Acts 5:20 "Go, stand in the temple courts," he said, "and tell the people the whole message of this new life."

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Sermon How To Dress For Church

Transcript

“How to Dress for Church”
Welcome to the sermon edition from the Consider podcast. This sermon podcast is in addition to the Consider podcast. The sermon edition is a transcribed sermon read by a professional reader.
Timothy Williams is a preacher that hates his own life, denies himself, and picked up a cross to follow Jesus almost 50 years ago. Over the decades, God has poured out both the sufferings and the resurrected life that is hidden in Jesus. It is in the spirit of 2 Corinthians 4 verse 5 that this sermon edition is made available. As Paul wrote in the New Testament, “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” The Consider Podcast. Ecclesiastes 1 verse 17. Examining Today’s Wisdom, Folly, and Madness. www.consider.info.
How to Dress for Church? Hebrews 11 verse 37. The sermon today is entitled, “How to Dress for Church”. It’s one of those real practical and basic sermons, but one that’s really needed. And this sermon is really for sensible people who don’t like to play the, well, what if game. When you begin to talk about dress, and what people should wear for church, and what they shouldn’t wear for church, everybody wants to go, “What if you’re so poor you can’t afford this?” Or, “What if we live in this culture over here?” We’re not talking about that.
Hebrews 11 verses 37-38 says, “They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted, and mistreated.” The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. That doesn’t apply to any of us. And the people this sermon is directed to is not these kinds of individuals who are in sheepskins and goatskins. Again, talking to a very sensible kind of people, where we come before the Lord, and we ask the Lord, “What should we wear when we come to church?”
In Genesis 3 verses 7-8, we really see the first fashion designing that took place. It says, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked. So, they sewed fig leaves together, and made coverings for themselves.” This is the first fashion statement that man came along and created, and it was fig leaves. And it was wrong, because the biggest thing we’re going to answer in the first part of this sermon is, “Does God really care about what I wear to church, or for that matter, what I wear out in society during the day?” And He does care. In Genesis 3 verse 21, it says, “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.”
So, as we have sinned and as we fall into sin, God came along, and He’s the one who clothed us, and showed us what we should be wearing. And He made and fashioned the clothing we should wear. So, why should we think all of a sudden that God doesn’t care what man wears, that it’s no big deal? If He was so concerned that outward things didn’t matter, He would have told Adam and Eve, “Look, the fig leaves aren’t what I had in mind. Go find something else. Find some other fashion statement.” But He didn’t. He came along and stated that what they were wearing was wrong, and He gave them clothing that was fitting for who they were.
In Matthew 17 verse 2, clothing is really no big deal. It’s something that God doesn’t really look at. He doesn’t really care about. In fact, that’s what the world says about God. Then why is it that when Jesus Christ is transformed that His clothing is also transformed and transfigured? Matthew 17 verse 2, “There He was, transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.” If clothes don’t matter, if God is not affected by what we wear, if it is really of no consequence, then why did God take the time and the power to transfigure and transform the clothes that Jesus was wearing? Why is it that Moses and Elijah, they had clothes that were transfigured and were white?
In Jude verse 23, again, if it’s true that clothing really doesn’t matter, that it is to be of no concern what we wear at church, what we wear out in society, what we reflect to other people, then why does Jude write in verse 23 that, “Snatch others from the fire and save them. To others show mercy, mixed with fear, hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.” We are to snatch others from the fire and save them. Everybody would seem to agree with that. To others show mercy, mixed with fear. And how do we show being mixed with fear as we show this mercy? It states this, hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. If the clothing is of no matter, no consequence, then why are we commanded to hate clothing? Why are we called to look at people and what they wear? What corrupt flesh wears and hates even the clothing they wear and despite what they wear and what they put on and what they do.
And yet, to look at the church and at what people wear, to see what they walk in the church with so many times, they are wearing clothing that is corrupted. They are wearing clothing that corrupts less wear than the world wears. They are exactly like the world. So, we are people in a church that have what? Lost the ability to even hate clothing. We’ve been told for so long that what we wear doesn’t matter, whether that be in action or attitude or in sermon. It really doesn’t matter. The attitude in the church is, it really doesn’t matter what you wear. In fact, they’re proud of the people. Look, we’re not going to let it bother us. Just come any way you want to. All God really cares about is what’s in the heart. If that’s true, again, why are we commanded in verse 23 to hate even the clothing stained by corrupt life?
That is, when I look at the world, when I go into J.C. Penney’s or go into Sears or anywhere and look at the clothing that is there, and corrupt flesh has made that clothing and they have designed the fashions and they’ve gone through the things that accentuate the body and so on and so forth, why am I called to hate that clothing if clothing doesn’t matter? When I go to pick out the kind of clothes that I wear, the pants and the jeans and the shirts and all those things, and down to the ties, why am I told to go in there with an attitude to look and examine that says, “I hate this clothing that has been designed by corrupt flesh?” We are called to be a people who are discerning and judging what is proper to wear and what is not proper to wear in the Lord. In Matthew 3 verse 4 it says, “John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.”
Again, each of us are going to seek God concerning what we should and shouldn’t wear. John the Baptist was called to wear what? “Camel’s hair”, to have a leather belt and to wear that kind of clothing as he preached the gospel. In every single case, each of us are going to have to ask the Lord what we should wear. The overriding thing in all of this is the cross will tell us whether or not God has told us or not. Whether we are separate from the world, whether we are really a part of the world, who is it the clothes we are wearing for? Is it for us or for God? God has clothing in mind all the way from Adam and Eve, all the way down to John the Baptist, for each of us as to what we should wear. And our clothes will even be transfigured. Everything about who we are will be totally made different when we stand before God.
Now, Galatians 5 verse 6, let’s go to it, because this is the most important passage that we’re really looking at. Because what most people want me to do is to say, fine, okay, this particular set of clothing isn’t good, this particular set of clothing is good. And we can’t do that. We’re not going to lay down those kinds of laws. There’d be no use in that anyway. Or to come up with some kind of uniform or some particular kind of dress that people should wear. Galatians 5 verse 6 says, “For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.” The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. That is, outward things are of no consequence. This is what he is saying. This is what most people interpret this to mean. So, it sounds like I have just contradicted everything we said. So, in other words, what outwardly a man is or is not is of no value. But what he says is the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Now that should take care of what we wear, should it not? The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love. So, what he’s saying is, you can go through all these rules. I could set down guidelines and say, okay, Ronnie should dress this way, or Betty Sue should look this way, or this is wrong here and don’t wear this color with this color. We could make up all kinds of rules and neither circumcision nor uncircumcision in terms of rules and regulations matter. We could set up our own little society or church or community and say, this is what we have to wear and it’s going to be black and it’s going to have this and it’s going to have that there and create all kinds of rules. We could have a circumcision or no circumcision. We could come along and say, there will be no rules about what you wear and just totally leave it, so to speak, just to uncircumcision when it really doesn’t matter.
So, what does it go on to say? The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. That simply is this, that a child who loves God comes before God, expresses that love to God and says, “God, what do you want me to wear that is acceptable to you?” It doesn’t mean that all regulations go out the window. It doesn’t mean that we’re not concerned about what God has in mind. It’s the other way around. The only thing that counts is that I take the love that I have for God and I come in before the Lord and I say, Lord, what is it you want me to wear today? What will reflect your glory? What can I do for you? That is an attitude of love that God is asking for, not an attitude of ten commandments that come down off Mount Sinai that have ten different rules for the way that you should dress. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Now, what most people do is they have a love that is self-seeking. It’s what they want to wear. It’s what they like to wear. It’s what makes them look good. So, everything comes back to themselves. And, you know, 1 Corinthians 13 says, “Love is not self-seeking.” So what counts is that we come before God and we get our hearts right and we say, OK, God, what do you want us to wear? What is appropriate in you? What is appropriate for me? He might say, you’re supposed to wear camel hair and a leather belt. He might say for somebody else; they’re supposed to wear something else. But all of it is going to shine of God’s holiness and righteousness. It’s not going to be the corrupt flesh that has designed clothes that I wear.
Let’s go to Zephaniah 1 verses 4 through 8. What we find in the church today is we find this combination of worshiping the Lord, yet incorporating it and bringing it into the world. You walk through the church and you begin to walk through the congregation and begin to look at what men and women are wearing. And you find that they are in tune with the fashion of the world today. That doesn’t mean we have to wear 1950s suits. What I mean is everybody is right in line with what the fashion is today. They have the most updated things. They look sharp. In Zephaniah 1 verses 4-8, he says, “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all who live in Jerusalem. I will cut off from this place very remnant of Baal, the names of the pagan and the idolatrous priests. Those who bow down on the roofs to worship the starry host, those who bow down and swear by the Lord and who also swear by Malak.” Look at this, those who bow down and swear by the Lord and who also swear by Malak. So, they were doing both. They were swearing by the name of God and yet swearing by idols also. They had people in the house of God saying, I worship the Lord. I belong to God. I’m free in Christ to do all these things. But they also swear by the world. They also bring in the worldly things into their life and their worship.
So, you walk into church, you walk into a congregation, you begin to look at the dress there and they look as worldly as anybody else. They look as flashy and showy as anybody else or they look as casual as anybody else in the world. And God says, “I will judge these people. I will judge those who bow down and swear by the Lord and who also swear by Malak.” Verse 6. “Those who turn back from following the Lord and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of Him.” They should care less concerning about what God’s attitude is about what they wear. I venture to say that there’s very few people that got up this morning, prepared for church, went into their prayer closet and said, Okay God, what shall I wear today? What is appropriate to you? What is it you want me to wear that will glorify your name? They do not inquire of the Lord. They do not seek the Lord. They could care less what He has to say.
Even though they swear by the name of the Lord, that is, they’ll go to church in all the corrupt clothing and flesh that is there and sit down and swear by the name of the Lord. But when you look at their lives and when you look at outwardly what they wear, you can tell they do not belong nor do they seek the Lord.
Verse 7 says, “Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near.” The Lord has prepared a sacrifice. He has consecrated those He has invited. We’re going to see this repeated a lot today, this business of being silent. You begin to talk about fashion, you begin to talk about clothes, and you begin to talk about dress. What begins to happen immediately? Justification, talk, a whining, a complaining. I think I should be able to wear this. Why can’t I wear that? Why can’t I do that? And why can’t I wear this particular clothing, and why is this inappropriate? And what God is calling us to do is to shut up, sit down, and to listen. If one of the first results of sin was to what? Go find their own clothes. Why do we think that’s going to die easily? Because immediately after we sinned against the Lord and broke covenant relationship with Him and sinned by eating of the fruit and we ran out to make our own clothes, why do we think all of a sudden that God is going to be able to come along and we’re going to be able to hear exactly what the Lord has to say?
That was our first inclination, was to make our own clothes, to take things in our own hands. “Be silent before the Lord because the day of the Lord is near.” The Lord has prepared a sacrifice. He has consecrated those He has invited. Consecrated means He has made holy and He has made righteous everything about them from the clothing they wear all the way to their heart, will be made holy.
Now verse 8, “On the day of the Lord’s sacrifice, I will punish the princes and the king’s sons and all those clad in foreign clothes.” He’s going to judge those clad in foreign clothes. So how hard do you think it’s going to be for God to be able to judge those in churches today? Will He really even have to search the heart? Would He even have to search the soul? Never mind that, He can just walk through and see what people are wearing. He can see what the Christian teenage girls and boys are wearing and begin to judge them on that basis alone. Because what we wear is a reflection of what has taken place in the heart, is it not? When God walked in the cool of the day in the garden of Eden, He could tell that they had sinned simply because of what they were wearing, simply because of what they had designed, what they had put on themselves, testified to the fact of what was inside their hearts. So, in the same way, all He had to do was walk through the congregation and He could tell where these people’s hearts were at.
In Deuteronomy 22 verses 11 to 12, it tells us that our clothing should lead us to a holy life. I don’t mean that clothing makes us holy, but that everything we do encourages holiness and righteousness and to be separate and to be different and to reflect the fact that we belong to the Lord. Deuteronomy 22 verses 11-12 gives us a very different command. It says, “Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.” What is He saying there? Am I laying down a rule that says, okay, go through all your clothing right now and look for anything that has a mixture to it? That if you have a polyester and wool suit, you need to throw it away? Certainly not. But we are people in Christ Jesus, and so we understand clearly that what God means here is that our clothing should reflect purity. It should reflect a direction. It shouldn’t be haphazard. It shouldn’t be just put on whatever I think I feel comfortable in. It means that I, with some thought, with some forethought, examine the kind of clothing that I’m wearing, look at the quality of the clothing I’m wearing. I don’t mean in terms of construction. I mean in terms of how it reflects purity, how it reflects direction, how it reflects who we are and what we do.
Verse 12 says, “Make tassels on the four corners of the cloak you wear. The tassels were to remind you of the law of the Lord your God.” They were to remind you of the Word. So, in the things that we wear, I’m not saying that you have to have the Scriptures written on the front of your lapels, or you’ve got to have certain Scriptures written on your t-shirts or whatever it is you’re wearing. What it is saying is that even in the wearing of your clothes, it should remind you that you are a child of God and that you dress holy for Him. You ought to be able to say that with the blue jeans and the sweatshirt I have on, that that direction came from the Lord. It came fitting of God and it reminds me of my righteousness and holiness in God. Yet if you look at most Christians and how they’re dressed, they’re basically pretty much slobs. It’s whatever is comfortable or however they feel relaxed, whatever makes them look good or, for that matter, just however they feel fits comfortably. Correct? But that clothing should reflect a self-disciplined life, a holy life. Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together. Don’t mix the world with what you wear. Make sure that it is clean and simple and pure.
Let’s go to Numbers 15 verses 37-41. It says, The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them, “Throughout the generations to come, you are to make tassels on the corners of your garments with a blue cord on each tassel.”” You know, again, if God doesn’t care about clothes, why is He so detailed about this? It has to be a blue cord. It has to be on the end of His garments. It has to be a tassel.
Verse 39, “You will have these tassels to look at, and so you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of your own hearts and eyes.” Why do people buy clothes? Because it makes them look good or it makes them feel comfortable. God is saying, This is my design, this is my fashion. And what it will remind you of is Scripture. What it will remind you of is who you belong to. So, when a Christian wants to sit around and lay around and drink a beer and take it comfortable down at a picnic or a lake, and he’s wearing clothes that remind him to be holy and to be self-disciplined, even the clothing will rebuke him and correct him, will it not? Or he sees somebody else walking by in holy attire. By that I mean what is appropriate in the Lord. And that will rebuke him and convict him. But now everything is let loose. It’s who can be the most provocative, he who can be the most in style, he who can be the most in fashion, is it not? When’s the last time you were convicted by the purity of what someone wore as they walked by you? What you would normally say is, They’re out of date. They need to loosen up a little bit. You will have these tassels to look at so that you will remember all the commands of the Lord, that you may obey them and not prostitute yourself with the lust of your hearts and eyes.
So, when you go shopping for clothes, you’re looking for something that will remind you of the holiness of God. I don’t mean t-shirts with scriptures. I don’t mean little sweatshirts that say, Jesus is Lord. That’s the very last thing that I mean. I mean the absolute. If I were to lay down a rule that would be the rule I would like to lay down, don’t buy anything with scriptures or pictures or t-shirts and all kinds of things out there. That’s just to promote yourself and to advertise who you are, as far as I’m concerned. That’s the last thing the world needs to see. Let them see the good deeds of your life. But we’re talking about walking through and not being motivated by the design or the style or the color of a particular clothing. But asking God, what shall I wear that will reflect the holiness that you want me to be?
Verse 40, “Then you will remember to obey all my commands, and I will be consecrated to your God.” I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord your God. He brought you out to what? Be separate? To be different? To wear clothing that even speaks of the commandments of God? To look at a people and to see them on a daily basis? For your neighbors to look at you and say, you dress differently. And I don’t mean in some weird black garb or some kind of different design type of thing. But I’m talking the look of the holiness, the self-discipline, the cleanliness of your clothes, the self-discipline by which you wear those clothes and say, there’s something totally different about the whole person.
Most Christians are what? As casual and as relaxed as the world is. They have their t-shirts on. They have their slob outfits on. They have their sweatshirts on. They have whatever it is, or they’re dressed to the hilt. They’re just like the world. Nothing reminds them of the fact that they belong to the living God. And so, what does that do? That begins to affect our whole attitude of how we conduct ourselves. Of how we carry ourselves. The way that we can remind ourselves that we belong to a living God and we need to be self-disciplined. Of whether we’re constantly looking in the mirror to see how good we look or how bad we look, or whatever it is we’re examining to see, is what we wear. This is why what we wear is so important. If cleanliness is really of no concern, why does the world make such a big deal about it? And it really doesn’t affect us at all, and it really doesn’t matter and God is concerned about it. Why is there a billion-dollar industry just concerning fashion and clothing and what we wear? It’s of major value. It reflects a man’s life. If he’s a sluggard, you’re going to be able to look at him and tell that he’s a sluggard. If he just likes to be comfortable and dress a little bit like a slob, you’ll be able to tell. If somebody wants to be dressed to the hilt to look good, to promote themselves, you can also tell that, can you not? So, clothing reflects a man’s heart just as fig leaves represent what happened in the heart.
Let’s go to 1 Chronicles 15 verses 25 to 28. Every person who goes to church needs to ask himself, what do my clothes reflect? That is, where do they say that I’m going? Suppose nobody knew that you were a Christian and knew that you were going to church and they looked at you. Would they say you’re going to the beach? Going shopping to the mall? Going out in the nightclub? Or for a night on the town? Where are the particular Sunday clothes that reflect holiness that are special unto the Lord?
1 Chronicles 15 verse 25. “So, David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom with rejoicing.”
Verse 26, “Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed.”
Verse 27, “Bothers to take the time to stop to tell us what David was wearing.” If clothes were of no value and of no concern and God doesn’t really care about what’s on the outward side of a man, then God would not take the time to tell us all these things, would he? They would just say, the people in all their righteousness and holiness that was in their hearts brought up the ark of the covenant and were rejoicing before God, would he not? And there would be no point to tell us what they were wearing.
1 Chronicles 15 verse 27. “Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were he, singers, and Cananiah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod.” He said they had on their Sunday best. They had on special clothing. They were dressed and ready and prepared to carry the ark. And we who are Christians, every single day, wherever we go, we are carrying the ark. Are we not? Are we not carrying God’s testimony? Are we not saying we’re a different people? Are we not saying that we come and be separate? That’s why Jesus says, “Always be dressed and ready.”
1 Chronicles 15 verse 28. “So, all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps.” Well, we certainly have the rejoicing going on in church today. We certainly have the noise of the cymbals and the clanging of harps and all the things that go on, don’t we? But when we look at the dress that is going on out there, we see a whole mixture when people come to church, all the way from the guy dressed in the tremendous fashion suit to the person sitting out there in a nice casual t-shirt rejoicing and praising God. Nobody has on any special particular clothes to come before the Lord. Again, I’m talking to sensible people. We’re not destitute. We’re not being sawn in two. We are not in prison. And let me tell you, if I was in sheepskin, I’d want the best sheepskins I could possibly get to come before the Lord. I would want to be dressed appropriately with what I had. And I’m not talking to people in dire poverty. And even if you’re a homeless person or a street person, what should you be wearing? You should be clean. You should be neat. With what you have, you should be coming before the Lord and presenting as if you were coming in before a king, as if you had some decency about you, some honor about coming before the Lord.
Exodus 28 verse 40 tells us about Aaron. It says, “Make tunics, sashes, and headbands for Aaron’s sons to give them dignity and honor.” I’m not talking about flashy clothes. I’m not talking about wearing gold and jewelry on our suit or vest or wearing the most expensive suit that you can find. We’re talking about things that are holy in the Lord, not fashion statements. We’re not talking about wearing tuxedos to church because we’re supposed to wear the best for God. That’s not what God has in mind. It might be camel’s hair and a leather belt, if it’s appropriate in the Lord.
In 1 Peter 2 verses 9-12, it tells us that we are a priesthood and there’s certain clothing that priests wear. 1 Peter 2 verses 9-12, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His wonderful light.” Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul. As what? As aliens and strangers in the world? We can’t relate to the fashion that goes on. We cannot even relate to the clothing that corrupt flesh makes and wears and sells. We are aliens and strangers. Everything we do, even to the way that we dress. The kind of jeans that we wear are different. The kind of shirts that we wear make a different statement than what the world wears. The kind of suits we wear make a different statement. The sweaters we wear, everything that we have, we are a separated, we are a holy people. That’s what holy means, is separated. We are a chosen people to be different and a royal priesthood.
Now verse 12 says, 1 Peter 2 verse 12, “Live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” So, we are talking about the outward parts that a pagan looks at. What is one of the first things people look at? What do you wear? What do you present to them in terms of that? So that when people look at you, what do they say? What does your clothing say about who you are? Somebody concerned and conservative about what they wear? Or somebody who is just like the world? You were called to be priests and you will serve God that way.
1 Corinthians 10 verse 31, should really be the only commandment that we need concerning this. I don’t even know why this is an issue in the church or why there is so much rebellion. Well, I do know why, because there is sin in the house of God. But it’s pretty clear, 1 Corinthians 10 verse 31 says, “Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Or whatever you do, whatever it might be, what you wear, do it for the glory of God. He’s not talking about the body and saying, even as you eat and drink, even that outward kind of thing that you put into the body, do that for the glory of God. How much more what we wear and what we show other people who we belong to by what we wear. Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Completely. Go through your closets. Go through your hearts. Examine. Ask God to examine. Why do I wear what I wear? What is it you want me to wear, Lord? Not what you choose to wear, not even what you think will show you to be holy, but what God wants you to wear.
2 Corinthians 6 verses 16-18 says, “What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said, “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? We’re back to Jude again, aren’t we? Hating even the clothing stained by corrupt flesh. What agreement is there between what the world wears and what a Christian wears? There is no agreement. And yet, you find within the church the church copying the fashions of the world, do you not? It goes on to say, “For we are the temple of the living God.” You decorate a temple. You have certain outward things for a temple.
Second Corinthians 6 verse 16, “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. “Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” Therefore what? Come out from them and be separate. And what we wear should make the statement that we are separate. Again, it doesn’t have to be a uniform. It doesn’t have to be something we design, but it has to say that what we do wear demonstrates to other people that there is something different about our life in a very quiet, subtle way. Isn’t that what Scripture says? Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life. So don’t come out of your room tomorrow with an orange robe and go walking out with a bow begging for rice or for food like the Buddhists do. Don’t come out with some special uniform. That’s not what we’re talking about here. Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life. And so, your clothing should reflect that kind of quiet life, unless God calls you to some particular set of clothes.
2 Corinthians 6 verse 18, “I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,” says the Lord Almighty. If we’re really sons and daughters of the Lord, do not even parents today, some of them even tell their children what they should and should not wear? Do they not at least make an attempt, even though it seems to be futile anymore? Correct? So, God has these things He wants you to wear and things you should not wear. And even within the church, there should be judgment going on among the sisters. They should be examining what the other sisters are wearing, not in terms of what’s in fashion or I really like that dress and that kind of thing. They should be saying, is that holy? Is that proper? Is that righteous? Does that reflect the glory of God? Brothers should be doing the same thing. Does this reflect the self-discipline? Does this reflect the holiness of God? All of these things should be taking place within the body because we are all sons and daughters of God. And God has in mind what His children should wear and how they should conduct themselves.
Verse 1 of chapter 7 goes on to say, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. Let us purify ourselves from what? From everything that what? Contaminates the body. Everything that contaminates the body and spirit. Perfecting holiness out of reverence of God. So, God is concerned about the body and what we do with the body. I mean, after all, He did create it. And He does have in mind what it should be decorated with or what we should wear. But we’re talking about what? Perfecting holiness. You see, not some large command that says, okay, you have to wear this particular kind of color of suit or this particular style of suit. We’re talking about something much more difficult than that and really a lot easier than that. We’re really talking about faith expressing itself in terms of love and therefore knowing how to perfect holiness, how to wear down to the finest detail what reflects the holiness of God, whether that be T-shirts and jeans or whether that be a suit. Let us purify ourselves, it says, from everything that contaminates body and spirit. So, within the church, there should be a marching through, an examination, a judgment that says, is what you’re wearing holy and righteous? But when was the last time you heard anybody judged on that?
Let’s go to 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 22. It says, “Avoid every kind of evil.” Again, we hear this kind of general call, don’t we? There is to be a distinction. God is concerned about clothes. Let’s talk about men for a moment.
1 Corinthians 11, verses 14 to 16 says,” Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him? But that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.” If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God. So, God is concerned on how the length of a man’s hair is. I’m not going to play this stupid debate about what’s long. I know it when I see it, when the Spirit speaks it to me and tells me when a man’s hair is long. And I can’t help if they don’t have a conscious self before God to understand that. And that’s not the point we’re looking at today. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Not me standing up and setting a chart here that if your neck is high and you can only have hair this long. What only counts is, if you love God, you will not have long hair. However, that may be defined by God. Then again, I’m talking to sensible people, and this is not a time to get into this particular debate. Well, why did Samson have long hair and so on? There’s answers to all that. The point is, you’re not Samson. And the point is, you have not taken a Nazarite vow. And the point is, you’re not in sheepskins. And you can afford a haircut. And if you can’t, I’ll pay for it. If I don’t have the money, I’ll do it for you.
In Leviticus 21 verses 5 through 8, somebody who thinks this is just a lot of Old Testament baloney, we just read in 1 Corinthians 11 that a man is not to have long hair. We’re going to read the same thing in Leviticus 21 verses 5 through 8. Remember, we are all priests and priests dress in a certain way and they conduct themselves in a certain fashion. It says, Leviticus 21 verse 5, “Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies.” God is concerned with what we do with our body, of how it glorifies Him or doesn’t glorify Him.
Verse 6, “They must be holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God,” because they present the offerings made to the Lord by fire. The food of their God. They are to be holy. They are to be holy. They are to be separate and distinct. They are not to do this with their hair. They are not to do this with their beard. They are not to do this with their body. It goes on to say in verse 7, “They must not marry women defied by prostitution or divorced from their husbands because priests are holy to their God.” Quite a different issue, but it’s clear, is it not?
Verse 8, “Regard them as holy, because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the Lord am Holy, I who make you holy.” So, what are priests supposed to show? How to be holy? How to be different? How to hate clothing stained by corrupt flesh? And since we’re all priests, we’re all to do this. In Leviticus 21 verse 10, It always kind of amazed me when I went through these scriptures looking at various things. It seemed on the man’s side it always talked about things that require taking a bath. Keeping your hair clean, but the women always had to be of dress. Now men are not known for washing their clothes and taking care of themselves, and it seems to be a major chore with them.
But Leviticus 21 verse 10 says, “The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the Priestly garments, must not let his hair become unkempt or tear his clothes.” The high priest, the one among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head, that is the Holy Spirit, and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair become unkempt or tear his clothes. How specific that God would talk about the holiness of God, the oil, the Holy Spirit, and all these things, and then he comes down and says, “Don’t tear your clothes! So, what’s the fashion statement out there today? To have torn clothes. Your hair is not to be unkempt. In fact, you’re not supposed to shave your hair, and you’re not supposed to have it too long. He is very specific about what a man is supposed to do with his body.
1 Corinthians 11 verses 3-4 says, “Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is man and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesizes with his head covered dishonors his head.” God talks specifically about how a man should dress. Now this is a cultural command. Just real briefly, this is a cultural command. Then men no longer belonged to Jesus Christ. Because it says that a man who prays or prophesies with his head covered does what? Dishonors his head. Verse 3 told us his head is Jesus Christ. So, if this is cultural, then men no longer belonged to Jesus.
In Numbers 8 verses 5-7, remember I told you again that when God talks to a man, he seems to be taking a bath and taking care of yourself. Numbers 8 verses 5-7 says, The Lord said to Moses, “Take the Levites from among the other Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. To purify them do this. Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them, then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes and so purify themselves.” Wash their clothes? I mean, what a novel thought. God comes along and says, “Your clothes are to be clean”. What are we seeing many times? The wives following around their husband, straightening his tie, pulling his collar down, telling him to pick out the colors. He can’t even pick out the colors to go with his suit. He’s got to have help. These guys are to purify their whole body and to start all over again. In other words, God is coming along and saying, “Look, you guys, you can’t even dress yourselves.” It’s almost what he’s saying. Shave off all your hair. Let’s get everything cleansed, get washed, everything purified. And let’s start all over again. And let me show you how to get cleaned up. You’re a priest. You’re separate. You’re holy. It’s not a casual experience you’re to be in. Have them shave their whole bodies. Wash their clothes and so purify themselves. This is how you begin the process.
So, somebody comes to Jesus Christ, a man, he comes to Jesus Christ. What’s the first thing you begin to do? Shave him completely. Tear him totally down and say, this is how you dress. This is what it means to be holy. And when was the last time you saw a revival service where people come in, men come in, and they’re coming to Jesus Christ and somebody comes in and everything changes, even the clothes you wear. Forget the issue of long hair and short hair. It’s all cut off. Now as that hair is growing back, God says, “Don’t shave it off and don’t let it get too long. Keep your clothes clean. When he is dressed, you dress this way and in this fashion.” I guess to put this in worldly terms, you can call this God’s boot camp. They just tear you down and build you back up.
Numbers 8, verse 21 says, “The Levites purified themselves and washed their clothes, then Aron presented them as a wave offering before the Lord and made atonement for them to purify them.” The Levites purified themselves and guess how they did it? They washed their clothes. How many men don’t know how to do laundry? Whether that’ll get me on that one or what? These are offerings for the Lord. What we wear, how we dress, how clean we are, all of these things are to be offered and waved before the Lord and said, Lord, these belong to you. What is so hard about any of this? To dress in a way that is holy before God. Young men want their hair in a certain way. Men want their clothes to be a certain way. We’ve just got to have it our own way. And so, God is profaned and he is no longer held up as holy. So basically, what is God saying to man? Wash your clothes, clean your hair, take care of yourself, get cleaned up, get the gold cuff links and all the fine dress and just come to church and worship me in a holy way. Let your body, what you do with it, your life, your wave offering before me, let me see it. Do you know what a wave offering is? Let me take a look. Make it holy and acceptable.
Let’s look at the women for a minute.
1 Timothy 2 verses 9 to 10. “I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes. I also want women to dress modestly, that ought to take care of it right from there; whatever a woman wears, it ought to be modest, 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.” Notice how God combines the inward with the outward. Because usually, what are women concerned with? The outward. Isn’t that what we’re primarily concerned with? The men could care less outwardly. They can be slobs and they’re content with that. Women, on the other hand, are concerned with what? How is my outward appearance? And usually, it stops at that point. When you talk about dating, what do you talk about with most women? How to attract the opposite sex? Not with your personality, but with how they look outwardly.
When was the last time you saw a woman turn to another woman and say, how’s my personality look today? It’s how do I look today? You think this looks, okay? You think this fits? You think he’ll like it? It’s all an outward kind of thing. So why do you think it begins to combine both the outward and the inward here? Again, we’re talking to sensible people. Yes, braided hair is wrong. Yes, gold jewelry is wrong. But does that mean that a woman who works on the farm can’t have braided hair if she’s out slopping the hogs? Of course she can have braided hair. Or if she’s working in the car for some strange reason and you don’t want the hair to get caught, then of course she can braid the hair, but we’re talking to sensible people here. Your beauty should not come from that outward kind of things. I should be able to look at you and not notice anything about you. So, what does a Christian woman do in a Christian group? She comes in before the other sisters and says, “Do you notice anything about this dress or me?” If they say yes, then she has to change. If they say no, it looks pretty plain and pretty normal, then she’s dressed appropriately.
Now do you really think that’s the goal that’s going on there among women? Not to be noticed? To make an effort not to be noticed? I doubt it. She should not wear expensive clothes or gold. Are we saying gold wedding bands are wrong? Of course not. But if I notice a woman’s wedding band, if I notice the diamonds and I notice the gold ring and that’s where the beauty is coming from, then it’s sin.
In 1 Peter 3 verses 3-6 it says, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold, jewelry, and fine clothes. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment.” That’s simple. So why does a wife turn to her husband and say, “Do you like this on me?” What should be his response? I don’t care what you wear. He’s in trouble.
1 Peter 3 verse 4,” Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”
Verse 5, “For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands.”
Verse 6, “Like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” I don’t see too many women dressing in the church calling their husband master. And that’s called holy. Again, I wish we had time to get into all this, but we don’t.
In 1 Corinthians 11 verses 13-16, it tells us that when a woman comes to church, she should have a sign of authority or a covering on her head. It says, “Judge for yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God without her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him?” We’ve seen that clearly. The very nature, the very way that God made man and woman is that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace. He wears his shame publicly.
1 Corinthians 11 verses 15 to 16, “But that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory. For long hair is given to her as a covering.” If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God. God is saying in the normal, everyday course of things, in the way that I designed men and women, the way they are to conduct themselves and show themselves, a woman is to have long hair. When she goes to the grocery store, her long hair is her covering. When she visits next door, her long hair is her covering. A woman who has short hair has sin on her head. That’s why 1 Corinthians 11 verse 10 says, “For this reason and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.” So, he’s simply saying what? That because a woman was designed to have long hair, that when she comes into church, she should have a sign of authority also on her head? Again, this is not a sermon on covering. You can check out a sermon on that if you want to cover that particular issue.
The point is, there’s a certain dress, and when a woman comes to church, she needs the sign of authority on her head, and when she walks out publicly in that building, she leaves her covering in church. She leaves her special garments there, and her long hair then is covering her for the rest of the week. Women are to dress with submission. They are not to teach men, they are not to talk about issues in the church among themselves at church, they talk about it at home. Their beauty is not to come from anything outward that you can see or notice. No man should notice what a woman is wearing, and that is her goal.
Finally, let’s review a little bit and go to 2 Corinthians 4 verse 10. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. One of the things that we die to is what we want to wear, how we want to have our hair cut, how we want to look, whether we feel comfortable or not. We always carry that death to the world with us in order that the life of Christ, that is, what He would have us wear, how He would have our hair look, how we should conduct ourselves, all those things are revealed so that other people can see them. It is a complete sin to say that God is not concerned about outward things. He is concerned about our bodies glorifying Jesus Christ, and it comes down to what we wear. Why do you think there’s so many fights about clothing within homes, among children, among parents? It really doesn’t matter. Of course it matters.
So, let’s review. Dress like you’re going to church when you’re going to church. Not like the golf course. Not like you’re going there. Don’t dress like you’re going to the beach, or a picnic, or a run to the store, or even going to the end of the driveway to get the newspaper early in the morning. Dress like you’re going to church. Dress so people will ask you where you’re going. Not like, you look like you’re fit to kill, it looks like you’re out in the town. Dress in such a way that people say, where are you going that’s so important? What are you so dressed up for? May they especially ask, what is so important where you’re going that you have to be dressed that way? Do not over or underdress. That is, don’t wear the fashions of the world so you have this stylish suit, the $800 suits. Don’t underdress either, for you look again like you’re going down to the beach.
Wear what is appropriate for the Lord, and again, the Lord will guide and He will dress. And again, I’m speaking to reasonable people. I’m not saying, wear goatskins, but if you are, then clean it up and come to church. Do not over or underdress. Do not ask what is comfortable for you. You were bought with a price, and certainly do not ask if it flatters you or not. And don’t stand in the mirror to dress and see how you look, or ask yourself whether you look sharp or not. But stand in front of the mirror so you can tie your tie and get to church, and realize who you’re dressing for. How should we dress for church? Learn to distinguish between the common and the uncommon, between the holy and the unholy, and let your love be expressed in obedience.
Let’s go ahead and pray. Father, may your name again be made holy among your people, and may honor and glory be brought to you, Father. And may men no longer say the Lord’s table is a burden, and it is contemptible what we have to wear. And let there rise up again, Father, like David, a dancing and a praising in linen garments, of children being excited to put on Sunday clothes that they don’t get to wear at any other time. And for men to dress appropriately, Father, and to come ready to worship you in a way that reflects your holiness and purity. And for women, Father, to dress in a way that is not even noticed except by your eyes. And we pray this in Jesus’ name, and that you might be glorified. Amen.
The Consider Podcast, Ecclesiastes 1, verse 17, Examining today’s Wisdom, Folly, and Madness, www.consider.info.

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