to teach their parents. Maybe you're wondering why pornography is such a big deal.

Surely God made our bodies and he must have made them to be seen. Ladies and gentlemen, I have personally heard every one of those things in my study from the lips of people who are leaving the path of light and embracing the path of darkness. What do you watching? Secondly, what are you reading? What's the last book you purchased?

What are you thumbing through these days? Is it the curriculum of worldly aesthetics which is anti-truth, anti-goodness, anti-beauty? Oh, it really doesn't matter, Stephen.

Would Paul say that today? Make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. Here's a book published not too long ago that reveals the disintegration of truth even within our own culture as it relates to marital fidelity. The book is called, if you can believe it, Affair, colon, how to manage every aspect of your extramarital relationship with passion, discretion, and dignity. I learned about this book as I was reading a pastor's comments on the subject of marital fidelity. The pastor quoted the publisher's review that said, quote, this is a thoughtful, detailed discussion of every aspect of considering, preparing for, beginning, and conducting a successful and emotionally fulfilling extramarital relationship.

Now, I got to tell you, even though a pastor was saying that, I was still suspicious. So I went to Amazon.com and there it was. I pulled it up, I clicked open the table of contents and there were chapters entitled like these, getting ready to meet that special someone, guidelines for pre-extramarital courtship, situations that serve as an appropriate basis for having an affair. I scrolled down to the reviews. There were a lot of them, people gushing their praise. One wrote, this book was a lifesaver for me.

It helped me find and keep my special friend to help me through until my children are older. Another wrote, I wish I had known this information sometime back. I could have avoided a considerable amount of emotional pain by not selecting the wrong person. Another obviously experienced adulterer wrote, and I quote, this book is filled with common sense. This will greatly help those wanting affection from outside their marriage. If an affair is something that a person cannot avoid, then this is the guide to have. And when I read that, I couldn't help but think of this guide.

This is the guide, which says that on repenting adulterers will not enter the kingdom of heaven. What's in your wardrobe? There's more for us to glean from this passage, but we're going to pause right here and bring you the conclusion on our next broadcast. You've tuned in to Wisdom for the Heart. Our Bible teacher, Steven Davey, is working his way through a series entitled Livin' Like You're Leavin', and he's calling this lesson, What's in Your Wardrobe? In addition to being your Bible teacher on Wisdom for the Heart, Steven is the pastor of the Shepherd's Church in Cary, North Carolina. He's also the president of Shepherd's Theological Seminary, also located in Cary, North Carolina. You can learn more about our ministry or these other ministries at our website, wisdomonline.org. One of the delights of our ministry is when we hear from our listeners.

We would enjoy knowing that you're listening, and we'd love to learn how God's using His Word to transform your life. If that's been true for you, please take a moment and write to us. Our address is Wisdom International, P.O. Box 37297, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27627. I'll give you that one more time in case you're trying to write it down. That's Wisdom International, P.O.

Box 37297, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27627. If we can help you today, our phone number here at the office is 866-48-BIBLE. Please join us next time as Stephen brings you the conclusion to today's lesson here on Wisdom for the Hearts. We'll see you next time.