S3.amazonaws.com



DOES IT MATTER HOW WE DRESS?1Ki 10:4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, 1Ki 10:5 And the meat of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the LORD; there was no more spirit in her. Isa 63:1 Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. DRESS IS VERY IMPORTANTDress is very important: It is an outward sign of our inward choices and life-style. It gives an outward clue to the kind of life we like to live and the kind of person we are. The world uses dress and fashion to project an image and its morals, its ethics and values (or lack of them).When Jesus spoke about John the Baptist: He asked the people what they expected to see in him. “But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft, expensive clothes? Those who are dressed in style and luxury live in places (Luke 7:25). John the Baptist did not wear clothes bought from the local Jerusalem Men’s fashion counter. But the point is this: What he wore was part of his message. WHAT YOU WEAR IS PART OF YOUR MESSAGE. You say something to people by the way you dress. Now what does your message say? Does it draw attention to Jesus? Does it uplift His name?As the time draws closer to the coming of the Lord Jesus: Dress will become more and more perverted. We as Christians must take a stand and dress in a way that will speak as loud as our words. We should always be concerned about our dress and our appearance: Our Dress and our appearance becomes our “Label.” Whether we like it or not people do judge us by our clothing and our appearance. Let’s enlarge on these points. Our Appearance becomes our “Label” you judge things by its label. Labels that tell you about the inside contents before you purchase the food in the store. Clothes that you buy are labeled, etc. All clothing has a label that identifies the size, fabric, care etc. Labels do not lie; the label of our outward appearance should always be true to the contents on the inside. Our appearance, which is our label, should not give a false message to the world. b. The world cannot see what goes on in the inside of the hearts of those filled with the Holy Ghost. The only possible way for them to judge us is by what they see on the outward. The Scripture tells us that “Man looks on the outward appearance,” and they judge us from the clues furnished on the outward. It becomes our “label” and for this reason, it is important that we live holy; and dress in holy and godly manner. This will tell them that we have made some inward choices that have affected the way we dress. c. A look at history: The history of mankind reveals the way one dresses has always been used to proclaim a person’s state or position in life. To be clothed in purple, for example, indicated wealth or royalty. A brides white wedding dress proclaims her purity. Mourning is expressed in black. The special clothing worn by doctors, firemen, policemen, mail carriers, chefs, and soldiers identifies their role in life. The habit of judging a person by his clothing is deeply ingrained in the world’s judgment and cannot be easily shaken. People do judge you by your appearance and how you dress. 7. In the Bible distinguishing marks of Babylon, were their Clothing, jewelry etc; what they looked like was an integral part of what was on the inside. Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. Zep 1:8 And it shall come to pass in the day of the LORD's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. The Bible opens with God clothing man and woman, and the Bible ends with a similar scene. Your dress is important to God. Gen 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Gen 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. Gen 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. Rev 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. GENERAL RULES FOR DRESSThere is a subtle correlation between the clothing you wear and way you behave. Every Hollywood actor, Punk Rocker, Gothic, Skater, Emo and all seductive women, dress in styles to tell others about themselves. Human beings instinctively tend to act the way they look and dress. In a recent discovery, why the savage tribes put on war paint, frightful ornaments and hostile-appearing garb before going to battle against their enemies? They discovered that by looking fierce and ferocious it was easier for them to act that way too.Satan is also aware that clothing can influence a person’s behavior. That’s why he urges the “Christian Youth” to adopt the “uniform” of the morally lax people of this world. He knows once you dress the part; it’s easier to act the part. Wearing the uniform of the Godless group of this world helps you to slip into their mental outlook and moral behavior. Will My Clothing affect my witness for the Lord? When your dress is acceptable to God, your witness for Christ gains a wider and more respectful audience. When you dress in worldly, tight, and sensual, the effectiveness of your Christian Testimony is reduced, and the world appraises you as second rate. When they reject you, they reject your Christian witness as well. STANDARDS DISPLAY THE BEAUTY OF GOD’S HOLINESS Since we are born into the royal family of God through the “New Birth” we represent the highest standard of life upon this earth. No amount of peer pressure should affect a child of the King. For royalty sets the standards. 2. Standards serve as our Mark of Distinction: Standards distinguish the church form this sinful world and identifies us with Jesus Christ. MODEST APPAREL 1Timothy 2:9 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array. The Word Modest Apparel Means: Appropriate, proper, becoming, orderly, seemly, and suitable (From 26 Translations of the Bible). Another Commentator (Fill) ads the term apparel means: “Long Robed”Two Basic Standard to Dressing Modest.Is it Moral?Does it draw undo attention to ones self. The Three “C” Rule:CostCoveringCautionHere is a viewpoint from an outsider of another organization: (Regia Schmiedicle, A Catholic Instructor, I agree with her stand on modesty)“In our fragmented society, scanty clothing has somehow become associated with women’s social progress-as if the “right” to wear less indicated that we are moving up in the world. But my casual overview of history leads me to almost the opposite conclusion. It seems to me that in most cultures, that the more clothing a person wears, the more important that person tends to be in society.” b. In History: “Slaves were often forced to go naked; royalty and other important personages were draped in robes. Peasant girls, slaves and concubines often wore short dresses (mini-skirt styles), to show that they were sexually available. Women of importance were outfitted with long garments – Queens of Ancient Egypt, Victorian England, and medieval France.” c. Source of Dignity: “Judges still wear robes on ceremonial occasions, professors, and graduates wear them as well. I am exercising my “cultural prerogative” to wear robes (long skirts) because I realize how crucial and valuable a women’s role is to society. We’re meant to be much more than a sex object.”Men and their thoughts of Modest Women: “Men have told me that a girl in a becoming, modest dress was a “breath of fresh air” “just delightful to be with.” With their visual sensitivity, men are free to look as a chastely dressed girl and just enjoy looking at her, without a trace of sexual temptation. Modesty tied to beauty brings with it liberation between men and women we can hardly begin to imagine.”Her View of Modest Dress: “Women must cover their shoulders and their legs down to below the knee.” Another answer to the question of modesty she stated: “On Women’s clothing she simply indicated, below the knee, halfway down the arm, and two fingers width below the collarbone, I find these guidelines most reasonable.”f. She also Stated: “Women are powerful, I believe that the way they dress and carry themselves as the crown of creation has great potential to proclaim the truth.”This is a quote from and orthodox Jewish Woman in an interview with the Modesto Bee, concerning her and her family’s lifestyle: When ask about her and other women’s dress in her Jewish faith, she answered: “We do not wear slacks at all and when wearing a dress, our knees and elbows must be covered and the neckline must cover the collarbone. There is no mixed swimming. Women swim only with other women or their husbands.”Prayer for a Christian: Lord, may I always honor you in the way that I clothe my body. May it reflect the design that you have for me as a godly woman. May my dress never reflect the latest worldly fads and fashions of the world, and create the wrong look or wrong ideas in other people. And may my heart always be clean and righteous, that my life will always reflect your glory in me and through me. Psa 149:4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. He will beautify the meek with salvation - The word here rendered beautify means to adorn, to honor, as the sanctuary, Isa_60:7 (rendered glorify); and it here means that the salvation which God would bestow upon them would be of the nature of an ornament, as if they were clothed with costly or splendid raiment. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download