Honoring marriage through Christian modesty, that's what we're going to talk about today. Before we proceed any further in the book of Hebrews, we're going to talk about the issue of Christian modesty and how it is a critical part of honoring marriage. Let's stand together and hear God's word. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 28 through chapter 13 verse 19, and again our text of focus is verse 4. Listen carefully please, this is God's holy and infallible word. Therefore since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire, Let brotherly love continue. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Remember the prisoners as if chained with them, those who are mistreated, since you yourselves are in the body also. Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled, but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Let your conduct be without covetousness. Be content with such things as you have. For he himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me? Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines, for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned outside the camp. Therefore, Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp bearing his reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come. Therefore, by Him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share with such sacrifices. God is well pleased. Obey those who rule over you and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Pray for us, for we are confident that we have a good conscience in all things desiring to live honorably. But I especially urge you to do this, that I may be restored to you the sooner. Thus ends the reading of God's Word. Amen. Amen. You may be seated. So here we are again, the author of Hebrews, teaching the Hebrew Christians in the first century, sometime in the mid-60s AD, teaching them how to carry out brotherly love in their midst. And the topic is marriage. And the proclamation is that marriage is honorable among all and the bed undefiled. That is the reality that God has defined for Christian marriage and marital intimacy. But marriage and its undefiled bed has enemies. There are enemies that seek to attack the institution of marriage and the purity of the marriage bed. The text calls these fornicators and adulterers. And we must remember in our fallen flesh, that's a good way to describe each one of us, isn't it? Apart from Christ, we are all fornicators and adulterers. None of us will respect God's laws for how to satisfy our desires. None of us will submit to the institutions and the commandments that God has given to us. we will rebel apart from Jesus Christ. So the enemy exists within us as well. And my thesis, one of my main points in today's sermon that I hope to prove to you is that immodesty is a stealth weapon used by the enemies of marriage to help decrease how we can proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ through our clothing And you need to understand that immodesty is much more alluring than total nakedness. And so the devil uses immodesty. The forces of darkness use immodesty. The enemies of God and of marriage use immodesty as an entryway into fornication and adultery. And you know, just like in most ethical situations in life, a friend of mine says, you know, the devil doesn't show up dressed in a red suit with horns and a tail and a pitchfork and say, hey, I'm the devil, follow me. That's not how it works, y'all. The devil is tricky. He comes as the angel of light. And so the path from marriage, honor, and an undefiled bed to dishonored marriage, fornication, and adultery is a slippery slope. It is a path that the forces of darkness want to slowly walk you down. And I believe that one of the landmarks, one of the milestones down that path will be immodesty. I do not believe, in fact, that it's likely at all that you're to go from honoring marriage and the marriage bed undefiled to being a fornicator and an adulterer without passing through the world of immodesty. It's possible, but I think it is unlikely, especially in today's world. Because the enemies of truth, they're sly as they seek to dishonor marriage and defile its intimacy. And they'll twist the glorious concept of Christian liberty and scoff at all those who present the law of God in regard to Christian modesty. So the path towards dishonor and defilement, it must seem reasonable at first. And a modest dress and culture in today's world serves as a powerful way to slowly draw people away from honoring marriage and its intimacy. Can you see that? We've all been exposed to this immodesty. You cannot even go to the grocery store in today's world. Usually, you will be exposed to immodesty. You will see partial nakedness. And in fact, you will often see partial nakedness that used to be illegal in our culture. they would arrest you for exposing those parts of your body. Because our culture has its roots in the Word of God and in Christian modesty. So we need to see that this path has been laid out before us in today's culture. And it will seem reasonable. And you'll be accused of being legalistic if you embrace God's commandments regarding modesty. Remember Psalm 1? Here's the path defined for us. And it can be that, look, this path will apply to any ethical question that you can consider. Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. And this is not only a path that you may walk down individually, but it's a path that the devil takes cultures down, generations at a time. I commend to you the work by Jeff Pollard. I think it's called Christian Modesty and the Undressing of America. And in that book, he chronicles from their own words how the swimsuit industry was designed to change the ethics of America, to undress America. And it happened over generations. It happened from the early 1900s through until the final blow was struck with the bikini industry in the 1960s. And so you can see this. You can study this. It's all there. And Psalm 1 gives us how to understand this process. What is the counsel of the ungodly? Well, in this context, it's the advice or the examples regarding our clothing choices, and it's advice and examples that are not built upon the Word of God. And I was astounded, frankly, the first time that I studied God's word about modesty and what it's all about, what the underlying principles are of Christian modesty. I was astounded realizing how much of my thinking had been shaped by counsel and examples from our culture. Not only about what modesty is, but even in regards to what is legalism and what is antinomianism. What comes next? What comes next is the step in the process called the path of sinners. So you've received and acted upon the advice and the examples of those who are teaching and demonstrating immodesty. So the first step was walking in the counsel of the ungodly. So you're seeing the examples. You're taking them in in a way that is unexamined. You're listening to the teaching of individuals who teach falsely about immodesty. And the next step is to take this into your own heart and mind. not only the actions, but the justifications for the actions. Misuse of the doctrine of Christian liberty is the most often seen argument within the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ against God's standard for modesty. I was astounded similarly in this regard. The first time I studied God's word about modesty, realizing how much of my wardrobe, of our family's wardrobe, had been shaped by counsel and examples from our culture. This was a costly study. Buying new clothes is expensive. God cares for us. He knows, does he not? As we were promised, seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you. And what was one of those things? Clothing. Next. And this is where it gets really bad. Sits in the seat of the scornful. This is becoming one who gives out the counsel of immodesty and abuses the doctrine of Christian liberty to scoff against the law of God in regard to Christian modesty. This is one who mocks the advice and the counsel of the Word of God. And again, I was shocked as I first studied this, realizing that I was not only listening to unbiblical advice and acting immodestly, but also I was parroting the advice of immodesty, and ultimately I was scoffing at God's design for modest clothing. So I identified this process in my own life the first time I studied this, and I had to repent. I just had to repent and say, OK, Lord, I did not know this was what Your Word taught. I submit to Your Word. I'm so glad to know this from Your Word, Lord. Show us the way. So, Christian modesty, as described to us in God's Word, serves as a culture-building expression of the Gospel. Let that sink in. It is a culture-building expression of the Gospel that honors marriage and the undefiled marriage bed. Whenever an individual embraces Christian modesty, they are battling on behalf of Christian marriage and the undiviled marriage bed, and they are proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ through their clothing. Because Christian marriage is the only acceptable place for our nakedness to be exposed. It is a foray into heaven. So when nakedness is exposed in public, whether it's partial nakedness or full nakedness, the institution of marriage is mocked, the law of God is mocked, and the temptations towards defilement will abound. And as a result of studying the scriptures more closely on this question, you know, the clerks want you to know that we have changed our family modesty standards some over the last few years. And we continue to submit our family standards to God's word, not claiming that we've arrived, but seeking to walk within the parameters set out for us in his word. I'm really thankful for the scholarly biblical efforts of Pastor Jeff Pollard and Pastor Phil Kaiser. They've been of much help to me in this study that I'll share with you today. Pastor Kaiser has shared with me some unpublished information, and Jeff Pollard's book has been published, Christian Modesty and the Undressing of America. And there are also various scholarly commentaries that I've studied on this topic in reaching the main conclusions that I'll share with you today. A few more points before I get to the meat of the teaching. Legalism versus antinomianism. It's a really important part of thinking through our clothing. What is legalism? What is it? It is adding to what God's word commands. When we do this, we are creating traditions of men that unjustly bind our consciences and unnecessarily limit the freedom that God has given to us in our clothing choices. 1 Corinthians 3 verse 4 speaks of it as going beyond what is written. So may God spare me from ever doing this as I teach and as I preach to you, dear Foothills Christian Assembly. And on the other hand, there's antinomianism, which is rejecting any of what God's word commands. When we do this, we forsake God's protections. We forsake opportunities to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Did you know that when you obey God's law, you proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ? God in His infinite wisdom has made His law to be an expression of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And when you obey Him, you are revealing Jesus Christ. Because it all comes down to expressing Christ the way that God tells us to. And so when we reject God's word, we not only fall outside of his protection and experience the hazardous life of rebellion and the danger from being unprotected, but we miss out on the opportunities to proclaim the glory in the gospel of Jesus Christ through specific obedience that he has given to us. Now, putting this together, usually, in my observation, most unbiblical approaches to clothing will usually include some legalism and some antinomianism and whatever blend of unbiblical teaching you may get from that particular corner of Christianity. We don't want to do that. This blend will usually be some sort of rejecting parts of scriptures, and then adding our own standards. So it'll be like this potpourri, this hodgepodge of principles that come together. Maybe some of them are from scripture, and then there's things that are rejected from scripture, and then we add our own thing, and it's just kind of this little monstrous thing that we create. It's like this deformed set of principles that come together. If God's Word is, if you will, a perfect work of art on any topic, say modesty, then what we've done is we've taken our scissors and we've just clipped out the parts of the painting we don't like, and a lot of times we end up replacing it with things that are just really strange when you look at the whole story. That's what I mean by monstrous. Whereas when we receive God's commandments, we receive His principles, it's beautiful. It adds up. The pieces of the puzzle fit together. Next, and this gets into the meat of the conversation and the debate, is are these principles cultural or are they timeless? Certainly there are cultural expressions of clothing, but friends and family, people of God, what I'm going to present to you today, I claim, that the principles, the foundational principles I'm going to present to you today are timeless. They are divine mandates that are global and that are for every generation, for every person that's ever walked this earth, for every church, for every family, for every institution, for every place that you will ever go. These principles will guide you in understanding modesty. So I hope that we'll agree after today's teaching that Christian modesty principles are timeless. They transcend culture, having their origin in God's word, not in man's culture. And yet granting that when a specific culture embraces these principles, it will have a unique cultural expression in that place. We're not going to all wear the exact same clothing. And of course, there are other purposes for clothing besides modesty. The Bible says for glory and for beauty. And so when we choose our clothing, we're not only choosing it in terms of principles of modesty, we're also choosing it in terms of function and beauty and glory. And isn't that awesome? Like, who here doesn't just think, hey, I want to be a fashion designer now. Well, wait until I get to the end, because that's another part of the problem in terms of Wow. That's another part of the problem in our world today is there are very few Christian fashion designers who are putting all of these principles to work in the clothing that they design. So there's an opportunity for you. There's an opportunity for you to be that person who makes these clothing designs after the way God designs clothing. Because did you know that God was the first fashion designer? He did it in the garden. He did it in the temple. So that's, we're gonna look to that. We're gonna look to that as our pattern for what is modesty. Now, another thing you need to understand is a lot of times when this topic comes up, everybody starts thinking about the ladies, right? Well, I got some word for you, men. These principles are for men and women, okay? Nakedness is defined as the same in God's word for men and women. Did you know that, men? Did you know that, men? We've been tricked into thinking that nakedness as parts of our body varies from men to women. It does not. So we will see that nakedness is defined the same for men and for women. Next, while we will see that women, let me say it this way. And yet we must admit that women are particularly tempted towards immodesty. We can gather that from Paul's focus in 1 Timothy upon the women, giving the women instructions about modesty. But we can't say that therefore men are not included in the principles of modesty. Adam and Eve both sensed shame and were both covered by God with the same type of garment. The Bible also mentions many different styles of clothing as acceptable in terms of beauty and glory and the occasion and the function, but we need to see that while there's great variation in the clothing types and choices, all of them are bounded by these principles of Christian modesty. In other words, there's no place or clothing type where immodesty is acceptable as foundation principle for that clothing. No place. No sporting event. Just let your mind... Everything out in the world that you might go do in public is still bounded by these principles of Christian modesty. Next, another thing to remember about clothing as we're going through this, which is associated with modesty, because it's a form of calling attention to yourself, a major form, is that God always requires a distinction between men's clothing and women's clothing. Deuteronomy 22.5, A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman's garment. For all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God. And there will be varying cultural expressions of that. But there will be clothing that is for women. And there will be clothing that is for men in a godly Christian culture. There will be an intentional approach to fashion in public where women, their femininity is declared by the clothing. And the men, their masculinity is declared by their clothing. And attempts to blur those lines, attempts to blur those lines are forbidden. Next. Another really important point here, and you've already probably thought this. Come on, Dr. Clark, say it. We're waiting for you to say it. Modesty is both an internal and an external Christian value. So a lot of what we're going to talk about today is the law of God in regards to external requirements of Christian modesty, but all of this you must see as a fruit of love for Christ. Pastor Kaiser says it this way. It is possible for a person to be well clothed, but immodest in attitude. We see this in Isaiah chapter 3 verse 16. It is possible for a person to be covered from head to toe and to still be seductive. We see this in Genesis 38 and in Proverbs 7. Though we tend to focus on the outward, the inward attitude of modesty and a chaste spirit is reflected in our attitude, our carriage, and our demeanor. And scripture seems to indicate that if this inward attitude is in place, the outward will take care of itself. 1 Peter chapter 3, 1 Timothy 2. So my recommendation, this is Pastor Kaiser still speaking, as you discuss this with your families is to encourage both the men and the young women to focus on how inward principles of grace should manifest themselves outwardly. Rather than getting out a ruler to measure the hemline, it might be good to discuss what a young daughter wants other men to think of her and what a young man is proving with his clothing. How can we protect the opposite sex from stumbling, even if we have liberty and even if we think they are weak? How can Christian principles be expressed in our outward attire? Though freedoms cannot be taken away without legalism, many times we can willingly give up freedoms out of love for the brethren. That's a really important point as we're seeking Christian wisdom in our clothing choices, is that we can willingly give up our freedoms for one another out of Christian love for each other. 1 Timothy 2 verse 9 talks to us about the internal virtues of modesty. What the King James Version calls shamefacedness and sobriety, these internal qualities. Shamefacedness is also interpreted as propriety. And of course this is directed at the ladies, but this is also men. You're called to shamefacedness and sobriety in your clothing choices as well. And this is a sense of shame. A sense of honor, modesty, bashfulness, reverence, regard for others, respect for others. That's shamefacedness. So there's this awareness of our own fallen state that our personal physical nakedness as defined by God is a representation to the world of our fallen state apart from Christ. Shamefacedness understands this and submits to this reality. And there's this regard for others so that we're aware that our own sin has the potential to excite the sin of others. We're aware of this. We acknowledge this. And we're aware that our own sin has the potential to distract others from the worship of God. Even if it does not tempt them to sin, even if the other person isn't tempted to sin, they may notice your nakedness and worry for you and be distracted from whatever they're doing at the time, whether it be the worship of God or anything else. So choosing our clothing wisely is an expression of our inner awareness of our own sin and its potential to negatively impact others and an expression of our humility wherein we admit to all that we need to have our sin covered. It's a theological statement. Our clothing choices are theological statements. Whether you're attempting to make a theological statement or not, you are making a theological statement with your clothing choices. The next word we see is sobriety, which is a soundness of mind. It's a self-control in our thoughts, which is the opposite of intoxication, where our minds do not consider decisions with wisdom. It is a careful and well-studied decision-making process So we choose our clothing wisely in an expression of our inner awareness that our personal freedoms are not the only factor that should influence our decision making. We consider others, we consider the situation, we consider the occasion, the function, we consider God's definition of nakedness, and we make a wise plan that includes all the factors involved in each situation. And Christian modesty is a critical set of principles for making our clothing choices. And sober-mindedness makes sure that we consider not only Christian modesty, but all of the other Christian principles of wisdom that go into choosing our clothing based on the situation that we are in. So, in general, I think we can agree that God requires a distinction between modest and immodest dress. The Bible speaks in 1 Timothy 2.9 that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel. So it only makes sense that we would want to know what is modest apparel. Proverbs 7 verse 10 says in there, a woman met him. So this is the naive young man, not protected by wisdom and the law of God. And he's out and about and a woman met him with the attire of a harlot and a crafty heart. So we see there the description, the opposite of modesty is a crafty heart. So when we are immodest, our heart is crafty. We're using our clothing to get what we want, and it's tricky, and it is alluring. And we see here in Proverbs 7, immodest dress. So we see that the Bible speaks of both modest apparel and the attire of a harlot. How are we to know the difference? Is it culturally defined? No. Ultimately it is defined by God for us in His Word. Is it defined by the conscience of the particular culture? No. Or is it defined by God's Word as a timeless set of principles that transcend and command any culture? So this is one of the key points that I'm stressing in today's teaching, is that most of us have probably been taught that modesty is primarily culturally defined. And I am here to speak against that teaching today, and to say to you that modesty is primarily defined in God's Word. by God defining what is nakedness, so that therefore we know what needs to be covered. Here's a story related by a former student at a Christian college. He says, I remember having a missionary speak to us in chapel about her work in Papua New Guinea. The natives she worked with were stark naked, other than a thin rattan cord around the waist. She said that at first she was uncomfortable with all these men squatting in front of her. So early on in her work, she brought barrel loads of shorts to clothe these naked people. The people were excited with the gifts. They took the belts out of the shorts, threw the shorts away, and replaced the rattan cords with leather belts. She said that eventually she gave up trying to clothe the natives and came to the conviction that their cords around the waist were their cultural way of expressing modesty. They wouldn't be caught dead without those cords. And her conclusion was that culture defines modesty, and we shouldn't impose Western values of modesty or even first century standards of modesty upon any people," unquote. So that's an example that you will hear that is false teaching about modesty. that does not understand God's Word regarding modesty. But you know, on the other hand, it is true, Scripture never imposes a cultural custom upon the consciences of believers. In fact, we're specifically forbidden from this. Think about that. So those who are in favor of this approach to modesty are saying that we're required to submit to a cultural norm. And yet in the scriptures we are specifically told that to do so is to unjustly bind men's consciences with the traditions of men. Kaiser goes on, in fact scripture forbids Christians from submitting to the traditions of men. What the culture-bound advocates are ironically saying is that the very person who insisted, Mrs. Paul, quote, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, unquote, was in 1 Timothy 2.9 imposing a cultural tradition that could not be found in the Bible. So that Paul, their argument is Paul is grabbing a cultural requirement and imposing it on Christians. But Christ condemned those who teach as doctrines the commandments of men. Paul also strongly reacted against false teachers who imposed unbiblical restrictions through their, quote, touch not, taste not, handle not, quote, code. Paul's maxim was, let no man judge you, and do not submit to the commandments and doctrines of men. So American culture is not a good guide for what is modesty, and nor is our opinion. We must look to the word of God. Now, next, we need to see there are degrees of modesty and degrees of nakedness that are discussed in the Bible. Degrees of modesty and degrees of nakedness. Now, first of all, degrees of modesty. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 23 and 24, listen to these words. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor. And our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. So here is a very helpful principle that we have presentable parts and we have un-presentable parts according to the word of God. The un-presentable parts, this is our nakedness. This requires modesty, the greater modesty. Presentable parts, this is not nakedness. There's no need for modesty when it comes to our presentable parts. So there's a spectrum from no modesty to greater modesty. John 21-7 likely shows us an example of this. Quote, Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he had removed it, and plunged into the sea. So he put on clothing to go for a swim. Of course, he was going to Jesus. Being in a public setting, here's what we can learn from this, it appears. One way to understand this is being in a public setting with Jesus seems to have required greater modesty than being on a fishing boat. But Peter still would have had on his undergarments, which in Jewish culture would have covered his nakedness. And we'll talk about this more fully as we go on. So there are degrees of nakedness and degrees of modesty. Listen to the degrees of nakedness shown to us in the Scripture. There's totally naked. We see this in Genesis 3, 7. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they knew that they were naked. Next, there's the poor who are in inadequate clothing from Job 24. It says they spend the night naked without clothing and have no covering in the cold. So they have inadequate clothing. And then there's also the idea of being underdressed for an occasion, like what we saw with Peter. But also Isaiah 20 says, in verse 3, the Lord said, quote, just as my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and a wonder. So, you know, Isaiah was not totally naked, but he was underdressed. And that was a sign, that was a message to the people at that time. And then there's partially naked. Job 22.6 says, for you have taken pledges from your brother for no reason and stripped the naked of their clothing. Well, obviously, when they say strip the naked of their clothing, there's an idea of being partially naked. Those who were partially dressed, they took even that from them. Those who were partially naked, they took even that from them. So I think that's great background for the details we're going to dive into now. The covering of our nakedness, this is the first purpose of clothing and the definition of modest clothing is based upon this, the covering of our nakedness. Genesis 2.25 says, And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. So God emphasizes to us at the conclusion of creation that nakedness was not associated with shame. And this is fascinating if you think about it, because, you know, God gave the Word of God to Moses. Moses is the one who wrote this down. So Moses is getting this from God afterwards, right? He's receiving this written form afterwards. And there it is. Now, do you think Adam and Eve were aware of the absence of shame at that time? No, they weren't even aware they were naked. Nakedness is a concept that only has meaning within the concept of shame. But it was a noteworthy absence at the end of creation that God emphasizes to us. Now, why is this emphasized? Because no sin equals no sense of shame for the man and the wife in nakedness. And the point is, the only way you can have that is when you are completely free of your sin, which none of us will be until we're glorified. There's these crazy people who argue in favor of Christian nudity, right? Because they think we've been so cleansed of our sin, it's not even there anymore. We don't even have our flesh anymore, so we should be naked. Like Adam and Eve, we're in the garden. Right, well that is definitely premature eschatology. No doubt about it, okay? Now there's people who say, but you can see logically why they might reach that conclusion if they don't understand current human anthropology. Every one of us currently still has our fallen flesh within us, trying to mislead us, trying to follow the devil and the forces of darkness. Listen to Jeff Pollard's words. It's important to understand that in the beginning, nakedness was not shameful. In fact, God saw everything that he made and behold, it was very good. Though Adam and Eve were naked, they felt no sense of public disgrace or humiliation. Their nakedness was very good because God created them that way. Under these circumstances, clothing was unnecessary. So what transformed good nakedness into something shameful? And why did God himself cover man's body? Next, Genesis 3, verses 6 and 7. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. So what happened? as soon as sin entered their soul, as soon as the fall occurred, what happened next? God gave them a sense of shame that was inextricably linked to their physical nakedness They became aware of their own sin and the sin of others, and specifically through a God-designed, unbreakable connection between that corrupted flesh and what God came to define as nakedness. Do you see that? That's what happened at the Fall. So the principle we see here is that God designed that at the Fall, Shane entered the world as an internal awareness prompted by an external observation of our physical nakedness. Fallen man then goes on to attempt to cover this very uncomfortable shame by covering the nakedness ourselves. Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness themselves, and this is the standard pagan response, seeking to cover our shame ourselves, and it never works. But in Genesis 321, we do see what works. And it is God's provision for our covering. His full and complete provision for our covering. The Bible says, also for Adam and his wife, the Lord God made tunics of skin and clothed them. So you see, prior to this, Adam and Eve had insufficient coverings, these fig leaves that they had woven together. But now they were clothed. Before they were not clothed, before they were still partially naked. but now they were fully clothed, their nakedness was now covered by God completely. So God first, now listen to this, how does God first demonstrate, He preaches the gospel to them, He tells Adam and Eve about the seed to come, but how does He first demonstrate the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world? He demonstrates it by making clothing for Adam and Eve. Clothing that fully covered their external nakedness and that represented the full covering of their sins in Christ. And it required death. God killed an animal and he took the skin of that animal and he made clothing out of it. And he fashioned the clothing perfectly to cover the external God-defined nakedness of Adam and Eve. God-defined nakedness at that time. Do you see what a critical principle this is? This is not culturally bound. This is not a cultural thing. This is from creation and the fall. The definition of nakedness comes from God at creation. So we see that the very first moments after the fall, God shows the gospel of Jesus Christ via clothing. And y'all, the same is true for us. Every time we make clothing choices, our clothing preaches something to the world and to one another every time we step out into public. Will we preach the gospel of Jesus Christ like God did in the garden, proclaiming with our clothing that all of our sin, nakedness, has been fully covered by Christ and can only be fully covered by God? Or will we preach the message of our first parents, that our sin is not fully covered or that we can cover it ourselves? Christian modesty, friends, family, people of God, Christian modesty at its core, is the attempt to proclaim this accurate message with our clothing that Jesus Christ is our great High Priest who has covered all of our sin, washing it away by His precious blood. And I really hope that these glorious concepts will fill your mind as we come to the practical application of this section. It's so easy to forget the foundational principles of modesty and start to get your measuring tape, right? Instead of remembering what this is all about and rejoicing in the opportunity to make these choices. Jeff Pollard says, The main point of this account is its spiritual or gospel application. Adam and Eve lost their righteous standing with God and were naked in their sins. God then killed animals and fashioned coats of skin to graciously cover Adam and Eve after they pitifully attempted to cover themselves with aprons of their own works. This beautiful type of God's mercy and grace was later fulfilled in the propitiatory sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Thomas Boston comments, but on surer grounds we may observe that our first parents made their first garments and God made the next, which were effectual for the use of garments. Whence we may learn the utter insufficiency of our own righteousness to cover spiritual nakedness and the absolute necessity of the righteousness of God, the imputed righteousness with its fitness every way to clothe the sinful soul. So what does this teach us about practical modesty? What does God define as the parts of our body that are included in nakedness? Isn't that just the obvious question that comes to mind? God, show us. Teach me, Lord, what is this nakedness that you're talking about? Do we have to learn this from various cultures, O God? Or do you tell us? Listen to Jeff Collin. Though we have no snapshots of Adam and Eve's apparel, the word coats is consistently used throughout the Old Testament to mean a tunic-like garment. Coats in Genesis 3.21 is the word Hebrew which is cutnet from an unused root meaning to cover. The cutnet was the ordinary garment worn by man and woman as seen in the tunics of skin worn by Adam and Eve. This shirt-like garment usually had long sleeves and extended down to the ankles when worn as a dress coat. Hardworking men, slaves, and prisoners wore them more abbreviated, sometimes even to their knees and without sleeves. Several well-known lexicons echo that it was, quote, the principal ordinary garment of man and woman worn next to the skin, a long shirt-like garment usually of linen. Adams was made of fur, unquote. So the cut net resembled the Roman tunic, corresponding most clearly to our long shirt, reaching below the knees always, and in case it was designed for dress occasions, reaching almost to the ground. while the simplest kind was sleeveless, reaching only to the knees. Another description tells us that it was made of linen or wool and reached down to the knees or to the ankles. All these sources agree regarding the cutknit. It covered the body from at least the neck to the knees, while sometimes reaching mid-calf or all the way to the feet. And the important thing to remember is that this was God's design for covering Adam and Eve's nakedness and shame. So, we discover that God defined nakedness in the garden. And we discover the general teaching of what that nakedness is by the clothing that God made to cover them. Isn't God good? Going on, we see the same pattern given to us in the priestly garments. Again, Pollard. God not only ordained the priests to their holy office, he designed their holy garb as well. He said to Moses, quote, and thou shalt speak unto all that are wisehearted whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron's garments to consecrate him, that he may minister unto me in priest's office. And these are the garments which they shall make, a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a broidered coat, that's the cut knit, a miter and a girdle, and they shall make holy garments for Aaron thy brother and his sons, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office." So God, the original designer of clothing, covered their bodies as he had covered Adam's and Eve's bodies. Now, another example here, this is another example of the pattern of God designing clothing and demonstrating the same pattern of covering nakedness that was given to us at the fall in Genesis. And I want us to note especially Exodus 28 verse 42, which really, from God's word, focuses our understanding. You shall make for them linen trousers to cover their nakedness. They shall reach from the waist to the thighs. Now while this described the undergarments, we know that the priests moved around during their work, presenting the possibility that their outer priestly garments might end up not covering their nakedness in certain movements or positions. So God gave them undergarments. And in this text we see specifically that the waist to the thighs is included in the portion of the body considered by God as part of our nakedness. And so we see the definition of the upper leg down to the knee being included in the definition of nakedness by God. The priestly garments would have been sashed and secured at the waist with no likelihood of sitting above that point. And so these trousers were designed to make sure that the nakedness beneath was not revealed if they were seen from below or from a position they might take during their priestly work. Jesus Christ Himself wore these same garments. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. This is Pollard. A fair question then would be, when God became man, what did He wear? The answer to this is worthy of this lengthy quote from Alfred Edersheim. Listen carefully to this quote from Alfred Edersheim about the clothing of the time of Christ. Three or else four articles commonly constituted the dress of the body. First came the undergarment, called the chalouk or the katuna, from which later some have derived the word cotton. This chalouk might be of linen or of wool. The sages wore it down to the feet. It was covered by the upper garment, and the upper garment is the talith, and it was covered to within about a hand breadth. The chalouk lay close to the body. It had no other opening than that around the neck and for the arms, and at the bottom it had a kind of hem. To possess only one such coat or inner garment was a mark of poverty. Hence, when the apostles were sent on their temporary mission, they were directed not to take two coats. Closely similar to, if not identical with, the chalut was the ancient garment mentioned in the Old Testament as the kethoneth. to which the Greek chiton corresponds. As the garment which our Lord wore and those of which he spoke to his apostles are designated by that name, we conclude that it represents the well-known kephoneth or rabbinic katuna. This might be of almost any material, even leather, though it was generally of wool or flax. We can now form an approximate idea of the outward appearance of Christ on that spring morning amidst the throng at Capernaum. he would, we may safely assume, go about in the ordinary, although not in the more ostentatious dress worn by the Jewish teachers of Galilee. The chaluk, or more probably the katuna, which formed his inner garment, must have been close-fitting and descended to his feet. Since it was not only so worn by teachers but was regarded as absolutely necessary for anyone who could publicly read, the scriptures or exercise any function in the synagogue. So our Lord Jesus Christ, the living God, come in the flesh, covered himself in the same way that he had covered Adam and Eve in the holy priesthood. So we see that God in his word does give us the definition of nakedness. He shows that to us in his word. Let's run through the summary principles and some questions for application. First, modesty is an internal virtue defined by shamefacedness and sobriety, whereby we humbly acknowledge the shame of our fallen flesh, and we happily rest in Christ alone as our full covering and our only propitiation. And we know, we know, we know that our sin can damage and distract others, so we long to express only Christ in all of our dealings with others. And internal immodesty fights against these truths. It scoffs at these truths and with the resultant external expressions of sinfulness that end up attracting attention to ourselves and distracting others from the effort at hand. Next, immodesty in dress is the revealing of any portion of our nakedness in a public setting. It's a very simple definition. Immodesty in dress is the revealing of any portion of our nakedness in a public setting. Next, Christian modesty is the covering of our nakedness in public for the glory of God and for the proclamation of the gospel via our dress. So Christian modesty is motivated by being a Christian, by being filled with the Holy Spirit of God and longing to express the kingdom of God through your life. And then it shows up in obedience to God to these principles of covering our nakedness. Now God's pattern of clothing design shows that God defines our nakedness as from neck to knee, including for sure all of our torso. The transition zones are always the areas that spawn the questions, yes? Now who's listening most of all right now in the sermon, right? He's an okay guy. He's gotten to it now. Listen up, he's about to tell us. No, I'm not. No, I'm not. I'm not going to. Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to ask you some questions. Okay, of course, the first question is, what about the shoulders? How much of the neck? Covers the knee. What do we do? How do we work this out? Knees, shoulders, necks. That's the area where the questions come in. And don't forget, But the issue here is to hide our nakedness, not just to cover it. So clothing that is too tight that reveals the details of the shape of our nakedness is not modest even if it covers the areas defined as nakedness. Now clearly this is an issue of prudence and wisdom that is a very private conversation that husbands and wives will have together and make those decisions about their family. But it's a reality of our decision making. if the idea is to hide our nakedness. Now, I've got some strong words here. We don't have the option to excuse ourselves from God's design for clothing just because of the situation. We do not have that option. Public settings cannot be exempted from God's standards just because of a unique activity in that setting. This is a standard of God to be proclaimed throughout the earth in all settings because it is the way it is a very personal and intimate way that every one of us have an opportunity to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Public settings are going to include any setting where you'll be viewed by people outside your family. Beaches, pools, lakes, weddings, athletic events, and most importantly, here at corporate worship. Or we must use the greatest discretion of all. Here in corporate worship, we must use the greatest discretion of all because the activity we have in mind here today, brothers and sisters, family, friends, people of God, it is the most important thing that you do on this earth. There is nothing more serious and more joyful than this time. And there is no place on earth where you would feel more deeply saddened by your activity than distracting someone from the worship of God. So we come here and also as an expression of our love to God. So for one another and for God, the greatest discretion is called for in corporate worship. The covering mentioned in the Bible generally covered neck to knee and usually had sleeves. We don't have the option to excuse ourselves from these standards because of weddings, because of playing in the water, because of athletic uniforms or whatever you come up with. Gymnastics, track, dance, swim team, cheerleading, basketball, pole vaulting, you name it. These are places where, unfortunately, I think we can agree, immodesty is usually the norm in our culture. It was not always this way. The standards of Christian modesty, when you go back through the history of our nation, were in place. And public nakedness, partial public nakedness, was everyone saw it as for what it was. It was publicly exposing our nakedness in a way that contradicted the law of God. We knew this in the foundations of our nation. We can see it. You can go back. You can read about it. You can see the gradual undressing of America. No shirts for men playing at the pool or the beach is the norm in our world. And this is the main area for me where I had to repent when I first studied this. I mean, I just, who here, who here didn't grow up pulling your shirt off, guys, when you jumped in the water, right? That's just, everybody did it, right? Did you know that men took their shirts off before women did in the history of undressing of America? Men, it's our fault. We need to lead the way back into modesty, men, by covering our nakedness when we're in public. Did you know that? That when you look back through the history, it was men who took their shirts off first? It was men who had partial nudity first before women got on board? Go back and look at the history of it. Will we take the gospel of Jesus Christ with us via our clothing into every place that we go? And you know, we can really rejoice because we will stand out. I mean, you should see me when I put on my bathing suit these days. People are like, dude, what do you got there, man? And I say, well, I don't know. I think this is what the Bible teaches. They'll be like, what? Yeah, Jesus covers all of my nakedness. So right boom, you're right into the gospel. And so we have this opportunity before us. And this is not legalism. This is living out the gospel of Jesus Christ in our clothing. And you know, here's another point. Parents should set the trajectory for little children by having the same standards for them as for teenagers and adults. Even though a little child isn't revealing anything, really. Does the definition of nakedness change based upon our age? You know, this was really sweet because we started having these practices in our family. And I forget who it was, but something happened and a guy had his shirt off. I don't know where we were or what was going on. He's like, oh, he's naked! Right? So like the little ones, they catch on quick as to what nakedness is. And you know what? That should be shocking. It should be shocking. When we have God's standards in our mind of what is nakedness, we should be shocked. We should be shocked when we're exposed to it. And as Christians, we want to shock the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ as we dress. And we will have that opportunity if we embrace the teaching. Now, I think there is, I've tried to think of some exceptions, and I do believe there's one critical exception, and that is critical medical settings where life and limb must be saved and protected. The family must make this decision as to when it is necessary to transiently allow someone else into a family member's privacy for the purpose of saving and or protecting life. Okay? So, again, we have to be sober-minded, right? We want to look at all of the principles involved in our decision-making process in each situation. Okay? Now, some helpful questions we tried to put together about choosing our clothing. First of all, what is your purpose in your heart as you choose your clothing? I think that's the most important question you must ask. Is it to glorify God? Is it to serve those around you? Is it also in keeping with your personal liberty of expression, your own tastes, your own preferences? And is it in consideration of the occasion and the purpose for the event? Are you being deliberate in your clothing choices? You see, it's another part of being deliberate as a Christian, is the clothing that we choose. And here's some more questions. These are more detailed. Thinking about nakedness. Does the clothing reveal the chest area from the front, from above, maybe somebody taller than you, or from the side, maybe through the sleeve hole? These are important questions. Does it reveal undergarments? Undergarments are tantalizing. Does it reveal undergarments? Is it so tight that it reveals the details of your shape? These are important questions to seek to cover and hide our nakedness. Does your outfit cover properly when you're just standing there? But as soon as you start moving, it becomes a problem. You lean forward, you bend over, you lift your arms, or you sit down. So even if you remain covered properly with movement, so you've got that all figured out, you worked that out, but even if you remain covered, and you know, this is from the scriptures, God considers the movement of his priests and he gives them special undergarments, right? So we're going to mimic God by considering the movements we're going to be doing in our clothing choices. But here's an even step further. Even if you remain covered properly with movement, does the garment suggest to others that it might not cover properly with movement? So you've done all your tests, and you know it's good. But you know when you look at that garment, you had to test it really good to make sure. See, that's going to be potentially tantalizing or distracting to those around you. And that's a way of considering others. And you know, look, they may be immature, they may not be immature. You know, the more immature who have not mastered the lust of the flesh by God's grace, yeah, you've got to know they're out there. And you're going to potentially mislead them by the way you dress. Or those who have, by God's grace, embraced what Christian modesty is and who understand what nakedness is, they're going to notice it, but not for a sinful reason. They're going to be worried about you. So either way, it's distracting. And in both situations, it can tempt to sin. Next. Well, I've already covered this. When you're standing, it covers you, but when you sit, it might not. So you've got to consider that. You know, you might not think about your heels, but do the height of your heels necessitate an immodest posture that ends up highlighting nakedness? And heels do that. Heels cause a woman to stand in a way that her posture changes and they are actually designed for that purpose, to highlight certain parts of what God defines as nakedness. So think about that when you look at your shoes and how the shoes affect your posture. Most men don't wear heels. It's not really an issue for men. This is more an issue for ladies. But you have to think about why is it an issue for ladies? Why is it an issue? So I'm sure there's many more questions that you may have on this, but I think that we've covered enough to really, I think, have some important principles in mind about Christian modesty. And to go ahead and put in the last stitch on this garment of the sermon today, don't forget that this is honoring to marriage. Don't forget, in addition to everything else we've talked about, the starting spot is that this is a way that as a community we're expressing brotherly love by honoring marriage and working to keep the marriage bed undefiled and to refuse to be a voice for the fornicators and adulterers who want to attack Christian marriage. Amen? Let's pray. Almighty and gracious Heavenly Father, O God, we pray that You would just give us Your Word, Lord, that all of us would just have Your Word in our hearts and minds, and that if in any way, Lord, I minimized or lessened Your commandments, God, forgive me, and erase it from the minds of all the hearers here and in the future. And if in any way I added to your word, Lord God, erase it, I pray, from the minds and hearts of the hearers now and in the future. Lord, we just want your word. Help us to believe and embrace, Lord, Your definition of nakedness, Your definition of Christian modesty, and to do it from hearts that love You, hearts that are modest, that are shamefaced, and that are sober before You, O God, rejoicing in the full and complete and abundant covering that we have. Christ Jesus, our Lord, whom we have all put on by faith. Amen.