Exhortation to Modest Dress; Prioritizing Schedules

The point: Prioritize being thoroughly Christian in your external appearance and bearing over simply being comfortable, especially in warm weather.

Martin uses the example of modern catalogs becoming almost pornographic to illustrate how society's standards of modesty have eroded and how easily Christians can become desensitized to worldliness.

One cannot even take up a Sears catalog now and thumb through it with a view to seeing latest styles. It's like looking at almost pornographic literature. I will not thumb through a Sears catalog anymore or a J.C. Penney's catalog.

16:07 - 16:22 Read in full sermon

The point: Be vigilant not to let the world squeeze you into its mold regarding modesty, as we can become insensitive by degrees.

He shares the personal experience of his wife and daughters spending days searching for modest bathing suits, highlighting the difficulty and pain involved, which underscores the pervasive immodesty in the market.

And I know it's difficult for you women who want to find a modest bathing suit. You may spend days, my own wife and daughters at times have spent days and I don't know how many miles they've logged in the car and on foot trying to find the modest bathing suit. I know it's a pain in the neck. And you think there might be a reason for that.

16:45 - 17:03 Read in full sermon

The point: Christian women are to dress modestly, recognizing that clothing is not a matter of moral neutrality.

Martin suggests the idea of a 'modesty shop for swimwear' as a potential business venture, illustrating the unmet demand for modest clothing among Christians.

You think there might be enough Christians that if someone were to simply open up a shop called the modesty shop for swimwear, they'd have all the business they could have. This might be a good idea for some one of you entrepreneurs to think of that. But be that as it may, I know it's difficult. But difficult as it may be, the scripture says in 1 Timothy 2, 9 that a Christian woman is to dress modestly and the Bible does not indicate anywhere that our clothing is a modesty.

17:03 - 17:33 Read in full sermon

The point: Christian women are to dress modestly, recognizing that clothing is not a matter of moral neutrality.

He uses the analogy of a harlot displaying her wares to explain that immodest dress can signal 'harlotry in your heart,' emphasizing the moral implications of clothing.

Our clothing is a matter of moral neutrality. Solomon said, I saw a woman with the attire of a harlot. The harlot displays her wares and you display your wares and people will think that there's some harlotry in your heart. And I must speak to the men because something has happened in the past five years in particular.

17:33 - 17:51 Read in full sermon

The point: Christian men must be careful that nothing in their external appearance unnecessarily signals playing to the mindset of women who objectify men.

Martin describes the contemporary phenomenon of women using terms like 'hunk' and 'hunk hunting,' illustrating the increasing objectification of men and the need for men to be careful about their appearance.

The term that's now used and it's, I hate to even use it, but it's used. Boy, he's a hunk. We're going out hunk hunting. That's women talking now.

17:51 - 18:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Moms and dads, speak to your daughters and sons, seeking to inculcate modesty by example and precept.

He describes the summer months as turning the area into 'veritable Main Street Sodom' due to immodesty, illustrating the overwhelming challenge men face and the need for the church to be an 'oasis of modesty'.

I have done it and continue to do it to this day and they don't think I'm a dirty minded old man. They're grateful for a father who's sought to teach them what perverse creatures fallen men are and what vulnerable creatures even Godly men are because Grace does not neutralize hormones nor does Grace totally expunge from the human heart. It's inordinate must so I plead with you moms and dads speak to your daughters speak to your sons seek to inculcate by example in precept modesty and as we stand on the threshold of these months when so many particularly of our young men almost wish God would g...

21:16 - 22:35 Read in full sermon

The point: When dealing with unconverted worldlings, meet them where they are, pray for grace to bear with their worldliness, and allow your own modest appearance to be a gentle rebuke that sensitizes their conscience.

Martin recounts a story of Pastor Blaze directly confronting an immodestly dressed woman in church, giving her a shawl and marching her out, illustrating a firm, albeit extreme, way to handle scandalous immodesty in worship.

Would you mind just putting this shawl over your shoulders. Now Pastor Blaze actually did that. He actually did that. There was a woman who came in and she was she was kind of defiant and had her chin out.

26:10 - 26:23 Read in full sermon

The point: When dealing with unconverted worldlings, meet them where they are, pray for grace to bear with their worldliness, and allow your own modest appearance to be a gentle rebuke that sensitizes their conscience.

He uses the analogy of a clean-mouthed man rebuking a foul-mouthed man by his mere presence to illustrate how a Christian's modest appearance can sensitize the conscience of worldlings without direct confrontation.

On the other hand what we must learn is to take people. Where they are and if God brings us raw worldlings their worldliness will not only be evident in their general lifestyle but in their speech and many times in their clothing. And so that's where we need to have grace as the people of God to take them where they are to pray for grace to bear with that expression of their worldliness until God is pleased to give them a sense that they're out of place dressed the way they are and we have seen this. We have seen people who have converted people whose dress has become more modest as they've sa...

26:53 - 28:19 Read in full sermon

The point: Be sensitive to prevailing social mores and blend in with them in serious social gatherings like church, so that you cause no offense.

Martin uses the example of Jesus and his disciples likely worshipping barefooted or in sandals in synagogues, with foot washing being common, to illustrate that cultural norms for dress in worship can vary and are matters of indifference.

There's nothing in God's law that demands that we wear or not wear socks or sandals in our worship. Every indication is that when Jesus and his disciples went into the synagogues, they went in barefooted because they wore their sandals, and that's why foot washing was a common practice. When they came in from wherever they were coming from, you'll remember that they would wash the feet, and Jesus took the role of a servant and washed the disciples' feet. They didn't have socks to keep the dirt off the feet.

30:33 - 31:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Be sensitive to prevailing social mores and blend in with them in serious social gatherings like church, so that you cause no offense.

He uses the analogy of dressing for a PTA meeting, a backyard picnic, and a funeral to illustrate how different social gatherings have varying levels of seriousness and corresponding dress expectations, which Christians should be sensitive to.

So in that particular situation, apparently the worship of God, even at the temple, was carried on in a barefooted or simply a sandaled manner, and no offense was given. But in our situation, we need to be sensitive to what we would call the generally prevailing cultural expectation of the kind of dress that we wear. The kind of dress that is befitting for a serious social gathering such as church. If I may describe it that way, a PTA meeting would be considered a serious social gathering.

31:02 - 31:36 Read in full sermon

The point: Be sensitive to prevailing social mores and blend in with them in serious social gatherings like church, so that you cause no offense.

Martin gives the example of men showing up in shorts to a Wednesday night prayer meeting, interpreting it charitably as an emergency (coming from yard work) rather than a pattern, illustrating how to apply grace in matters of indifference.

So it's a matter of seeking to be sensitive to those matters and respond to them. However, in emergencies, we should never feel bound by those things. For instance, I've always put this construction. The few times I remember some men showing up with shorts on a Wednesday night, I just figured, well, they probably were out after supper working on cutting their lawns or something else and rather than miss prayer meeting by, or coming late to prayer meeting by going in, and showering, and putting on, you know, what would be more normally acceptable garb, they came as they were.

32:27 - 33:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Those who lead worship and instruction should appear in a way that meets the certain expectation of the people to avoid distraction.

He shares his experience preaching in Pakistan, where he wore slacks and an open-necked sports shirt instead of a tie, illustrating how cultural context dictates appropriate dress for public ministry.

See, I know that without even looking down, you see. But now, seriously, I'm concerned that none of you have anything that would distract from what we're here to do. So I suffer the tie. Now, when I was in Pakistan, apart from one meeting, which was their formal Sunday morning worship, I would have appeared foolish if I wore a tie.

35:02 - 35:26 Read in full sermon

The point: Coordinate your God-given priorities (nurture of soul, kingdom of God, providing for family, commitment to church) so they don't war against one another.

Martin uses the metaphor of priorities as 'slices in a pie' to illustrate how God gives each person a list of responsibilities that must be coordinated and fulfilled without warring against each other.

There must be a coordinate so we can begin to come up with some answer to the question, how can I give to my laborers? All right, I think the key phrase that John has given is the coordination of our priorities. Our priorities are like the slices in a pie, all right? God gives to every man and to every woman a list of priorities.

39:09 - 39:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Use a timer for a week to honestly track how you spend your time, especially on activities like television, to identify areas for adjustment.

He uses the proverb 'Clocks and scales don't lie' to emphasize the importance of honesty and self-examination regarding how one spends time and manages weight, as these tools reveal reality that people often try to avoid.

Ralph? No, I said Ralph, and then we'll go back to John. Yeah. Yeah. I'll give you a little proverb. Clocks and scales don't lie. You get the point?

45:45 - 46:43 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not let your business situation dictate your priorities; be prepared to leave lucrative jobs if they demand you compromise biblical responsibilities to family, church, or God's commandments.

Martin cites examples of men in their congregation who left lucrative job positions because the demands conflicted with biblical priorities for family and church, illustrating the commitment required of true discipleship.

That's why we know of men in our own congregation who have left very lucrative promising job positions because the demand for performance in that job was to sell the soul, to ruin the family, and to negate the responsibilities of the Church of Christ. And they said price tags too high. Keep your dumb job. That's right.

49:09 - 49:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that priorities are never static; continually evaluate and adjust them based on life stages and emergencies, crying to God for wisdom.

He shares an anecdote of a husband whose wife was violently sick for three months, requiring him to adjust all his priorities to nurture and cherish her, illustrating that priorities are never static and must be continually re-evaluated.

We heard last night of a husband who had to spend an unusual amount of time doing domestic situations because his wife got violently sick for a period of three months. Well, you see all of his priorities had to be adjusted by his desire to nurture, and cherish, his wife. So these things are never static. So that tension, the awareness that I must be on top of this and continually crying to God for wisdom, continually evaluating, that's part of living soberly as well as righteously and godly in this present world.

51:30 - 52:01 Read in full sermon