Outward Appearance

I. Welcome

II. Review

III. A Theology of Clothing

A. Introduction - ____________________ we wear clothes in the first place!

B. The purpose of clothing is to ____________________ our body.

C. ____________________ must be our guiding principle.

Matthew 22:37 And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' 40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

1. We must first love ____________________ .

John 14:15. "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

2. We must also love ____________________ .

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

1 Corinthians 13:13 But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

3. There is no room for ____________________ in God’s love!

4. There is always room for ____________________ .

IV. A Theology of Our Appearance

A. “____________________ am I thinking about here?”

B. Needless Distractions

1. Our appearance should not ____________________ others from our message.

1 Peter 3:3 Your adornment must not be merely external-- braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; ⁴ but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. ⁵ For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands;

a. Whatever my external adornment is, it should accentuate, not detract from, the hidden person of the heart.

b. Illustration

2. Do my clothing and style choices ____________________ my effectiveness in ministry by distracting?

3. Many times we DO want to be ____________________ !

4. We convey the message of Christ through our ____________________ .

a. QUICK INPUT FROM THE AUDIENCE

b. Our face communicates what we're ____________________ .

C. Immodesty

1. God calls us to ____________________ .

1 Timothy 2:9-10 “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”

2. But sometimes we focus on clothing that will ____________________ our figure well, showing the body that God provided clothes to cover.

Matthew 5:28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

3. Clothing is immodest when it ____________________ or ____________________ private areas.

D. Stewardship

1. Our bodies belong to ____________________ .

1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

2. God wants us to increase His kingdom by the way we use our bodies. (Matt 25:14-30)

3. They are ____________________ from God like anything else. (James 1:17)

4. And we are ____________________ for how we use our bodies. (Rom. 14:12)

Romans 14:12 So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God.

V. The Danger of Defrauding Our Brothers

A. Paul warns us about ____________________ . (I Thess. 4: 4-6)

1 Thessalonians 4:4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.

James 1:14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

B. Remember, the word “entice” is a fishing term and it means “to ____________________ the hook.”

1 John 2:10 The one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

C. Dressing Attractively or Dressing To Attract

D. It is very ____________________ and unkind to wear things that will tempt the men around us.

E. The way that we dress can have a ____________________ effect on the men around us.

1. Men, in particular, are oriented by ____________________ .

a. Biblical examples:

• King David’s sin with Bathsheba

2 Samuel 11:2 Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance.

• Samson’s lust

Judges 14:2 So he came back and told his father and mother, "I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife." ³ Then his father and his mother said to him, "Is there no woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she looks good to me."

• Job

Job 31:1 I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.

b. Man was created by God to ____________________ the beauty of a woman.

Proverbs 5:17-18 says, “Rejoice in the wife of your youth, a loving doe a graceful deer. May her breasts satisfy you always. May you be ever intoxicated by her sexuality.”

F. Remember that if a woman dresses immodestly, we need to be careful not to ____________________ that she’s doing so because she’s thinking sinfully.

VI. Guidelines to Consider

A. Be grateful if anyone ever loves you enough to ____________________ you in this area.

Proverbs 9:8 Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you, Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

B. We have to be honest with ourselves and admit that our ____________________ isn't always right.

Proverbs 16:25 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

C. Be careful not to ____________________ others!

D. Remember we're all ____________________ . (1 Tim. 4:12)

VII. Pros and Cons of Modesty

A. Disadvantages: Let’s just admit some of these:

1. It takes more time and ____________________ to find and buy modest clothing!

2. You may not be able to wear all of the new ____________________ and be “in.”

3. These days you may need to buy a size or two ____________________ than you are!

B. Advantages:

1. You are freed from being enslaved to fashion and ____________________ .

2. We can have the ____________________ and peace of knowing we are obedient.

3. We have the joy of loving ____________________ more than ourselves.

4. We are valued more for ____________________ character qualities than our clothing!

5. We are ____________________ ourselves from sexual sin.

6. Those who are single are protecting a future greater joy and pleasure in marriage!

VIII. Application Questions

IX. Questions

X. Recommendations for Further Study