All right, please take your copy of God's Word and turn to the book of 1 Timothy, chapter 2.
Once again, if you do pay attention to the bulletin, you notice in the liturgy, we are not going to be in the book of Mark.
But I will remind you that that's where we're at. We've been preaching together through the book of Mark.
We've come to the end of chapter 4.
And as a general habit, this is what we find to be the healthiest thing,
is to go through the Scriptures verse by verse, and that is our work right now in Mark.
However, we can become overly dogmatic about that kind of thing and make that somehow an idol.
And it's important at times to stop and address some things topically.
Now, just to be clear, for those of you who may not fully wrap your mind around what good expositional preaching is all about,
which I don't know that I would qualify myself as a good expositional preacher,
but expositional preaching takes, as its main point, the main point of the scriptural text.
We don't do things with the Scriptures to fit into our own opinion, our own methodologies,
but we simply look at what the Scriptures have to say about something.
And as we're moving verse by verse through Mark, we're looking at the life of Christ
and what it would say to us and to our living.
But we can also look at a topic and say, what does the Scripture have to say about this particular topic?
And so, this morning, I'm not very apt to do this, but this morning's sermon title is
Modesty of the Heart.
We'll begin reading in 1 Timothy 2, verse 8.
Paul writes,
Join me in prayer.
Father, we do praise you for this day, and I praise you for all of the souls that are sitting here together in this room.
We recognize that they came here today by your providential word.
And therefore, Lord, you have something for us, each of us, in this day,
some way in which you intend to conform us in greater degrees to the image of your Son.
And so, I pray that you will bless the reading and the preaching of your word to that end.
Father, we need you for this.
I need you to be powerful in my preaching.
Everyone needs for you to be powerful in our hearing.
That by your Spirit, you will apply these truths to our hearts.
That you will make us into new creations.
And we pray this in Christ's precious, holy, high, lifted name.
Amen.
So, this morning we're going to talk about modesty.
And as you may assume, that's because it's beginning to warm up a little bit out there.
And as we have a church that has so many young people,
this is a particular issue that young people need to hear.
Modesty ultimately is an issue of the heart.
As all behavior is, it's very easy and we're often likely to talk about behavior modification.
Tell you how it is you should live.
And give you some practical steps for what that might look like.
And that is such a temptation here.
I so desperately want to make a list.
And a bunch of rules.
And tell you ladies what it looks like to be modest.
Say, do that.
And if you don't, I don't know.
There will be some consequence.
Right?
We're going to discipline you some way.
Right?
But that doesn't really get at the core of the issue.
And that is, it is an issue of the heart.
In Ezekiel chapter 36, beginning of verse 26, God says,
And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you.
And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
So as we talk this morning about modesty and what that looks like, we must remember that Paul was writing to Timothy,
who was an elder of Christian people, who was leading believers and was leading women who had hearts that were changed.
So the condition of their heart should be, necessitates some outward expression.
An appropriate outward expression.
An outward expression that honors the gospel of Jesus Christ rather than profanes it.
An outward expression that ordains, that lays good works on the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2.10, Paul says,
Now, this is a little bit, potentially, a little bit of a touchy topic.
And I hope that most of you ladies in the room have already sighed a big sigh of relief.
And have said, yes, a sermon on modesty.
That is great.
That is something that our culture needs to hear.
I hope that none of you have gotten really uptight and are feeling uncomfortable this morning.
I want to speak to you plainly this morning.
And I want to speak to you pastorally as one who loves you and cares about you.
Cares about what's going on in your life and about the things that you're doing that may bring judgment on you one day.
It's a great fear of mine.
And it has been all week as I've been considering exactly how to say some things.
And what should and what shouldn't be said.
It's a great fear of mine to embarrass any of you.
I think.
I want to at least believe that anyone here who doesn't quite understand what it means to be modest has done so out of ignorance.
And I don't want to embarrass you because you're ignorant.
If I say something this morning that applies to you and makes you want to sink in your seat and sneak out of here as soon as we get back up to sing, please don't.
You have a past this morning.
We will assume ignorance on your part this morning.
And never again from here on out.
But this morning, you can be ignorant of why it is you should be modest and how it is that that serves the church.
So please don't let me embarrass you.
I really, really, really don't want to do that.
Sam has coined a little phrase for me and she calls it my stomp hug method.
Where I step on people's toes and I give them a quick hug before they can get away.
Please hear me now hugging you.
Not bringing condemnation down on you.
If I thought anybody in this room intentionally dressed immodestly, was intentionally trying to cause the men in our church to sin, was really working at that, I would have no problem laying it out for you.
But I don't think that's the case in our church.
Ladies, let me encourage you to apply this truth to your own heart.
To not sit in judgment of other people around you, but to apply this truth to your own heart.
And then in turn, in speaking the truth in love, to apply it to the hearts of others.
Let me caution you against legalism.
Legalism.
Proper Christian encouragement says to people, I want you to look more like Christ.
Legalism says, I want you to look more like me.
Don't do that.
Don't fall into that trap this morning as we talk about these very practical matters.
Now ladies, as I speak to you and potentially in your ignorance, I say to you that there is not a man in this world.
And certainly not a man in this room that does not battle with the temptation of the flesh of sexual lust.
Not a man in this world that doesn't deal with that temptation.
Now there are men in this world that fight quite well against it.
And I don't mean this as a huge boast to myself, but I have been fighting that battle for two decades now.
A little over two decades now.
I have been battling against sexual sin in my life.
And I find massive victory in this by the grace of God.
Massive amounts of victory in this.
But as you get to know me, you'll learn that I hate the beach.
I hate the beach.
To me, to go to a place that's hot, that has no sun, makes no, I mean no shade, makes no sense.
A place where I have to manufacture my own shade or buy it at Walmart makes no sense to me.
I try not to be, but I'm a bit of a control freak.
And I cannot control where sand goes when I'm at the beach.
And it just absolutely drives me crazy.
But let me tell you the primary reason I do not like going to the beach.
It's not relaxing to my soul to go to the beach.
I don't get to rest when I go to the beach.
I've got to be on my game when I go to the beach.
I've got to arm up.
And I've got armor.
And I know how to wield my sword.
I know how to fight the fight.
I just don't want to fight when I'm on vacation.
I want to go someplace where I can relax and be calm a little bit.
I don't want to get up in the morning and go, it's battle time.
Let's go play with the kids at the beach.
I don't want to.
Somebody suggested to me this week, they said,
couldn't you just bury your head in a book when you're at the beach?
And I said, not with toddlers.
This last year, Judah wanted to walk up to people laying down on the beach and say, hi.
And you had to go, come on, Judah.
Come with me.
It doesn't quite work that way.
Ladies, you need to understand that this is something that all men battle with.
And we live in a culture that is highly sexualized.
Highly.
It is everywhere.
Men are asking most of the time for these things to be in front of them,
for these images to be presented to them.
It's in magazines.
It's in our Facebook feeds.
I can't believe some of the advertisements that are showing on Facebook now.
I may just have to stop using it altogether because it's just horrible.
The shows that we watch, the casual nature of sex and the presentation of women in our culture
is there all the time.
You don't want to be a part of that problem.
Now hear me clearly.
Secondly, I am not this morning making men's sexual sin your fault.
Please, please hear that.
I'm not going to say it to you over and over again throughout this sermon.
It is not your fault.
Men have their own deal.
They have to deal with their own deal.
They will be held accountable for their own sin.
However, you could be sinning and contributing to that factor.
If I were single and had a roommate who was an alcoholic,
and I always had the fridge stocked full of cold beer,
and had a liquor cabinet full,
and offered to him on every occasion a drink,
would I not be somehow accountable for his sin when he fell back into his alcoholism?
Certainly, that would be true.
And so there's a negative feedback loop that we find in our society.
Men struggle with this.
Women want to be accepted.
This is big picture.
Culturally, women want to be accepted.
So they dress the way they perceive men want them to dress,
which causes men to sin,
which causes them to desire that,
which is this bad negative feedback loop.
And men, we really need to be the ones that are responsible
for getting that loop going the opposite way.
We need to be the ones saying to women,
I don't want to be attracted to you for that.
I want to be attracted to you for your mind,
and your heart, and your actions.
We need to be saying that to women.
We need to be saying it to them verbally.
We need to be saying it to them practically.
We need to be finding ways of showing them
that we don't want to see them dress immodestly.
Like, we've got to be working at that.
But ladies, help us do that.
Be part of that process of getting that feedback loop
to be a positive feedback loop,
where we are growing together in grace.
I want to read to you a short testimony
of a young guy in our church
that most of you love and respect,
a godly young man,
to just give you some idea
of what young people are dealing with these days.
He wrote,
When I walk on the college campus,
I must confess as a man
that each and every day is a battle.
If I do not spend sufficient time in prayer
and meditation on the word of God,
I find that I have already lost this battle,
the battle of lust.
I am so thankful that my father is faithful
to provide the grace to stand in purity
and to keep my heart from wandering from him.
I am truly thankful that he has created me
to be a man attracted to women.
However, when walking the college campus,
I enter into a spiritual war zone,
especially when the weather is warm.
I must constantly be on guard,
using every weapon at my disposal
to survive in the battle for purity.
Scripture memory, prayer, and music
aid me greatly.
I try to bounce my eyes
as not to gaze at immodestly dressed women,
yet it seems nearly impossible
to heed the apostles' exhortation
to flee sexual immorality
and youthful lusts
when around every corner
I find the same temptation.
There are certain days
I know my only option
is to look down at the ground.
When I see a girl immodestly dressed,
my heart breaks for her.
Little does she know
that in a campus setting,
she probably will be devoured
in the hearts and minds of many men.
Then again, perhaps she is aware.
I honestly don't know.
I truly think the majority of women
have no idea how serious
that battle against lust is
for every man, young and old.
It never, ever stops seeking
to turn us aside,
to draw us into its paths,
to count us amongst its victims,
to drag us down
to the chambers of death.
For the most part,
the church is a sanctuary
from this battle against lust.
Yet today, the struggle
is slowly becoming
just as hard
in the congregation
of God's people.
The manner in which
some women dress at church
can cause major distractions
for a man.
I would dare say
that most girls
are ignorant concerning dress,
but some are not.
I plead with you
to embrace the truth
that you are a woman
created in the image of God
and beautiful apart
from what this world
would make of you.
Though my sin is my own
and I will be held
accountable to God for it,
I plead with women,
especially sisters in Christ,
to choose to aid their brothers
in this unending battle.
For the godly women
who refuse to dress
according to the pattern
of this world,
a thousand thank yous.
You have chosen to follow
in the beauty,
honor,
and dignity
of Sarah,
Ruth,
and Esther.
You have considered
serving,
caring,
and loving your brothers
of higher value
than what this wretched world
thinks of you.
You are the truly attractive women
in the eyes of a godly man,
and I am forever grateful for you.
Lastly,
I think it is right
to ask the forgiveness
on behalf of all men,
for we have failed
to treat you
with the honor
and respect you deserve
as those created
in the likeness
of our wonderful Creator.
The result has been
you dressing in a way
which appeals to the eyes
of sinful,
depraved men.
Change must start
with men
loving you
and treating you
with the dignity
you deserve.
Only then will your dress
reflect your love
and care for you
with sincerity,
your brother in Christ.
This is a very common issue.
Now,
to be very clear,
if all of you ladies
in this church
got it just right,
and many of you do,
to be sure,
men are still going to deal
with this temptation.
It's still going to be
on our college campus.
There's no doubt about it.
I was there the other day
visiting with some students,
and I'll address
a particular fashion
that's come about
and was just shocked.
Like,
oh,
poor guys.
Winter used to be so safe.
It used to be so easy
in the wintertime.
It's not really the case
anymore
on our college campuses.
So,
it's going to exist,
but you do not
want to be a contributor
to the issue.
You want to be a help to it.
You want to be
a service
to men.
Ladies,
you must know,
as I say,
that all of the men
in this room
deal with this,
that so many of them
deal with it so well.
I know a lot of the young men
in this room
very well,
and they fight,
and they fight well.
They really,
really want to be pure
in everything that they do.
They want to relate
to you appropriately,
so please,
please help them.
So,
back in our text,
we see,
beginning there
in verse 9,
that women should
adorn themselves
in respectable apparel
with modesty
and self-control.
And modesty
is an interesting word
we use in English
that in the Greek
has a bit more meaning
to it.
It carries the idea
of bashfulness,
right?
That you actually
would feel
that it's inappropriate
to expose yourself
to men,
right?
But it's a bashfulness
that has a regard
to others,
right?
That cares about
others seeing you
in a particular state.
The truth of it is,
you can dress however
you want to
when you're by yourself.
I don't care.
When you're all by room,
in your room,
all alone,
by yourself,
it really doesn't matter.
But when you go out
into the world,
you must consider
how it is that other
people are looking
at you.
And ladies,
I know you have
a culture that feeds
attention for the way
that you look,
right?
And you guys are all
beautiful girls,
especially the young ones
amongst you.
You're young,
which is what our
culture worships,
right?
You have the ability
to wear scanty clothes,
to not be modest.
But is that really
the attention
that you want?
Is that really
the attention
that you want?
If in your heart
you say yes,
then we have so many
things to talk about.
Let me say to you,
that is not the attention
that you want.
You do not want
the type of attention
that is fleeting,
right?
That objectifies you.
You want people
to care about
who you are
as a person,
to look at you
in the eyes.
What would be my
encouragement to you
is to dress in such
a way that people
want to look at you
in the face.
They want to look at you
in the eyes
when they're talking
to you.
So you're to be
dressed appropriately
with modesty
and with self-control.
And self-control here
just simply means
soundness of mind.
Be rational about this.
Think about what
you're wearing.
There's a particular
type of bug
called a
processionary
caterpillar.
We talked about
this in a community
group.
I thought it was a beetle.
It's a caterpillar.
A processionary
caterpillar.
And this caterpillar
will follow another
processionary caterpillar
to food.
And you can actually
get them to work
in a circle
where they get
head to tail,
and you can work
them around in a circle.
And they will go
around and around
and around and around
in a circle
looking for food,
following the person
in front of them
for food until they die.
Don't be a
processionary
caterpillar.
Operate with
soundness of mind.
Lift your head up.
Look around you.
Don't let this
culture lull you
to sleep and tell
you what's appropriate.
But look to the
scriptures.
Look to the church
and ask them
what is appropriate.
Function with
modesty
and with
self-control.
As I said to you
before,
I don't want to
embarrass anybody.
I don't want to
offend anybody
this morning.
So I'm going to
let the scriptures
do that for you.
Proverbs 11,
22.
I absolutely
love this
proverb.
Maybe even a
little less for its
application and just
for its brilliance.
Proverbs 11,
22 says,
Like a gold ring
in a pig's
snout is a
beautiful woman
without discretion.
Like a gold ring
in a pig's
snout is a
beautiful woman
without discretion.
The gold ring
here is
the beautiful
woman.
The gold ring
is a beautiful
woman.
It's something
to be treasured.
It's something
of great value.
And the
contrast here
is that
this type of
thing should
not belong
in a pig's
snout.
It does
not belong
there.
So the
implication is
that a
beautiful woman
necessarily
should operate
with discretion.
The pig's
snout is
the lack
of discretion.
See that
there.
And pigs
in this day
were not
in any way
attractive.
Some of you
might have
thought,
Oh,
but pot-bellied
pigs are so
incredibly cute
and adorable.
Now,
these would have
been like
our modern
hogs,
the kind of
hogs that
are down
south just
ravaging farms
and you can
kill them all
year long
and you want
to and they're
hairy and they're
disgusting.
They're pretty
good eating,
but this type
of a hog is
what would have
existed here.
Remember that
the Hebrew people
didn't eat pigs
and pigs
would be out
at the edge
of town
where refuse
was dumped
and they would
go through
the refuse.
These were
not attractive
animals.
This is not
where a beautiful
woman should
reside.
It should not
be as a gold
ring in a
pig's snout
at all.
It does not
belong there.
Now,
the exhortation
that he continues
with is that
women should be
adorned in
respectable apparel
with modest
self-control,
not with
braided hair
and gold
or pearls
or costly
attire.
Now,
we could get
ourselves into
a little bit
of trouble
with this,
can't we?
And I am
one who
takes the
word of God
as the word
of God
and I take
the word of
God literally
in its literary
forms.
And so we
have to wrestle
with this a
little bit.
What does
this mean
exactly to
us and to
our culture?
Should we
take it just
at its face
value and
say,
ladies,
do not
braid your
hair.
It's not
appropriate for
you to
braid your
hair.
It's not
appropriate for
you to wear
gold or
pearls or
costly attire.
I don't know
how we would
define that
exactly.
What I say to
you is no.
It's important
for us to
understand the
culture that
was being
spoken to here
and then pull
the reality
out for us.
What is being
taught to us?
Paul is saying
to Timothy
that women
should not
ever improve
the way they
look,
that they
should never
do any
dressing up
at all.
I would say
to you,
no.
But what you
need to
understand is
that the
way in which
these particular
characteristics
were true
at best
of the
wealthy,
these were
things that
wealthy would
have done,
at worst
of prostitutes.
So as the
early church
was finding
some liberty
in their
faith in
Christ,
they were
beginning to
do some
things that
they would
never have
done previously
as respected
parts of the
community,
as Jewish
adherents,
or as
just well-to-do,
normal,
good,
Gentile people.
They were
beginning to
say,
well,
we like the
way the
pretty women
dress.
We want to
look like
them.
We want to
put on the
airs that
we are
these
women,
whether that
would be
the wealthy
or those
whom the
whole culture
looked at
as the
epitome of
sexual desire.
And that's
what they
were doing.
That's what
the instruction
is against,
is to be
sure that
when people
see your
apparel,
they see
godliness,
not the
things of
the world.
Now,
specifically,
we're speaking
about modesty,
but ladies,
this is going
to affect a
lot of other
things that
you do
and ways
that you
think.
Now,
I'm not
going to be
legalistic at
this point.
I could come
up with
some for
you,
but I'm
just not.
I'm tempted
to,
but I'm
just not.
I'm not
going to
say anything.
I'm going
to let
this work
in your
own heart.
How is
it that
you make
yourself up
to look
more like
the world
and your
motivation in
that,
the heart
in it all,
is to
not look
godly?
Our culture
does a lot
of things
to epitomize
particular types
of people,
like celebrity.
You must
think about
this.
Peter wrote
in 1 Peter 3,
3 and 4,
do not let your
adorning be
external,
the braiding
of hair,
and the putting
on of gold
jewelry,
or the clothing
you wear.
See the same
cultural issue
happening there.
But let your
adorning be
the hidden
person of the
heart,
with the
imperishable
beauty of a
gentle and
quiet spirit,
which in
God's sight
is very
precious.
This is the
way you
should want
to adorn
yourself.
With respectable
apparel is
the terminology
used here.
With respectable
apparel.
And you must
think about
what that
looks like.
What does
respectable
apparel look
like?
And again,
it would be
so tempting
at this point.
In fact,
I found some
great resources
that were
checklists for
you.
Most schools
have dressings
code.
Most of you
probably went
to some
kind of a
high school
that had a
dress code
of some
sort.
I'm just
not willing
to make
laws where
the Bible
doesn't make
laws.
I'm just
not willing
to do it.
However,
we do need
to address a
few things to
give you an
idea of what
I may be
talking about.
And here's
the part where
I'm really
worried to
embarrass you.
Don't be.
Please don't
be embarrassed.
You're ignorant
this morning.
Tights or
leggings,
whatever you
want to call
them, ladies
are not
pants.
Hug.
They're not
pants.
And if in
your mind the
natural progression
from the
tightness of
your jeans is
that you might
as well, then
your jeans are
too tight too.
Right?
If you can't
comfortably sit
down in your
pants, you
need to wear
bigger pants.
Ladies, bikinis.
How did that
become culturally
acceptable?
How is that
something that
it seems that
everyone does?
Even people who
from the world's
terms shouldn't
possibly ever
be seen in a
bikini, they
would not wear
anything else at
the beach.
It's bizarre that
the culture really
says that you get
within an hour of
the beach and your
brain turns off.
And you begin to
think entirely
differently.
Right?
Would any of you
ever walk into
this building in
your underwear?
No.
Why is it okay in
a different context?
I don't understand.
I honestly do not
understand.
Right?
If it would be
normative to wear
something on top of
something that you're
wearing, you probably
should be wearing
something on top.
Tights would be an
example of that.
If it would be
normative to wear it
as an undergarment,
treat it as an
undergarment and wear
something else.
on top of it.
Ladies, Facebook is
a dangerous medium
both for you and
for men.
When you go to the
beach and you make
your pose, your cute
little picture in your
bikini, you know it
ends up on a place
where everyone can
see it.
And sometimes, more
often than not, when
they didn't choose to
see it.
Right?
It shows up there in
the feed and that
image is imprinted in
a guy's mind and he's
got to deal with it and
he's got to wrestle
with it.
He's got to go to
battle because you
thought it'd be cute to
post a picture like
that.
Or your friend did.
Right?
You need to really
think about what you
wear everywhere that you
go.
Now, clearly, also none
of you would walk into
this room in a modest
one-piece bathing suit.
That would also be very
strange.
I think there is
appropriate swimwear
that you can wear.
And I would encourage
you ladies to be the
unique ones amongst your
groups of friends that
finds the cute,
appropriate swimwear.
And there are companies
out there doing this
now.
Right?
That you can be the
most adorable one on the
beach and be very
covered.
Right?
And I would encourage
you to do that.
You may not be able to
keep up with the latest
trend if you desire to be
godly.
You may not be able to
fit in with the crowd if
you desire to be godly.
Is this shocking to you?
That God has sanctified
you, He's taken you, and
He's set you apart from
the world to serve Him and
His ways, and you may not
be able to fit in in every
way?
Right?
That your pants may not be
as tight?
That you may be the one on
the beach in the one-piece?
The modest one-piece?
There are some horrible
one-pieces as well.
Right?
Is this a surprise to you?
It shouldn't be.
And it shouldn't be
heartbreaking to you.
It shouldn't hurt you in
any way whatsoever to say,
I would gladly give up
that.
To serve my Lord?
No problem.
Right?
That's easy.
Right?
That is low cost.
Right?
To be a servant of the
Most High God.
He's called us to much
higher costs than that.
Right?
He's called us to suffer
for His sake.
To potentially lay your
life down for His sake.
To be martyred one day?
Don't wrestle over
swimwear with Him.
Be modest.
Serve your brothers.
Right?
How can you possibly know
what is and isn't
appropriate?
Right?
Nathan, give us the list.
Just give me the list.
I'm not giving you the list.
But what you can do
is you can ask your fathers.
Many of you have
godly fathers.
And even if they're not
godly fathers,
they probably know
the way men's minds work.
And you could say to your
dad,
Dad,
is this appropriate?
The little ones do it.
If I ever have daughters,
oh,
I can guarantee they're
going to get screened
before they go out of the
house.
Right?
And I'll also check the
backpack to make sure
there's nothing stuffed
in the bottom of it.
Right?
Ask your fathers and be
willing to take something
back.
Right?
Go to the store and buy
something, bring it home,
show it to your dad,
and go,
okay, dad,
I'll take it back.
I will honor you in that
way because you're a man
and you understand men.
And I don't want to be
consumed in the minds
and hearts of men.
Ask the women of your
church.
If this is your church,
we have many godly women
in our church that dress
very modestly.
Do that.
Talk to those women.
Ask them,
is this appropriate?
I'm feeling a little on the
edge here.
What do you think?
Right?
Ladies who are married,
ask your husbands.
I,
without ever talking to Sam
about it,
Sam has always asked me
about things she just
wasn't sure about.
Is this alright?
And you know what I'll tell
you,
that I really appreciate her
because she,
she really errs to the
side of caution.
And more often than not,
my response to that is,
yeah,
it's fine.
Like,
totally fine.
No big deal.
But on occasion,
I've said,
yeah,
I don't,
I wouldn't do it.
Right?
Ask.
Just ask.
It's such a simple
thing to do.
And when in doubt,
don't.
Just,
if you don't know,
you're standing in your
dorm room and you just
don't know if it's
appropriate.
You don't know if it's
going to serve your
brothers.
Just don't.
Caring for them matters
more than how cute you
might be.
Right?
Verse 10,
though,
is kind of the
continuation of the
beginning of 9.
Right?
What is it that you're
to be adorned with?
Respectable apparel.
Verse 10,
but with what is proper
for women who profess
godliness.
With good works.
So what should make
women attractive
to men?
Good works.
Guys,
that's the kind of
woman that you want.
Our cultural
definition of beauty,
so hear me carefully
here,
our cultural definition
of beauty,
we epitomize youth.
And guess what?
Your wives are going
to get old.
They're not going
to hold together
the way they held
together when they
were younger.
Speaking as a
spiritual man,
who loves my wife
for spiritual reasons,
she gets more
beautiful to me.
Right?
Physically and
spiritually,
she's increasing
in beauty
day by day.
But if you
epitomize
beauty the way
culture epitomizes
beauty,
you're going to be
disappointed one day.
Someday,
you'll wake up
to an older woman
who'll be laying
next to you
and you'll say,
that is not the
woman that I married,
if that is what
you care about.
Do not care about that.
Look for women
who profess godliness
and adorn that
with good works.
Proverbs 31.30,
speaking of our
famous Proverbs 31 woman,
says,
Charm is deceitful
and beauty is vain,
passing,
fleeting,
but a woman who
fears the Lord
is to be praised.
Ladies,
this is the way
you want to orient
yourself.
If guys don't
like that in you,
then they're not
worth your time.
Right?
If you have to
show off any
part of yourself,
any part of yourself
physically to a guy
for him to like you,
kick him to the curb.
And if you can't do it,
call me and I'll come
kick him to the curb
for you.
Right?
Not worth
your time.
You want a man
who is attracted
to godliness
as you should be
displaying godliness.
1 Corinthians 10.31
says,
So whether you eat
or drink
or whatever you do,
do all
to the glory of God.
This would include
the way
in which
we dress.
So it's important
that you see
that
part of the way
that you give
legitimacy
to the gospel message
is how you dress.
It includes
all so many things
about the way
we function in our life.
We've been talking
about that in Mark
chapter 4
as we've been preaching
through that
about not hiding
our light
under our bed
but putting up
on a lampstand
where it's meant
to be seen.
We've been talking
about how we should
be sowing seed
in the world.
This is the activity
that's fitting Christians.
We should be
functioning in this way
and that includes
the way
that you dress.
A really classic
example of this
is 1 Corinthians
chapter 9
verse 19-23.
Now hear me
we have great
liberty in Christ.
That's one of the
great blessings
is that we are
no longer
under law
but under the spirit.
So we have been
given access
we've been granted
permission
to do things
like eat pork
would be a very
simple example
of that.
We're allowed
to do
some things
not all things
but some things
we're allowed to do
we've been given
liberty in Christ
but you can practice
your liberty
for yourself
or for service
to the kingdom.
Let me give you
an example
in my life
I find it
perfectly
permissible
by the scriptures
to consume alcohol
not to become
drunk
but to drink
but because of
my position
and because of
the culture
we live in
this hyper
Christianity
fairly legalistic
culture
that we live in
I choose not to
and I am
practicing my
liberty
in choosing
not to
as in no way
profanes the gospel
Christ has set me
free
I'm free to do it
but I'm also
free to not do it
I would encourage
the same
for all of you
not a law
but think about
where you live
and what you do
and how it is
that you serve
the kingdom of God
I would never
want anybody
in our culture
to not hear the gospel
from me
because they saw me
drink
it's just not worth
it to me
I don't care
1 Corinthians 9
beginning of verse 19
Paul says
for though I am
free from all
I have made myself
a servant to all
that I might win
more of them
to the Jews
I became as a Jew
in order to win Jews
to those under the law
I became as one
under the law
though not being
myself under the law
that I might win
those under the law
to those outside the law
I became as one
outside the law
not being outside
the law of God
but under the law
of Christ
that I might win
those outside the law
to the weak
I became weak
that I might win
the weak
I have become
all things
to all people
that by all means
I might save some
I do it all
for the sake
of the gospel
that I may share
with them
in its blessings
what do you
ultimately care about
in this world
right
do you care about
being cute
do you care about
fitting in
do you care about
attracting the wrong
type of attention
from guys
or do you care
about the kingdom
of God
do you care
about advancing
the good news
of Jesus Christ
and if you do
if your heart
is modest
it is going
to affect
the way you live
it's going to affect
the way
that you dress
Titus 2.10
Paul says
that good works
adorn
the doctrine
of God
our Savior
so how we dress
guys this applies
to you
my two year old
and my three year old
outclass some of you
guys on Sunday mornings
might not want that
to be the case
right
this applies to guys
as well
how we dress
matters
because
it's about the gospel
everything that we do
should adorn
the doctrine
of God
our Savior
now ladies
let me say to you again
it is the fault
of men
that men sin
sexually in their minds
it is their fault
but it is your fault
when you feed it
you will be judged
one day
for your actions
and it is my great prayer
for this church
as an odd group of people
we're fluctuating constantly
college students
I love you
you make our group weird
and that's okay
like I'm really content
being weird that way
you come and you go
many of you
and I look out at your faces
I've never even seen you
before this morning
that's okay with me
I'm glad that you're here
but we ebb and we flow
and we change
but I just don't care
what I want
Christ Family Church
to be known for
is being set apart
from this world
not for the sake
of being different
we're not trying to be
rebels against our church culture
that's not the intention
of what we're trying to do
but to be set apart
from the world
that we might magnify
Christ
in all
that we do
and that includes
the way
you ladies dress
let's pray together