Sermon Tone Analysis

Please turn your Bibles to .

Today I would like to spend most of our time in the first 10 verses as we begin a series I have titled Respectable Sins.

This title may lead some of you to say, there are no sins that are “respectable”, honorable, or upright, and I agree with such a response.

Even though we may say this with our words, it is often the case that our actions or our behavior show a completely different thing.

There are some sins that you just do not often hear about brothers or sisters in Christ confessing to one another.

There are some kinds of sins that you rarely see a congregation disciplining a member for.

And there are sins that, because of how our society looks at them, we tend to either not speak up about or we may just overlook and not treat as seriously as we should.

If you were to put together a list of sins that you believe are at times overlooked or not dealt with or confessed among Christians, what would be included on your list?

I would be interested in your feedback.

I have six that I would like to deal with during our main worship period over the next couple months, the first being the sin of immodesty.

Modesty/immodesty is an important topic that affects EVERY person here in some way, but it is unfortunately at times a divisive topic, especially when considering specific applications.

My prayer for the lesson this morning is that we understand what the heart of this issue really is and at least give each of us some questions to ask ourselves when it comes to what we wear.

I only ask that you work hard in trying to apply this lesson to yourself; to your own heart and life.

Don’t try to apply this lesson to someone else.

Don’t say to yourself, “I am thrilled brother or sister_______________ was here to hear this.”

Apply this lesson to yourself.

And before we get into the lesson, I would like to say this: men, listen up.

It may be true that the passages that deal with modesty in the New Testament speak about it primarily as a concern for women.

Although this will be the main focus at times during this lesson, this does not give us as godly men a free pass to dress in whatever way we want.

Amongst God’s people, men also can be guilty of being immodest in their dress.

So this lesson is for all of us!

We all need to think about what we wear and the affect it will have on others.

The Concern of the Modest Person

Any biblical discussion on the issue of modesty needs to begin with the concerns we must have inwardly, in our hearts, not on where we need to draw lines.

In , Paul says, “women should adorn themselves in respectable (proper- NASB) apparel, with modesty and self-control.”

Her appearance is mentioned first (which we will talk about in the next point), but the “how;” how she needs to adorn herself is given in the second part of this verse: “with modesty and self-control.”

If you are going to be respectful in your clothing towards God and your brothers and sisters in Christ, it must come from a heart that it is concerned with modesty and self-control.

Your clothing (whether you like it or not) is a public declaration of what is, or is not going on in your heart.

Your clothing sends a message as to whether modesty is a concern of yours.

The ways you think about clothing will be different from the world.

“women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control.”

Let’s look at these 2 words for a moment:

First: modesty, or propriety depending on your translation.

This is talking about avoiding clothing that is going to bring attention to yourself.

Is it revealing?

Is it sexually enticing?

How about this: Is it extravagant?

Is it showy?

Immodesty is so much more than wearing a low cut shirt or a short skirt!

Immodesty is all about drawing undue attention to yourself or putting yourself on display.

What is the Biblical term that speaks of someone that wants to bring attention to themselves instead of the Lord?

The term is pride, or arrogance.

I heard a really good quote when I was preparing for this lesson that said “Modesty is humility expressed in the way we dress.”

Once again, “modesty is humility expressed in dress.”

Your dress, when it is modest, shows that you are not thinking of promoting yourself or having your clothing or body to be on display for others to focus on.

A modest heart shows that you do not want to be the object of sensuality, lust, covetousness, jealousy, etc.

This is what modesty is ALL about.

It is about the message that you want your clothes to say about you.

**** But I want to throw this out there so I am not misunderstood.

I am not saying that every person who dresses immodestly has a problem with pride and wants people to notice them by overdressing or wearing revealing clothing.

It may be the case that we just don’t understand or think about how our clothing brings attention to ourselves.

We may be ignorant of how a certain outfit reveals too much or that certain jewelry, a pair of shoes, or any piece of clothing we wear may bring unneeded attention to ourselves.

Self-control- your translation may say “discretion, sobriety, or moderation.”

The idea is this: What kind of restraint are you showing in what you are wearing?

When we look at the women in this world, I am sure we would agree that not much restraint is used at all!

The Greek word can also mean “sanity/in your right mind.”

I like this definition, because as I see some of the things that people put on, I think to myself that these people did not think before they put on what they did!

Some people, men and women alike, in my opinion, are just crazy for what they put on!

For those who are godly, what you wear should show others around you that you have set boundaries for yourself based on what God teaches in His word and not based on the world.

The majority of clothing designers, when they design the latest clothing and fashions, are not concerned about modesty or showing any restraint whatsoever in some of their designs, but you as a godly man or woman need to think about it.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS: Here are some application questions to ask yourself about your concern, or lack of modesty and self-control:

· What message does your clothes preach about your heart?

· Do you show restraint in your shopping?

Do you decide before you even go shopping that you will not buy clothing that will put you on display instead of the Lord?

· In choosing clothing, whose attention and approval do you desire to receive?

The Clothing of the Modest Person

“in like manner also, women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire”

Paul in the context of this verse is showing us the kind of actions and hearts that we need to have before our brothers and sisters in Christ and before unbelievers as we go out into the world, not just in our worship assemblies.

No matter where they are, the men are to lift holy hands in prayer and not to bring disruption through attitudes of anger and quarreling, and in all circumstances the women are to be respectful in their dress and not bring distractions due to their dress.

This applies to wherever we are.

God's standard does not change based on location.

We are to be modest.

Also in this text, it seems that the women were overdressing to identify their social status, and in so doing, separate themselves or create barriers between them and those who may be poorer.

What they were doing in the clothing and jewelry they were putting on, or in the braiding of their hair, once again, was bringing attention to themselves through worldly means.

On its own, your dress does not make you who you are.

This is an important point to remember.

Your dress does not make you who you are.

Your relationship with Christ is what makes you who you are.

"Do not let your adornment be merely outward--arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."

When men, women, and especially God looks at you, what do you want them to see? How you look outwardly or inwardly?

Do they see too much skin, clothes that are too tight?

Do they see clothing or jewelry that is really showy?

Or do they see you as a godly person?

Do they see you as a person of character?

Do they see your style or your good works?

When people look at you, they need to see Christ living in you!

They should see someone who is a servant, someone that is faithful in encouraging their brethren and the lost, someone that is full of love and compassion for others.

But this may not be the case if you are dressed in immodest clothing.

What is Immodest Clothing?

📷📷I believe once we see the root of the issue, which is bringing attention to ourselves in our clothing, that the question, “What clothing is immodest?”

should answer itself.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

Sisters: You need to honestly examine your hearts and your wardrobe and be willing to get rid of clothes that may be too revealing, to tight, too short.

It is just a fact that if you wear something that is revealing part of your body that is shaded in on the diagram, you may bring more attention to your body than you anticipated when you put it on, whether you planned it or not.

It is just a fact that 60-70% of men may be tempted to lust if this part of your body is revealed by tight clothing or not enough clothing.

90% of men will notice your immodesty.

I plead with you my sisters: please, please love your brothers in Christ enough to think about this.

I can say this from experience: “It is very difficult to look at a sister in Christ as someone who loves me and cares about me (or the Lord) if she is not dressing modestly, if she is dressing in a way that may cause me or another brother in Christ to be tempted.”

Brothers: There is no reason for us to think that we have a different standard when it comes to modesty.

We have an equal responsibility to be modest and to make sure the same areas of our body are not revealed by either a lack of clothing or clothing that is too tight.