I want to direct your attention to Paul's epistle to the Philippian church, also known as the Book of Philippians, chapter number one. The Book of Philippians, chapter number one. As we look to Paul's pastoral prayer request for the believers in Philippi once again, I am hoping that something of its implication and application is being etched on our heart and transforming the way that we think so that it might transform the way that we live for Christ in this world. Notice it again with me beginning in verse nine, Philippians chapter one. Verse 9, Paul says, and this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, that word judgment is the word discernment, that ye may approve things that are excellent, that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. Paul says to the believers located in the city of Philippi through this letter, it is my pastoral passionate prayer that your love for God and your love one for another may increase as it is in accordance to the truths of God's word and the discernment of God's will. And it is my passionate prayer that your love for God and others would increase through knowledge, through all discernment, so that you can properly determine what is the best and most proper way to live for God. and I'm praying to such an end so that you might be inwardly pure before God and outwardly righteous towards others until Christ returns, all the while demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit which comes to us in communion with Christ so that God might be glorified and praised in your life. Do you hear Paul's passionate plea for God's people? His passionate plea is for them to be thoroughly biblical, increasingly thoughtful, selflessly loving, personally holy, publicly blameless, with a burning desire to see that God is glorified through every aspect of their Christian life. What a distinct contrast Paul's desire for Christians is compared to the casual, unconcerned, whatever attitude of most pastors, churches, and Christians today. I mean, think about it. Most pastors do not hold Christians to any standard of living. Most pastors today are of the opinion that anything and everything you offer to the Lord is, quote, good enough. Most churches today are content with worshiping and serving the Lord with a mediocre status quo mentality. Whatever is accepted by everyone else is acceptable. Whatever is currently cool and captivating among church trends is satisfactory. And sadly, this has affected most professing Christians to develop a do whatever you want attitude. The common thought that is prevailing among Christianity today is, God doesn't care how I live, therefore, I will live how I want. I will watch whatever I want, I will listen to whatever I want, I will go wherever I want, I will date whoever I want, I will do whatever I want, I will drink whatever I want, I will wear whatever I want. And the common, spiritually sloppy, sin-excusing phrase that people throw around is, you know it, I have Christian liberty. Therefore, I have the freedom to live for God as best pleases me. Don't preach about holy living and separation and living for God in a godly manner. My life is about me, my life, my well-being, my appearance, my happiness, and my lifestyle choices. So long as I sprinkle a little Jesus on my life every now and then, I will be an average good enough Christian. Is this what God wants for the lives of his children? Is God pleased with quote good enough Christianity? Is there anything in the Bible that suggests that God is best glorified through a whatever attitude? I mean, look at the words of Paul again and think through it from the divine perspective. These are not just the words of a person expressed to other people. These are the words of God spoken to Christians back then and spoken to us today. In Philippians 1, verses 9 through 11, God, through Paul, is trying to teach us that the Christian life is not about us. The Christian life is about God and others. Do you see that? Look at it one more time. Paul says, and this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment, that you may approve things that are excellent, that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Jesus Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God. Paul says, I am going to the Father on your behalf in prayer, asking Him to influence your thinking so that you will grow to love God more in accordance to His will, so that you will grow to love others more in accordance to His will, so that you might learn to glorify God in accordance to His will. Paul says, I'm praying that the whole of your individual lives and the whole of the church as a body will be consumed with loving God, knowing God, worshiping God, living for God, and glorifying God with the aim of you being a Christ-like holy example, witness, and testimony to others. I'm praying that you, you believers, will learn to be biblically discerning in all things, so that you will learn to be the best representative for Christ you can be. This is the heart of Paul toward the flock of God in Philippi. This is the heart of God the Father toward his children. This is the heart of the shepherd toward his sheep. This is the heart of Christianity, and this is to be the heart of every true Christian. It ought to be the heart of every true Christian to constantly and diligently seek after that which is most fitting with living for Christ in accordance to the truths of his word. Why? so that they might be pure and blameless until the day of Jesus Christ. So that being said, having introduced this sub-series on the topic of clothing in our Sunday evening series on biblical discernment, in this third sermon on exercising discernment in what we wear, I want to set before us several biblical principles through which we can properly assess how we dress as we seek to glorify God by striving to let our gospel light so shine before men. Having already established in my previous sermons that the topic of clothing is a biblical topic, not an extra-biblical topic, having recognized from scripture that God cares about everything we do in life and has given us biblical guidelines and principles for us to make discerning choices in regards to living a life that is best pleasing in the sight of God in the time that we have together this evening. I want to give you five biblical standards God has given to us in his word that we must wisely funnel our clothing choices by so that We can strive to approve things that are excellent, that we may be sincere and without offense until the day of Jesus Christ. Throughout the entirety of God's word, I find five universal, timeless, cross-cultural, straightforward principles that spell out how God expects all people especially Christian people, to go about clothing their bodies. Here we go. Principle number one. God expects us to wear clothing that is according to the gender he has made us to be. God expects us to wear clothing that is according to the gender He has made us to be, which, by the way, is either male or female. And this particular truth is preached by God through Moses in the second giving of the law, which we know to be the book of Deuteronomy. In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 22, verse number five, we read these clear and commanding words. 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 abomination unto the Lord thy God. Now I could spend an entire sermon on this one text, but for sake of time, I will not. But I do want us to recognize that from the words given, from God to Israel through Moses that have been inspired and preserved for our benefit in the year 2024, God asserts several things from this passage to be true. First, God asserts that there are only two genders, and these two genders are male and female. And this truth coincides perfectly with how God first created humanity. For Genesis 1 verse 27 reads, God created man in his own image, and the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. What does Deuteronomy chapter 22 verse number five signifies? It signifies that there are only two genders. That's truth number one. Truth number two, In Deuteronomy 22, verse number five, God asserts that the clothes we wear ought to correlate with the gender that God has made us. When God says the woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man putteth on a woman's garment, he is assuming that men wear men's clothes and women wear women's clothes. Now you can what if this in a thousand different ways, but the text is assuming that there is a cultural difference between the two sexes and that men will wear that which distinguishes them to be men and women will wear that which is more feminine and clearly distinguishes them as women. God is asserting that there are, there are. discernible, recognizable styles of clothing that differentiate the two sexes. God is asserting that there are discernible, recognizable ways clothing can be worn to differentiate the two sexes. And then the third truth that God is asserting in Deuteronomy 22.5 is the truth that God despises, God hates, God abhors cross-dressing. When someone dresses according to the opposite gender that God has made them to be, the text tells us that such a practice is disgusting to him. It's something that is sinful, it's something that is wicked. When a man wears a flowery dress or a colorful box pleated skirt, with a blouse that has been traditionally worn by women, it is an abomination to God. And when a woman tries to blur the lines of gender distinction by wearing clothing that is obviously masculine and has been generally accepted and worn by males, the Bible says that such a practice is an abomination to God. Now listen, listen, our godless culture today wants us to sell, wants to sell us the idea that clothing has no gender. The world, under the influence of the wicked one, wants us to believe that clothing is merely material, therefore it is not a moral issue. And I am showing you that such things are not true according to God. I'm showing you from the Bible that, listen, let's be balanced, while it is true that clothing in and of itself are just materials, clothing on the shelf, in the store, just sitting there or hanging there is not a moral issue, but it is also true that the obscuring of gender distinction through the wearing of clothing is a moral issue, and more so, it's a spiritual issue. God makes it clear in his word that men should act and dress like men, and women should act and dress like women. Oh, but I hear the kickback, I hear it. Deuteronomy 22.5 is Old Testament law. We are New Testament Christians. We are under grace. Okay, then read Romans chapter one. And read about God's righteous anger toward those who do not live according to their God-given gender. And while you're at it, go over to 1 Corinthians chapter 11. And read about Paul exhorting men to be men and women to be women. Paul exhorting men to act and dress like men and women to act and dress like women. God is not the author of confusion. Therefore, God does not desire that those who he created in his image be a source of confusion to others. And he certainly does not want his children to disobey his word, to conform to the world's image, and to rebel against his ordained order by blurring the lines of gender distinction. Listen, if we call ourselves a follower of Jesus Christ, we should do all that we can to avoid confusion, to avoid accusation, to avoid the appearance of evil, and to remain distinctly different from this godless world. Now again, we cannot deny, we cannot deny that over the years, styles will change. We cannot deny that clothing may vary cross-culturally. Nevertheless, the first biblical principle can and must be applied with what I call sanctified common sense. 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 abomination unto the Lord. That principle permeates through the entirety of God's word. It permeates to 2024. It still stands. This is principle number one. God expects us to wear clothing that is according to the gender he has made us to be, not the gender we want to be, but the gender he's made us to be. Principle number two. God expects us to wear clothing that is modest. God expects us to wear clothing that is modest, as opposed to immodest. This is the biblical principle that we examined last week from Genesis chapter three, when God first gave clothing. Remember, when Adam and Eve came to the realization that they were naked, They immediately sewed fig leaves together to hide their nakedness. But their fig leaf craftsmanship was insufficient. And it is possible that their fig leaf garments did not cover their body as God intended. I'm of the opinion that it is likely that in the quick sewing together of their fig leaves, that their fig leaf garment was skimpy, loose fitting, and something rather revealing. It's a fitting illustration that the work that we offer to God to cover our sin is always distorted and deficient. In Genesis chapter three, we read of Adam and Eve doing what they can to cover themselves with that which is not according to God's standard. And what does God do for those who are naked and ashamed of their nakedness? You know the answer. He provides them with proper clothing to cover their nakedness. Now catch this, catch this. I know it's obvious, but it needs to be said because sometimes that which we think to be obvious is not so obvious. When God originally gave humanity clothing, He intended the clothing that he gave to cover our nakedness, not to reveal our nakedness. I know that's a simple elementary truth. God gave clothing to cover man's nakedness. Yet here we are living in a culture that wants to reveal body parts rather than covering body parts. Are you with me? The Bible does in fact speak about the attire of a harlot and the attire of a God-fearing virtuous woman. The Bible does speak about drawing attention to oneself in an immodest, sexual, and seductive way that attracts the eyes of men to the body and excites lustful passions. And the Bible does talk about wearing clothing in a modest, concealing, yet attractive way that draws attention to the face and to the godly character of a person rather than their body. Listen now, listen, listen. I know it may require a lot of time, a lot of frustration, and even money to find clothing that is both gender-specific and modest in our morally corrupt culture. I know that you're gonna be mocked at, you're gonna be laughed at, you're gonna be called old-fashioned, you're gonna be called little house on the prairie for trying to cover your bodies in this world when this world wants to show off its body like Taylor Swift. But you must, you must, you must do everything you can to remain modest. You must avoid at all cost wearing clothing that is tight, loose, revealing, skimpy, and short. You must, at all costs, be a testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ if you are Christian, and you must avoid being a stumbling block to other Christians. I will never understand how a professing believer can biblically or even logically justify wearing a bikini or skimpy swimsuit before the eyes of anyone but their spouse. I will never understand how a professing Christian thinks it's okay to post pictures of themselves on social media of them wearing a bikini or swimsuit. You might as well go to Walmart in your underwear. It's the same exact thing. Now, I hate to be so pointed, but someone has to say it. If pastors won't teach these truths to Christians, who will? The world won't. Come on, don't get mad at me. I'll never understand how a professing Christian can wear things that are obviously tight, short, low-cut, and revealing. I'll never understand why it's becoming normal in our society to wear tight exercise spandex shorts and tank tops around town as if it's acceptable. Women, you need to keep other women accountable. Men, you need to keep other men accountable. Husbands, you need to help shepherd your wives as it relates to modesty. Wives, you need to seek the help of your husbands and strive to be a godly example to your children, fathers, mothers, parents. Listen, you need to help your children think through these things. You're the parent. Don't let them wear what they want. Learn the art of saying no. It's spelled N-O, no. You're not going to school like that and you're not doing homeschool like that. Listen parents, what your children wear will be a magnet for who wants to hang around them and why they want to hang around them. You better learn that lesson now before it's too late. You need to train your children to wear clothes that draws attention to their face and their character rather than their body. And before I move on to my next point, I want you to write down the title of a sermon that can be found online, and I want you to listen to it this week. This is your homework. I know you were not expecting homework tonight, but this is it. This is your homework. Sometime this week, I want you to listen to a sermon that is entitled Validating the Gospel in Modesty. Validating the Gospel in Modesty is preached by a pastor named Albert Martin. He preaches the sermon back in 2008. Men, women, fathers, mothers, teenagers, listen to it. In that sermon, Pastor Martin points out the specific ways women can cause men to stumble to lust in what they wear. In that sermon, Pastor Martin lovingly urges women to be careful about what they wear in the public worship of God, validating the gospel in modesty. That's your homework for this week. Listen to it. Think about it. Pray about it. Apply its truths and principles to your life. Albert Martin, Validating the Gospel in Modesty. Are you still with me? What are we talking about? We're talking about biblical discernment. We're talking about being a testimony for Christ in the world. We're talking about approving things that are not just widely accepted, not just customary among Christians, but things that are excellent. We're talking about being without offense, until when? Until Jesus Christ returns. So let's review. Principle number one, God expects us to wear clothing that is according to the gender He has made us to be. Principle number two, God expects us to wear clothing that is modest. And then principle number three, God expects us to wear clothing that is appropriate. Clothing that is appropriate. And by appropriate, I mean suitable to the gendered, distinctive, modest, respective, cultural standard. By appropriate, I mean reasonable, sensible, fitting with the occasion you might find yourself in. Again, much of this is nothing more than just sanctified common sense that we've cast out of the window in 2024. But much of this just requires just a little thinking. Let me give you some examples under this point. God expects us to wear clothing that is appropriate. Are you ready? Wearing pajamas to Olive Garden is not a normal, respective, reasonable custom that is fitting with such an occasion. Wearing shorts to a wedding or a funeral is not a normal, respected, reasonable custom that is fitting with such an occasion. Wearing a tuxedo to play baseball is not a normal, reasonable fitting norm that demonstrates that you are a human being from planet Earth. Wearing a Paw Patrol t-shirt and Curious George sneakers when you are 60 years of age is not a normal, reasonable, fitting thing to do. The Bible does present appropriateness of dress throughout scripture as it relates to different occasions. The priests were directed to wear a certain garment as they led God's people in holy worship. They were God's men leading God's people to worship the holy triune God. It fits the occasion. Israel as a nation was directed to present themselves respectfully with clean clothes, Exodus chapter 19, as they approached God on Mount Sinai. And Jesus and his disciples walked miles and miles upon miles ministering to others throughout Israel, and there's nothing in scripture that indicates that they wore anything but. that which was gender distinctive, modest, respected, and reasonable. To every period of history and every occasion, there is a known appropriateness. And the scripture that I will connect to this third point is our opening text. The biblical principle in this third point stems from Philippians chapter one. To approve things that are what? Excellent. to discern what is commendable, to strive to represent God in the best way we know how. And let's likewise remember that an important question to ask in our striving to be discerning is not only what's wrong with it, but also what's right with it, and is it the best thing to do? So many Christians today want to end the conversation at the what's wrong with it question. What's wrong with watching this? What's wrong with listening to that? What's wrong with going here? What's wrong with doing that? Meanwhile, they never consider what's right with it. They never have a biblical text or principle that approves the practice that they are doing in an excellent way. They never consider questions regarding their testimony, questions regarding how they will be perceived by the world, questions regarding doing everything they can to avoid being conformed to the image of the world. So under this third truth, I want to encourage you to consider applying Philippians chapter one, nine through 11 to your clothing choices as you seek to wear clothing that is appropriate. I'm giving you principles. I'm not giving you exacts. I'm giving you principles. Wear clothing that is appropriate. Now connected with the third principle, the fourth principle that I want to highlight from God's word is the irrefutable truth that God expects us to wear clothing that is presentable, clean, neat, decent, humble, and unassuming. I know that's a lot to take in, I'll say it again. God expects us to wear clothing that is presentable, clean, neat, decent, humble, and unassuming. If you will, take your Bibles, turn over to 1 Timothy chapter two. To the right, 1 Timothy chapter two. Over in 1 Timothy chapter two, we find the Apostle Paul giving Timothy instruction on how to spiritually shepherd the church and specifically the women of his church. Watch out. Modern day feminists don't like that. In 1 Timothy two, beginning in verse eight, Paul says, 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. So what is Paul saying? In the context of worship among the local assembly, Paul is encouraging Timothy to help the women of his congregation to understand that there is a proper discerning balance one needs to think about as it relates to their clothing choices. So on the one hand, some women are apt to dress themselves up like a queen. wearing the finest, fanciest, sparkling dresses they can find, sporting the most beautiful and expensive jewelry they can dangle from their body, and spending hours on their hair and makeup so as to draw attention to themselves. Looks like they're going to a beauty pageant. But on the other hand, some women have the I don't care attitude, so they sloppily, carelessly put on whatever doesn't smell half bad from the laundry basket. The principle of the text is appropriateness, decency, thoughtfulness, humility. The point of the passage is for women to think about what is best. The point of the exhortation is to dress for the occasion. Don't be overdressed, but also don't be underdressed. Don't draw unnecessary attention to yourself, showing off your riches through your clothing, and don't be sloppy, boasting of your poverty if you can help it through your clothing. Be moderate. Look for a middle ground. Yes and amen, adorn yourself beautifully. But all the while, make sure that you spend more time fixing up your heart than you do your clothes and hair. This same principle is expressed by the Apostle Peter over in 1 Peter 3, verses one through four. 1 Peter 3, verses one through four. Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation or the conduct of the wives. While they behold your chaste conduct coupled with fear, whose 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, and that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. Peter is teaching the women who are married to unsaved husbands, that their heart, their spiritual condition, is more attractive than their outward appearance. Now, this does not mean that the woman is to be a slob for her husband, but if she is to win the husband to the Lord, she is to be Christ-like in all that she does. Intimate moments only last for a season, but godliness lasts forever. So along with Paul, Peter is saying that it is needful for women to fix up their inward cells before their outward cells. The outward person, yes, must be fixed up to the best of our abilities, but certainly not to the exclusion of the heart. Do you see the balance of scripture? It's not an either or thing. It's a both and thing. It's a balanced thing. Now pausing here for a moment, as we speak about wearing clothing that is presentable, clean, neat, decent, humble, and unassuming, I want us to think about Jesus. Think about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Think about what he wore. Jesus was and is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Yet we do not find in scripture that Jesus went around Israel dressing himself like a royal king. Isaiah 53 tells us that Jesus had no outward beauty that would attract us to him with our natural eye. In his humanity, he was a poor citizen of Israel. Yet I do not imagine our Lord purposely looking sloppy, messy, scruffy, or careless. Such attributes would speak ill of who he is as a person. It would speak ill of who he is as the God-man. Jesus did wear a robe. It was not an expensive silk golden robe of an earthly king. It was not a long eye-catching robe of the Pharisees to impress the eyes of men. As I see Jesus in my Bible, I see him wearing a common, clean, presentable robe that caused him to minister to everyone without offense. That's the key. The key is common, clean, presentable, that will not cause unnecessary offense. You can minister to both the rich and to the poor at the same time without offense. So the fourth principle I'm setting before us is the biblical need to assess our clothing choices by what is presentable, clean, neat, decent, humble, and unassuming. And then the fifth and last principle that God gives us in his word that will help us assess the clothing that we purchase and wear is the simple fact that God expects us to wear clothing that will strive to glorify him. God expects us to wear clothing that will strive to the best of our ability to glorify Him. And the primary biblical text that establishes this principle is 1 Corinthians 10, verse 31. You know it. Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever you do, do it all to the glory of God. That covers everything. Colossians 3, 17, and whatsoever you do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. Now let's just be honest about something tonight, shall we? I think it's obvious to everyone present in this auditorium that God does not provide us with specifics in the Bible as it relates to the minute details of life. There's nothing in the Bible that says this hairstyle is worldly and this hairstyle is godly. There's nothing in the Bible that says this song is of the devil and this song is of God. There's nothing in the Bible that says this TV show can be watched and this TV show cannot be watched. Would you agree? Likewise, as it relates to our subject, as it relates to the topping of clothing, there is nothing in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation that says this shirt is morally good and this shirt is morally bad. This length is acceptable and this length is unacceptable. There's nothing in the Bible that says this style is honoring to the Lord and this style is dishonoring to the Lord. Nevertheless, as I've been showing you from Scripture these last four weeks, God has given us principles to discerningly sift our thoughts and decisions through. And God does expect that we will approve things that are excellent. Why? So that we will do our best to honor and glorify God even through the things that we wear. So practically speaking, how can we know what best glorifies God? How can we know what pleases Him? The answer is by applying the four preceding questions. We ask the questions in our points. Is our clothing gender specific? Men need to ask, is it masculine? Women need to ask, is it feminine? If we wear this item of clothing before us, are we adding to the confusion of gender distinction? Are we helping to blur the lines of gender distinction or are we showing the gender God has made us to be? And then we ask, number two, is our clothing modest as opposed to immodest? Is our clothing modest? Is it too tight? Is it too loose? Does it cover me? Does it cover me wholly? Would I be a stumbling block to others if I wear this? Is it modest? Sometimes you might need help from somebody to see if it's modest. You might need a friend. You might need a spouse. You might need a parent. You might need a child. You might need to bend over in the mirror before you come to church and see, is this modest? I'm serious. And then you ask, is this clothing appropriate? Is it suitable? Is it suitable to the cultural standard? Is it fitting with the occasion I'm finding myself in? And then number four, is our clothing presentable? Is it clean? Is it neat? Is it decent? Is it humble? Is it unassuming? And then lastly, we ask, does our clothing strive to glorify God? Are we wearing what we are wearing in known rebellion to God? Or can I wear what I wear with a clear conscience with biblical principles backing me up? This is the question to ask in the assessment of your clothing. Ask yourself the question, what do my clothes say about me? What do my clothes demonstrate about my relationship to God? Can I, with a good conscience, wear this to the glory of God? If not, why not? Ask yourself this, remember those bracelets, WWJD, what would Jesus do? Bring Jesus into the conversation. If Jesus were sitting next to me with what I am wearing, would I be embarrassed in any way? Would he correct me? Would he be disappointed? Would he charge me with dressing like the world? And then zooming out from this question, it's important to recognize, listen, that God does see all and know all. Jesus is Emmanuel God with us. I know we wanna get all spiritual. If Jesus were alive today, if he were walking with us, if he were talking with us, it would be different. No, Jesus is with us. I'll get your question after the sermon. Jesus is with us. The Holy Spirit is with us. The Father's eyes are upon us. The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good. All things are naked and open unto the one that we have to do. We are always living before God. How does he see us? And as I close, I want you to think about one final compelling truth as it relates to what I'm saying. Perhaps you're present tonight, you're listening online, and you're asking yourself this question. Pastor, does it really matter? All this talk about clothing and assessing our clothing. I've never heard a pastor talk about clothing. Does it really, truly make a difference as it relates to being a Christian? If you're thinking along such lines, here is what I want to say in closing. Here it is, listen carefully. The clothes you and I wear tell a story about who we are. How you present yourself to others speaks truth. You don't have to like these two statements, but that doesn't change the fact that they are true. I'll repeat them again to you. The clothes that you and I wear tell a story about who we are, about what we think, about how we worship God, what we think of God. How you present yourself to others speaks truth. Shall we finish with a little quiz to prove my point? Here we go. If I say the word Gothic, what do you think about regarding clothing? You think about clothes that are all black, oftentimes associated with witches and vampires. If you type in the word Gothic on Google, you will find men and women, boys and girls looking like vampires and witches in all black. If I say Gangster rapper. What do you think about regarding clothing? You think of baggy pants, baggy flannel shirts, baggy plain white t-shirts, white tank tops, backwards hats, and bandanas. If I say nerd, What do you think about regarding clothing other than Steve Urkel? You think of pants hiked up, socks showing, perhaps suspenders, big glasses, tape around the glasses, and pens in the front pocket. Let's continue. If I say Amish, skater, hillbilly, Heavy metal rocker, preppy, cowboy, cowgirl. You're thinking of something. And normally it's pretty universal. Here's my point. What you wear is often connected with what you believe, who your friends are. what music you listen to, how you spend your time and money, and what your perception of life is. You don't have to like it, but your clothes do associate you with things. So my final question is, what do your clothes teach about yourself? Do your clothes associate you with being a God follower? of Jesus Christ, a God-fearing believer of the Lord. You can call me legalistic if you want. I don't care. I'm trying to help you approve things that are excellent. Why? So you can be sincere and without offense until the day of Jesus Christ. Think about the questions and think about it from the various angles. What do your clothing choices say about you? Who likes to stare at you and for what reason? Do your clothes depict you to be someone who is a mature follower of Christ or an immature follower of Christ? Do your clothes illustrate you to be someone who is in love with the world or in love with Jesus Christ? Someone who's influenced by the local church or influenced by MTV, if that's still on. And you can get mad at me and say, well, God sees the inward and man sees the outward, but I am saying to you that what is inward will show itself outward. Out of the heart are the issues of life. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, the life lives, and the clothes are purchased and put on. So my final pastoral exhortation for you is to be wise. Approve things that are excellent. Approve things, not just that, well, everybody else just says that it's okay. We're not here to live status quo Christianity. Approve things that are excellent. If you are a believer, Remember, 1 Corinthians chapter six says, your life is not your own. And it really just boils down to that. Well, I can do whatever I want to do because it's my life. If you're a Christian, that's not the right attitude. Your life is not your own. Your time is not your own. Your money is not your own. Your clothes are not your own. Only an unbeliever will kick against that. If we've been bought with a Christ, We praise God that we belong to him. He's our master. We are his servant. And we bow to, Lord, what do you want me to do? Thy will be done, not mine. Let's pray, Father.