Sermon excerpt: by Al Martin, illbehonest.com
"Does how you dress honor God? Does how you dress cause men to stumble and lust? I pray this message will awaken some of you ladies consciences to the errors in your dress that is causing some of the little ones of the Lord to stumble."Are you marked by decided modesty & distinctive femininity, or have you been sucked into the modern culture of sex?
- Sensitize your mind in this area of gospel fruit
- Romans 12:2 "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
- The gospel is at stake!
- It is impossible that occasions will not come, but woe onto him/her whom through they come!
- Any man who lusts after you will answer to God for his mental adultery, but you will answer to God if you provoked it in the way you were dressed.
- Romans 14:13 "Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this-- not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother's way."
- Don't blame the men
- Proverbs 30:20 "This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, And says, "I have done no wrong."
Am I in anyway in the a manner of my dress putting an occasion of stumbling before one of my brother's in Christ??
*purity of motive does not cancel the effects of your appearance
10 triggers to lustful thoughts/magnets of lust:
- Dresses or skirts with lengthy slits
- Dresses or skirts that hug the buttocks
- Any upper garment that hugs the breast
- Unbuttoned blouses, low necklines, cleavage
- Sleeveless blouses or dresses with large armholes
- Low-rise skirts or pants
- See-through clothing of any kind
- Skirts & dresses that are just plain too short
- Slacks, pants, or jeans that hug the buttocks, thighs, crotch
- A bared midriff or back
Do not cause your precious brothers to struggle or stumble!
What are you to do as a woman:
- Repent of the ways in which you have unwittingly and carelessly allowed yourself to be sucked in to the world's standards and caused occasional stumbling to your brothers
- Remove from your closet anything & everything that has any of the 10 magnets mentioned above.
- Pray for and labor to cultivate a sensitive and well-instructed conscience before God on this issue.
Now... to him that knows to do good & does it not, to him it is SIN.
Additional resources:
- Excerpt from Pastor John Piper, "Is modesty an issue in the church today?"
- Grace Community Church's college ministry's "Modesty Checklist"
- A modesty survey where hundreds of men were surveyed on what they think is modest dress for women and what can cause our brothers to stumble. Good insight into the guys' perspective.
[personal]
my affair with skinny jeans has been been terminated. a sobering sermon & a stern reminder of how i have sinned so easily in this area and also caused others to sin without a care. off to buffalo exchange/crossroads...
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