Jesus Clothes sermon

Introduction
Passion movie focused on wrong thing (no blood in gospel accounts)
Something is mentioned over and over again in crucifixion account:
Clothes. Today we'll look at Jesus' Clothes.
Prayer.
Quiz Q! Which book describes the most about Jesus clothes? Rev (1,
10, 19). Important for today!
To make sure we're on the same page. Zech 4, Isa 61:10, Job 29:14, Ps
132:9, Lk 15:22 (prodigal son/justification), Rev 3:18
(justification), Rev 3:4-5, Rev 16:15, Rev 19:8 (sanctification)
Clothing stands for the complete character (not one-sided
salvation?????)
Look for spiritual lessons.

Assignment: Read COL Ch 24 on wedding garment

"The parable of the wedding garment opens before us a lesson of the
highest consequence. By the marriage is represented the union of
humanity with divinity; the wedding garment represents the character
which all must possess who shall be accounted fit guests for the
wedding. {COL 307.1}"

Outline of Jesus Clothes

**Swaddling Clothes (Lk 2:7,12 sign to shepherds!) (DA 47, "prepare
them to recognize their Saviour in poverty and humiliation")
**A woman touched his clothes and was healed (Mt 9:20-21). "Jesus
gently said, "Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee
whole; go in peace." He gave no opportunity for superstition to claim
healing virtue for the mere act of touching His garments. It was not
through the outward contact with Him, but through the faith which took
hold on His divine power, that the cure was wrought." {DA 344.3}
**That opened the floodgates and lots of people started touching Jesus
clothes and being healed (Mt 14:36.)
**Crucifixion: From Pilate to Herod. Herod and soldiers put a purple
robe on him. Back to Pilate. This purple robe was taken off along
with Jesus clothes when Pilate had Jesus whipped the first time.
Pilate then tried to release Jesus by appealing to the sympathy of the
crowd, but was too cowardly to do so when the crowd asked that
Barabbas be released instead. So Pilate gave Jesus up to be
crucified. Jesus as stripped again to be whipped, then mocked again
with a purple robe/crown of thorns/reed scepter. Come back to this
scene. Jesus then was dressed in his own clothes again, walked to
Golgotha and was stripped completely to be crucified. After nailing
Him to the cross, the Roman soldiers sat down in front of him and
gambled for His clothes. (Jesus surrounded by Selfishness.)
One specific (Mt 27:27-31)
**What were they mocking? The idea that Jesus was a king. (They
heard him tell Pilate that he was in vs 11 and that His kingdom was
bigger than this world). In effect, they're saying, "You? A king?
Jesus if you want people to recognize you as a king, you're going to
have to dress better than that. You're dressed like a peasant. Let
us help you. Give up your humble garments and take this robe. It's
more expensive and showy. Now we recognize your claim as valid."
**In this small part of the larger crucifixion story, two principles
are face to face. Jesus clothes were an outward manifestation of an
inward principle: humility. The soldiers were basically saying, "we
can't understand how humility and royalty go together. For us they
don't." So they gave Jesus a scarlet robe. If you've read Rev 17,
you know what scarlet represents. In Rev 17 there is a scarlet beast
with a woman riding on it wearing scarlet clothes. These symbols
represent Satan's kingdom on earth today ??? and as such, they
exercise Satan's principles: arrogant power, usurped authority,
force, and pride. The soldiers gave Jesus a scarlet robe to send the
message: "act like the kind of king we're used to! Come on, assert
yourself!!!"

"The Jews were looking for a Messiah to be revealed in outward show.

They expected Him, by one flash of overmastering will, to change the
current of men's thoughts, and force from them an acknowledgment of
His supremacy. Thus, they believed, He was to secure His own
exaltation, and gratify their ambitious hopes. Thus when Christ was
treated with contempt, there came to Him a strong temptation to
manifest His divine character. By a word, by a look, He could compel
His persecutors to confess that He was Lord above kings and rulers,
priests and temple. But it was His difficult task to keep to the
position He had chosen as one with humanity." {DA 700.4}

Conclusion
Now let's bring this lesson home to us. Do you find Christ's
humiliation and humility under abuse something to be admired?
Beautiful? This quality is the central one of His character! Do you
think it's beautiful? Would you really like to be like Jesus? This
lesson is an absolutely essential one for us to learn. Why? Think
about this: the ONLY guarantee heaven has that sin will not rise
again in the future, is that every single person among the redeemed
from this Earth finds Jesus character of humility absolutely beautiful
and spends the rest of eternity copying it!

Time for personal application. It's at this time in the sermon that I
get really uncomfortable and I hope you do too: Which do you spend
more time doing?
1) comp sports or looking at Jesus? (by beholding…),
2) getting way in relationship or meeting or marriage or thinking
about Jesus life of service? (Never forget that thoughts work out
actions. Repeated actions form habits, and habits form character."),
3) grades or meditating on Jesus humility (comparing themselves among
themselves are not wise).

Paul calls on Christians to have the mind of Christ in Phil 2. That's

amazing when you continue to read about what Jesus mind was. I used
to read this passage in light of the exaltation that Christ receives
at the end and think, "that's what I want, I'll be humble right now so
God can exalt me later!" But I had missed the whole point. Jesus is
the same yesterday/today/tomorrow. Jesus still spends all his time
thinking about how He can lower Himself more. How He can serve more.
How He could be kinder to His enemies. This seems a radical concept
to us when we think about it deeply. But I have news for you: all
heaven operates this way. If you recall, the angels were willing to
die for fallen humanity so Jesus didn't have to. Do you do this?
Think like this?

My charge to you today is simple: plan your life in such a way that
you will come to admire Jesus more and this world less. Be very
practical and consider whether the things in your life are helping you
to develop a character like Jesus or a character modelled after this
world.

Last Quote: In his lessons of instruction to his disciples, Jesus

taught them that his Kingdom is not a worldly kingdom, where all are
striving for the highest position; but he gave them lessons in
humility and self-sacrifice for the good of others…Yet how few see
anything attractive in the humility of Christ! Worldlings are
constantly striving to exalt themselves one above another; but Jesus,
the Son of God, humbled himself in order to uplift man. The true
disciple of Christ will follow his example. {CE 179.3}

Last text: 1Pe 5:5* Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the
elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with
humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.