In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of modesty in clothing, using Jesus as an example. He refers to the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis, where they tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves but God provided them with clothes made of skin. The preacher argues that appearing naked in public is rebellion against God and that society's definition of nakedness should not be followed. He also mentions a personal testimony of how his wife's testimony has impacted their neighbors, showing the power of living out the love of Jesus.

Good morning. Bread. Just think of the bread, as it comes out of the oven, that fresh loaf of bread. The smell of it. Oh, you can just think about how good that's going to be to taste and to eat. I love to preach about the bread. Jesus, the bread of life. Oh, I love to preach about Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life, and He is the Lord. In Him we live and move and have our being. Would it be safe to say that Jesus is the most important person of the Bible? Yes. Amen. If you have Jesus, you have everything. But if you don't have Jesus, what I'm going to talk about today, you'll be as lost as lost can be. Even if the subject we talk about today, you have it all down pat, right to the T. Turn your Bible to Matthew 28. Matthew 28 and verse 18. Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Jesus told His disciples, Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. It is my desire to teach the all things to the best of my ability, to teach the all things that Jesus taught. I want you to turn now to 1 Corinthians 14. 1 Corinthians 14, verse 37. Jesus said, We are to teach the all things that I have commanded you. Now, in 1 Corinthians 14, verse 37, the Apostle Paul has these words for us. If any man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. It is a pretty bold statement, isn't it? The Apostle Paul is saying that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. And then, verse 38, But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant. I believe that would have the meaning of if any man will deny this, be willfully ignorant, let him be ignorant. Now, let's turn to 2 Timothy 3. 2 Timothy chapter 3. In 2 Timothy chapter 3, this helps us understand what Apostle Paul was talking about. 2 Timothy 3, verse 16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. It is given God breathed by the Holy Spirit. All scripture, Jesus said, teach them to observe all things. Let's turn to one more. Acts chapter 20. Do you love the Bible? Are you glad that we have the holy scriptures? Do we love all the scriptures? Yes. All are profitable for us. Acts chapter 20 and verse 26. Paul was leaving the believers there. He said they are not going to see his face anymore. But this is what his testimony is. Verse 26. Wherefore I take you to record this day that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. That's quite a statement. All the counsel of God. Really? Really? Paul? All of it? Well, I think maybe it will help us to understand. I have not held back anything to you that was profitable for you. I have not willfully, intentionally kept back anything of the counsel of God that would be profitable for you, that would be edifying and to the building up of your most holy faith. That's my desire. I want the testimony of Paul that I have not kept back. I have not shrunk back from preaching all the counsel of the word of God. So what are we going to preach about today? What's the subject? We're going to talk about a subject today that is largely ignored in Christendom. It is even avoided because it's too controversial. It's too touchy. It's divisive. It don't make me feel very comfortable. But it's very important to God and it should be very important to us. It is very valuable. You know, God didn't just put things in the Bible to take up space, right? Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God. Amen? Yes? Turn now with me to 1 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 9. Actually, we're going to start in verse 8 to get the full context. And if you can, stand with me for the reading of these verses. 1 Timothy chapter 2 verse 8, 9 and 10. I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting, in like manner also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with broided hair or gold or pearls or costly array, but which becometh women professing godliness with good works. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we come to you today in the precious name of Jesus. We love you, Lord. We love your kingdom. We love your word. And Father, we want to be obedient children, not fashioning ourselves according to the former lust when we walked in ignorance, but walking in holiness and truth and love, in obedience to our Lord Jesus, to the commandments of our Lord Jesus, to the word of God. Father, I ask that you would give grace to each person here today and to myself as we look at the Scriptures concerning this very important matter. And Father, that we would hear and receive with meekness the engrafted word of the Lord, the inspired word of the Lord. Oh God, bless us we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated. Fathers, brothers, men, we are to pray. We are to be men of prayer. Daddies and fathers, we are to be men of prayer who bathe our homes in prayer. We're to pray with pure hearts and clean hands. We're to pray with holy hands. We're to be on praying ground so that we're in a right position before our Heavenly Father. There's no wrath in our hearts. There's no doubting in our hearts. Our hands are clean. That our homes are covered by godly fathers, by godly husbands who pray. If this is not in place, it's very difficult for verses 9 and 10 to be fulfilled in the home and in the sisters. Verse 9, in light manner, oh yes, in light manner, as the husbands walk with God, in loving God, and as our brother Daniel so richly instructed us, in taking up the cross, denying ourselves, and loving God with all of our hearts. Oh, then in light manner, also that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety. 1 Timothy 2.9 is not a suggestion. This is a command of the Lord. Didn't we just read that, that the Apostle Paul said that whatever the Lord has inspired me to write is the commandment of the Lord? Modest. It's not revealing or emphasizing the figure. Modest. It's dressing to avoid indecency. Modest. It's dressing to avoid attraction, immoral, impure sexual lust attraction. What shall our standard be? Where do we get the absolute north? Where do we get our absolute north? Do north. Where is our compass for today? In 2020 in United States of America, where do we get our due north? We get it from the Bible. We get our absolutes from the Bible. Amen? Let's look at the Bible. Look at modest clothing as God describes in the Bible. As we go through this study, we will discover that we should wear clothing that fully cover the breasts, the stomach, the loin, the thigh, and the legs, when in public. Exposure of these body parts are all considered nakedness in the sight of God. We should wear clothes that cover areas that God declares nakedness. Let us turn to Genesis chapter 3. Genesis chapter 3. Oh, the enticement to sin from that old serpent, the devil. That liar. That deceiver. That cheat. That robber and thief who wants to rob you of what God wants for your life. A life of blessing and beauty and holiness and honor. So, the devil is walking about today as our brother Daniel reminded us. So, sin entered when the lust of the flesh, the desire of the eye, the desire to make one wise, and Eve took of the fruit and did eat thereof. In verse 6, And also gave unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. All right, we are ready to raise the slide screen. They knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Aprons. Strong's number 2290 gives this definition of an apron, of the fig leaves that they sewed together. It's a belt around the waist, meaning like a loin covering. So, I have here on the whiteboard a drawing that is not totally artistically beautiful, because I did it myself. But what we have is the picture of a person, a human being, and we have it divided into five sections. We have the upper section, the breast. We have the next section, the belly. Then we have the middle section, the loins. And then we have the thighs. And then the last part is the legs. According to Genesis 3.7, Adam and Eve made themselves aprons, which were a covering over the loins. So, they recognized that it's needful to cover the loins. So, this is what their covering would have looked like. And I have just abbreviated the word leaves. Fig leaves. So, according to Scripture and the definition of aprons, it covered the loins. The Lord God comes on the scene, walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And even with their fig leaves to try to cover their nakedness, Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden. And for sake of time, we will now drop down to verse 21. Because we have a lot to cover. In verse 21, after God declares the curse upon them and upon the earth, He now comes to them and in verse 21, unto Adam and also to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skin and clothed them. God covered Adam and Eve with more clothing than they had chosen for themselves. In their fallen state, their idea or measure of covering was flawed. It was off. They thought if they could cover their reproductive parts, cover the midsection, that that would be sufficient. But you know, God's standard of modesty is higher than man's. God usually requires more clothing than what men think we need. And so God covered them with coats of skin. Strongs number 3801. The meaning to cover is to robe a long shirt-like garment. Adam and Eve chose to cover the loins, but God chose to cover with coats of skin. And coat is the meaning of a long robe. Not quite that tall, so I got my ladder here. So the covering that God gave them was more in that fashion according to the definition of the word robe. God chose to cover with coats. And that word coat means to cover, to robe in a long shirt-like garment. Let's go to Isaiah 47 and verse 1. The prophet Isaiah 47 and verses 1 through 3. Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, and sit on the ground. There is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans, for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate. Take the millstones and grind meal. Uncover thy locks. Make bare the leg. Uncover the thigh. Pass over the rivers. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered. Yea, thy shame shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will not meet with thee as a man. We learn here from Isaiah that the nakedness shall be uncovered. And the nakedness is the bare leg and the uncovered thigh. These are nakedness according to the Scriptures. So for illustration's sake, I will remove this here again. So God said in Isaiah 47 He's going to uncover the thigh and the legs. And on our drawing here, like I said earlier, we have five divisions. We have the breast, the belly, the loins, the thighs, and the legs. And here God said He's going to uncover their nakedness and He's going to uncover the thigh and the legs. And the thigh would be from below the waist to the knee and the legs from the knee down to the ankle. So we learn very clearly from Scripture that these areas of the body, the leg and the thigh, are nakedness according to Scripture. So we see from God's Word that clothing needs to cover the breast, the stomach, the loins, the thigh, and the legs. Clothing needs to conceal the form and the shape of the body. We see this first in Genesis 3.21. Coats of skin. I was wishing I had some skin, a hide from an animal that's been tanned and like a bear rug or something that I could demonstrate that to you. But you know, coats of skin will not cling to the body. They will not form to the contour of the body because they are thick. It's a thick skin with a covering of the animal's hair and it's thick. It will not conform to the body. Clothing needs to conceal the form and shape of the body. And some of you are grinning and chuckling a little, but I want to urge us today to hear what God says because it's the Word of the Lord. God made clothing that did not reveal the form of the body. He clothed them with skins. Now let's continue. Matthew 5.40. We have Jesus giving us this Word. Actually, why don't we begin in verse 38 to get a bit more context. Give her that it has been said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say unto you that ye should not resist evil. Whosoever will smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if a man will sue thee at law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. So here Jesus mentions two forms of clothing. He says, If a man will sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. A coat, according to the definition of the Strongs and... Oh, let's see what other one did I have there. It's a tunic, a long garment worn under the cloak. So it's the undergarment that you wear next to the skin. The coat is a tunic and then the cloak is a robe that is the outer garment worn on top of the tunic undergarment. So Jesus was acknowledging these two forms of clothing. An undergarment and an outer garment. If a person took off his outer garment and was clothed in only his undergarment, his tunic or his underwear, he was considered naked. To walk around in undergarment clothes that were form-fitting against the body, like undergarments often do, if a person went in public that way, he was considered naked. And we find a very clear picture of this in John chapter 21 and verse 7. Turn there with me please. In John 21, the disciples were a bit discouraged. Peter said, I'm going fishing. Didn't catch anything. Verse 4, When the morning came, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No. He said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. Therefore, verse 7, Therefore, that disciple whom Jesus loved now saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, for he was naked, and did cast himself into the sea. Did you ever puzzle over that scripture? You mean Peter was out there naked? Come on. No, Peter had taken off his fisher's coat, and the fisher's coat is an outer garment which fishermen wore at their work, and so he was considered naked. And the word naked here, according to Thayer's Greek Dictionary says, he was clad in undergarments only. So we see very clearly in this scripture that Peter had his outer fisher's coat off, and the Bible records Peter as being what? Naked. He was not fully clothed. He did not have his two layers of clothing on. He was not double covered. All he had was those undergarments, the tunic that quite form-fitting to his body, and the Bible clearly states that when Peter heard that it's the Lord, he quickly girt his fisher's coat about him, and he jumped into the water. And the Bible says, for he was naked. So God shows us, if it's a one layer of covering of clothing, it should be something that is not clinging and form-fitting, like he clothed Adam and Eve with skins. It didn't show or reveal the form of the body. It was very modest. It was very concealing. So a single layer, yeah, if it's not form-fitting, and it's thick and covers well, God considered that covered, and clothed in their nakedness. But in today's society, often, and apparently in Jesus' time there, it was very common that they wore double layer garment. They had a tunic and undergarment, and they had a cloak and outer garment. In warm climate, that could be quite uncomfortable to wear, a bear skin, wouldn't it? Or a sheep skin. So they were able to have their tunic and an outer garment that was like a robe that was light, but it covered, it concealed. The other thing that we learn from Scripture is that clothing, we should wear clothing that pertains to our gender. You see, in the beginning God made them male and female. Today there is confusion. Men wear men's clothing, women wear women's clothing. Turn with me to Deuteronomy 22, and verse 5. Deuteronomy 22, and verse 5. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God. All of it is profitable for us. Amen? And you see, sometimes we say, well, but that's Old Testament. The Old Covenant was abolished, but the Old Testament Word of God was not abolished. Is that right? The Holy Scriptures are the Holy Scriptures. Now we are not under Mosaic Law. We are under the New Covenant. But this speaks of the heart of God to His people. Listen to what it says here in Deuteronomy 22, and verse 5. The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment, for all that do so are an abomination unto the Lord thy God. Sounds pretty serious, doesn't it? You know, we believe that Jesus, He didn't cross-dress. He didn't dress like a woman. We can conclude this because Jesus never broke one commandment in the Old Testament. And cross-dressing was strictly forbidden in the Law of Moses in the Old Testament. Jesus, it tells us, He was tempted in all points like we, but He was without sin. Jesus did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill the Law. Jesus walked in righteousness. He was a God-fearing follower of the Law. He was not guilty of violating the Law. The Jews tried to trick Him and get Him into a position where you're breaking the Sabbath Law. You're breaking the Law. You're breaking the Law of Moses. But Jesus was not actually guilty. Jesus fulfilled the Law and He lifted the standard higher. Jesus did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill the Law. Matthew 5.17 if you need a reference for that. God's design for society is to dress clearly in a clearly defined gender-specific way. It's clear identity. It's male and female. Well, let's see. Where did I put my other illustration here? Here we are. Anybody recognize these? Yeah? It's what you see on the outside of restrooms. Here in America, this is a well-known symbol. A child doesn't have to be very old until they know what that means. When gender and clothing become hard to determine, a state of confusion occurs. Isn't there a lot of confusion today? I'm not sure. Am I a boy or am I a girl? Could it be that a lot of it started when men and women began to disregard God's command of dressing gender-specific? For hundreds of years, this was the norm in United States. Women wore dresses and men wore trousers. This was the standard for hundreds of years. Does anybody want to guess when it became socially acceptable for women to wear men's clothing? When did that happen in history? Somebody call it out. 1920s? It's a little early. It wasn't that early. World War II when the women started working. Yes. It had an inroad at that point. But to be dressed up as a woman, when did it become socially acceptable? That was in the workplace a lot. When did it become socially acceptable to dress a woman in men's clothing in a social event that was a dress-up event? Anybody know? 70s. That was what my research told me. 70s. It wasn't until the 70s. It was in the 60s when the rebellion of the hippie movement and the rising up of rebellion against authority and against what God has established. And in the 70s, women began to dress what they were expressing and feeling in their heart. The equal rights. The liberation movement. And women began to dress like men. Is it possible that one deviation from the word of God, from the clear command of God, was the beginning of the mess we're in today of transgender and the confusion about gender and all the cross-dressing and everything that's going on? Jesus is our example. Turn with me to Revelation 1.13. In Revelation 1, we have this account. John the Apostle was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. Verse 10. And he heard behind him a great voice as of a trumpet saying, I am Alpha Omega, the first and the last. And what thou seest right in a book and sent it unto the seven churches which are in Asia, unto Ephesus, and unto Samaria, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. Look at the clothing of the Lord Jesus. Clothed down to the foot. Girt about the paps with a golden girdle about the breast and the garment reaching down to the foot. Notice Jesus was not showing off muscular arms, biceps or abs or His legs or thighs like many do today. But Jesus was clothed in a modest way. We'll take just a few more minutes as we look at this subject. We'll look at it in a little different lens now. We now looked at the Scriptures and the teaching. And I should put this back up here again. Our example is Jesus. Jesus clothed down to the feet. In Genesis 3, at the fall, there was rebellion against God. Sin, shame, fear, broken relationship, the glory, loss. They knew they were naked. They tried to cover with their fig leaves. But God covered them with clothes of skin. To appear naked in public is rebellion against God. And we must use God's definition of nakedness. We cannot go by our society today. The way people appear in public today in America, if they would appear that way in public in 1950 even, they very well could have faced prison time or ended up in a mental asylum considered they're deranged. The Lord cares about clothing, so should we. The Bible has explicit commandments about clothing. Did you know that your clothing talk? They say something about you. Oh yes, they say what's in the heart. You say all that matters is what's in the heart. Yes, your clothing say what's in the heart. Did you know that? People feel very strongly about their clothing. I wouldn't be caught dead in that outfit. Our clothing have all to do with God's glory being revealed in our lives. People use clothing to draw attention to themselves, get people to look at you, dress to impress, dress to get noticed, dress to be accepted, to peer pressure, to be in the in crowd. Clothing is to conceal and to cover. Fashion designers know how to draw attention to what is covered by making it form fitting. Loud color contrasts. Lettering and images strategically placed. Now stay with me. Letters and images strategically placed across the breast area of a woman. So your eyes don't go to her face, but to her bosom, to her breast area. God forbid that any such thing should be among us. Clothing is meant to conceal, to cover, to obscure, so as not to distract the attention from what is to be the focus. Radiant faces filled with the glory of God. A clear countenance. A joyful countenance. Eyes that are bright. Hearts that are clear, radiating the glory of God. Oh, don't you love to meet people like that? And the clothing is to cover the body so as to not distract from the glory of God that is to be seen in you, brother and sister. No need for artificial helpers. No need for eyeshadows and makeup and lipstick and whatever else and paint and powder you want to put on it. People use that because their faces are dark. Because they are not clear in their countenance. The glory of God isn't radiating out of them, so we've got to paint it on artificially. God have mercy. The Christian who is aglow with the glory of God doesn't want to blacken his eyes with makeup or her eyes with eyeshadow. We want to let the glory of God be seen. I will therefore that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, improper clothing. This tells us there are clothing that are improper for the Christian woman. If your clothing cover your body as to draw attention to your face, ah, it's modest. If your clothing so cover your body as to draw attention to your face and not to the body, then it's modest. If your clothing draw attention to your body, it's sensual. If your clothing draw attention to your body by either their loud colors or their form-fittedness or their low necklines or whatever it is, it's sensual. Men, this applies to us as well. If we are wanting to show off our biceps in sleeveless t-shirts, tight form-fitting t-shirts so you can see your ribbed abs and drawing attention to the body, we're missing the mark. We are called to higher things, brethren. We're called to show forth the glory and praise of our Lord Jesus. The spirit and attitude in which a woman carries herself speaks either in a way of affirming or discrediting her dress. Yes, it's true. A person can be within a dress code of their daddy or of a church, but their spirit reeks of sensuality. You ever met anybody like that? They're in the dress code. They've got solid colors. They've got everything. But their spirit is wrong. Oh, then you meet somebody who maybe the dress code or the dress that they're wearing might not be quite to the biblical standard, but their spirit is so modest and their eyes are so bright and their countenance is so clear that they radiate the glory of Jesus and you don't even notice the body. Unless it's way out of proportion. Of course, that can be. So, brethren and sisters, be careful that we don't judge people harshly. It's not so much where you are today, but it's the direction you're headed. That's a quote from Rick Rhodes that he gave just this other week at Sold Out. More important than where you are now is the direction you are going. Let that sink in. Are my clothing becoming more concealing to reveal the glory of God? Which direction am I going? I want to encourage us. Seek to find out what the Scriptures have to say. How is my attitude and my spirit? Lord, is it pleasing to You? Is my dress, my hairstyle, my adornment pleasing to You? Now I say this carefully, but I feel I must say it. I'd like to say to you wives, ask your husband. Or I'd like to say to you young ladies, ask your daddy. But unfortunately, there are some carnal husbands who want their wife to flaunt herself and then gloat that she's mine. Show off a little of that real estate. Touch the eyes of some other men. But you're mine. Carnal, wicked hearts. Then there are some that are zoned out daddies. They're zoned out. They're checked out. Irresponsible, passive, weak, unwilling to take a stand. Unwilling to take a loving, clear stand. Unwilling to say no to a son or a daughter who needs direction in life. Who needs those parameters in life. Who needs to know the way of righteousness and the right path. Maybe the reason some dads are zoned out is because they're in sin themselves. And this is very sad. They're powerless to wage spiritual warfare. They're powerless to set up a clear parameter because their own heart condemns them because of their own sin. And so they can't do it. That's a possibility here this morning as well. When the priests in the home are broken down with compromise and love of other things and passivity, this produces insecure, selfish, aimless children. Did you know that? Children need a strong, clear, loving law of the house, as Brother Emmanuel preached to us one time so well. Without that, they are aimless, no purpose. Some even turn to self-harm, cutting themselves, even suicidal thoughts. Because the sound, solid foundation of the priest in the home, the dad, is weakened and broken down. Women should adorn themselves in modest apparel. Modest has the meaning of well-ordered. It doesn't mean that you should be sloppy wearing a feed sack. But it means you should be covered to conceal the body. How should we dress? Oh, I'm a child of the King. I'm the bride of Christ. Hallelujah! And my body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. Lord, let me not be found guilty of the sin of Bathsheba. Wear your badge with honor and dignity, unashamed. I don't know if I say this or not, but I think I will. We have a Muslim congresswoman who unashamedly appears in her full headdress right there in Congress. She's not making it smaller because of peer pressure. She's not diminishing it because I don't want to stand out as being different. No, she's not our example. Jesus is our example. The Word of God is our example. But sisters, I want to encourage us. Wear your Christian veiling with honor and dignity because the Bible says you have power on your head because of the angels. Let's kneel together for prayer. Father, I do ask in Jesus' name, You would bless this congregation. I pray You would bless the dear brothers and sisters. I thank You for the beauty of holiness and the modesty that is displayed by so many. There are some that we're concerned about. Lord, You speak to every heart. Am I pleasing to You, Lord, in my dress? Am I pleasing to You, Lord, in my heart attitude? Father, I know that this is a message that in our generation, in America in 2020, it does make us look very different because the world has cast aside the commandments of the Lord and they do not want to be constrained. They want to live free and do their own thing. Nobody's going to tell me how to dress. Nobody's going to tell me what to wear or do. Oh, God, deliver us from that rebellious, wicked spirit and grant us gentle, soft hearts, obedient hearts. And Father, where daddies need to repent, I pray You would get a hold of daddy's hearts. Where any of us need to repent, where we need to change our wardrobe, get a hold of our hearts, Lord. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. I must say a few things yet. You say, well, that's just the outside. That's just the dress. But I'm old enough now to know and have seen the fruit of quite a few lives who have made shipwreck. Usually the two go together. The immodesty starts showing up. Coverings start getting smaller. Christian veiling starts getting smaller. Men start wearing muscle shirts. All these things, they all start just sort of flowing together. And you say, well, that's one of the least of the commandments. But you know what? If you're not faithful in that which is least, is God going to entrust to you bigger things? And brother, sister, this we might say is a small thing. I'm old enough to tell you it's not a small thing. When we disregard God's command, we invite Satan. We invite the spirit of the world. We invite lustful men and lustful women instead of holy women of old who were reverent before God, who trusted God. Then it ends up in a downward spiral. And yes, there are some divorces and so forth among people who dress modestly. But there's a lot less divorces among the people who dress modestly than there is among the people who cast off restraint. I say this today as a father. I love you. I want you to succeed. I want you to be in that number when the saints go marching in. I don't want to see you drawn aside after the love of the world. I love you. I care about you. And I welcome you to speak to me. I would say this yet. You know that we don't preach on this often. We don't want to make any doctrine into a... that's the right word... into a focus that would draw away from Jesus. Neither do we want to neglect the wisdom of God and any of His teachings. Right? Because we will suffer if we neglect the clear word of the Lord. So God bless you. Thank you for your attention. In Jesus name. Thank you brother Aaron for the author. The term that came into my mind was boldly and kindly telling us, sharing with us the truth of God's Word in this matter. That verse there in 1 Timothy 2. I will therefore that men pray everywhere lifting up holy hands. Brethren, lifting up holy hands for our God. I appreciated that picture brother Aaron of covering our homes, our families in prayer. We are called to be the spiritual heads, the spiritual covering, us as fathers and husbands over our homes. Lifting up holy hands. And then I thought of this Scripture for the women. You didn't know. Turn to this one in 1 Peter. In 1 Peter 3. About the women it says, Who's adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair and of wearing of gold or of putting on of apparel. But let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price. In the sight of God of great price. That's what God is looking for in you sisters. So in 1 Timothy here we see clearly that for men it's this lifting up of the holy hands. That God is calling holiness before the Lord. But then he says, In like manner women also adorning themselves in modest apparel. This speaks forth holiness unto our God as well for you sisters. I also appreciate, brother, how you covered modesty for both genders. I appreciate that. But I know that brethren, men also have their temptations in this world that we live in. Worldly attire, having a cool look and all of that. There's temptations there as well. So I'd just like to open it up. I'd like to encourage you, brethren especially, but also sisters as you see, as the Lord prompts you, but let's have some testimonies to this message. I'd just like to open it up in that way. Or if somebody has a confession, you have a confession, you realize the Lord has spoken to my heart in regards to this area that was shared this morning, feel free to share as well. Or if you need to do business at the altar, make your way up here. So slip up your hand if you have something to share. A microphone will be gotten to you. Go ahead, whoever has a microphone there. I had a long time awake last night, during the night. And I thought about an announcement I need to make a little later. But I also thought about our moving day and encouraging our congregation with some thoughts about our moving day. And it's significant to me this came during the night last night, not this morning during the message. Yesterday, we had a wonderful moving day. And a lot of people helped us. There were people who helped my wife the week before. And such a joy. So at our lunchtime yesterday, I told the moving crew, the dear brothers and sisters there, that I could have done everything they did. It just takes me a very long time. My wife was incredulous at my dastardly, and she said, you'd die first. But it might take me months or even years to do what they did in hours. Beautiful. And it's got to impress our neighbors. You know, the streets are lined with cars and trucks and trailers, and the house is empty in a few hours. One of the neighbor ladies visited my wife Thursday night. They talked and prayed together. And she said, I don't know what I'd do if I moved. I'd have to call on Susie's friends. We've lived two years in that neighborhood, and it's amazing to me what's happened with my wife's testimony. Last week, the neighbor lady across the road came and had fun with Alizé and Sofia in school for several hours while Joy Lynn helped them pack. Thank you, Joy Lynn. And she is drawn first by Heidi King and then Cynthia Ulrich who lived there for six months. You know, where the love of Jesus is flowing out of our faces, as Brother Aaron said, it connects people to His love, and they're drawn to us. So there's two ladies especially, but there are others that my wife is friends to around the neighborhood. And sometimes we have the objection, well, we're so different. But I'm convinced that the love of Jesus is what people are really looking for. And then they see the difference in different ways in the family of God coming together and the love. You know, it really comes down to a reference point. How we think about these things, and Brother Aaron said that very well today. And the night I was thinking about this, I thought about this phrase, sanity in an insane society. And that's who we are. We're sane in an insane society. And we do not need to be embarrassed or apologetic that we're different. Amen, Dwight. Always think of it this way, you know, truth... within the scope of truth, there's life and there's light. I believe that. Brother Timothy, go ahead. So I really have appreciated that passage there in Timothy. And I think of the word beauty when I see that passage because I see that God is saying there is so much more here. There's some rich depth to this passage. And as I think of that picture of men praying, I think that is God's call to us to lay aside the things that distract us. The things that easily distract us. You know, indifference or just letting go of not choosing to lead out. But that picture of praying, seeking the Lord, that's a picture of going forward. That's a picture of clearly focusing on the relationship with God and His purposes. It's clear. It's focused. That's a picture of leadership. And that's an attitude that He's asking us to live our lives with. And then He basically says the same thing for the women. Again, He's calling our attention to a very clear focus to making sure that all our things that would so easily distract us would be narrowed down to bring a clear focus on our purpose and relationship with Him. I would like to thank my father, first of all, for teaching me the principles of modesty, and then also my husband. And I'd like to testify of the blessing that it is when men, authorities, in our lives as women affirm the beauty of modesty and simplicity and affirm that men respect a woman who respects herself and dresses modestly. It is challenging in the world we live in to keep our perspectives in the right place when we are besieged by the world's message that screams at us from every magazine and every billboard. I am so blessed that my father taught me the principles of modesty and had us listen to messages about modesty and taught us how things affect a man. And then affirmed our right choices and affirmed that modesty is beautiful. And then for my husband as well, I would just like to say that to all the fathers and husbands and brothers that you bless us a lot as women when you affirm that modesty is beautiful. Thank you, sister. Here's one. Thank you for the message, Aaron. The Lord prompted me to share a little bit. I guess I consider myself among the older bracket here. And I've seen a lot of changes in this subject down through generations, the last several generations. The Bible says judgment begins at the house of God. You know, sometimes we think the world is causing confusion. But I had to think, are the professing Christians causing confusion in the world? I have some relatives. This is, I know, like yearbooks I've looked at from my mother-in-law's time back in the 40s when she went to what was called then Lannister School. Their older children attended there years later. And what's interesting is it was mentioned some of these things like women dressing like men in the 70s. But you saw the progression in those yearbooks over the years in that school which started around late 60s and 70s. And there was a picture in there of a school trip they took to Washington, D.C. And these schoolgirls, their skirts were then already up, their knees were above the knees, they're covering little things on top of their head. And on this picture down there in Washington was a guard standing looking their direction. And that picture spoke a lot to me. I had to wonder what he was thinking. Or, you know, in that kind of dress sitting down in front of men trying to tuck their short dresses down further, having to cross their legs, you know, how far is those things from this home congregation? And yes, thank you again for the admonishment. Okay, anyone else? Yes, thank you, Brother Aaron, for sharing. I know it's not an easy thing. Maybe I'm out of my place to be a young guy having a comment on a message like this, but it's a real thing. Sensuality and sex is such a huge thing in our culture and the perversion of it is awful. And in some ways when I hear a message like this, I'm like, okay, maybe this would do better in just like an all-women, you know, sisters' meeting setting. But I'm very glad to hear these type of things for me as a guy. I mean, maybe I'm not tempted the same way a woman would be tempted to, you know, dress indecently, whatever. But where it hits me is like what's said about that first verse where men are to raise holy hands. And I think about this a lot. If I as a guy am being attracted to and being drawn by immodesty and sensuality in women, I am essentially asking women to provide that for me. I cannot lift up holy hands if I am bound and attracted to lustful things like that. So, yeah, in some ways it's just not fair for me to ask for a higher standard when I personally don't want that higher standard in my thoughts, in the way I look at women. And that's why I really appreciate hearing stuff like this because it hits me really close to home. Because I can easily go to youth group, other functions, of course in college, and look at women in wrong ways. And by doing that, I'm supporting their immodesty. I'm asking for it. And I want to live above that. I know God and His Spirit in me gives that grace for us as guys to lift up those holy hands, those holy minds. So thank you, Brother Aaron. Thank you, Brother. Thank you for sharing that piece. You know, like Brother Aaron started with the commandments of the Lord. You know, Lord, are we willing, are we at a place of embracing God's commands? All things what He has told us to observe and teach others likewise. So thank you, Brother. Thank you for sharing this morning. Thank you for sharing your heart in a fatherly way with all of us. Thank you for listening. We hope this message has blessed you. If you would like additional messages, please visit our website at ccfsermons.org. Call us at 855-55-CHARITY or write to us at Charity Christian Fellowship, 59 South Groffdale Road, Leola, PA 17540. This ministry is supported by your donations. May Jesus Christ be Lord of all.