The first thing to get is this: to receive garments is evidence of bestowing great honour and reward on you; so wherever in the Bible we see garments are given, it's associated with honour, and reward for something the person did. So if you want to understand things in the Bible, you've got to look and go through the Bible, and see where and how these things happen, so if we were to go through the Bible and I'll just highlight a few for you so you can understand and see them very easily, some examples of it. So let's get the first one, here, a very simple one in Genesis 37, Verse 3. Joseph, when he was a young man, received a garment or robe from his father, as an evidence of particular favour and grace. He actually was dad's favourite, so one of the first evidences of getting a garment, receiving a garment, was Joseph, who got it because he had special love and favour with his father.
The second one that I notice in the Bible, is found in Genesis 41 verse 42. You'll find that the theme is completely consistent, so each time you look, it's the same kind of deal. Now you can't understand Revelation unless you look consistently what happened through the Bible, so in Genesis 41, Verses 41 and 42, Pharaoh has said - Verse 40 - you shall be over my house. All my people shall be ruled according to your word, only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you; and Pharaoh has said to Joseph: see, I have set you over all the land of Egypt. So you notice he's been bestowed a huge honour of authority to rule. Now the Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand, a sign of that authority, an authority to act on the Pharaoh's behalf, put it on Joseph's hand - notice this - and clothed him in garments of fine linen. Here's the first example you see of someone being clothed in garments of fine linen, and it was a reward or an honour associated with him entering a whole new realm of honour. He went from the prison, the place of extreme difficulty and testing and trying; and he went to the throne, where he ruled with the Pharaoh over a nation; and notice this, apart from other things, garments, white linen, was given to him associated with that.
Now let's have a look, another example of it, and you'll find this in Esther, Chapter 6. We read in Esther Chapter 6, and you find there's someone else gets honoured, and I want you to see what kind of honour this person gets. In Esther Chapter 6: and Haman came in, and the King asked him: what shall I do to the man, the King delights to honour? And Haman thought in his heart, now who would the King delight to honour, more than me? And so Haman answered the King: well for the man who the King delights to honour, let a royal robe which the King has worn, and a horse the King has ridden, and the royal crest placed on it, said the robe and the horse be delivered by the hand of the King's most noble prince, that he may array the man whom the King delights to honour, and parade him on horseback through the city, and proclaim before him. And Verse 10, the King said to Haman: hurry, take the robe and the horse, and give it to Mordecai, and parade him through. Let nothing be left undone. So you notice now again, the garment is associated with honour, great honour, great honour, the bestowal of great honour.
Okay, let's have a look at another one now and let's go through into Revelations Chapter 3, and in Revelations Chapter 3, John is having a revelation of the end times, and so this is a message for today. The Bible says: blessed is the man who reads this book, and keeps the words of the book. There's a blessing for reading the Book of Revelation. I try to read it regularly.
Okay, notice what it says now in Revelations Chapter 3, verse 4 through to 6: Now you have a few names, even in Sardis, who have not defiled their garments. They shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. He who overcomes, shall be clothed in white garments. Now notice - who was he writing to here? He was writing to the church. What kind of church is he writing to? He's writing to a church that's got a lack of strength. He's writing to a church that needs encouragement and correction, but basically he's writing to believers. Now notice what he says: there's a promise to those who overcome. Now overcoming is not something everyone does. We're all called to, and God will help us to; but that doesn't mean we do, unless we choose to. So the Sardis Church, the church in Sardis had a number of things to overcome, and this is what Jesus said: If you overcome, then I will give you, to be arrayed in white linen. Now he's not talking about getting saved. They're already saved. He's talking about clothing them in some form of garments.