Giving God Praise
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Turn to and read Proverbs 7:1-10.
Several years ago, I preached a series of messages on Biblical principles where I defined a Biblical principle, a conviction, a standard, and a preference. I don’t know how many of you will remember those definitions so I’ll give them to you again.
A Biblical principle is a Bible truth that I must live by.
A conviction is a personal belief based upon a Biblical truth.
A standard is a guideline to help me keep my convictions.
One preacher stated it this way...
“A Biblical principle forges a conviction that in turn establishes a a standard!”
In 1 Timothy 2:9 we see one of a number of references to the Biblical principle of modesty:
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;
As we enter the summer months, I wanted to challenge our church family in this matter of modesty.
The Bible very clearly sets forth the Biblical principle of modesty. Do we have a heart’s conviction that says, “I will dress in a modest way?” Have we developed standards which will help us keep those convictions?
I trust that none of us here would say that it doesn’t matter what we wear because it definitely does matter to the Lord what we wear.
We already read Proverbs 7:1-10. Now turn to Matthew 11:7-9.
In Matthew 11:7–9 Jesus is speaking about John the Baptist. And while the central context of this passage is not about clothing, He draws a clear distinction between what a godly man wears and what would be worn in a pagan environment. (The term soft clothing in this passage refers to common homosexual practices of the day.) The Bible draws the same conclusion in Proverbs 7:10 where it says, “…the attire of an harlot.” The point is this - Different types of people dress differently and clothing certainly identifies us with a lifestyle. To put one point of these verses in plain English: Godly men don’t dress the same as effeminate men, and godly ladies don’t dress like harlots.
What is modesty?
What is modesty?
If I were to take the time to have each of you answer that question, we would probably get many different answers. Why? Because, unfortunately, we all have a different understanding of what modesty is and often an incomplete understanding of what modesty is.
The dictionary defines “modesty” as...
“having or showing a moderate or humble estimate of one's merits, importance, etc.; free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, or great pretensions”
“free from ostentation or showy extravagance”
“having or showing regard for the decencies of behavior, speech, dress, etc.”
“limited or moderate in amount, extent, etc.”
I like the following definition from Covenant Eyes
“Modesty is a respectable manner of adorning one’s body and carrying oneself, born out of a freedom from a worldly definition of beauty and worth, and motivated by a hatred of sin and a desire to draw attention to God.”
http://www.covenanteyes.com/2013/08/16/biblical-definition-of-modesty/
Allow me to give you this definition:
Modesty is not drawing the wrong type or wrong amount of attention to oneself.
Why is modesty important?
Why is modesty important?
Another way to ask that question is, “Why should we care about what we wear?”
Look back at Proverbs chapter 7.
And, behold, there met him a woman With the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.
There is one thing that we are not told about this woman. What is it? We are never told that she actually is a harlot – or prostitute. We are simply told that she has “the attire (dress) of an harlot.”
I’m going to show you a picture of a group of people and I want you to tell me what they do for a living. Show picture. Why did you answer the way that you did? Because of how they are dressed!
Allow me to give you just two Biblical reasons why we should care about what we wear and how we wear it.
To please the Lord Jesus Christ and honor Him above all.
To please the Lord Jesus Christ and honor Him above all.
So many of our dress decisions are purely based on pleasing self and pleasing others. When you wake up and get dressed, for whom are you dressing? First Corinthians 10:31 teaches...
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
To submit to the biblical principle of modesty.
To submit to the biblical principle of modesty.
This is more of an issue with ladies because men are “sight oriented.” If you have a home with only girls, you may not really get this! What some ladies or moms think is “cute” is very often provocative. Dad must be the authority in this area and moms should work to educate themselves on what their daughters “look like” through the eyes of young men. First Timothy 2:9 teaches...
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;
How can I show that I really care about what I wear?
How can I show that I really care about what I wear?
Or, how can I show that I take modesty seriously?
As one preacher said,
“The truth is that every Christian has some standard of dress, even if they are low standards.”
Determine that you are going to be modest.
Determine that you are going to be modest.
This Biblical principle needs to become a heart-felt Biblical conviction!
Dress (and act) in a way that shows the true condition of your heart.
Dress (and act) in a way that shows the true condition of your heart.
Dress in a way that illustrates Christ-likeness and holiness.
Turn to and read 1 Peter 3:1-4.
Modest dress doesn’t produce a right heart - it reflects one!
Wear clothing that is loose-fitting. (I don’t mean baggy, though.)
Wear clothing that is loose-fitting. (I don’t mean baggy, though.)
The world encourages – especially women – to wear clothing that is form-fitting, tight and clingy. By doing that, you are inviting not only too much attention but also the wrong kind of attention.
Wear clothing that is knee length.
Wear clothing that is knee length.
Why knee-length? Because everyone has one and it’s easy to understand.
Wear clothing that is conservative in nature.
Wear clothing that is conservative in nature.
Avoid wearing clothing that is extreme in its fashion. This invites the wrong kind of attention to yourself.
Wear clothing that is appropriate.
Wear clothing that is appropriate.
Dress appropriately for the occasion. For example, when you dress for church, dress in a manner that reflects the holy God that you are coming to worship.
In closing, we must all understand that having standards does not make an individual “better” than anyone else. We must be careful not to allow pride to enter the equation. One way to do that is by keeping our focus, not on the standard, but upon the foundation of that standard – God and His Word!
Truly our standards should be based upon our desire to live a holy life that is pleasing to the Lord!
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.