This recording is from Christ Kingdom Church in Avalon Park, Orlando. Visit us online at ChristKingdom.org for our calendar, driving directions, and more audio recordings. Well, good morning. If you have your Bible, turn to 1 Timothy chapter 2 verses 5 through 10. Little did I know when I sent an email out to those that I have your email address in the congregation saying, I know you prayed for me on this topic coming up. It's not when I've preached on very often, perhaps ever as I look back in my history, or one that I've heard many sermons on, I wasn't expecting the response that I got from so many of you on that. Everything was positive, but I was surprised how many of you were like, thank you so much for addressing a topic that's so needed and so prevalent in our culture here today. The topic is the truth about modesty, and the reality is that modesty or immodesty is a strong prevalent part of our culture here today in huge ways. I mean, where can you go in the course of 24 hours that you're not bombarded in some way, shape, or form by those that either have made modesty choices, and by the way, I'm not just talking about in reference to dress, I'm talking about in reference to behavior as well too, which the Bible directly addresses as well as part of the issue of modesty. But how can you go in a 24 hour period with not having some encounter with that, either those that you might greatly appreciate and those that you might not appreciate as much in this particular issue? Now in the course of that as well, let me also just point out and acknowledge too, in the course of the day, how often do you personally think about the issue and the principle of modesty in your own life? How often are you actively thinking and engaging in choices and thinking intentionally is my behavior, is my dress modest by the standards the Bible gives, or is it immodest? Will it be perceived by those around me as modest or immodest? That, if you're like most, if you're like me even, is something that rarely probably crosses your mind or not nearly as often as it should. As we look at this topic here this morning, let me just go ahead and say about the fact that chances of me offending someone in this room is about 100%. And in fact the truth is, if you don't leave challenged here this morning, then I've done a poor job in communicating what God's word says about this matter. Because in the culture that we live in especially, the issue is huge. The challenges are huge. The amount of people that are addressing on it are addressing the issue is few, if any. Google's an amazing tool. You do a Google search on the word modesty and you'll be surprised of how little there is said even about the topic. Do a Google image search on modesty and you can't barely find an example of anyone that would model that. You get what comes up as pictures of athletes who are considered modest and how they talk about their athletic accomplishments. Good indication, a good understanding, a good way for us to think about a topic that's not being addressed very much at all that desperately needs to be. Let's be honest here this morning as we look at this as well too, that in modesty, in modesty, let's just be honest, is enjoyed by most. Now we wouldn't want to admit that publicly. In fact, some of us would do everything we can do to not admit that publicly but the reality is that in modesty, whether it be in dress, whether it be in behavior, is something that is attractive to a sinful heart. And according to what the scripture says, we all have sinful hearts. We all desire to not honor God in the area of modesty but to do just the opposite. And if we're honest, even though we would publicly shun it, perhaps many of us, especially those that are Christians, followers of Christ, those of us who are here this morning, we would publicly shun it at least in certain degrees. We would privately embrace it and enjoy it in many other ways and shape some form. Let's be honest, Victoria's secret has never been a secret to guys. We're honest that the appeal of the movie Twilight to girls goes much deeper than most want to dare admit. There is a reality to the issues of modesty, whether it be dress, whether it be behavior, we're going to look at both of those that is amazingly deep and amazingly profound and scary. So if you're up to the adventure to move forward and look on that, I believe we'll find truths in God's Word that will truly set us free here this morning. It's not a new topic at all. In fact, we're going to look at a text that was written about 2,000 years ago. But even if we look back as we will in a moment after that to look, it goes back to the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, this issue of modesty as well. But right now, let me take us to our passage. Let's read from 1 Timothy 2 verses 5 through 10. This is God's holy and inspired Word. And by the way, long after you and I are dead, it will continue to be as holy and inspired Word. For there's only one God and one mediator who can reconcile God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus, he gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is a message God gave to the world at just the right time. And I have been chosen as a preacher and a apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth. I'm not exaggerating just telling the truth. In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God free from anger and controversy. And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things that they do. This is God's holy and inspired Word. You know, I have to be honest right at front. It's going to be a good bit more focused on the ladies today in this area of modesty, especially with dress than it is about the men who I'll talk about in a second. I think it's more appropriately talked about in the context of behavior with this. Now the reasons for that one is this text specifically is addressing women. And as a text does that, it'll be very appropriate and right for me to do that as well too. But just understand, just like looking back where it talks about the men should be free from anger and controversy, that principle would apply to women as well too, although we're not looking at that specific part of this text today, that principle of modesty was certainly applied to men as well too, even though it's specifically directed in this particular context to ladies. So just be aware of that here this morning and realize that it is mutually applicable to both topics and both people here this morning. Don't make the mistake, though, if thinking of this message as only for young people, that this message is only for single people. It's for every man, it's for every woman. It's for every young man, every young woman. It's for those who are single, those who are married, those who are young, and those who are old. Well first off, let me just address a question that's probably floating around somewhere in the back of your mind already. Does God really care about clothes? I mean, come on for a second. There's a lot of other bigger issues in the world, like racism and people who are murdering others, people who are stealing. I mean, aren't those issues really much more deer and important to God's heart than the issue of clothes? I mean, it seems a little bit trite that God would give attention to this topic. But let me say just the opposite. The issue of clothes goes back to the very beginning. In fact, let's look at a few texts here. Genesis 3, 6 through 7. A familiar story, you grew up in the church at all. When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. And she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were open, and they realized they were naked. So they sowed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Just a few verses later. The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. And even further in the giving of the law in Deuteronomy 22, 5, we hear, it said a woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing for the Lord your God to test anyone who does this. Just another example. The God has opinions about clothes, and it does matter to him because he is a holy, he's a righteous God. But even from the very beginning of the story in the Garden of Eden, what's one of the main subject matters that comes up, clothes, and the issue of nakedness, and the issue coming out of modesty, or an issue of immodesty as well, as we look at this. Since it matters to God, it should therefore also matter to us. Well, let me start off here or two by giving you some backgrounds and information. This might be a little bit hard to read, I apologize, but I looked at some surveys. And by the way, there's almost zero surveys on this topic out there to be found, at least that I could find. But there was one at this website, therevolution.com modesty slash survey. I put it up here so you can go back and look at it. This is a very extensive tool that's out there that has like over 200, how many questions was it exactly? 148 questions that are very specifically. And the interesting thing about this survey, it was actually the whole idea came from 15-year-old Katrina Roe, a 15-year-old teenage girl who really wanted to have insight and knowledge into what are the issues with this, and how her brothers in Christ encountered this whole issue modesty. So over 200 girls, mostly teenage girls, help form 148 questions. Questions that they wanted to ask. Questions that are very specific, whether it be about swimsuits, whether it be about makeup, skirts, behavior, etc. You can go in there and look and see what every single question was asked. And over 1600 boys and men responded to this survey answering questions about how they perceived and how they thought about different issues. So I'm not going to go do a lot of particulars, but I want to give some of the general results. 97% of the guys of the 1600 survey noticed that if a girl is dressed in modest or not, 97%. 92% agreed that despite rampant in modesty all around us, girls who choose to dress modestly do make a difference, they said. So we've 6% have less respect for it in modest girl than for a modest one. 97% agreed that a girl can dress attractively without dressing immodestly. 94% agreed that a modestly dressed girl can still be a stumbling block because of her attitude and behavior. In other words, it goes beyond just clothing as well too. Anyway, looking at some of these results here, I realized as I've just shared some of the broad scope results here, that this is an important issue, an issue that affects every guy and an issue that affects every girl as well. But looking at this was very interesting and as some of you know, I decided, well, I really like to see how does that parallel to the men, the guys in our own church. So again, if you happen to be on my email list and if you're not, by the way, put it in the little tab in the bulletin so I can get you on there. I sent out a questionnaire to just the men in our church, just the guys asking to answer 10 questions. And I had about 30 of you that responded this past week. So I just want to say thanks, I appreciate that. But here is what you said, about two thirds of you were married that responded about a third of you were single that responded. Here are the results. 93% believe that modesty is an important issue that needs to be discussed. 93% also said that they were tempted to less at least once a day. 36% on that same question, by the way, said they were tempted four or more times a day in the area of lust. The question was asked how often do you observe in modest dress and given the choice of almost never occasionally one to two times a day, three or four times a day or too many to count. 46% said too many times to count they observed in modest dress in the course of a day. When they were asked about agreed with they agreed that they observed in modest dress at the following places, here's the percent that responded at the shopping mall 92% at the beach 97% at school 85% on TV 93% at work 23% at restaurants in 69% at church 35% at movies 78% at a friend's house 30% at a local pool 73% on the internet. 93% looks the safest place for that would be at work. It's like guys get a job you don't have a job okay. I was a little surprised that that church wasn't the safest. In fact it wasn't even the second safest. That was your friend's house third safest. But it brings to mind the questions that we should be asking ourselves related to this issue where is the area of modesty being addressed and how is it being addressed. 93% agreed though that it was primarily their responsibility to guard their eyes and resist temptation. So I have to bat here ladies and I want you to feel like member thinking yeah it's their fault. 93% said they agreed or strongly agreed that it really begins with them. They're responsible for it. 83% agreed that they would appreciate it though if girls dress more modestly. Again these are the guys right here sitting beside you this morning. Of the single guys which I asked them specifically 83% said that modesty was an important characteristic they would want to find in the person they marry. And the only other 13% were people that were just neutral nobody disagree with that comment. Which by the way is an interesting thing and as a guy let me give you ladies an insight you know when you're a young guy a teenager in college and growing up when you're kind of courting and thinking about marriage. There's two kinds of girls in a guy's mind. There's the kind that you kind of want to date and there's the kind you want to marry and the two are not the same. And I'm sharing that to you as a guy who grew up as a Christian teenager. They don't get me wrong we guys would say yes we want to date the kind of girls that we want to marry. But we know there's a whole different kind of girl that has a whole different kind of fun. That's not the one that we respect enough to want to put a ring on our finger. That should give you an insight and a single guy here would build up to tell you that I'm lying because that's absolute truth. Ladies think about that and guys that's a condemnation on us as men and hope you take that very seriously as we should hear this morning. Well let's go further by defining it modesty defined. Oh by the way here's if you want to get the results and go to our web page in the front there's an article you can click on that and you can look at the actual report from our survey results. That's what that is there at the bottom. The truth about modesty here's a definition for modesty comes right out out of the dictionary and that thought was very good. Dressing or behaving so as to avoid impropriety or indecency especially to avoid attracting sexual attention modesty dressing or behaving so as to avoid impropriety or something that's inappropriate or indecency especially to avoid attracting sexual attention. Well let's talk about two different contexts here or off the bat. When we have women we have men and the context are slightly different. The principle is the same but let me explain what I mean by that. The context for women for example is that they need to understand that guys are visually oriented. It's just a fact. It's just the way that we've been wired and it's just a fact of nature and creation and there's nothing wrong with that specifically but to understand when it comes to the issue of modesty or immodesty as it would be. The way you dress is a primary factor in this issue for guys because it's the first thing that they encounter and their eyes are extremely important to them. Behavior of girls or women would be a secondary issue. They don't give me wrong that can be just as immodest the behavior as the way they're dressed but it's going to be a secondary issue for men and for guys. Also what I love is CJ Mahaney another pastor had this definition of modesty. Modesty is humility expressed in dress which I thought what a great way to sum it up quickly. Humility expressed in dress especially in relation to our ladies. What about the context for men? Well for men we need to understand the ladies are relationally oriented. Again it's not saying that men have no relational desire connection and it's not saying that women have no visual connection with this but they are primarily relationally oriented with that. That means that primarily men are behavior whether it be flirting whether it be romancing or tools that we can use that can become immodest in our behavior towards women that we need to be careful of. Using that same definition that CJ Mahaney said I used it for men. Modesty then would be humility expressed in behavior with ladies would be another way for us as men to understand modesty. Well you see the word humility used here in both breaking down these two definitions. Let's talk a little bit for a second about what that is. The meaning of humility. Humility has a proper view of oneself as a God's view of yourself. If you are humble you don't think less than God thinks of you and you don't think more of yourself than God thinks of you. True humility is having God's view of yourself that you created in his image that you have dignity that you matter that you are worth sending his son to come from heaven to earth to die for you. But to die for sinners but you are a sinner that sin has common and has affected every part of your being. It has warped your judgment left to yourself sin will take you straight to condemnation and to hell. But with the grace of God you can receive the offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. The reality is that humility is having a proper view of yourself. Yes you battered a God but you are dreadfully sin a sinner beyond able to save yourself. Humility also implies that we are others oriented. Somebody who is a humble person it doesn't just think well of themselves appropriately but it's one who is concerned more about others than themselves. And that's fact was one of the things that we strike out or that catches our attention first about smile who's humble as we're like thinking wow they're never talking about themselves they're always asking how are you doing they always want to know how they can help or serve you these are characteristics that are associated with people that are humble. They have a desire to rightfully serve and bless others they have a desire to not provoke lust whether it be in dress whether being behavior with them. Well now that we've kind of defined modesty here a little bit we're ready to refine modesty first that's only in five twenty one through twenty two says this test what. Everything thank you hold on to the good avoid every kind of evil. The scriptures tell us look you must think intentionally about every aspect of life you must test everything. You must not assume ever that your natural inclination that your national progression the way you like to go with stuff is right without testing it according to the word of God without testing it directly and to be sure to avoid every kind of evil. And a lot of doing that one of the most important things that we need to understand is that modesty is not a matter of the him line as much as it is a matter of the heart. It is mostly about why not about what you wear or what you do. We don't need to begin with the dress or behavior we need to begin with what is in the heart. Let me tell you right now go ahead and disappoint you some of you right up front if you were hoping that in this sermon we would show pictures of what is modest and what's in modest that we would talk about specific examples that this would be modest and this would be in modest we're not going to do that. Not that that maybe wouldn't be helpful in some ways I encourage many of you especially parents with your kids to have those discussions but you know what I would do you a grave injustice if we kind of skip over the idea that it all begins in your heart. That is the front line of the battleground of modesty and also natural inclination and sinful nature doesn't want you to go there. It would much rather you come up with just a list of a few things to do so that your heart can still remain wildly in modest and feel good about yourself that you've done a few things to be modest. Let's take that ploy from the enemy away from him right now by going right to the jugular right to the heart of it. Let me give you some questions that would be maybe helpful here with this actually before I go to the questions let me go back to the garden of being real quick here as well. Did you think that there was something unique about clothing notice the context when we looked at that nakedness without shame which is what Adam and Eve were experiencing complete nakedness no clothes whatsoever but no shame whatsoever as well with that. Your sinning their hearts immediately felt shame immediately felt vulnerable exposed and the initial reaction was to make clothes they didn't even know what clothes were obviously they didn't know how to make clothes all right fake leaves are probably not your best option for making clothes but they were desperate and they needed covering immediately. Notice the response that happens with that like what John Piper says talking about clothing and talking about this Genesis passage he says the chasm between what you are and what you ought to be is huge covering yourself with clothing is a right response to this not to conceal it but to confess it henceforth you show where clothing not to conceal that you are not what you should be but rather to confess that you are not what you should be. See understanding that clothing was an initial response Adam and Eve for Adam and Eve was concealing they wanted to hide from God as well too they hid their bodies and they hid themselves from God but God comes and seeks them out God comes and he makes clothes from animal skins says yes you do need covering but it's not to conceal you need covering as a way to confess and to be constantly reminded of that. What we like are not clothing is constantly making statements about where our heart is just like it was in the garden here some very important hard questions some of these I borrowed from CJ Mahaney and you can hear his sermon which is also linked on our front page there as well too but here's some very hard questions I challenge you to ask when you dress is your goal to draw attention to God or to yourself notice what verses 9 through 10 of our text say here and I want women to be modest in their parents they should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes for women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things that they do. You see when it is about your dress or jewelry it draws attention to yourself but when it is about the good things you do your behavior your outward righteous living it draws attention to God which is the objective for every follower of Christ to be drawing attention to their Lord and Savior their king what is most eye catching about your life is it your clothes or is it the way you live your life for God. Piper goes on and he writes clothes are not meant to make people think about what is under them clothes are meant to direct attention to what is not under them arms and hands that serve others in the name of Christ beautiful feet that carry the gospel to where it is needed and the brightness of a face that has be held the glory of Jesus. Men let me also pause and ask you right now when you interact with ladies is your goal to draw attention to yourself or to draw attention to God in the way that you behave. We are not just singling out ladies here this morning another question to ask what statement do your clothes make about your heart you might say well I don't know they did make a statement you bet they do everything about your choices you make make a loud statement about your heart. What do your clothes scream about your heart because they are definitely not silent. Men what statement do your actions interacting with ladies make about your heart is your shopping for clothes informed in governed by modesty and self control as the scriptures would encourage us. Men likewise is your interaction and choice of words with ladies governed by modesty and self control. Who inspires your dress men who inspires your behavior. Who through your dress are you identifying with or trying to identify with men who through your actions are you identifying with or trying to identify with. Who is attention do you desire. Who is approval do you crave.
Mothers what is your daughter learning from you and fathers what is your son learning from you. These questions must be honestly asked before we can refine and align ourselves with God and biblical honesty, biblical modesty I should say. Tough questions remember them ask them let's talk about being aligned here for a moment modesty is my best quality Jack Benny said. Those you remember Jack Benny on that but let me ask you this what how do you know if you are being modest. How do you fear that out how do you know if you're have aligned yourself with biblical modesty with God's view of modesty. Here let me give you some strong exhortations here this morning and they are strong and they are meant to be strong but I believe they are very very biblical as well too so they should be. First let me just encourage you to ask your heart those hard questions that we just went through ask those questions and then wait for your heart to answer. First Peter 3 through 4 is this talking to ladies your beauty should not come from outward adornments such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes instead it should be that of your inner self the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God's sight. Ladies ask yourself these hard questions and not just once this needs to be a regular routine because modesty will be a regular challenge the rest of your life. You know we have a booklet in fact Jeff is going to help me pass these out I didn't come up with this it's just a tool I found on the internet as well in fact that guy C.J. Mahaney who's pastor of a sovereign grace church. I'm going to make these ill these are booklets for the ladies in the room there's specific tools to do that I want to encourage every every lady to take one here if you're a mother daughter combination you can take one one per family with that but I just wanted to give you a practical tool. This is also on that very front page of our web page you can click and download your own copy so if you've misplaced it here is a tool that you ladies and especially moms with daughters you can use in thinking through your choice and your decisions through the course of the day. Jeff I think we might need some more in the back quadrant over here. Again it's available on the front page raise your hand if you're a lady and still need one.
I give you my have to share on that or if there's a mother daughter combination like I see a Kellogg overlap there maybe we can get past them back there. But again it's available on our front web page you can download your own version I just wanted to print some out here right now here's just a tool not going to go through it but it's going to help you ask some of those questions. It's a way that you can review that it's one that I think might be helpful as well. Men first Peter 5.5 that same book of the Bible goes on it says young men in the same way be submissive to those who are older all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. The Scriptures exhort you to act humbly towards the ladies that God has brought around in your life and that must involve modest behavior. Relationally connecting with them modestly with that as well too. Guys ask yourself these same kinds of questions and by the way let me just say that dress is not a non issue by the way for ladies with the men. I had an email come back from one lady in our church saying I hope you're going to tell the men as well too that their dress very much can affect us as well. So I want to remind that because we live in a culture where guys think it's kind of can be kind of cool. I'm having most girls thinks it's just kind of gross with it very different with the way our minds are wired but it can also be something black for the ladies. So we're not just talking about just your behavior don't think your dress has nothing to do with it it does. But again your dress is you know let me just be real direct. Guys where your waistline is on your pants has a whole lot to do with where your heart is then just about anything else in the way you dress. Think about it there's just a practical application moving on. Another exhortation from 1 Corinthians 6 18 through 20. Flea from sexual immorality all other sins and man commits are outside his body but he who sends sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you whom you have received from God. You're not your own you were bought at a price therefore honor God with your body whether it be what you put on it or how you behave with it. It's an exhortation to be modest you cannot deal with this topic of modesty without having to also deal with it in the issue of lordship and ownership. If Jesus Christ is your lord but you have done is you have said I'm a legend to him forever because his allegiance went so far to reach down from heaven to save me in my sin to die in my place on the cross to set me free from the bondage of sin. Why would I dare want to continue to live in a sinful way but rather I'm his. Because the scripture say you were bought with the price you're not your own and for those of us here that continue to struggle which is all of us with thinking that your body belongs to you. I'm sorry but if you are in Jesus Christ it does not it is not yours to do with as you please and I know that's not a very American concept but it is a godly concept. It is a principle that will last for eternity when the American principles are all forgotten. Don't forget for those of us who are in Christ he is our lord he owns us as well. I like what Nancy Lee Demas who is an author maybe maybe a writer she has her own radio show on the radio as well too she writes this it doesn't make God happy when you and I take these bodies he's given us and give them to somebody that they don't belong to. And I'm modestly dressed woman is giving away something that doesn't belong to her this principle of ownership means that you and I are not free to dress in any way we please. We're accountable to God he owns us and if you're not a child of God that's a principle that you're not going to like but if you are a child of God you will find great comfort and security in the fact that you belong to God that your body is his it means that you can trust that God will take good care of his property. It also means that you have responsibility to take care of it a great opinion from another lady who is seeking the follow God over heart men when you behave in an immodest way you are giving away something as well that's not yours to give if you are a follower of Jesus Christ. Your body including its actions belongs to him a third excertation let me encourage you to understand that modesty must be addressed as a community. God doesn't put us here on earth to be lone rangers as followers of Christ he puts us here in what he calls his church his gathering of his followers represented here at Christ kingdom represented by those that are gathered all around the planet here. On this lower today in the name of Jesus Christ worshipping him he calls us to do that well how how does he call us to do that one he calls us to do spiritual life in community. Proverbs tells us that as iron sharpens iron so one man will sharpen another we will sharpen one another as we seek to interact our lives with one another as we look to engage with one another let me say right off that that means you've got to take this topic and you got to be gracious with it. There is a good chance that somebody or some of us have been sitting in the room here right now during the sermon have thought I'm so glad he's talking about this because so and so really needs to hear it.
If you thought that or that came across your mind you're not being very gracious. In fact you're being probably judgmental you're not getting the log out of your own eyes as scripture would say so then you can see clearly how to get the splinter out of your brothers or sisters. This has to hit you first and then only with the graciousness that Jesus Christ and God has shown you to love you and forgive you in spite of your sinfulness only as you've been a recipient of his grace or you prepared to be someone who extends it to someone else. Do you got to realize where you have violated this principle yourself first before you ever think about addressing it with someone else but having said that you must address it with other people. You must have these conversations you must ask women other godly women around you help me out here. Would you say that my dress is consistently modest and be prepared to hear hard answers. Men you got to have a hope you have some friends that are good enough that you can say look as you look at my behavior and maybe dress as well too. Would you say that my behavior and dress exemplifies biblical modesty and to be ready to listen and to hear. You may not agree with what they say. Let me say they may not be right talk to others interact about it don't be defensive but have a conversation about it. Some other tools that you have as well too that you know I want to encourage you is women not to seek other women but mothers talk to other mothers and fathers other fathers about how we're communicating the principle of modesty to our kids. You have elders here in this church that you can talk to and ask as well too who are men that god is called and you have voted to come and it represents you here. You can have honest conversations with them you can talk to me as a pastor about it. I don't necessarily have a lot to more insight on this topic than you do but we can talk about it and we can look at what the scriptures say and we can be honest about it. But you're not going to do well on this topic of modesty if you don't have a community to interact with it on. Any of you have somebody that has a different opinion go to somebody in authority especially here in our church and elder or me or others here. I mean we work as elders by way with our wives pretty closely. We could meet as couples on things to talk through. So and so thinks that this may not be modesty and I'm struggling with that I'm not sure I agree with that what do you think? Would this be a little bit awkward? Yeah. Would it be really good? Yeah.
It'd be so good and so many different levels for us as a church to have these kind of conversations. But be bold enough to interact and obviously elders that know I can do this but I've just opened up all of them to be open to this interaction as well as myself and our wives as well too because we do want to love and shepherd this church well. So feel free to talk to them or staff as well on this topic. It has to be done. It has to be addressed in community and we have to remember by the way I want to say Ralph the bat here that is we're seeking to be a light here in the community as we're seeking to reach out to those that don't know Jesus Christ. We should expect that we will have immodesty regularly represented in our congregation whether it be a youth group meeting whether it be a Sunday morning worship service. If we're trying to really reach and if we're being effective to reaching those that don't follow Jesus Christ yet. So another reason why all the more graciousness is so important and being careful and in lovingly coming alongside as someone comes to faith in Christ and coming along and building a relationship with them and talking about not just this issue but all the issues. We're supposed to make disciples of all nations disciples of those that are coming to faith in Christ right here in our community. That means being as gracious as God has been to us as gracious as Jesus was with the prostitutes who by the way came and sought him out. His church should be just as gracious and prostitution understands the whole different level of immodesty that we're not even really directly addressing. We should be just as gracious and his church should be just as welcoming as Jesus was with the very prostitutes themselves. Another excertation here for parents. I want every parent to read this and I want every parent to read it out loud right now. Parents must parent and a lot of you are future parents. What does that mean? Well I want to challenge you directly on this by modeling and instructing. Don't instruct without modeling and don't model without instructing thinking they're just going to get it. Kids aren't going to just get it. And we have an entire culture that is pushing. Talk about going against the current. This culture especially in our country is pushing so hard in the direction of immodesty that you're going to feel like you're fighting against white water intensity rapids of a river. You're trying to walk against it. Unfortunately, Christ is leading the way. And he will lead you with that as we take this seriously with that. I like what Mary Molar, she's wife of Al Molar who's the Christian radio show host as well as the president of the Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. She's written an article called Modeling Modesty. She writes this, so many mothers make the critical error of trying to be a daughter's friend instead of being her parent. Often the first thing the teenager picks up picks off the rack is something that is just over the edge. Then mom starts rationalizing. Her daughter is a good kid. She doesn't smoke her drink. She's going to buy it with her own money. All of her friends are wearing this style. Plus if you say no, it's going to ruin the whole mood of the outing so she gives in and approves. We all want our kids to love us, but at what cost? When do we plan to start teaching them? Are they heading off for college? When they are heading off for college? No, we must teach them early on that they must stand for something or they are going to fall for everything. Again, another reason why I have that booklet is just another tool. But it's just a tool. Mom's talk to your daughters, fathers talk to your sons as well. Fathers, are you training your sons by example and instruction as well? Do you have the attitude of, well, boys will be boys. Well, of course they will. What does that mean? The problem is that most men are boys. If we want men to be men, we need to have some manly conversations. And we need to have high expectations, not low ones. And by the way, let me just say, our youth are ready. They are bored with low expectations. They are ready for you to update Annie. They are ready for something to challenge them. More than their we game. Something that deeply touches them. Even if nothing else, let me just say this for their own protection. If we don't want to address this issue with our children, mothers and fathers, for no other reason, but for their own protection, that alone we should. Lauren, I were recently watching a primetime episode. Maybe you've seen some of these of what should you do or what would you do? Remember, they had these like secret cameras and they put these people in mock situations with actors. But just to see how people will react. We were watching one of them and it was on sexual harassment. What would you do in a public place if you saw somebody sexually harassed? And one of the things that they pointed out here, they weren't even dressing the issue of modesty directly, but they pointed out that people were much less likely to get involved when a woman was immodestly dressed. Why? Because there was this sort of thinking that they were sort of asking for it. They had sort of put themselves into this environment on their own and they must have wanted to have this kind of relationship with somebody that was going to mistreat them, relationally and sexually. People were far less likely to intervene and step in. Why? Because of immodest dressed. He's written, he lived a long time ago, Richard Baxter from the 17th century, an English Puritan church leader, but he said this in a certain one time, speaking directly to women. He said to women, you must walk among sinful persons as you would do with a candle among straw and gunpowder, or else you may see the flame which you would not foresee when it is too late to quench it.
Do you get the message here? If for no other reason, but their protection alone, modesty is extremely important. Let me just wrap up with some final thoughts here. Let me share with you a quote from a Christian 21-year-old guy and he says, quote, let's be honest, we're men and we're responsible for ourselves. We're responsible for our own thoughts, for our lust, for our character. We're responsible for bringing these senses into subordination to the will of God. We're trying and we get tested every day. That's our job wherever we are, whether in the world or in the church, but quite honestly, we'd rather do our battles with the world than with our sisters in Christ. Ladies, modesty is a question issue of the heart, and one, when the church was told us to edify one another, has incredible power to edify those around you. To our boys and men here today as well, God has given us incredible responsibility to protect the women and the ladies that are in our lives and our community, not just from physical danger, but from emotional violation of their hearts. Don't settle for something less than your call than to step in and to be a defender, building up the body of Christ, your sisters in Christ by living godly, modestly before them. My encouragement to you as we go to the Lord's table here in just a second is that you'd ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you specifically here this morning, because my guess is he's ready. My guess is he's already started to listen to him, be willing to repent and to be forgiven. Remember this verse from the very beginning, the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. Jesus is in the business of clothing or shame. Physically, but even more so and more importantly, spiritually. Jesus has come and he offers to clothe you in his righteousness, to let your shame be covered by the glory of the Son of God who had no sin in him whatsoever, and he invites you to put on those robes of righteousness, which are his. He says he'll clothe you. God's still in the business of covering and forgiving sin as he was in chapter 3, Genesis, as he is today in your life and in my life. Stepping out in faith to live for God that covers us through Christ, that's what modesty is. We're called to live in the covering of Christ for his glory and his honor. Let's pray. Father, just ask that you would continue to do work in our hearts in our lives now as we come to your table. God, I pray that you would give us, got a quiet confidence of knowing that the one who has encouraged and the one who has exhorted us to these truths and these principles as the one who is fully committed to empower us and has done so through Jesus Christ. God, if we're honest, most of us will all of us have flirted with the world on this issue of modesty far more than we have yielded and been at our knee to the name of Jesus Christ. God, we ask for your forgiveness. We ask for your cleansing and power. We ask for you to come and transform us. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.