“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
                                                                                                                                                                                            John 3:16
  Dearly beloved in Christ,

                               I express my Christmas greetings to you in the sweet name of the Lord Jesus Christ. As our ancestors Adam and Eve did not obey the word of God and sinned, they lost their original glory. There came a division between man and God. He lost his relationship with God as he ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. As a result, there came various tribulations and curses and death. He lost his very appearance, the glorious image of God. Not only that, he lost the glory, the eternal life, the freedom and the good blessings that accompanied that image. So the Lord God, who loves us, sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth so that we may not perish but have eternal life through Him. We have the privilege of regaining the image of His Son and also the lost blessings through Him. It is better to know how we can practically regain them through Him. It is written: “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10).

I. ADAM LOST HIS CLOTHING

                             Adam and Eve hid themselves in the Garden of Eden when the Lord God came to meet Adam saying that they were naked. When he was in the image of God, he had the clothing of light. But now he lost it and hence darkness enveloped him. He lost his good relationship with God and his clothing of light. Therefore, he became naked.

REASONS FOR LOSS OF CLOTHING

1. DUE TO SIN

  “So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
                                                                                                                                                   Gen. 3:10

                           The sin of disobedience became a barrier between man and God and made him lose his clothing of light. In Psalm 104:2, it is said of God: “Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment.” Darkness substituted light and we became naked. Once I was invited to pray for an aged minister of God. He was with his wife and children. He was suffering as he had transgressed the word of God and had done things abhorred by the Lord. He was confessing that he had lost his clothing. Though he was wearing more than five dhotis (dress), he was demanding much more. Even though he had done good ministry in his life, he had lost his clothing of redemption because of sin. Our life is also like this. When we lose our life in Christ, we become naked.

2. DUE TO BACKSLIDING
 

  “Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.” Luke 10:30

   Jerusalem is God’s dwelling place. In Psalm 128:5, we read that those who fear the Lord will see the good of Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 11:16 says, “And after the Levites left, those from all the tribes of Israel, such as set their heart to seek the LORD God of Israel, came to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD God of their fathers.” Again in Psalm 122:3,4, it is recorded: “Jerusalem is built as a city that is compact together, where the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, to the Testimony of Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.” Thus when we leave the place of holy living and go towards Jericho, a place cursed by Joshua, the enemy harms us and disrobes us.

3. NO AUTHORITY OVER DEVIL

“Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” Acts 19:16

                      It is recorded here how a few “Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches ...” And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” They had to flee naked and wounded by the devil. Because they indulged in the act of casting out devil without any authority, they lost their garments. Only those who have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and have been redeemed of Him can cast out devils. It is said of believers: “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:17,18). Only the children of the Lord who have the cloak of salvation have this authority over the devil. Otherwise, you will lose your clothing.

WHO IS CLOTHED?

1. THE REPENTANT SINNER

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.’” Luke 15:22

                The prodigal son who demanded his portion of wealth from his father left him and went to a far-away place. He lived an immoral and reckless life and thereby lost all his wealth. Then he was in need and hunger. There was no one to help him. Then he realized his fault. He came to his senses and thought of his father’s house where even the servants had plenty to eat. He made up his mind to go back to his father and to confess his sins against him and heaven. He realized his unworthiness to be called his son, and so he would plead with his father to accept him as one of his servants. Thinking so he started walking towards his father’s house. But his father came running with compassion and embraced and kissed him. Then he asked his servants to bring the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. When we repent, the heavenly Father blesses us by restoring the lost clothing.
 

2. THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.“ Isaiah 61:10

 When we rejoice in the Lord God, we are given this garment of salvation. Salvation is a joyful experience. Our sins and transgressions are washed in Jesus Christ’s blood of covenant and are forgiven. In this state, we rejoice in the grace of the Lord. Those who have this experience are provided with the garment of salvation and are given inheritance in heaven eternally. They will inherit a blessed life of serving in the presence of God in heaven day and night. It is written: “for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. . . .” (Rev. 7:17). So the garments of salvation is important leading to exaltation and joy.

3. THE SANCTIFIED

“Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck.” Gen. 41:42

  In the life of Joseph there came temptation but he did not yield to it but hated sinful pleasure. In this life, we do have such situations to make us fall from holiness. So let us lay aside the sin that easily ensnares us and run with endurance the race that is set before us. Let us resist sin and strive against it. Joseph was blessed by the wisdom given by the Lord. He was raised to the exalted place in the kingdom, to a rank just below that of the king. He was once sold as a slave. Now he was blessed.

4. THE VICTORIOUS

“He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” Rev. 3:5

    In our life temptations come at unexpected times. We should overcome them by being diligent and sober-minded. We should be established in Christ and be victorious. Then the Lord will give us the white garments. Thus we should be repentant, and live a holy life in Christ victoriously. Then we will regain the lost clothing and be blessed.

II. ADAM LOST HIS LIGHT

Adam not only lost his clothing but also lost his light. He had to live in darkness. There was also the darkness of death reigning over him. The ruler of darkness makes many to suffer in life by his wicked acts.

WHO WOULD LOSE LIGHT?

1. Those Who Do Not Glorify the Lord

  “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Romans 1:12

               Many do not offer praises and thanks to the Lord for their blessings. They do not want to praise the Lord. It is written: “God indwells the praises of Israel.” The Lord is worthy of all praises. When we do not praise Him, our hearts are darkened.

2. Those Who are Harmed by the Devil

“For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my life to the ground; He has made me dwell in darkness, like those who have long been dead.” Psalm 143:3

                         The devil acts as our enemy. He makes many a person to live in darkness and suffering. Once I met a sister whose marriage was stopped all of a sudden and therefore was kept in a nearby village. I was invited to pray for her. She was highly agitated and disturbed in mind. She was shut up in a room. She had closed all the windows too. When we went there, she bit her father’s hands and he was bleeding. She had not applied oil to her hair and was knotted. She had earlier been a Sunday School teacher and was a witness to the Lord. It was the devious work of the devil.
Psalm 23 speaks about the valley of the shadow of death. This death is the result of sin of our ancestors parents. The prince of darkness takes many into this life of darkness. Once a man at the point of death in a hospital asked why all the lights there had been switched off in spite of the fact that they were all on. He was passing into darkness.

3. Those Who Hate Their Brothers

“But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” 1 John 2:11

                        There are many people who hate their brothers. In the Bible, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. So curse came upon him. As the teaching of Jesus Christ that one should love one’s neighbour is neither taken seriously nor honoured in the church and fellowships, there are in-fightings in them. Darkness has engulfed them. But we are called to be light in this world. We have to live as children of light. To restore this life of light, Jesus Christ came to this earth. “That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” (John 1:9). There was life in Him. That life was light unto men. Jesus Christ declared that He was light. 

WHAT SHOULD ONE DO TO HAVE LIGHT

1. Follow Jesus Christ

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12
                                                Men choose different types of persons as role models and follow them. Some choose a politician; some, actors; some others, some evil persons. But to have true light, we should follow Jesus Christ. “They looked to Him and were radiant” (Psalm 34:5). The face of those who stood before Him and talked to Him shone. So they got transformed.

2. Abide by the Word of the Lord

“...you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life...” Philippians 2:15,16                                                                                                                                         The word of God is a lamp unto our feet and light to our path. When we submit ourselves to the word of God and get transformed, we have light in our lives.

3. Love Your Brother

“He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.” 1 John 2:10

                                 When the love of Jesus Christ abounds in us, we have the desire to love others. The Spirit of Christ fills us with His love and makes us love others. This love makes us children of light and differentiates us from others.

III. LOSS OF AUTHORITY

“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Gen. 1:28

                              Beloved in Christ, man lost his exalted authority, when he got separated from God. But the Lord God sent His Son Jesus Christ to restore this lost authority. Jesus Christ says in Matthew 28:18 that all authority has been given to Him. He has the authority to forgive sins, the authority over diseases and death, the authority to remove curse, the authority to preach, the authority to judge, etc. He also wants to transfer this authority to us. He came to earth for restoring that.

1. The Authority to Become the Children of God

 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord with belief in His name, we are given the right to be called the children of God. What a blessed state! We have the privilege of the blessings of children and their rights in Him.

2. The Authority to Overcome the Devil

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19

                     When we become His disciples, He gives us authority. A disciple is one who despises himself, takes up his cross and follows Jesus Christ. Many Christians do not want to follow Him. They are drawn by worldly desires and lust which deflects them from becoming His disciples. As you become His real disciple, you are filled with His authority.

3. Chosen By the Lord

“Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons.” (Mark 3:14,15).
     

                                         Beloved in Christ, God has chosen according to His original decision. In Acts 9:15, God says about Paul, “he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.” The Lord who chose Jacob has a purpose in choosing us also. He said: “You are My servant, Ihave chosen you and have not cast you away.” (Isaiah 41:9).
He has chosen all those who believe in Him. Thus the Lord God because of His love for us restores the lost clothing, light and authority through His Son Jesus Christ. Let us praise and thank the Lord for His grace.

              May the Lord bless us!
           In the service of Christ Jesus,
                 Bro. C. Ebenezer Paul.