Speaker 1let up your hands and let's pray your name be exalted we receive from you lively oracles our hearts are open blessed holy spirit move amongst us prevail among us have your way among us and show us jesus and his glories we thank you lord in jesus name amen hallelujah praise god so i want to speak on the proper dressing for ministry the proper dressing for ministry how to be properly dressed for ministry hallelujah now if you see a policeman dressed the dress of a policeman actually tells you that this man is a policeman because that is his official dressing when you see a soldier you know this is a soldier by the official outfit when you see a lawyer ordinarily you may not be able to tell he's a lawyer but when you see his outfit you can tell this is his official garment so what you wear actually represent you in the same way there is a proper way we dress as ministers of the gospel i hear hallelujah now we find this in the book of exodus chapter 28 verse 40 exodus 28 i want us to read exodus 28 and i want us to read 40 and 42 it says and for eron's sons thou shalt make coats and thou shalt make them for them ghettos and bonnet shall thou make for them for glory and for beauty 42 thank you and thou shalt make them linen bridges to cover their nakedness from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach now in the old testament during the ordination of the priesthood now god told moses to ordain the priest now eron was consecrated as well as his sons now the sons of eron were ordained priests into the office of priesthood now on the day of the ordination they had to be dressed praise god because the dressing actually qualified them to be enlisted for the work of the ministry so on the day of the ordination they had to be dressed and for the priest the sons of eron there were four items that were required for the addressing the first one was the robe or the garment there was a robe it was a linen with a fine linen there was a rope then there was the bonnet that covered the hair then there was the girdle like the belt then there was what is called the breeches and underway four things that those four items were required for ministry if the sons of eron were not dressed with these they were disqualified to serve in the ministry praise god all of these things have their meanings in the new testament now the bible tells us that whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through the patience and the comfort of the scriptures might have hope in romans 15 verse 4 the old testament for the law having a shadow of good things to come the the law was a shadow the new testament we have the substance and the realities happened have their corresponding substance in the new testament and that's what i want to show you its corresponding meaning what it means to be properly dressed for ministry hallelujah are you here with me now the first one was the robe the robe so in verse 40 you see that the bible speaks of a coat a linen coat can you show me the picture i i give the video to you so there was a robe first and the robe was made of linen it wasn't any kind of god even specified the material it should be made up of linen it doesn't seem so clear but it's linen hallelujah that was the first qualification you have to be robed with linen to be robed with linen actually means to put on christ you know in galatians 3 27 the bible says that as many as are baptized into christ have put on christ first of all you have to be born again if you want god to use you you have to give your life to him now it will surprise you that there are pastors who are not born again you'll be shocked by the way john wesley was a preacher he preached and preached until he found christ at 36 so he was a preacher before he got born again once upon a time ken the hagen of blessed memory was preaching and he made an altar call an evangelist came to give his life to christ so he was wondering why this evangelist who had preached for 44 years was not coming to give his life to christ so after the service he met him secretly and said why did you come forward he said say after you preach i realized i have never given my life to christ so it's possible i have heard that and two pastors have come to me after my preaching to help lead them to christ so i'm telling you that you have to be robed with the robe of christ now the fine linen or the linen is symbolic of christ now in luke chapter 15 verse 22 when the prodigal son came back home his father gave him the best robe the best robe now in christ we receive the best robe we are robed the best robe in luke 15 22 the greek actually says the rope of the firstborn the word best the rope of the firstborn in greek so when you come to christ god gives you the rope of his son can you imagine that you are robed with the rope of his son what it means is that christ becomes our righteousness christ becomes our acceptance do you know that in the ministry you don't enter into ministry with your own because you are ready or because you are ready you enter into ministry knowing that we are not sufficient in ourselves to think anything as of ourselves but our sufficiency is of god who has made us able ministers of the new testament so he qualifies us so you cannot say i'm prepared enough i'm 100 ready and i'm worthy of the calling it's only god who can make us worthy of the calling the fact that you are robed with christ means wherever you are you represent christ like an ambassador of a nation has to represent a nation in another country when you are robed with christ you become his representative everyone sees you as christ hallelujah so first and foremost they were robed with fine linen which correspondingly its interpretation means that we have to be in christ christ is our acceptance and we also represent christ are you with me praise god now the second thing that we need to talk about is the bonnet the second thing was the what is called the bonnet the bonnet was for the covering of the hair i'm showing you how you can be dressed for ministry now if one item is missing in the in the erotic priesthood in those regime you couldn't save so you need all so the second is the bonnet for the hair and the bonnet is different from the mitre of the high priest the bonnet is for the covering of the hair it was folded like a turban for the covering of the hair you know what it means the covering of the hair speaks of submission under authority look at the hair covered the covering of the hair with the bonnet means that you need to submit under authority if you don't know how to submit under authority you cannot be used by god in ministry it's very important if you are in ministry and you're not under authority what it means is that your head is exposed so the bonnet is for the covering of the head so in ministry you can't be used by god in ministry you can't be used by god in ministry you have to be covered submission under authority not a rebel but someone who is submitted under authority praise god listen this bonnet in the hebrew the word bonnet is the word for exaltation in hebrew bonnet means elevation or exaltation you know what it means our exaltation is now submission our exaltation is now submission the bonnet is to exalt you but it means you are covered and you are submitted under authority so learn to be submissive to authority now in the old testament it was so amazing that even to be in ministry your hair cuts how you cut your hair was determined how you cut your hair was very important in the old testament for instance if your head was bald you couldn't serve the ministry or if your haircut was very bad you couldn't serve the ministry you were down what we call sweat you couldn't serve the ministry Because your hair being down or being bald was a sign of rebellion against authority. Now, that's the Old Testament. I'm not saying if your hair is down, you cannot be in ministry. In the same way, if your hair was overgrown, you couldn't be in ministry. If you had bushy hair, you were disqualified in those days. Now, bushy hair means, speaks of self-glory. On one hand, if your hair is down, you are rebellious against authority. On the other hand, if your hair is overgrown, it speaks of self-glory. You are in ministry for your own glory. You are in ministry for your self-promotion. You are in ministry for your pride. You are in ministry for your self-esteem. You are in ministry just for you. It's not about Jesus. It's for your self-glory. That's when your hair is bushy. So, the required haircut under the priesthood of Aaron was, it should be in the middle. Your hair. It shouldn't be too low. It shouldn't be too high. That means, in ministry, you are not rebellious against authority. Neither are you seeking your own glory. But you are seeking the glory of Christ. Hallelujah. If I'm going to be ordained, can you put your hands on your head? Say, I'm covered in Jesus' name. My hair is covered. You have to wear the bonnet. Remember that, when Jesus met the centurion, Jesus said to the centurion, I'll come to your house to heal your servant. He said, no, speak the word only. You know why? In Matthew 8 verse 9, he told Jesus, For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. I say unto the one, go and he goeth. And to the other, come and he cometh. You know what he's saying? The centurion gave us a principle that is so true. Not only in the military realm, but also in the spiritual realm. As well as in the marital realm. It's a general principle that operates everywhere. He says, the reason why he, the centurion, has authority, and people obey him, is because he himself is under authority. The reason he has authority, and can command authority, was because he himself was under authority. I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. So you know what he was saying? He's saying that, authority is transmitted downward from a higher source. Until you are submitted, you yourself cannot be in authority. So that's a principle. If you want to walk in supreme authority, be submissive, and be subject, under the God-given authority he brings to you. Can I hear you believing? Amen. Now the next one, so there's first the robe, then there's the covering of the head. It was called the bonnet. The third one was the girdle. The girdle is like the belt. You see, the girdle. Aaron himself had to use a girdle around his waist. When he was robed, the robe had to be tied. And all the sons of Aaron had to use the girdle. We'll call, I mean, it's like belts today. But in those days, they didn't use belts. They used a girdle. It's like a sash. It's a little different. It ties their waist. Hallelujah. Now the girdle they used was the garb of a servant. It was the garb of a slave. It was what servants and slaves used to serve in those days. For you to be girded, literally means readiness to serve. You can be in your robe, but not girded. To be girded means you are ready to serve. You are prepared and ready to serve at any time. You have to be girded. Understand this. Our Lord Jesus Christ in John chapter 13, the Bible says, "He sat down and he girded." "He girded himself. He began to wash the disciples' feet." He said, "If I then, being your Lord, have washed your feet," "you ought to wash one another's feet." So Jesus came not to be saved, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. But much more, when our Lord Jesus went to heaven and he ascended, Apostle John was caught up in heaven and saw our Lord Jesus Christ. And he said, John said, "I turned to see the voice that spoke with me." And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks. In Revelation 1 verse 12 and verse 13, in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of Man, that's Jesus, clothed with a garment, down to foot. So John saw Jesus clothed with a garment, down to foot. Now the word garment is the Greek word "poderes," which is the same word in the Septuagint for the high priestly garment. Poderes is what Aaron wore as a high priest. So the garment here is not ordinary garment, it is the poderes, which means he saw Jesus in his high priestly garment. He saw Jesus fully dressed, down to foot, from top to foot, in his high priestly garment. It's called the poderes. So he saw the Lord High Priest, Jesus. But there was something wonderful when he saw Jesus. He says he was girt about his paps with a golden girdle. He saw Jesus and he had a girdle. The high priest had a girdle. That means that even the high priest had to serve. Because a girdle means readiness to serve. You have to serve like a servant or like a slave. But the mystery is this. Our Lord Jesus Christ, glorified Lord, our glorified Lord, exalted Lord, transcended, uplifted, you know where he is? He's on the highest seat on the universe. He has the first position of priority. He's the eminence. Even him, when John saw him, he saw that he was wearing the belt of his sleeve in glory. Even in glory as the high priest, he's still serving. Praise God. Even though glorified, yet he's still a servant. He's still serving us. Because he has assumed the ministry as a high priest. What does it mean? You'll never outgrow service. You can never come to a time and say like, and go like, "Oh, we used to serve, but by the grace of God, we are now matured." So we cannot serve again. Jesus served on earth in heaven. John saw him with a girdle of a servant. He is glorified, yet he is a servant. You cannot say, "Now we are bank managers. Now we are promoted in life. So we have outgrown service." It's not possible. You serve all the days of your life. And amazingly, when John saw the girdle, he called it a golden girdle. You know gold? Gold stands for the divine nature. That means it is his nature to serve. So you can't outgrow the divine nature. The more you are becoming like him, the more you serve. Because that's how he is. Because serving is his nature. Serving is his nature. And there's something with Jesus. The belt, with Aaron, the girdle was around his waist. You see, Aaron's girdle is around his waist. The belt around your waist. But when you saw Jesus, can you imagine? His belt was not around his waist. His belt was on his chest. The girdle was around his chest. What does it mean? This is where his belt, the girdle was. You know, the word "paps" or "breast", that's where the belt was. Breast is a symbol of love and affection. His service is born out of his love and affection for you. Not just his nature, but his love. Because his nature is love. So if you have revelation, you will serve not gradually. You will serve not because it is of necessity, but you will serve because it is of love. Because you know Jesus, and you know who he is. Hallelujah. For your information, in Luke 12:37, when Jesus comes back on the earth, when we enter into the millennial reign, the Bible says there will be a feast on earth, and Jesus himself will be gathered. And he will serve us food. He will serve us. Jesus himself. Have you ever read that scripture? He says he's going to serve us. He will be gathered and he will serve us. So he's an eternal servant. He never outgrew serving. That's our Lord Jesus himself. He's always serving. And in Luke 12:35, you know what he said? Luke 12:35. "Let your loins be gathered about, and your light burning." Now he's speaking concerning our preparation for his coming. How do you get ready for his coming? Be in his service and be on fire. That's the verse. Let your loins be gathered about. That means be in his service. Be active in my service. And your light burning. And be on fire for the Lord. Hallelujah. All right. So we have spoken about the robe. We've spoken about the bonnet for the head. We've spoken about the belt, the girdle. We've spoken about the belt. And we've spoken about the belt. This underwear covers the area of your sexual organs. the place of your sexuality the place of your sensuality it covers it in Ezekiel chapter 44 verse 17 and 18 the Bible prescribes that when we wear, the priest wear the breeches, it should be linen and not wool because wool will cause them to sweat look at verse 18 yeah wool will cause them to sweat the previous verse, verse 17 mentions wool and the emphasis is in verse 18 that the underpant shouldn't be wool because when you are wearing wool, you are sweating you are sweating he says no, it should be fine linen you know what it means? this is part of the description you have to properly dress for ministry you know what it means to sweat with wool as your underpant you have struggles in the area of sexuality sexual immorality it's amazing that God foreknew that the greatest temptation when it comes to ministry is in the area of sexual immorality fornications, adultery, inordinate affection so it was prescribed even our underpant that the underpant shouldn't be wool so God is saying his ministry shouldn't struggle or sweat when it comes to the area of sexuality you understand? sexuality that means that this is the easiest way to be tempted the easiest temptation for ministers of the gospel is in the area of their sexuality so that is where God wants us wants us to trust him the most so to sweat sweating is a symbol of the curse actually to sweat means you are struggling and you are not prevailing so if you don't take care as a minister you are not prevailing before you realize you keep falling in this area lust, adultery, fornications, and all of that you can easily be prone so as ministers of the gospel God has prescribed linen pants for you if an ordinate asks your neighbor what pants are you wearing? wool or linen? it should be linen which speaks of Christ our righteousness so it is trusting the Lord for liberty and freedom linen means linen is righteousness who we are in Christ actually we can overcome sexual temptations by the knowledge of who we are in Christ the Corinthians were very stubborn people the whole New Testament they were the most stubborn of all the churches because some of the guys were going to temple prostitution that was their background before they got converted the whole Corinth was abroad and Paul went there to start a church so they had a weird background so though they were converted once in a while they keep going back and Paul said know ye not that your body is a temple of God so know ye not it was a problem of knowledge knowing who they are who are you in Christ? who are you in Christ? know ye not that your body is a temple the temple there are two Greek words for temple one is helios the other one is naous helios is the physical precinct the structure but the word naous is the word for holies of holies he says don't you know that your body is the holies of holies imagine having the revelation that your body is the holies of holies that means you are the human domicile for the Shekinah glory of God you can't have this revelation and subject the body into mundane or inordinate affection so if you are struggling in this area trust him and he will deliver you praise God so my brethren be properly dressed for ministry hallelujah your garment your bonnet your garment your bonnet your submission your girdle readiness to serve the leading bridges strength to overcome sexual temptations of every sort the Lord bless you in Jesus name hallelujah you
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