The chapter that I'd like to focus on is beginning in verse number 11 where the Bible reads,
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts,
we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.
Now, today many people don't even know the definition of the word worldly.
And that word is there in verse number 12 when he says that we should deny ungodliness,
and that we should deny worldly lusts,
and that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.
I've had people laugh at that and snicker about that word and say,
you know, worldliness? What do you mean worldly?
Where do you get that term worldly?
Well, I got it from the Bible, you know,
because the Bible tells us that we should stay away from worldly lusts.
The Bible has a lot to say about the world.
And a lot of people don't even understand that term anymore,
but it's used very frequently in the New Testament.
For example, flip over to Romans chapter 12.
Romans chapter number 12, and while you're turning there,
I'll read for you from 1 John 5, 19, where the Bible reads,
And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness.
That's what the Bible tells us.
And that's why it says in Romans 12, 1,
I beseech you therefore, brother, and by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service,
and be not conformed to this world.
Did you get that? Be not conformed to this world.
That's what worldly means.
It means conformed to the world, or patterned after the world,
or just like unto this wicked world.
And the Bible says the whole world lies in wickedness.
But we are not supposed to live that way.
We're supposed to deny that ungodliness, deny that unrighteousness,
and decide that even in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
we will live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.
We are in the world, it's true, but we are not to be of the world.
We're not to be conformed unto the world, or patterned after the world.
He says, be not conformed to this world,
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.
You know what transform means? To change.
God's saying that we need to change,
and we need to follow His ways, and not the ways of the world.
Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will God.
Turn to 1 John chapter 2.
1 John chapter number 2.
And this is just the introduction to my sermon this morning,
because I'm actually preaching on a slightly different subject.
I'm preaching on a subject of clothing this morning.
But I want to just lay this foundation here,
that God's ways are not the ways of the world.
And God's opinions are not the opinions of this world.
And we need to decide whether we're going to be conformed to this world,
or whether we're going to be transformed by the renewing of our mind,
as we read God's Word, and what He expects of us.
It says in 1 John 2.15,
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in it.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,
is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passing away, and the lust thereof,
but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
And I tell you what, verse 16 there,
where he lists those three things,
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,
the clothing fits into all three of those categories.
I'm going to hit on that this morning.
But he says in, flip over to 1 John 3, verse 1.
Boy, this is a really biblical subject, isn't it?
That guy who asked me, he was a pastor.
He didn't know what worldly means.
Well, he needs to read the Bible,
because there's a lot of talk about this in the Bible.
It says in 1 John 3.1,
Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be called the sons of God.
Therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
It says in verse 13,
Marvel not my brethren if the world hates you.
So the Bible's teaching us that you're not going to fit in exactly with the world.
In fact, people in the world are going to reject you.
You're not going to be in the cool crowd.
You're not going to be popular, because you're not of the world.
At least you ought not be of the world.
Jesus was not popular.
Jesus was rejected and despised.
Jesus was hung on the cross.
Jesus was killed for what he preached.
Look at James, chapter 4.
Just go back a few pages to the left in your Bible.
James, chapter 4.
2 Timothy 4.10 said,
For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world,
and is departed of the Thessalonica.
Crescents to Galatia, Titus, and to Dalmatia.
James 4.4, ye adulterers and adulteresses,
know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?
Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Look at Ephesians 2.2.
Ephesians, chapter 2.
All you preachers preach on worldliness and clothing.
Why don't you preach the Bible?
This is the Bible.
There's a lot of stuff about this in the Bible.
Just because we're not talking about Jesus dying on the cross
doesn't mean we're not preaching the Bible.
It's a pretty thick book.
Jesus dying on the cross is the most important part,
but it's not the only part.
There's a lot in this book, and I'm going to preach it all
as God has commanded me to do so.
Look at Ephesians, chapter 2, verse 2.
It says, wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world.
Is that how God wants us to walk?
According to the course of this world in a worldly fashion?
No. He says, according to the prince of the power of the air.
Who is that?
It's the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.
Translation, it's Satan.
Okay?
This world walks in the ways of the devil, according to the Bible,
not in the ways of God.
Look at 1 Timothy, chapter 2.
1 Timothy, chapter number 2.
You see, there's a lot of talk in the Bible about clothing,
and I wanted to lay the foundation with showing you
that the world's standards should not be our standards for clothing.
You can't just sit there and say,
well, if it's acceptable in the world,
or if it's acceptable in the United States,
or if everybody thinks it's okay, it must be okay.
No, God's telling us that's the world.
That's not my standards.
That's the ones who walk after the power of the prince of the air,
the spirit that work now in children of disobedience.
Look at 1 Timothy, chapter 2.
The Bible reads,
Like men are also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel.
Now, apparel means clothing.
And he says modest apparel.
What does the word modest mean?
Well, if you think about it, what if I said to you,
I am a man of modest means, what does that mean?
That means I don't have a lot of money, right?
If I'm a man of modest means, my means, my money,
I don't have a lot of money.
If I said to you, I live in a modest house,
what does that mean?
It means that I'm not living in a house with a big turret on the front,
you know, a big fancy, you know, with hedges that are, you know,
carved into the shapes of, you know, statues of human beings or something.
Modesty is referring to the fact that it's not flashy
or it's not really expensive or really just boom, wow, you know,
you see that house and it's just so fancy and so expensive and so ornate.
And look, he explains it right there what he means by modest right after this.
He says that women adorn themselves in modest apparel
and he starts out by saying with shame-facedness and sobriety.
So what is sobriety? Well, sobriety is seriousness.
So he's saying that a woman's clothing should exhibit seriousness or sobriety
and also shame-facedness. What is shame-facedness?
Well, it's the fact that there ought to be a shame, okay,
when you're just exposing your body.
Because the Bible over and over again, and I'm not going to go into this
because I've gone into it in so many other sermons,
I've shown you several sermons or several verses all throughout the Bible
where nakedness is associated with shame.
Now think about it. If you were totally nude, you know,
and somebody walked in on you, you're ashamed.
Any normal person is ashamed or embarrassed.
They know better than to just walk out in public nude, right?
They put clothing on themselves to cover their nakedness
and the Bible even says,
Lest is he that watcheth and heapeth his garment. This is Revelation 16.
Lest he walk naked and they see his shame.
So any normal person has an instinct that tells them,
wait a minute, I need to cover up my nakedness
and then if I don't, it's embarrassing. It's a shame.
Now, if a lady, who is truly a lady,
who is actually having the dignity of being a lady,
were in company with people who began to bring up off-color subjects
and they started talking about the bedroom
and they started talking about whoredom
and they started talking about sinful, ungodly things,
then that woman would blush and be ashamed
and be embarrassed to be in that kind of a conversation.
Now I know today we have many broads who just want to sit around
with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other
and they're going to talk about all kinds of dirty, filthy stuff.
But you know, a lady who is dignified and godly and righteous
and chaste, as the Bible says,
is going to have shame to go into those kind of dirty subjects.
And really, men shouldn't even go into those kind of dirty subjects.
And so the bottom line is that when God says
that their clothing should be modest,
with shame, faceness, and sobriety,
and then he goes on to explain it further,
not with broided hair or gold or pearls or costly array.
Remember how we talk about modest
as kind of the opposite of being really, really expensive?
Costly array, but which becometh women professing godliness with good works.
So what is he saying here?
That your clothing should not be flashy
and drawing attention to yourself.
Flashy like gold, pearls, costly array,
the fancy-haired, everything just pointing to yourself.
That's not modesty.
If I walked in and said,
let me tell you how great of a preacher I am.
Let me tell you how great of a soul I am.
Let me tell you how wonderful of a husband I am.
Look how good looking I am.
That's the opposite of modesty.
That's pride.
That's not humility, and modesty is similar to humility.
Not just walking in, hey, everybody, look at me.
Look at my $500 dress.
Look at my $500 hairdo.
Look at my gold and look at all my rings and jewelry
and look at my fancy clothes
and look at me exposing my naked body for everybody to see
and to look at me and lust after me.
Hey, that is the wicked society that we live in today.
Go down to the mall and that's what's promoted.
They show you picture after picture in every window
of women who are adorned in gold, pearls, precious stones,
constantly arrayed, and they're showing their nakedness
with no shame, and that is exactly what God's telling us
not to do here.
He said, I don't understand the verse.
Go down to the mall and you'll understand the verse.
Print this out on a little 3x5 card
and walk through the mall and say,
okay, now I see what he's saying.
Because it's not that complicated.
That's what he's telling us that ladies should not be dressed like.
Look at 1 Peter 3.
1 Peter 3, toward the end of your Bible there.
1 Peter 3.
And the Bible says, you know, women profess godliness.
If you're going to call yourself godly,
if you're going to call yourself a Christian,
you shouldn't be dressed like the world in an immodest fashion,
in a shameful way, in a scandalous way,
in a way that is not sober, that is not...
And by the way, when you're dyeing your hair orange and neon green,
that's not sober.
Nobody looks at that and says, that's sobriety.
You know, this flashy...
You're covered in rhinestones and sequins and all this spice.
That's not sobriety.
That's not shame-facedness.
That's, hey, look at me, everybody, look at me.
That's not what God wants you to do.
And you say, God doesn't care about clothing.
Well, he just gave a couple scriptures explaining clothing.
And he's going to explain it again in 1 Peter 3, verse 1,
the Bible reads, likewise you wives,
be in subjection to your own husbands,
that if any obey not the word, if any husband obey not the word,
they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives,
while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
Who's adorning?
Let it not be that outward adorning of plating the hair
and of wearing of gold or of putting on of apparel,
but let it be the hidden man of the heart
in that which is not corruptible,
even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit,
which is in the sight of God of great price.
The Bible is saying here that if you really want to adorn yourself,
you ought to adorn yourself, as he said in 1 Timothy 2, with good works.
He said it should be what's on the inside,
the hidden man of the heart at the beginning of verse 4.
What matters about you, what ought to ornament you,
what ought to decorate you, that's what ornamented me.
I mean, if you talked about an ornament,
what do you think of when you hear the word ornament?
Christmas ornament, right?
Because you decorate the tree with ornaments,
and he's saying instead of decorating your body with ornaments,
why don't you decorate it with a meek and quiet spirit?
Why don't you decorate it with godliness and righteousness and goodness
that's on the inside, purity that's on the inside?
It's what's on the inside that matters, not the outside.
It's not about how good you can look and how much everybody can look at you.
No, it's about how righteous you can be, how godly you can be.
That's what God cares about,
and that's what he expects you to put on display,
your life, your soul, your spirit, not your body.
That's what the Bible's teaching here.
It's not about just an outward appearance.
It's about what's on the inside.
Look at Matthew 5.
Why do you preach on it?
Well, first of all, it's biblical, number one,
and I'm preaching the whole Bible.
Second of all, this is an epidemic in the day that we live.
This is a problem that we have in our world today
because you can hardly go out those doors,
and you can hardly go anywhere without seeing everywhere you look
and those that are dressed immodestly, three things exemplified,
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.
You see, it's the lust of the eyes
because God tells us not to look upon nakedness,
and God defines nakedness as anything between the loins
and anything of the loins or the thighs.
So anything from the waist onto the top of your knee,
God calls that nakedness.
So God tells us, don't look on nakedness, right?
And then we as men go out into this world that we live in
and all the men that are out there,
and there's this nakedness everywhere.
And you say, well, they're not naked because they're wearing a wristwatch.
No, it's naked.
And you can sit there and draw the line in a different place,
but I'm going to draw the line where God draws the line.
And he said the loins and the thighs is nakedness.
I don't have time to turn there.
I've preached it too many times.
Exodus 28, 42, Isaiah 47, one through three are a couple of places.
But the bottom line is, you look upon nakedness everywhere you look,
and men are forced to avert their eyes and become embarrassed
because they don't have any shame to cover their nakedness.
Men have to be ashamed and, oh, man, look the other way.
And it's a stumbling block onto weak men.
And you say, well, they just need to get started.
No, the Bible says this.
Go ahead and go where you're at.
Where did I have your turn?
Stay in Matthew 5.
But I'll read for you quickly in Romans 14, 13.
The Bible says, let us not therefore judge one another anymore,
but rather judge this, that no man put a stumbling block
or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
The Bible says don't put a stumbling block in your brother's way
or an occasion or an opportunity for him to fall.
If you are walking charitably toward your brother,
if you love your brother in Christ,
you're not going to put an occasion for them to fall.
And when you're flaunting your nudity
and you're flaunting your immodest clothing,
you're basically saying, look at me.
Lust after me with your eyes.
And that is putting an occasion to fall
and a stumbling block in the way of your brother
or in the way of unbelievers,
causing them to go even further into the sins that they're already into
and even less likely to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ
as they go deeper and deeper into the ways of darkness.
Hey, why do you dress that way
if it's offensive and a stumbling block to men the world over,
to half the population, which is made up of men?
You ought to be dressing in a way that's not causing your brother to stumble.
That's what the Bible teaches.
Weak men who do not, and by the way,
nobody is completely on the level with Jesus Christ.
Every man is a sinner, and some are weaker than others,
and a weak man is just going to easily get sucked into that
and other people to varying degrees.
But why are you even participating in that?
Because the Bible says in Matthew 5.27,
this is the lust of the eyes,
it says, you've heard that it was said by them of all time,
Matthew 5.27, thou shalt not commit adultery.
But I say unto you, this is Jesus speaking,
that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her
hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Now that's a pretty sobering verse.
He says if you look upon a woman to lust after her,
you've committed adultery with her already in your heart,
and you know what's interesting about that?
Look at those two words, with her.
Do you want to be a participant in that?
You know, you're walking around showing off your nakedness,
showing off your body, and then some guy,
some strange man, some guy that you don't even know
is looking at you, committing adultery with you in his heart.
You know, if you're a godly, righteous lady,
that ought to bother you.
That ought to make you blush.
That ought to make you be ashamed and say,
wait a minute, I'm not going to encourage strange men
to commit adultery with me in their heart.
Let that verse sink down into your ears.
That's the Lord Jesus Christ speaking.
It's definitely a command unto man.
Because, let's face it, even if every Christian lady
dressed in a godly, righteous, clean way,
they're still all the unsaved, which is the majority.
So we're still, as men, going to have to control our eyes on this.
We're going to have to sit in a wicked thing before our eyes.
We're going to have to control our heart.
We're going to have to keep our eyes.
But why are Christian ladies participating in the destruction of man?
And in the destruction of morality in our country?
By being part of the problem?
By parading around in a promiscuous, sexual mode of dress?
It isn't right.
It's a sin.
I'm going to preach against it.
I'm sick of it.
I'm against it.
Let me tell you where I stand on this.
I am saying that you are participating with the spirit
that works in the tune of disobedience,
which is having an agenda to destroy the morals of man in our country.
That fornication might run rampant.
And that adultery might run rampant in our country.
I am against it.
Are you against it?
Then dress like you're against it.
Dress with shame, faith, and sobriety.
Dress in a way that's pleasing to God.
Look at Proverbs chapter 7.
Right in the very center of your Bible is the book of Psalms.
And the next book right after Psalms is Proverbs.
Proverbs chapter 7.
And look, let's face it.
The way that ladies dress today was not considered even acceptable in the world 50 years ago.
And if you go back 100 years or 80 years or 70 years,
the way that women dress today was unheard of.
It was unknown on this continent.
And yet today, because it's considered normal,
Christians just say, let's fit in with it.
Hey, I'm not doing anything.
Or hey, I'm a little bit more modest than that girl
who's in total Daisy Dukes or something.
But that doesn't make it right.
Because the world's going to keep getting worse.
The further we get into this thing,
the world's going to get worse and worse and worse.
You have got to anchor yourself to God's standards in the Bible
and not just float along always a little bit better than the world.
Well, that's not good enough because the world just keeps getting worse.
Because the way Christians dress today
is how the world would have considered it obscene to dress 50 years ago or 70 years ago.
And there are still people alive today who knew what it was like to grow up
when every woman in America virtually dressed the way
the most strict Christian dresses today.
And so it's not that far removed off today.
But young people, they're growing up and today this is all they've known.
It's just normal. They just grew up just dressing like a prostitute.
And you say, how dare you?
Okay, we'll look down at the Bible.
It says in the, I got that from the Bible, by the way.
Proverbs 7 says this in verse 6.
For at the window of my house I looked through my casement
and beheld among the simple ones.
What's a simple one?
It's just a young guy.
It's not necessarily that he's stupid.
He's just a young guy who doesn't have a lot of experience in life yet.
He's just a simple guy.
He hasn't learned the lessons of life.
He doesn't know much.
And that's because he's young. He just hasn't learned much.
You know, we all start out young and we learn more as we go through life.
And it says in verse 7,
and that's why young people need to listen to this especially.
He says, I beheld among the simple ones.
I discern among the youths, a young man.
So three times we're emphasizing the fact, hey, this guy's young.
He's simple. He's young. He's a youth.
It says, a young man, and then by the way, he was void of understanding.
Passing through the street near her corner,
he went the way to her house in the twilight in the evening
in the black and dark night.
And behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot.
And settled apart.
Now, was this woman a harlot?
That's not what it says.
It just says that she was dressed like a harlot, okay?
Now, a harlot is a prostitute, okay?
And the Bible says there met him one that was adorned with the attire of a harlot.
How would you like for God to be up in heaven describing your life
and saying, well, she went out of the house in the attire of an harlot.
She got in the car in the attire of a harlot
and went to work in the office that day.
How would you feel if that's how God describes you?
But God looked down upon this woman.
And you say, well, what was she wearing?
Well, what do harlots wear?
What do they wear? Long, modest dresses?
Do they wear modest, decent clothing that's not tight and form-fitting and that's not low-cut?
No. You all know what harlots wear.
Who's ever seen a real-life harlot?
And I'm not talking about the lying garbage that they put on TV.
I'm not talking about Julia Roberts.
You know, there's this movie that was out when I was a kid about a harlot.
And, you know, of course, they have this ad, this beautiful actress,
and she lives a glamorous life.
But anyway, if the harlot you saw had a full set of teeth,
you need to go look at a real harlot, okay?
Because, honestly, it's not like the movie.
And by the way, I talked to a Christian girl who said that she watched that movie,
Pretty Woman, when she was a kid.
And she said when she grew up, she wanted to be a prostitute after watching that movie.
And I don't think she was alone.
Hollywood is trying to promote that and glorify and glamorize a wicked lifestyle.
But when you see a harlot in real life, okay?
And I'm kidding. They don't all have missing teeth.
But, hey, they don't look like it is in the movies because it's a sinful lifestyle.
It's a disgusting lifestyle.
And, honestly, I'll tell you what the attire of a harlot is.
The attire of a hooker or whatever I call it.
It's a miniskirt.
I mean, does anybody disagree with that?
It's a short skirt. That's what it is.
And that's what you see when you see harlots.
That's what it is.
And so I'm assuming, since the Bible says there's nothing new under the sun,
that harlots probably wore the same type of stuff,
the same party dress, the same short skirt, whatever, that they wore back then.
Hey, don't wear the attire of a harlot.
And, look, if you're not sure, don't wear it.
If you're standing by the mirror saying,
Is this the attire of a harlot?
You're in the wrong outfit.
Because, honestly, I guarantee you that there are plenty of women
who could stand in front of the mirror modestly dressed.
That question wouldn't even come into their mind.
Nobody's wondering this morning if Pastor Aronson's wife
was dressed in the attire of a harlot.
But that's why, when in doubt, throw it out.
That's what I say.
But he says this woman met him with the attire of a harlot.
It says in verse 11, and, by the way, these are the type of attributes
you should look for in a woman, young guys that want to get married.
She's loud and stubborn, okay?
That's what you're looking for, guys.
She is loud and stubborn.
Her feet abide not in her house.
Now is she without, now in the streets,
and lieth and waiteth every corner.
You say, Wait a minute. How can she lie and wait at every corner?
Is she omnipresent? No.
But, in a way, she is omnipresent.
She's lying and wait at every corner. You know why?
Because girls like this are a dime a dozen.
Because you can find them everywhere.
They're lying and waiting at every corner
because you don't have to go more than one mile
before you find another one.
And so why don't you, ladies, decide to be different?
God said that he wanted to purify unto himself
a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
And I'm not saying that you should dress in a way to draw attention to yourself.
Because some women, they take this to the other extreme,
and they dress in a way to purposely draw attention to themselves
for how modest they are.
As in, wearing clothes that are purposefully ugly.
I'm serious.
You know, they'll wear clothes that are just purposefully ugly.
Okay, now look.
There's no reason to just purposely try to look like you're a Quaker,
or Amish, or dress like Little House on the Prairie.
You can be completely modest and dignified.
And in fact, I believe that that's immodest,
to dress like Little House on the Prairie.
Because you're basically still, look at me.
It's just another form of immodesty.
It's a hypocrisy that's, hey, everybody, look at me.
Look how modest I am.
Which defies the meaning of the word modest.
And you know, you see these women that dress in that way,
and everybody's looking at them.
You know, it's still a glorification of self.
See, the right balance is to dress in a way that's covering up your nakedness,
that's not accentuating your body and drawing attention,
that's not flashy, that's just a normal modest outfit,
just a normal clothing.
Not to say you can't be in style,
or look like the century that we're living in,
but not in a way that's patterned after the lusts of this world,
and not in a way that's causing men to stumble and fall.
You can dress in a godly way without having to just,
you know, daunt the Muslim burqa.
Okay, that's actually probably going to draw some attention.
You know, I mean, I found myself staring yesterday at this woman in Costco,
because she came out and she had this,
nothing was exposed except her face.
Barely.
Just like this little circle of her face.
Now, hey, at least thank God there was no temptation to lust.
So she was okay on that end, but everybody was staring at her,
because she had this huge, giant, flowing head covering that was huge,
it was like a parachute.
She was all, you know, set up for that.
And you know what, honestly though,
I'd rather have women dress like that than with the entire of a harlot.
Now, I'm not condoning of the head coverings and the,
I don't believe that that's biblical, I preach sermons on that, okay?
God does not command head coverings at all.
He just commands women to have long hair.
God does not command you to dress in that way.
But, you know what, at least I wasn't tempted.
At least no man was tempted in that parking lot.
Okay?
But today, we have all this temptation everywhere we go.
Everywhere.
It's everywhere.
I mean, you can't hardly even keep, you have to look,
and you're like, oh man, everywhere you go.
Why participate in that?
As a Christian.
Why be a part of the problem?
I'll tell you why.
Because number one, the lust of the eyes,
we dealt with that.
Number two, the lust of the flesh.
Right here, this young man,
because he is met with this woman with the entire of a harlot,
he ends up committing fornication with her,
in the story here in Proverbs chapter 7.
So that's the lust of the flesh.
So the lust of the eyes is the lust of looking upon
the nakedness of someone else,
or looking upon their body in an inappropriate way.
The second thing, the lust of the flesh,
is what Jesus talked about when he said
you're committing adultery with her in your heart.
That's the lust of the flesh.
And then the third thing is the pride of life.
Why would a woman dress in that type of way?
It's summed up in one word.
Pride.
Look at me.
It's the pride of wanting all the attention on you
and wanting to glorify yourself.
That's what it is.
So that's why all three of the tokens of worldliness
are encompassed in this subject of clothing.
The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life.
All summed up in this one issue.
And that's why it's a perfect example of worldliness.
Go if you would to Judges, the book of Judges,
the second to last book in the New Testament,
Jude.
I'm sorry.
Jude.
Did I say Judges?
All right.
We'll start with Jude here.
Jude.
Right before the book of Revelation, Jude.
The Bible says in the book of Jude, verse number 22,
Jude 22, the Bible reads,
And of some have compassion, making a difference,
and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire.
And look at this last phrase.
Hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
The garment is the clothing.
God's saying that we should hate the garment
that's even spotted by the flesh.
We saw in Proverbs chapter 7, the attire of a harlot,
the clothing of a harlot.
God says that we should hate that.
And he said, be not after fellowship
with the unfruitful works of darkness,
but rather reprove them.
For it is a shame to even speak of those things
which are done of them in secret.
You know, if you look at who sets the fashions
of clothing today and who sets the agenda
on Madison Avenue, it's Hollywood.
It's the actors.
It's the actresses.
It's the rock and roll musicians.
And if you look at their lifestyle, ask yourself,
is that who you want to pattern yourself after?
Is that who you want?
Let me ask you.
Am I dressed this morning like a popular Hollywood actor?
Am I dressed like your favorite punk band?
Am I dressed like your favorite pop singers today?
No.
And I'm not saying you have to dress just like me,
but I can look around the room and see the way
that men are dressed today, and they're not trying
to pattern themselves after some kind of a star,
whether it be Justin Bieber or Justin Timberlake
or whatever you're trying to pattern yourself after.
I'm not going to pattern my dress code
after ungodly whores and whore moggins of Hollywood.
That's not who I'm trying to be lumped in with.
The Bible says abstain from all appearance of evil.
And even if I'm not evil, I don't want to appear to be evil.
You say, well, she's not a harlot.
Then why is she wearing the entire of a harlot?
And that's what the Bible said in Proverbs 7.
You see, if it's not for sale, take down the for sale sign.
There's no for sale sign in front of my house
because it's not for sale.
And you've got ladies today that are Christian ladies
that will wear the entire of a harlot.
Why?
Because they're trying to draw attention to themselves
because they don't have enough respect for themselves
to understand they're worth more than just the outer body.
The Bible says it should be about the hidden man of the heart.
And if you have respect for yourself, ladies,
you ought to realize that you have more value
than just to put your physical body on display.
You have a never-dying, eternal soul.
That ought to be what...
You say, well, wait a minute, Pastor Aaron said,
but it's 2011, and, you know, I want to get married,
and so this is how I need to look.
Well, first of all, number one, if you're already married,
then double shame on you for not wearing modest clothing
because you...
What kind of a wicked motive would a married woman have
to wear immodest clothing and the low-cut top
and the tight-fitting clothes and the short skirt
and all these different things?
What is your motive? You're already married.
But even more so when you're married,
is it just an abomination?
But those that are single, you say,
well, you know, I'm trying to attract a young man.
But wait a minute.
Are you going to attract the right type of young man like this?
Because the right type of a young man,
he's looking for godliness.
He's looking for righteousness.
He's looking for the spirituality.
And, you know, do you want a man who just wants you
for what you look like, just for the body?
Because the Bible says favor is deceitful and beauty is vain,
but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
And the Bible tells us that beauty will fade like a leaf.
No woman is going to be beautiful forever.
I don't care how gorgeous and how beautiful at age 20,
you know, go down to the nursing home
and it's not a beauty pageant.
Now, I'm not saying that they don't look nice in their own way,
but when you're 80 years old, you don't look like you're 20.
I don't think anybody would argue with that.
Beauty does fade.
Now, old age has its own beauty
and the hoary head is a crown of glory
if it be found in the way of righteousness.
And it's a different type of beauty.
But let's face it, it's not the same beauty of youth
because the Bible tells us beauty will fade.
But you know what?
The righteous will increase in righteousness more and more,
the Bible tells us.
The Bible tells us that those who are righteous will endure.
And so, you know, you want to marry somebody
who loves you not for what's on the outside
but then loves you for what's on the inside.
And you can easily attract the wrong kind of guy
when you're attracting him with immodest, indecent clothing.
If you're looking for a godly young man,
why don't you dress like a godly young lady?
Do you want a man who's going to be looking upon
every other woman that goes by
for the next 50 years of your marriage?
Or do you want a man that's going to have eyes
only for you?
Well, wait a minute, that starts now
when he is just all about your indecent dress
and the way you look now.
Well, guess what?
That's the kind of guy you're going to get dressed like that.
And a godly righteous man, he might even be where?
When he sees you wearing the attire of a harlot.
And you might miss out on the right kind of guy.
But it all comes down to this, faith in God.
Faith in God.
Because the Bible says that every good gift
and every perfect gift is from the Lord
and cometh down from the Father of light
with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning.
The Bible says a prudent wife is from the Lord.
So God can give you the wife that you desire
or the husband that you desire
without you having to sin and violate God's word
in order to get it in your own strength.
I mean, if you're a woman
and you want to have a godly husband,
serve God, love God with all your heart
and with all your soul and all your mind
and all your strength and live for Him
and He will give thee the desires of your heart.
Or go out and do it the way the world does it.
Strip down, put on the tight fitting,
put on the low cut, put on the short skirt,
go out there and do it the way the world does.
And you know what?
You'll get the same result
and the same product that the world gets
if that's the route you want to go.
But that's not what God wants you to do as a Christian.
You ought to dress in a way that's godly and righteous.
You ought to hate even the garment spotted by the flesh.
So just a quick review.
We talked about the fact that the Bible goes on
and on about worldliness.
It explains that the way of the world is not God's way.
And the clothing of the world
is not the way that He expects us to dress.
He wants ladies' clothing to be modest,
shame-faced, sober.
He used all these different terms.
But not only that, go to Deuteronomy 22.5.
Deuteronomy 22.5.
And this is where I lose some people, you know,
because a lot of people will go with me up to this point.
I might lose some people at this point, but that's fine.
Because I've been losing people for a really long time.
And after a while, you just get used to it.
You know, at first it bothers you.
But look at Deuteronomy 22.5.
Hey, look, here's the bottom line.
If you don't hear this here,
you're not going to hear it anywhere.
You're not going to hear this at school.
They'll tell you at school,
oh, yeah, we can't have the girls dressed
in a way that's distracting.
You know, that's why their shorts have to be
at least, you know, three-quarters of an inch long.
You know what I mean?
They have rules of dress code that are ridiculous.
You know, they allow obscene clothing in the school.
They're not going to teach the kids
to have a skirt that goes down to your knee.
You know, they're not going to teach that at school.
Like the Bible says, where you cover your thigh,
cover your loins, cover your negatives.
They're not going to learn that down at school.
They're going to learn it from Exodus 28, 42,
being quoted by a Baptist preacher.
That's where they're going to learn it.
They're not going to learn it at school.
And they're definitely not going to learn it from MTV
and VH1 and Hollywood and Showtime.
They're not going to get it from there either.
So pray tell me where they're going to get it
if they're not going to get it in a Baptist church from the Bible.
And they're definitely not going to get this anywhere else
as far as from the world.
Look at Deuteronomy 22, 5.
The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man.
Neither shall a man put on a woman's garment,
for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.
Now we live in a time where clothing is not gender specific anymore.
But wait a minute.
God said it ought to be gender specific.
He said, a woman shall not wear that which pertaineth to a man.
Neither shall a man put on a woman's garment,
for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.
That's a pretty strong verse.
He said, hey, I hate this.
This cross-dressing, this men putting on women's clothing
and women putting on men's clothing, it's wrong.
Now, you look at this and you go to the store today
and a lot of times it's hard to tell what section you're in.
Now you say, well, wait a minute Pastor,
how do you interpret this verse?
Well, I'm glad you asked because I want to go down deep into this verse right now.
I've been accused many times of my preaching of preaching too fast.
I'm preaching real fast. I'm turning pages.
Let's just slow down.
I want to really slow down on this part.
Now, first of all, this is the Bible that we're reading.
I just really want to break this down real simple.
Who wrote the Bible?
God.
Okay.
So, does God change?
No.
Okay.
All right.
Now, you say, well, wait a minute Pastor Ashley.
There are some things that have changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
You're right.
Because the children of Israel broke the Old Covenant,
God instituted the New Testament in his blood.
Okay?
And we know that was all part of his plan.
And so we live in the New Testament.
But has everything changed in the New Testament?
Like, for example, what about thou shalt not kill?
Is that still something we should worry about?
Not really.
What about thou shalt not steal?
Should we worry about that?
Oh, that's Old Testament?
Okay.
Well, cool.
No.
Obviously not everything has changed.
Or else why do we even bring the Old Testament to church with us?
Okay.
There are certain things that have changed.
Like, for example, in the Old Testament they did animal sacrifices.
Well, Jesus Christ is a lamb slain once for all.
So we don't need to do an animal sacrifice.
So there are some things that have changed.
You know, it used to be the Levitical priesthood.
Now we're the priesthood and believers in Christ.
We are the priest.
Jesus Christ, the high priest.
We don't have a physical temple.
Our body's the temple.
So there are some changes.
But let me ask you something.
Has God changed his opinion on cross-dressing?
What does that have to do with Jesus dying on the cross?
What does that have to do with the blood of Christ and the resurrection from the dead?
Nothing.
And I'll prove that to you because in 1 Corinthians 11,
you've got a whole half of the chapter.
There's a big long chapter.
The first half of the chapter in 1 Corinthians 11
is explaining why it's wrong for a man to have long hair
and why it's wrong for a woman to have short hair.
Now, if God changed on this,
it still seems like in the New Testament
He's really serious about this thing of men and women looking different.
And so He goes into great detail in the New Testament.
More detail than He went in the Old Testament
about men having short hair.
The Bible does command men in the Old Testament to cut their hair as well.
But He doesn't go into as much detail.
In 1 Corinthians 11, He goes into great detail about women having long hair
and men having short hair.
So obviously God still cares about men looking different than women.
And here He's making it very clear
for the woman not to wear that which pertaineth unto a man,
neither shall a man put on a woman's garment
for all that do so are abomination of the Lord thy God.
Now, let's start with the latter half.
What's a woman's garment?
A dress.
A bra.
Gloves.
Okay, so...
A bra.
Anybody will agree.
Anybody will agree?
A dress is a woman's garment.
Does anybody disagree with that?
No, that's pretty clear, isn't it?
Now, look at the bathroom door right there.
You see that? Okay.
So that'll explain it to you right there.
So here's the thing.
A dress is literally a woman's garment.
If I saw a man wearing a dress...
And by the way, tomorrow is Halloween.
And you're going to see men in dresses.
Because it seems like everybody just reserved this holiday
just to do a bunch of wicked, perverted things
that they would never do any other day of the year.
You know, they're never going to put a bunch of blood
all over themselves and have a dead rat, you know,
and have a, you know...
I don't want to go into it.
It's too weird.
I don't even want to talk about it.
You know, the zombies.
Nobody would put a coffin with a dead...
If I had a coffin in my front yard in, like, April,
and every time people walk down the sidewalk,
a corpse sat up and go,
People would say, that guy is a Satan worshiper.
That guy is a weirdo.
You kids do not ride your bike in front of his house.
That's what they would say.
Okay?
And it seems like if a man wore a dress,
people would look at him and say, what are you doing?
You're wearing a dress.
That's perverted.
That's just good.
But men will wear a dress on Halloween.
It's like they're just waiting to wear a dress
and they take that opportunity.
And by the way, if you're wearing a dress tomorrow,
you're a pervert.
I don't care if it's your little costume.
You better take it back to the store
before it's too late, before the return policy is over.
Burn it.
Yeah, burn it.
Yeah, exactly.
Take back your little dress.
And, you know, these perverse guys,
they're just looking for a chance.
Whether it's a play, you know, a little church drama
or whatever, and, oh, can I play a female card
and dress it?
Oh, can I play a female card and dress like a woman?
And look, I've seen an independent book
about this church.
Men get up on there and dress as a woman.
It's funny.
It's not funny.
It's an abomination.
And, you know, men dressing like women is supposedly funny.
I don't think it's funny.
Do I look like I'm laughing right now?
It's not funny at all.
It's gross.
It's weird.
And we live in Tempe, which is pretty much
the Sodom and Gomorrah of Arizona, if there were one.
I can't think of a more wicked city in this whole state
than Tempe, Arizona.
And you walk down the street in Tempe,
and you will sometimes see a man in a dress
or a man in a skirt.
Who has seen that in Tempe, Arizona?
I've seen it at the grocery store.
I saw it at Fry's Foods.
I've seen it.
It's wicked.
Anybody would agree that clothing that a woman wears,
that a man does not wear, is either a skirt or a dress,
which is pretty much the same thing.
You know, one of them just has the top included.
One of them doesn't.
The bottom line is, that is clearly women's clothing.
No question about it.
Nobody would dispute that, that that's women's clothing
and the men's.
What if I said this?
Well, I'm wearing a men's shirt.
This is a skirt for men.
This is a man's dress.
Now, one time, I was at the beach.
We were out in Michigan.
And we were walking along the beach,
and we were looking at the lighthouse.
You know, they have these lighthouses and stuff,
because we used to live out that way.
So we were walking along the ocean,
and they had a playground.
And our children were swinging on the swings.
And it was kind of a cold day.
And we were walking around, looking at the lighthouse
and everything like that.
Well, this biker guy was there with a Harley.
And he was wearing a skirt, OK?
And he was wearing a skirt that was a man's skirt,
because it was basically, it was jeans.
It was denim.
You remember this, honey?
It was like a jean denim skirt.
It had some chains on it and stuff.
But you know what?
No.
No, that's not men's clothing.
OK?
I don't care what the fabric is.
That's not men's clothing, buddy.
And I don't know how you're riding that Harley with that
either, you know, that's not a skirt.
OK?
Don't burn yourself.
Be careful.
But anyway, this guy was wearing a manly skirt.
But any normal person would say, wait a minute.
That's an oxymoron, a manly skirt.
And you say, oh, what about the Scottish do it or something?
OK, well, go ahead and pattern yourself after the world.
Just because people do it, that makes it OK, right?
Well, here's the problem with that.
Number one, the tradition of wearing skirts
on men in Scotland is coming from a savage period
in Scotland's history, not a godly, righteous period
of Bible-believing Christianity.
OK?
That's why.
OK?
It doesn't come from God.
Because you say, what does the Bible say about the civic?
Well, the Bible mentions pants in the Bible.
It mentions them by the name of britches.
And it mentions them by the name of hosen,
which is the old German word.
But the word britches is used over and over again,
and it's always talking about men.
Turn to Exodus 28 real quick.
Keep your finger in Deuteronomy 22,
because we're coming back there.
Remember, we finished the lightning round of the sermon.
Now we're in the slow-down, super slow-mo,
where we spend like 20 minutes on one verse.
Go to Exodus 28, 42.
The Bible says in Exodus 28, 42, it says,
thou shalt make them linen britches.
OK, now we spell this word in 2011, B-R-I-T-C-A-G-S.
But it's the same exact word.
He says, thou shalt make them linen britches.
Who's ever heard the term, you're too big for your britches?
Yeah, everybody.
So he said, thou shalt make them linen britches
to cover their nakedness from the loins
even unto the thighs they shall reach.
So he says, look, in order for a man's nakedness to be covered,
he needs to wear britches or pants
that go from his loins to his thighs,
because those are the two areas that need to be covered by pants.
So these pants would basically be what we would call shorts
that go down to the knee.
I have several pairs of shorts that I wear
that go down to the knee.
That's what these are.
That's the exact clothing.
Now, my britches that I'm wearing right now
go all the way down my ankles.
But oftentimes, when I'm at work or something in the summertime,
I'll be wearing britches that only go down to my knees.
And that's exactly what these guys are wearing here
in Exodus 28, 42.
But you'll find over and over again,
britches, britches, britches.
It's always on the men, OK?
Now, you'll find men wearing a coat or a robe or a mantle,
and it uses that work.
But that is an outer garment,
kind of like I'm wearing a coat right now.
And when I was in Chicago,
I used to wear a coat that went down to my knees.
It was a gray coat, and it was a woolen gray coat.
But let me tell you something.
I had pants on underneath, OK?
And that should go without saying.
And these guys, if you look at the rest of the passage,
I'm not going to read it for the sake of time.
Exodus 28, he talks about how they had coats.
They had shirts and coats and hats and everything,
but they had pants to cover their nakedness, OK?
And so in the...
All through the Bible,
you'll see those words used interchangeably,
like a robe or a coat or a mantle
or their, you know, their raiment,
whatever you want to call it.
But it was a coat that they would take on and off, OK?
Maybe not exactly this cut.
Styles changed.
Some of them are longer, shorter, all different styles.
But that piece of clothing was an outer garment,
not covering the bottom, OK?
That's what they had the pants for.
And it's definitely mentioned in other places.
I turned to one passage for the sake of time.
You're not going to find the Bible
teaching gender-neutral clothing.
Now, go back to Deuteronomy 22.5.
I want to really analyze this.
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 don't care whether some one country
in the whole world or something
tells you it's OK for a man to wear a skirt.
That don't make it OK.
Because clearly, that is the thing that differentiates
between men and women's clothing.
Because if you look at the way that I'm dressed
or the way another man is dressed here...
Come on up here, brother Ryan.
You mind being my victim? I need to volunteer.
Come on up here.
He represents this average guy.
2011, all right?
So here we go.
We're both wearing a shirt, right?
Buttoned shirt. Now, let me ask you something.
Do you see women wearing buttoned shirts like this?
Of course. I mean, it's called a blouse.
And maybe the collar is just a slightly different shape
or something like that.
But women wear buttoned blouses all the time.
Now, do you ever wear a T-shirt, Ryan?
I wear a T-shirt.
Do you see ladies wearing T-shirts? I do.
And I don't see anything in the Bible.
Any mention of types of shirts or button-up shirts or T-shirts.
But really, you see blouses, you see button-up shirts.
You see these type of things. Interchangeable.
Now, do you wear socks?
Yeah, I'm wearing socks, too.
Now, I see ladies wear socks all the time.
Normal.
I don't think anybody would say that socks
are specific to one gender or the other.
I don't think anybody would say,
socks are only for men or socks are only for women.
I don't think anyone would say, shirts are only for men
or shirts are only for women.
Now, what about sweaters?
Do I wear sweaters sometimes?
Okay, you're not a big sweater, really.
Well, sweaters.
Men wear sweaters, ladies wear sweaters.
Would anybody really argue and say,
hey, men don't wear sweaters,
or hey, ladies don't wear sweaters?
Because it's just a normal piece of clothing
that goes either way.
Shirts, whether they're button-shirts.
Hey, ladies' button-shirts.
Men, well, one of them buttons on the left,
one of them buttons on the right, or whatever.
But it's pretty much the same article of clothing.
You got T-shirts, you got shirts, you got sweaters.
Socks.
What about hats?
Do you wear hats?
Yeah, I wear hats.
Okay.
Ladies wear hats, right?
Anything wrong with ladies wearing hats?
No.
Women and men both wear hats.
They both wear shirts.
They both wear sweaters.
They both wear socks.
They both wear shoes.
I wear shoes, you wear shoes.
And go ahead and have a seat.
Basically, we could get into finer points of,
well, you know, pink is a girl's color.
But really, the Bible doesn't really mention any colors.
Okay?
Now, you're not going to find me wearing a pink shirt.
Okay?
Because I don't want to even be seen
as trying to look feminine or something
in our gender-bending society.
But the bottom line is,
there's a difference between the way that men dress
and the way that women dress.
It's not the shirt,
because the shirt's not much different.
Pretty much the same thing.
It's not the socks.
It's not the shoes.
It's not the jacket.
It's not the sweater.
It's not...
Okay, now, let me ask you this.
If my wife...
I'm not going to have my wife come up here,
but if she were to come up here...
Okay?
Let's say my wife were to come up here,
and let's say I was wearing a pair of blue jeans,
and she was wearing a pair of blue jeans.
I'm wearing a red T-shirt.
She's wearing a red T-shirt.
I'm wearing a pair of socks.
She's wearing a pair of socks.
I'm wearing tennis shoes.
She's wearing tennis shoes.
We would be dressed in identical clothing.
True or false?
True.
Is that what God wants?
No.
Because God is saying that there should be a difference
between the way men look and the way the ladies look.
And he said, look, hair is one thing.
He said, hey, men, short hair, ladies, long hair.
And he said, a woman shall not put on that
which pertaineth to the man.
Neither shall a man put on a woman's garment,
for all that do so are abomination.
So God says, hey, it's an abomination for a man
to put on the woman's clothing
or for the woman to put on a man's clothing.
Hey, that's pretty serious.
He says, you're an abomination if you do that.
And the thing is, what is the difference?
What is the difference if we're both wearing the same shirt,
if we're both wearing the same pants?
Then this verse would be meaningless,
because let me ask you something.
What is the piece of clothing that pertains unto the woman,
skirt or dress?
Clearly, nobody will argue with that.
But what is the thing that pertains to the man?
Well, according to the world, nothing.
Now, look down at your verse again.
It says, the woman shall not wear
that which pertaineth unto a man.
My question is, what is that which pertaineth unto a man?
And the world will say, nothing.
99% of people will say, nothing, because this
is what they'll say.
Well, skirts and dresses are only for women,
but pants can go both ways.
Pants can go both ways, but skirts and dresses
are only for women.
Well, then why would God say for a woman
not to wear that which pertaineth to a man
if there is nothing that pertaineth to a man?
If it doesn't even exist, if you're telling me
that every clothing that a man wears, women can wear too.
I mean, I went to the zoo yesterday,
and I saw a lady that was wearing camouflage pants,
a green army shirt, and a green army hat,
and she was an off-duty soldier.
Is that men's clothing?
No, that's fine.
Everything's fine.
To the world, basically they'll tell you
that women can wear anything that men can wear,
but men stay away from those dresses and skirts.
Hey, and amen to that.
But that's a double standard, and that's hypocrisy,
because you're telling me that there are certain clothes
that's off-limits for men, but you're saying
women can wear any clothes.
Any clothes.
There must exist on this planet
an article of clothing that is for men only.
It must exist.
It's got to be out there.
What is it?
Look at the bathroom door, and you'll figure out what it is.
You see, historically, biblically,
it's always been a difference in the way that people dress.
It's a difference that men wear pants and women wear skirts,
and that has been the difference throughout history,
which is why it doesn't matter
what country you're in in this world,
whether you're in Africa, Asia, North America,
South America, or Europe,
you will see the same symbol on the bathroom door,
a man in pants and a woman in a skirt,
because that's the difference.
And look, did you know?
Listen to me now, and don't get angry at me.
Don't kill the messenger here.
I'm not the best, and I'm not angry at you
if you don't know about this stuff.
That's why I'm teaching it to you.
I'm not upset at anybody, and people that are dressed wrong,
I'm not angry at you.
I'm not upset at you.
I love you.
And you know, there was a time when I didn't know this stuff,
and there was a time when I did a lot of stuff
that I didn't realize was wrong, okay?
But the bottom line is,
when you're confronted with God's Word here,
you need to adjust to God's Word and not just say,
well, I'm going to stick with what the world does, you know?
And look, that's why we live in this queer society,
because we blur all distinction between men and women.
How many times do you go in public?
You can't even tell sometimes
whether you're looking at a man or a woman,
in many cases, because the hair is the same,
the clothes are the same, they act the same,
they talk the same.
That is not of God.
God created a male and female and put a distinction.
We need to preserve that distinction.
Did you know that in this country 100 years ago,
it was illegal, did you hear me?
Illegal.
Everywhere in America for a woman to wear pants.
Fact.
Go look it up.
Buy an encyclopedia.
Go on Google and look at it,
because it is a fact that it was illegal
for several hundred years on this continent
for a woman to wear pants.
Against the law, illegal cross-dressing.
That's why they burned Joan of Arc at the stake,
because she was dressed as a man,
because she was wearing pants.
There were these biker women in the early 1900s
who crossed the country on Harleys,
and they were arrested several times for wearing pants
because it was considered a men's work.
They would have arrested you for wearing a skirt back then.
Today, you walk down the street in a skirt in Tempe,
you're going to fit right in on Mill Avenue.
It's going to be perfect for you.
But not in those days.
You see, the world is constantly changing.
Preaching this sermon 100 years ago
would have just been the norm.
Preaching what today's Christians accept,
you would have been considered crazy.
If you would have talked about homos getting married,
even 30 years ago, people would have thought
you were out of your mind.
You're insane. You lost your mind.
Today, it's happening.
Because the world's constantly changing.
So here's my question for you.
Are you going to change with it?
Are you just going to keep changing with the world?
What are they going to accept next?
And then you're going to accept it too.
I thank God that I am anchored to the rock of God's word.
And I'm not going to change.
And you know, I still believe
in wearing different clothing than my wife.
And I still believe in being dressed differently.
And I do not want to be seen
wearing the same clothing as my wife.
We don't trade clothes like junior high school girls.
We have separate closets of separate clothes.
And my clothes consist of pants.
And her clothing consists of skirts and dresses.
That's what it ought to be.
And people will say,
Oh, you're just a legalist or you're too strict.
You know what?
The only place I'm strict is in my own house.
You wear what you want to wear.
I'm not policing what you wear.
But in my house, I'm strict.
Because this is my guideline.
And God's strict.
And so my wife doesn't wear pants.
My daughters don't wear pants.
And you say, you're a Muslim.
You're the Taliban.
It's pretty sad that the symbol of Christianity
is a girl in short shorts.
That's pretty sad.
And you know what else is wrong with pants
while I'm on the subject?
Is that people will say this.
Well, there's a difference between men's pants
and women's pants.
Kind of like a men's skirt.
But they'll say, there's a difference between men's pants
and ladies' pants.
But here's the thing, though.
You know what the difference is with ladies' pants?
They're tighter.
That's the difference.
I mean, you say like,
Oh, what's the difference between men's?
The ladies' pants are form-fitting and tight.
That doesn't sound modest.
So I can see every curve of the lower parts of their body.
That doesn't sound good.
And so, yeah, they are different.
They're more revealing by being tight-fitting.
And you see, not only does God want you to be covered,
but what's up with all this tight clothing?
I mean, you might as well be nude
if we can make out every mole of your body
because you're wearing tight clothing.
And I hate to even preach on this type of subject
because I feel like it's crude for me to get up
and refer to this stuff.
But it has to be preached.
The world we're living in demands it.
Because it's everywhere.
And today, things that you never thought
you'd have to preach behind the pulpit
have to be preached.
You see today, men and ladies alike
showing their backside in public.
Unbelievable.
You never thought you'd see such...
I mean, who would have dreamed?
I mean, it used to be the plumber,
okay, he comes over,
you know, the carpenter comes over,
and, you know, let's go in the other room or whatever.
But it was a big, smelly carpenter.
It was a big, smelly, beer-bellied plumber.
But today, delicate young ladies
are showing their rear end in public.
It's unbelievable. It's unthinkable.
Don't be conformed to it.
And today, you go to the store,
and listen, men, let me give you some advice, men.
Because today, you buy clothes and they're cut.
I mean, whoever's designing these clothes
is a sodomite, is wrong.
So what happens is, you get these pants,
and sometimes, you know, you try to pull them up,
they don't even go all the way up.
And you pull them up, and they stop.
What?
And then, you know, you bend over,
you do something, and boom.
You just, you know, you just learned how to fix pipes
under the sink or something.
All of a sudden, you know, you find yourself in a new trade.
And so, let me just give you some advice, men.
I think it's fine to have your shirt untucked.
I'm not saying that there's any wrong with that.
But you know what?
If you have a problem in this area,
here's a surefire way to keep your rear end covered.
Put on a pair of pants and tuck in your shirt.
Then we're not going to see your undergarments,
and we're not going to see your rear end.
You know, and that would be a blessing.
Okay, so you honestly, honestly, there's no excuse for it.
Going around, and you say,
well, that's just the way these pants are.
Well, quit shopping at Bourbon Outfitters.
Why are you shopping at these little queer little stores
in the mall, if that's what you're going to come out with?
Go to the uniform store.
Go to Car Arms.
Go to Dickies.
Get some real man's pants, you know?
Get some real jeans that fit like a man's jeans
are supposed to fit, okay?
And the bottom line is, if you can't figure this out,
then just tuck in your shirt and put on a belt,
and then you're keeping it covered.
And, you know, nothing more queer
than a guy who's showing off his rear in the building.
You effeminate little thing.
You pull up your pants, and you tuck in your shirt,
you tighten that belt,
and you need to go get a job digging ditches somewhere
or something to get a little bit of man in you, okay?
And ladies, God forbid, God forbid,
that a lady shame faces this in sobriety?
And the rear end is exposed?
And the carpenter crack is exposed?
That's just, it's unbelievable.
And you say, I can't believe you mention it.
I can't believe I see it almost every day.
That's what I can't believe.
Don't get mad at me for mentioning it.
Why don't you be shocked that it's happening in our country?
And it's not something that's rare.
It's the style.
The low rider pants, the low rider.
And it's funny, because you just see the girls,
you know, they're trying to,
they're constantly pulling their shirt down
and pulling their pants up, pulling their shirt down.
Just get close to fit!
I mean, you see women wearing short skirts,
and they're constantly tugging them down,
trying to make sure.
And they, you know, sitting down
takes like a ten-step process.
Because they got it.
Why don't you just buy the right clothes that fit you,
that cover your body, and then you can just sit down
and be done with it?
Do that again.
No, I will not do that.
And so, look, this is not a popular subject
to be preached on, because, you know,
people get sensitive about this,
but look, I'm not trying to hurt anybody's feelings.
I'm just telling you, look,
and really I can sum up the whole sermon like this.
When you get up in the morning and you get dressed,
I'm not saying you have to dress just like me,
I'm not saying you have to dress just like my wife.
Everybody's got their own personality,
their own styles, that's great.
Be who you are.
But look, when you stand in front of the mirror,
you need to ask yourself,
is this how God wants me to be dressed right now?
Or is this me dressing so that men will look at you
as a lady?
You know, is this me dressing so that men will,
ooh, wow, ooh, look at me.
You know what, if you're godly and righteous,
men will look at you, the right kind of men.
Because you know why?
A godly, righteous young lady is rare.
And when they see you going soul-witting,
and when they see you reading the Bible,
and when they see you faithful to church,
and when they see you loving God and dressing modestly,
that's going to get their attention.
They're going to say, hey, that's a classy girl.
That's a quality girl, I want to get to know that girl.
She is the kind of girl that I want to spend my life with.
And you know what?
You ought to stand in front of that mirror every day, ladies,
and say, you know what, especially if you're married,
you are off the market.
You need to dress in a very decent way.
And you need to stand in front of that mirror, ladies,
and say, is this the way to Jesus Christ?
If I were going to meet Jesus Christ today,
if I had an appointment with the Lord Jesus Christ,
is this how I would dress under that appointment?
Would I wear a low-cut top?
Because it's not going to press him.
Oh, no.
Would I wear the short skirt?
Would I wear the tight fitting?
Would I wear the low rider pants?
Would I wear pants at all?
Or would I wear a skirt and a dress and be dressed feminine?
See, why don't you see how feminine you can be,
not how gender neutral you can be?
Why are you trying to be right on the line?
And men, don't try to get on that line.
Don't be gender neutral.
Just be all man.
We need a difference today more than we've ever needed it.
Men, when you stand in front of that mirror,
just decide, hey, am I dressed in a way
that's pleasing to the Lord?
Is my nakedness covered?
Am I looking manly?
Or am I looking like Justin Bieber
and Justin Timberlake?
You know, don't pattern yourself out to the world, my friend.
It'll lead you wrong every time.
You'll end up with the world's kind of a lifestyle
when you dress like the world.
And so I hope that you'll understand
I'm speaking the truth in love.
Not upset at anybody.
Not angry at anybody.
And I just hope that you'll just take it to heart
and think about it.
And if you disagree with me,
well, find a biblical reason to disagree with me.
I dare you.
If you disagree with me, it's probably just because
you just are used to the way things are outside those doors.
And when you walk out that door,
just pretend like this was all just a bad dream.
You know what I mean?
Because if you walk out...
Listen to me.
If you walk out that door
and you go to work and go to school and go...
You won't ever have to deal with this again.
You'll never hear this again.
So just...
It was all just a bad dream.
And just go along with the flow.
Go along with the world.
Or if you actually care what the Bible says,
read your Bible and you won't find anything
to contradict what I've preached this morning.
You can look at it as many different ways as you want,
but you're not gonna contradict it.
So I hope that you'll take it to heart.
I hope you'll think about it
and make the adjustments necessary in your life
that need to be made.
Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer.
Father, thank you so much for your Word, dear God.
And, Father, thank you for dying on the cross with us
through the Lord Jesus Christ,
your Son, dear God.
And we thank you so much
for the redemption that we have through your blood,
the forgiveness of sins.
We're all sinners.
And, Father, many people today,
they sin and they don't even know that they're sinning
because preachers won't preach the Bible
and they won't even show them verses like Deuteronomy 22.5.
They haven't even heard of them.
But, Father, I just pray that you'd help us to realize
that the ways of the world are not your ways.
Help us to get sin out of our life
and to obey you and love you.
And in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.