Dress for Christian Success!

11th Sunday after Pentecost, 8/8/10
Colossians 3:1-11


Dress for Christian Success!
I. In the holiness of Christ
II. Discarding the garments of sin


Even though “business casual” seems to be the attire of most employed people in our modern world, the old adage that you need to dress for success still rings true. And that’s especially true when you want to accomplish something important.

For instance, dressing for success is critical when applying for a job. If your clothing is sloppy or inappropriate in some way, or if it’s spotted or stained, there’s little chance you’ll be hired for the position, no matter how qualified you may be. The way you dress for that interview speaks volumes about what you think of yourself and others.

But dressing for success isn’t easy. It’s difficult to know where the line is between being overdressed and underdressed. What’s more, dressing for success can be costly.

This morning’s sermon text is from Paul’s Letter to the Colossians. In the first two chapters of his letter Paul has encouraged the Colossians Christians to believe the truth about Jesus and to reject the false teachings that were being shared among them. Having explained the truth to them, Paul now encourages them to put their faith in the truth into action. In other words, he speaks to them about their daily Christian living.

Just like dressing for business success, living the Christian faith can be difficult at times. It can be a momentous struggle for some. But it’s vitally important. That’s because confessing that we believe what Jesus tells us in his word but not living according to it are at spiritual odds with each other.

Paul here offers us our Lord’s encouragement and help. He urges us to dress for Christian success! And by success I mean successfully living like a Christian. Dress for Christian success! May our Lord fill our hearts with his wisdom and love as we ponder what he tells us this morning.


Part I.

You see it less and less today, but there still is a place for the “power suits” in the business world. And that goes for both men and women. Power suits are usually worn by people at the very top of a high profile company that deals with billions and billions of dollars every year. And the employees under them take note. They refer to their superiors as “the suits.” They’re the people who run the show. The buck stops on their desks. They hire and fire and they make and break deals. Their clothing reflects the power and authority they possess.

Paul speaks to us this morning about the power of the spiritual clothing that we wear. Near the end of our text he talks about taking off the old self and putting on the new self. He’s speaking about the powerful spiritual transformation that has occurred in us. He says, “For you died.” Just what does he mean? In the previous chapter he has written, “You died with Christ to the basic principles of this world” (2:20). He’s referring to our former, unchristian way of life. It’s how all of us came into this world. We were born in sin and had no faith in Jesus as our Savior. That life was dominated completely by our old self.

But Paul also tells us at the very beginning of our text, “You have been raised with Christ.” When God the Holy Spirit created saving faith in us, a new self came forth. That new self is a life lived by faith in Jesus out of love for Jesus. It possesses the power of the risen Lord Jesus. It has the power to say “no” to sin and “yes” to living the Christian life. In fact, the new self only has the deep desire to do so. It’s in perfect harmony with the will of our God.

And that’s exactly the way our God sees us. When we came to faith in Jesus, the Bible says were robed in the righteousness of Christ. In other words, God put the holiness of Jesus on us. Yes, we’re still sinners, but God sees us as saints by faith in Jesus. That’s what we are every day of our Christian lives.

And along with the power of his holiness comes the power of his almighty rule. Paul says, “Set your minds on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” Many Christians are confused by this statement. They think it means that Jesus is physically sitting at God’s right hand. But that can’t be what this means. God the Father is a spirit. He has no right hand. What’s more, he and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are present everywhere. This statement about Jesus means that he is ruling over all things with his almighty power for your eternal good. What confidence that gives us as we strive to live the Christian life! We don’t have to lower ourselves to the ways of the sinful world just to get by. We have the almighty Jesus on our side as we live for him. That’s successful Christian living!

Dress for Christian success in the holiness of Christ.

Children are prone to forgetting that they have good clothing on and therefore have to be careful. If there were a sandbox outside the main doors of our church or a puddle of water in the parking lot, you can bet a toddler would do whatever they can to enjoy those diversions even though they’re dressed in their good church clothes this morning.

Sadly, adults can forget what they’re dressed in as well. Again, by faith in Jesus we’re dressed in his holiness. What power that gives us as we strive to live the Christian life! But we forget. The conversation around us is getting farther and farther away from something Jesus would be pleased with and, instead of saying, “This isn’t something we should be discussing,” we join in or we say nothing. Or, we know that the way things work at our jobs or in school is not the way Jesus would do things, but we think that’s the way we need to act if we’re going to get what we want, so that’s what we do. Or, we’re having trouble in a relationship and we’re determined that we’re going to get our way this time. In these and countless other ways we forget we’re dressed in the holiness of Jesus and decide to stain our holy robe with our sins. So now what? Confess it. Recognize your sins and admit them to your God and then hear his gracious words of pardon and forgiveness. He washes your sins away with the blood of Jesus. And in doing so he empowers you to live for him again. He empowers you for Christian living. Dress for Christian success in the holiness of Christ.

Part II.

When you purchase a new piece of clothing, does it occur to you that you will likely have to discard a piece of clothing to make room for the new one? Not usually. We’re under the assumption that our clothes closets have unlimited space. And then one day it becomes clear to us that we really need to go through all those clothes and get rid of the ones we don’t want and don’t wear anymore.

The Christian life is to be a daily closet-cleaning. Paul helps us do that with two lists here in our text. The first is a list of sins that we do which bring harm to ourselves. He writes, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed which is idolatry. Because of these the wrath of God is coming.” Sexual immortality and impurity are nothing new. They’ve been around as long as sin. It just seems they’re more prevalent today and more accepted. It’s called “living together” instead of “living in sin.” It’s called “hooking up” instead of “sinful sexual activity.” And it all starts right here, in the heart, with evil desires—desires that God says are wrong. And then there’s greed. And it’s not just with money; it’s with every other earthly blessing as well. We always think we need more to be happy. But all these sins bring harm and heartache and hardship to ourselves.

Paul’s second list includes sins that bring harm to others. He writes, “You must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other.” Have you ever gotten so mad with someone that you wanted to get even with them or even do them bodily harm? Are you tempted to talk bad about other people or tell lies? These are just some of the sins that harm other people. Dressing for Christian success means taking those sins off.

And instead, live like the Christian our God has made us to be. Paul says it this way, “Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” He mentions the image of God. Adam and Eve were created in the image of God. That doesn’t mean they looked like God. It means that they were perfect, holy. That image was lost when they fell into sin. But that image has been restored in you and me by faith in Jesus. It’s not the full image of God because we’re still tainted with sin. But the new self which lives in us by faith reflects that image as it lives according to God’s commands and will out of love for Christ.

That’s dressing for Christian success. It’s discarding the garments of sin.

One of the burdens we face in our relationships with loved ones is destructive behavior. Do you know some loved ones who have one or more destructive behaviors? But they aren’t the only ones. You and I have them too. Every time we fall into one of the sins Paul mentions or any other sin, we’re guilty of behavior that harms our relationship with our God and others. And that leads to failure, not success. So, dress for Christian success. The problem isn’t just with others; it’s also with you. It’s sinful behavior. Discard it. Confess it. Be assured of your God’s full and free forgiveness. Receive his body and blood for the assurance of your forgiveness. And in doing so receive the garment of Christ’s holiness and the power it gives for Christ-like living. That’s dressing for Christian success! May God bless your efforts richly! Amen.