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Amen. So I'm going to preach this morning another sermon in the series that we've kind of been going through over the course of this last year, Seek to Excel, which has been kind of the theme verse for our church. And just something I wanted to put out there, obviously, as a broader theme, because there's always obviously areas in our lives that we need to always be making sure we're excelling in. And if we don't keep that in front of us, we will begin to lag behind. We'll begin to not excel, but rather decline in those areas. So we always have to keep these things in front of us. We always have to be reminded from time to time that we are to be seeking to excel in certain areas. And this morning, I want to just touch on really just two areas that kind of are under the broader point of standards. We need to make sure that we're seeking to excel in our standards. And this is a very broad subject. Obviously, there's a lot of different areas that we could touch on when it comes to the area of standards. I'm just going to look at just a couple of things this morning. If you would, keep something there in 1 Corinthians chapter number 11. There's going to be a lot of turning around in the scripture this morning. I'm just forewarning you. So I'm going to try to make it as smooth as possible so I don't have you spraining a finger or anything like that. But if you can stay with me, we're going to look at a lot of scripture. If you would, keep something in 1 Corinthians 11 and go to Exodus chapter number 19, Exodus chapter number 19. So again, we're looking at seeking to excel in this area of our standards. And the first thing I want to point out is that the Bible does teach that we should have some standards. I mean, really, when you think about it, the Bible is a book full of standards, full of commandments, full of rules, full of measures that we are trying to meet up to, that we are trying to obey, that we are trying to excel in these areas. And there's many examples of this. But one area that kind of came to mind when I was thinking about this idea of having standards is, of course, the priest. You say, well, maybe God is just very permissive. Maybe God is free, just lets us kind of do whatever we want. But God, throughout the scripture, has standards for people. There's things that he imposes on people and says, this is the standard for serving me. This is the standard for how you are going to conduct yourself. God has standards for his people. And we'll see here in a minute that that has not changed. But, of course, a great example is Exodus chapter 19. If you look at verse five, it says, Now, therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for the earth is mine. Now, right there, isn't that a great idea of being a peculiar treasure unto God? I mean, what a great title to have, you know, on your over you, you know, what a great, you know, put that on your resume. What are, you know, what's your background? Well, I am a peculiar treasure unto God, right? But notice there's some stipulations attached to that. You have to, what, obey his voice and keep his covenant. Then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people, for all the earth is mine, above all people. What a great calling. He says in verse six, And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and an holy nation. Okay, a holy nation. We have to think about what that word holy means. And really, all it means is separated, set apart. That's what it means to be holy, that there's a distinction, that there is a standard that is met that separates you from other people. Okay, some people are not going to measure up to this standard. Not everybody on the earth is going to be that treasure unto God. They're not going to be, you know, something peculiar unto God above all other nations. That was reserved for them if they obeyed his voice. They were very particular in that way. They were, what, a holy nation. They were a nation that was set apart from the others. It says in verse 22, And let the priests also which come near to the Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon them. So he's saying, look, the priests also within this holy nation had to go farther and even sanctify themselves. So this idea of being holy, this idea of being sanctified, really, when you think about it, is just a standard. That's what it is. God has a standard. Think about it with salvation. God has a standard when it comes to salvation. For all have come short of the glory of God, right? We've all come short. None of us has attained a God, has a standard of righteousness. We've all fallen short of that. That's why we needed Christ who could meet that standard. So this idea of having standards, this isn't just something I'm pulling out of the air and just preaching as some, you know, man-made doctrine. This is a principle that's found throughout scripture, okay? And it has some very practical applications in our lives. So first of all, we see this idea of having standards is something that's not new with God. It's not new with God's people. You know, this idea of being sanctified and set apart and made holy, you know, it's this idea that sanctification does what? It makes a distinction. Sanctification makes a distinction. When you're set apart and you're holy unto God, you're separated from that which is unholy, okay? You're separated from the world. You are made holy unto God. So we see these examples of standards. First of all, there was the examples of the priests. There's also the example of standards for God's people. If you would, go over to 1 Thessalonians chapter number 5. So there's the example of a standard of being separated, being a holy nation, being a peculiar people unto God for the nation of Israel. Within that, the priests also had to sanctify themselves. We could go to a lot of scriptures and look at all the things that they were supposed to wear, the certain things that they had to do in life. If they had failed in certain areas of life, the priesthood was cut off from them. You know, they had a standard that they had to live up to, okay? And this is, you know, also still true for us today. It's true for God's people at all times. If you look at 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, I'll read to you from 1 Peter 2. It says, if we were just reading this, Peter, this might sound very familiar to you from Exodus. He says in verse 9, but ye are a chosen generation, meaning God has separated you from the others, a royal priesthood and holy nation. So that's what God referred to Old Testament Israel as, right? That holy nation. But now in 1 Peter chapter 2, we see Peter is also calling us, the people of God, the Gentile nations that have been saved by the blood of Christ, and holy nation, a peculiar people. And this is why people don't like standards because it makes them what? Peculiar. It makes them stand out, makes them stick out. It makes them a little different from the world around them. But that's the way it is supposed to be with God's people. We should be different. People should look at us and look at our lives and say, there's something different about the way that they conduct themselves. There's something different about the way that they dress. There's something different about the way that they entertain themselves. There's something different about the way and the things that they allow and do not allow in their lives. There's something different about their behavior. There's something that makes these people peculiar. That's the way it ought to be, if we're going to be a holy nation. And if you're going to be a holy nation, if you're going to be a holy people, if you're going to be sanctified on the Lord, mark it down. If you're going to have standards, it will make you stand out because sanctification always makes a distinction. It separates from the world. If you look at 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 19, it says, quench not the Spirit, despise not prophesying. And this really isn't in my notes, but I'm just going to emphasize that right now because sermons like this tend to get despised. The Bible says, despise not prophesying. Don't despise the preaching of the Word of God, even when it steps on your toes. Okay? Despise not prophesying. Prove all things. Hold fast that which is good. You know, prove all things. Test all things. Is this something that's good for me or not? Is this something that's going to make me a holy person? Is this something that's going to sanctify and separate me? Is this going to something that's going to make me a peculiar treasure unto God? Or is this something that's going to file me? Is this something that's going to make me look just like the world? You know, you have to prove that for yourselves, and then you have to hold on to that which is good. Find out what the standard is and then meet it. Seek to excel in this area in your life. It says in verse 22, abstain from all appearance of evil. Obtain from all appearance of evil. Obviously, it's real, you know, we should abstain from evil. That's a pretty odd, you know, I wouldn't be shocking anybody if I got up and said, hey, the Bible says we shouldn't sin. You know, everyone's going to be, let me write that down. We shouldn't sin? You know, what a revelation. I came, went to church and I realized I wasn't supposed to sin. But you know, it is a revelation to some people when you say, hey, even if it's not sin, if it looks like sin, you shouldn't be doing it. Because the Bible says right here, if you're looking at it with me, abstain from all appearance of evil. Not just that which is evil, but that which other people could look at and say, that looks evil. But I'm not doing anything wrong. But it could be perceived that way. Okay? That's what the Bible says. The Bible says that we should abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you holy. So notice again, this idea, we want to be sanctified, we want to have the peace of God, we want to be separated under God. That comes after these prerequisites, just like back in Exodus 19, where he's saying, hey, if you obey my voice, if you keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me, a nation that is holy, separated from the other ones. There's those stipulations just like here. You want that peace of God, then you have to be sanctified holy. You want to have God keep you and preserve you and keep that peace, then you have to hold fast that which is good and abstain from all appearance of evil. There's these prerequisites to have this standard. And this is why it's something we have to seek to excel for in our lives. It's not something that's just going to happen. And a lot of times, people have never been taught these things. People have never simply been instructed. And it's my job to kind of get up and say, hey, here's what's acceptable. Here is what good behavior, good conduct looks like when you're trying to seek to excel, when you're trying to live a sanctified and holy life and have some standards in your life. Go over to Ephesians chapter number five. Ephesians chapter number five. God's people are still sanctified and set apart today. We should live that way. Look, we're already sanctified in Christ. Whether the world can see that or not, whether the unsaved can look at us and say, hey, that person is different. They're a child of God. They've been washed in the blood of Christ. They can't see that. We still have the old man. They still look at us and nothing's changed. How are we going to show that to them? Besides just opening our mouths and making known the gospel, how are we going to show that we've been separated under God? It's going to be through our conduct. It's going to be through the decisions that we make. It's going to be through the way that we carry ourselves. It's going to be through the things that we allow or do not allow into our lives. That's what's going to make that distinction. We've already been sanctified in Christ. Look at Ephesians chapter number five, verse 25. He says, husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. It sounds to me like God doesn't want us to be, you know, he wants a holy and unblemished bride. He wants something that's sanctified and separated unto himself. And obviously, he's already done that in Christ. When we are finally passed on to glory, when we go to heaven, we're going to be as he is. We're going to have that glorified body. We won't even be capable of sin. But if that's the case, then is it really much of a stretch to expect that God would expect us to live a certain way until we get there? That maybe God would want us to live in a way that demonstrates that we are a different and peculiar people unto the Lord, that we're a holy nation? I don't think that's much of a stretch at all. I don't think that having standards is not unreasonable. I don't think having standards is some unreasonable, you know, thing in your life. Having standards is a very reasonable thing for God, for you, for having it in your life. If you would, go over to 1 Corinthians or 2 Corinthians chapter number 6. I know you have something in 1 Corinthians 11. We're going to come back. We're going to go in and out of there a few times this morning, so just keep there. We're going to end there, but go to 2 Corinthians chapter number 6. You know, again, having standards is not some unreasonable thing. We just saw it, that God had standards in the Old Testament for His people, that God has standards in the New Testament for His people. You know, that's why people, they come to churches like this and say, man, you guys are strict. Well, yeah, you might say that. You might say that we're strict, but really all it is is that we have standards. So what does that say about people who don't have standards? They're not strict. Oh, they're so free-spirited, and they're just so open, and just they just allow so much. Yeah, they don't have any standards. They're not sanctified. They're not separated. They're not set apart under God. They're not trying to live a holy life. That's what it means to be strict. Oh, you guys have rules. Yeah, we have rules. We have standards because God does. I mean, I don't know if you've noticed when you've read your Bible, there's a lot of thou shalt and thou shalt not. The Bible is a book of rules. It's a book of standards. Is it really that unreasonable to say, hey, let's have some standards? Let's seek to excel in this area. The Bible says in 1 John 3, I'll read to you, beloved, now we are the sons of God. We're already sanctified, and it doth not appear what we shall be. We can't even, you know, we look through a glass darkly. We don't even fully understand what awaits us in the glory of heaven, what the new body is going to be like, what heaven is going to be like, what it's going to be like to stand in the presence of God with all the heavenly hosts. It does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when we shall appear, we shall be like him. That's the high calling that we have in Christ. That's the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. Why is it that we do the things that we do? Why do we preach the way that we preach? Why do we go out and share the gospel the way that we do? Why do we have these standards? Because when we shall appear before him, we shall be like he is. And Jesus said, or God said, be holy. Why? For I am holy. God commanded that to his people. Be holy, be different, be sanctified, be separated, seek to excel in your life in this area of having standards. Have some standards. He says when we shall see him, we shall be as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. When you see people that are just loose in their standards, that just are really permissive in the things that they allow, you sometimes you wonder, is it because they don't fully grasp the hope that they have in him? Because the Bible says every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself. He says, I understand that I'm going to stand before God. I'm going to be in his presence. I'm going to be like he is. I'm going to have that glorified body. I'm going to be just like him. I don't know what it's going to be like, but when I appear there, I'm going to be as he is. Let me purify myself. Let me have some standards. Let me live a holy, sanctified life now before I get there. Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Obviously, we never attain unto that in this life, but we should be striving for it. We should be seeking to excel in this area and not just be loose and permissive and not think about it and just say, well, whatever, you know, that's for that last generation. That's just for the preacher's family. That's just for the deacon. That's just for, you know, people who want to, you know, live a more straight laced life. That's not really my thing. That's not my gift. Whatever. The Bible says if you have this hope of having God being like him, you purify himself even as he is pure. You have some standards. The Bible says in 1 John 5, I'll read to you again, this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not grievous. You know, having standards is not unreasonable. It's not grievous to us. It's not something that should bog us down and go, oh, what a drag to have some standards in our lives. You know, when we have standards in place in our lives, it's because we're trying to live a more holy and sanctified life. You know, parents put standards and rules in place for their children, not because they just like to make their children miserable, because they're trying to make them better people. It'd be really easy, just not have any standards, not have any rules, not have any expectations for your children, but how are they going to turn out? You know, kids, obviously, if they're just left to themselves, the Bible says, you know, when a child is left unto himself, he bringeth his mother to shame. They're not, you know, a father hath no pleasure in a fool. He that beginneth the fool hath no pleasure in him. You know, I know I'm loosely paraphrasing there, but the Bible is saying in Proverbs that, you know, if you raise a foolish child, it's going to be a shame unto you. It's not going to bring you joy. It's going to be a grief to you. And how does that happen? By not bringing up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. And it's more than just, you know, singing, uh, you know, Jesus loves me, this I know. Jesus loves all the little children. You know, it's actually implementing some standards and saying, hey, here's how you live a holy life. Here's how to conduct yourself as a child of God. Here's how to be a respectable person. Here's how to grow up into an adult who can command some respect just in the way that they carry themselves. Having standards is not unreasonable, and it's necessary if we're, if we're going to raise children that aren't going to bring us to shame. Look at 2 Corinthians, chapter number six, verse 14, being out on a weekly yoked with together with unbelievers. That sounds like a standard to me. He's saying, don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers. When he's saying, hey, don't yoke up with some heathen. Obviously he's not saying, let's go all live on a compound somewhere and never talk to anybody in the world. Let's not, you know, grill the, the, the, the checkout lady at the grocery store before we have any trans, you know, transactions with her. Are you saved? You believe the King James Bible? What are your standards like? Obviously we have to have some, you know, interaction with the world, but this idea of yoking up and to walk together, except they be agreed, you know, when we're both going to try to go to the same direction, we have to be agreed. Obviously the, the more significant relationships in our lives, you know, marriage is a big one that comes to mind. Obviously, you know, friendships, the people that we're going to be close to, they should not be unbelievers. Again, I'm not saying don't ever have a friend outside of church. I'm not saying I don't have a friend that even that's unsaved, but we should always, you know, make sure that we're not yoking up to them, getting into some deep, you know, significant relationship that's going to affect our walk. That's what he's saying here. Be not only unweekly yoked together with unbelievers for what fellowship hath unrighteousness with unrighteousness and what communion hath light with darkness and what concord hath Christ with Belial or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols for ye are the temple of living God as he hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people. And that's us today. We have that, we are that temple of God. Wherefore come out from among them and be separate. That's what it means to not be unequally, you know, that's what it means to have a standard, to be separate, to not be just like the world. Be separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and I will be a father unto you and you shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord almighty. Look at chapter 7 verse 1, having therefore these promises, what, that God would be a father unto us, that we would be entreated as his very children. That's what he's saying at the end of verse 18, verse 17 and 18. I will receive you, I will be a father. That's a promise from the word of God. And that's a promise that we have in Christ. Them gave you power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name. Behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God. Right? We have that in Christ. He says in verse 1, having therefore, because we have these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. What's he saying there? Seek to excel in standards. Live a holy life. Live a sanctified life. That's what he's saying. I mean, what else does that sound like? Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh. Meaning now we're just going to give in to all the sin that's around us. We're not just going to give in to all the impulses of the flesh and gratify the flesh. That we're not just going to do all the same things that the world does. Look, if you're going to sanctify the filthiness of the flesh, obviously, you're not going to run out and be a fornicator. This is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication, that every one of you ought to know how you ought to possess your vessel. He's saying that's the will of God. What's the will of God for my life? Don't commit fornication. That's part of being sanctified. That's part of cleansing yourself from all filthiness of the flesh. Look, you go preach that in the public school, you'll get laughed out. Go tell your friends that's your standard if you're yoked up with unbelievers. They'll laugh at that. They'll mock that. They'll say, oh, come on. You know, just be safe about it. There's nothing safe about it, friend. Even if you manage to, you know, negate all the diseases and unwanted pregnancies and whatever else comes with that, you're still going to have the wrath of God coming down upon you because this is a commandment of God. I mean, adulterers and whoremongers, God will judge. That's not a maybe. It's a will. Cleanse yourself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, perfecting it, completing it. Look, we're all going to already going to be, we just looked at in 1 John, we're going to be as He is. We're going to be made completely holy in that moment. But let's not wait for that. Let's start perfecting that now in our lives. Let's start working on that now. Let's seek to excel in having some standards in our lives and abstaining from all appearance of evil in the fear of God, he says there. Go over to 1 Corinthians 14. Again, keep something in 1 Corinthians 11. We're going to look at 1 Corinthians 14. It shouldn't be too far from where at least one of your fingers is. So again, having standards is not some unreasonable thing. It's something we see in Scripture. And in fact, it's even something that, you know, we're allowed to or even expected in some instances to enforce in the church. You know, the church has standards. You know, part of my job is trying to figure out, okay, where, you know, what standards can I actually enforce from the church? You know, from the pulpit. What can I actually say, hey, this is a standard that must be met within the church. This is how you're going to behave. You know, I have to figure that out. Because here's the thing, not everybody has the same standards. You know, some people are going to have different standards for their children. Some people have different standards for their entertainment. People are going to have different standards for the things that they allow into their lives. No one's going to, you know, obviously there should be some agreement. We should all at least meet, have, you know, be seeing eye to eye on some things. You know, and I believe those are the things that the Bible makes just explicitly clear in the Scripture. And that's where I try to operate within. You know, when I say, hey, this is the standard that we have in the church, I have to try and really back that up with Scripture or a principle that's found in Scripture. Okay? And the Bible has a lot of standards that we are to enforce as a church. For example, women are not to speak in the church. I mean, and you guys can say amen to that. Maybe I should clarify, men are allowed to speak in church. You know, men can say amen. And I don't know, maybe you need to ask your wife for permission later or ask your mom for permission if you can say amen. But I'm just going to go ahead and give you permission right now and tell you it's okay, man, for you to say amen now and then. All right? Now, you ladies, no. You know, that, and you say, why is that? Oh, you hate women? No, it's what the Bible teaches. Oh, you got a problem with women? No, I love women. I married one. I'm spending my life with one. You know, I'm kind of fond of women. One woman in particular I'm very fond of. Okay? But, you know, this is a standard that's in the church. It says in 1 Timothy chapter 2, I'll read to you, let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. I mean, could the Bible be any clearer about that? You know, obviously people go to weird places with this, and they say that when a woman, you know, crosses the threshold of the door of the church that she's no longer to speak, I've heard people say such outlandish things. That's usually coming out of the mouth of some novice, some fool, right, who doesn't have any discernment. Obviously, you know, ladies are permitted to speak in the church before and after service, but you know what? They're not permitted to get up and usurp the authority of the men and tell us how it's going to be in this church. And they're not permitted to get up and teach and preach from the pulpit. That's just what the Bible says. And I know there's a lot of cute ways to get around it, but I'm not trying to, you know, skirt, you know, these clear things in the word of God. And again, this is something that a standard that the church has the right to enforce and is in fact commanded to enforce. You're there in 1 Corinthians chapter 14, let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also sayeth the law. So this isn't just Paul, you know, in the, you know, in the culture of his day, you know, just well that you have to understand that the society and the culture that Paul was living in and why he would have written, no, he said, as also sayeth the law. The law teaches this too. Women were not permitted into the priesthood, okay? I'm not going to get into all that. Go over to 1 Timothy chapter number three. I'm just using those as examples that, you know, standards are not unreasonable. In fact, some standards are to be commanded and held up in the church. And to say, hey, this is a standard that we have. And we need to make sure we're excelling in these areas in our lives. Seek to excel in standards. You know, we ought to, well, let's just read 1 Timothy chapter verse 14. 1 Timothy 3.14. These things write unto thee hoping to come shortly, but if I tarry along that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. Paul is saying there, look, there is a way you ought to behave in the house of God. Meaning there's some ways you should not be behaving in the house of God. And look, whatever standard you have outside of the house of God, when you come into the house of God, you have to make sure, you know, you check that at the door if it's in conflict with the way that you ought to be behaving. You know, let me just say this. The church is not your living room. The church is not some place where we just come and just, you know, let down our hair and just get real relaxed with one another and just, you know, put our feet up on the furniture and just make a mess and start running around and slamming into things and just start talking to people however we feel like it. You know, I know we're a family here, but you know, we're still saints in Christ. There's still a standard. There's still a way we ought to be behaving ourselves when we come to the house of God. And I'm not going to park it here. I'm going to get into a real particular point when it comes to standards here in a second. But he is saying there, hey, look, behave, there's a way to behave yourself in the house of God. It sounds to me like there's a standard that's expected in the house of God, that there's a way you should behave. And again, I'm glad that God didn't add, you know, a multitude more of pages in this book that's already as wonderful and beautiful and powerful as it is plenty long enough. He didn't go and add to it and say, let me explain every subtle little nuance. Let me explain every little thing that, you know, so that we know exactly what we ought to do, you know, when it comes to behaving and how to behave in the house of God. Look, a lot of this is just common sense. A lot of this is just, you know, you just have to ask yourself, is this appropriate? Is the way I'm conducting myself, is what I'm doing appropriate? But, you know, unfortunately it seems like today it's something that's going by the wayside. Why? Because the world has encroached upon God's people. It keeps getting into their minds and influencing them, and they're becoming more and more loose, more and more, you know, just letting down their standards or not excelling. You know, previous generations, this was even in the world, a lot of these things were just understood. They just understood, hey, a woman's place is in the home. And I'm not saying independent fundamental Baptist. That was just understood by the world. They said, hey, the man's the breadwinner. A wife's out of stay at home and raise children and be subject unto their husbands. The world understood that at one time. Now you go preach that now, you teach that now, and you're going to be, you know, surrounded by a bunch of green-haired freaks. They're going to try and run you out on a rail. You know, the world has changed, but you know what? That doesn't mean we do. Our standard is not, oh, let's see what's going on in the world. Which way is the wind blowing? That's not how we operate here. You know, we need to make sure that we're holding a center, that we're excelling in these areas. And I want to just, I know I'm going long, that was all introduction, by the way. You know, so buckle up, buttercup. Here's the thing, though, I want to narrow in on just a couple areas. Okay, get real specific this morning. The first area of standards that we need to excel in is the standard of appearance. You say, oh, God doesn't care about how we look. Go to Matthew 23, Matthew chapter 23. God does care about the way we look. You know, that's why I try not to show up, at least during church services, you know, in a pair of board shorts and a, you know, Hawaiian shirt. You know, I'm not Rick Warren up here. That's why I didn't wear a pair of flip-flops this morning. Because think about it, you know, we have to, do I even have to explain that? If I showed up like that, do you think people would have more respect for me or less? I mean, good night, it's hard enough getting some respect sometimes even dressed like this, right? It's because sometimes you catch me outside of church and you go, what's with the board shorts? What's with the flip-flops, right? And maybe that's something I need to work on. You know, but the thing is, you know, our appearance does matter. You know, when people come to church, they typically, they dress up. And I'm not saying everyone has to come in and some, you know, dress to the nines or whatever. But, you know, we should try to, you know, excel in this area of our appearance in the church when we're soul winning, you know, and in other areas as well. Oh, God doesn't care about that. Oh, you're illegalistic. You got, you Baptists are so legalistic. No, we don't believe in keeping the law for salvation. That's what a legalist is. So be careful, you know, what terms you're going to throw on God's people because you're basically calling us a false prophet when you say that. But anyway, Matthew 23 verse 25, it says, woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you may clean the outside of the cup and platter. And say, ah, see, Jesus is rebuking them for the way, and he's saying, you're so worried about the way you look on the outside. Is that the problem here though? Is that what makes them a hypocrite? No, he's saying hypocrites for you may clean the outside of the cup and platter, but within are full of extortion and excess. He's saying, the problem with you Pharisees is that the outside doesn't match the inside. And, you know, this idea of the appearance, I'll say this much about it. It's real easy to look the part, isn't it? I mean, the Pharisees are pulling it off. They've got the long robes. They've got the garments. They've got the priestly array. They, you know, they're real conservative in their dress. They just, they look the part, but inside they're full of extortion and excess. So obviously the inside is what matters the most, but that's not at the expense of the exterior on the outside. He said, verse 26, he said, here, let's fix this. Thou blind Pharisee cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter that the outside of them may be clean also. So he's saying, hey, get right on the inside that the outside is clean also. So he's not saying it's not one or the other. It's both. Okay. Now I'm just using this to point out the fact that appearance doesn't matter. We should seek to excel in this area. We should try to, you know, make sure that the outside is looking good, you know, that it meets a certain standard. And I want to get specific, you know, here in certain ways. Now when it comes to having standards in this area of our appearance, one standard that, you know, that's probably going to apply more to ladies, but this could apply to men in some ways, is being modest. You know, your outside appearance, your dress should be modest in appearance. And that's what the Bible teaches. Go to First Timothy chapter number two, First Timothy chapter number two. And what I mean by modest is that it doesn't draw attention. That's what it means. Now there's several different ways that your dress could draw attention to you. You know, one of the first obvious ones is if you were to dress very sensually. You know, if you were to dress in a way that was meant to catch a man's eye and keep it. You know, a way that would turn heads, as they say. Look there in First Timothy chapter number two, verse eight. I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting, and like manner also, meaning I will this, this is my will, this is a commandment, this is a standard. I like manner also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel. So what kind of apparel are women to be adorning themselves with? Apparel that is modest. Apparel that does not draw the eye, okay, for one reason or another. He said they're adorning themselves in modest apparel with shame-facedness and sobriety. You know, shame-facedness, meaning, you know, shame, think about what that's, you know, whenever I always read that, I always think of like, you know, someone who has a shamed face, like they're not, they're trying to hide almost, they're not trying to be seen. You ever get embarrassed about something when someone says something or maybe you say something and you're just like, oh, I wish I hadn't said that. You know, it's almost like you're hiding, just your body language says that, right? The shame-facedness, you know, that's how they should dress. Not in a way that makes them embarrassed, but a way that's like, it's almost like they're not trying to draw attention to themselves. It's like they're trying to not stand out. They're shame-faced and sobriety, you know, they look serious, they look mature, they dress in a way that, you know, they look godly, they look like somebody that you would take seriously. Shame-facedness and sobriety, not with broided hair or gold or pearls or costly array. So then he kind of gives us this other idea, you know, shame-facedness, don't dress in a way that's going to draw attention to yourself, specifically with expensive garments, okay? And this is the one that a lot of people don't think about. Normally when you preach about women dressing in a modest way, you just think that they shouldn't dress sensually, but that's pretty easy to understand. Look, if you're wearing, you know, the yoga pants and the cutoffs and the midriffs and the tank tops and the low cut this and the high skirt that, and you're showing off a lot of skin, that's not modest either. You know, and I kind of, I think I was, I want to say it was a subtle hint a couple Sundays ago, but I don't think it was that subtle, when I just straight up said that, you know, that's how the minds of men work. That men are just naturally drawn to that. Every man, no matter how godly he is, just like Job, has to say, I have made a covenant with mine eyes, why then should I think upon a maid? That's how men work. Don't be naive about that. That was, you know, I already preached that. You know, but there's this other aspect of modesty, right? Not with broided hair or gold or pearls or costly array. Look, that broided or braided hair, obviously I don't think it's, and there's anything, you know, he's not saying don't have a ponytail. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but you've all seen it where they get these elaborate braids, you know, where just these big hairdos, just these very flashy hairdos that they, and look, my wife used to be a hairdresser. That's what she did before I rescued her from the workforce, and I did rescue her, you know, is that she, you know, she had, she did a lot of haircuts, and there's some ladies out there, they'll fork over a lot of cash for a hairdo, you know, and then they're putting on the cap to keep not, you know, so it doesn't get wet in the shower, and they're sleeping just right, so they don't ruin it, and look, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with getting a haircut and making yourself look nice, but it's like when all you're, you know, when you're getting these elaborate haircuts, when you're putting on all this gold, all these, all this jewelry, all these pearls, all this costly array, having to just have the best name brand of everything, this flashy, I mean, look at what the world does. Isn't that what they do when they go to these, you know, big, you know, movie premieres and fashion shows and things like that, everyone that shows, they're not even a part of the show, they're just some, you know, renowned guests, they're just some, you know, VIP that's showing up to walk down the red carpet, they don't show up, you know, looking like Steve Jobs, you know, with a pair of jeans and, you know, some New Balance sneakers, you know, they typically, they got a unique, one-of-a-kind dress, and they stand there, and they show it off, and everyone's taking pictures, and they say, oh, so-and-so made it just for me, I was poured into this, right? That's why, that's costly array. That's not modest, okay? So obviously, that's one way of having a standard in your life, and here's a good rule of thumb, because obviously, you know, when we're coming here, we're not walking down the red carpet, you know, but here's the thing, if we're coming here, we got to make sure we're not dressing in a way, and look, it goes for in church or out of church, you know, this is at all times, but you shouldn't dress in a way that accentuates your physical features, you know, the way I was told, and I agree with, it should be, for ladies, it should be long and flowing, and if it's tight, and if you can see lines, and if you can see curves, it's too tight, and it shouldn't be dipping down, it shouldn't be cut low, you know, it shouldn't, why? Because that draws the eye, it's saying, look at my physical features, you know, here's a good rule of thumb, it's that song, and my wife was telling me this, and she said, you know, a good rule would be to do this, the song Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes, everyone knows that, right? Head, so maybe, ladies, stand in front of a mirror, and go like this, and then look in the mirror, and if any skin shows up, that's not, you know, down here, it's not long enough, unless you just plan on walking like this the whole time, right? But you're probably gonna end up, you know what I mean, you're showing stuff off. Head, shoulders, I don't know if that's really one that's gonna do anything for you, but how about this one, knees, oh, touch your knees, can you see down the shirt, it's too low, I mean, good night, my wife is very careful about this, I mean, there's bobby pins involved in that, that you don't even see, to keep that shirt up, so if she bends over for a kid, there isn't some guy going, because that's what dudes do, and look, don't be naive about this, I'll preach it again, if you think I'm lying, the next time you see some scantily clad woman walking around in her yoga pants, or whatever, her short shorts, and her, you know, just out there showing off to the world everything that her mama gave her, start looking around at the other guys that are there, that's what I like to do, that's the game I play, when I see some woman, I'm like, well, I can't look at that again, it's like, well, let me see the guys that are looking, I see it all the time, some of you ladies need to do that, start looking at the guys that do this, that's how men work, so, you know, this is the idea, you say, well, that doesn't seem fair, well, you know what, this is Bible, modest apparel, shame face it, the sobriety, don't be drawing attention to yourself the way you dress, head, shoulders, the knees, how about the toes, right, you know, it used to be just common sense to, that when a woman bends over, she dips her knees, she doesn't bend over at the waist, and look, I know this is old-fashioned and outdated, but this is a standard that people just used to understand, woman doesn't bend over at the waist in front of other people because it's immodest, sticking your tushy out in front of everybody, I mean, again, I need just an amen button up here, I feel like, maybe you don't agree with that, I guess nobody in here agrees with that, that it's immodest, I don't know, that's my standard, you know, I think it's immodest when a woman bends over at the waist in front of men, thank you, all right, I guess I'm not the lone ranger up here after all, so don't draw attention, don't accentuate physical features, look in the mirrors, ladies, and obviously the same all applies for men, but is this really a problem for men, look, if you're showing up with some midriff at church, dude, we're gonna have more problems than just you showing too much skin, all right, there's deeper issues involved there, but, you know, men aren't really, women don't really are attracted to men, yeah, thank you for amending that, good night, you know, men typically, or women don't, aren't really typically struggle with this idea of lusting through the eyes, they have other avenues, not saying it doesn't happen, but it does, you know, cover your nakedness, I gotta move on because I've got other points, this is all pretty redundant, these are things that we've probably already heard, go to Isaiah chapter 47, you know, when it comes to the idea of appearance, this could apply for men too, you know, we should be covering up our nakedness, and we have to understand what nakedness is, okay, and I don't want to spend a lot of time, because I've preached on this even recently, but the Bible is very clear that nakedness is, you know, from your loins unto the thigh, from your lap, you know, your hips, your lap region, down to your knee, that's your nakedness, biblically. Isaiah 47 verse 1, come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground, there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans, for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate, take the millstones and grind meal, uncover thy locks, pay attention, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh. So he's saying, hey, you know, pass over the rivers, you know, lift up your skirt so that your thighs are exposed. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered. So he's saying, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers, why? And then he says what? Thy nakedness shall be uncovered. So what's the uncovering of the nakedness there? Is it the ankle? Is it the calf? Is it the arm? Is it the face? Is it the head? Is it the torso? No, it's the uncovering of the thigh. That's what the Bible says is nakedness. Thy nakedness shall be uncovered. And notice, thy shame shall be seen. The Bible says it's a shameful thing to expose your thigh as a woman, but you know what, the same thing applies to men as well. But again, if you're coming, if you're walking around, dude, in short shorts, you know, this isn't, the 70s are calling, send them back. And if you're doing that in these days, which I'm pretty sure that's gone out of fashion, hopefully it stays that way, you know, you've got deeper issues. But for ladies, you know, is this a style that's out there to show off the thigh, to expose the shame of the nakedness through, you know, exposing the thigh? Oh yeah. You know, go to any college campus. I mean, they've got their bottom hanging out of these things. It's disgusting. You know, it's one of the most unsanitary regions of the human body, and you're just showing it off and sitting on things. You know, you're wearing these short shorts that are so high that, you know, the bottom of your bottom is sticking out. You know, you get up out of that chair, I feel like I need to get a handy wipe, you know, a wet wipe and wipe that thing and sanitize it. It's disgusting. It is. It's gross. But that's, you know, that's the world standard. Is that, should that be our standard in here? Is that the standard for God's people? That we should just show off our nakedness? No, it's the complete opposite. You should seek to excel in these areas. Not showing off your nakedness, not accentuating your physical features, not trying to draw attention to yourself through the way that you dress. And I'm not saying we all have to start dressing, you know, in these plaid plain shirts like you have a bunch of Mormons up north or something like that. You could still be, you know, this is something my wife struggled with, you know, honestly. I hope she doesn't mind me saying that. You know, when she first got saved and got in church, you know, she looked at some ladies and said, I don't want to dress like grandma. Well, here's the thing. You could still look nice. You know, you can still be modest and not dress like grandma. You don't have to look like, you know, you skinned grandma's floral couch and came to church. Now, if that's your style, go ahead. But, you know, she was like, I don't want to dress like that. And this is not my style. But you know what? Then she found jean skirts and t-shirts and things like that. And you can still dress nice. Not that grandma doesn't dress nice. Okay. It's just some younger ladies, they're just not there yet. Okay. They haven't come to appreciate the finer things in life, I guess. I don't know. But again, I'm just saying, look, you can be modest and still be, you know, fashionable, if that's important to you. And still look nice, still dress with sobriety and godliness and shame-facedness. And try to impress with, you know, how expensive your garments are. Go over to, I got to move on quick because I still got more pages here, but go over to 1 Peter chapter number 3. I know I'm taking some time this morning, but this is an area that we have to excel in. You know, and maybe you're out there and say, I've got this down. Well, you know, there might be other people in here that need to hear it. Okay. Not trying to impress through expensiveness. That's another way, another standard when it comes to your appearance. 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 1, it says, Likewise ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, they may also without the word be won by the conversation of the wives, while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear, whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning, of plaiting the hair and wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel. He's saying, don't doll up the outward man. That's not what's going to win them. That's not what's going to save them. That's not how to have a conversation coupled with fear. Let your adorning be the inward man, it says there verse 4, but let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. You know, God's not impressed with your, you know, your wardrobe. God's not impressed with, you know, some expensive garment. God is impressed with a meek and quiet spirit. That's the ornament that women should be adorning themselves with. A meek and quiet spirit. That's what the Bible says. Look, it's very unbecoming of women, young ladies, women of any age, to behave like a man. It's unbecoming. And again, I know it's 2023, and this is, you know, this would trigger a bunch of woke idiots out there. Woke, right? But, you know, this is the Bible. And these things are becoming more and more important as we're starting to live in a, as we already have arrived in a society that has completely just blurred the lines between men and women that are just saying, hey, you know, you were born a man. Good news, you can become a woman. We'll just fill you up with testosterone and just, you know, mutilate your body and viola, you are now a man. That's the world we're living in. You know, and if you think I sound crazy, this is what the Bible says, that women should adorn themselves with a meek and quiet spirit, that women should behave differently than men. And not just in their appearance, but in the way that they actually carry themselves and conduct themselves, that they shouldn't be loud and boisterous and bossy like a man. Let's just move along. Go over to Deuteronomy chapter number 22. You know, I actually just go to 1 Corinthians. I've got to hurry up because I'm spending a lot of time on this point. But let me just end on this idea of, actually, you know what? No, we need to go to Deuteronomy chapter 22. Go to Deuteronomy chapter 22. We need to look at this. But let me just end this point on appearance, make this point, is that, you know, there's obviously nothing wrong with a lady trying to look nice and look her best and be attractive for her husband and, you know, dolling herself up a little bit and just trying to be presentable. I'm all for that. But just understand this, and this would be a really good message to you young men as well, is that physical beauty is not a virtue. Physical beauty is not a virtue. Think about it. What did you have? If you're a more attractive appearance, if you're maybe a more attractive person, what did you have to do to do that? Be born. And let me explain something else. When you were born, you did nothing. That was mom's work. You know, she was the one that labored. You just showed up and then said, feed me, change me, nurture me for the next, you know, 18 years. I mean, dress me, you know, take care of my every need, right? And I say that jokingly because by the time you're 18, you should be, you know, start standing on your own two feet. You should be able to feed yourself, clothe, obviously clothe yourself. You know, mom shouldn't have to do every little thing for you, okay? But the point is this, is that, you know, when you were born, if you grow up and you maybe have a more beautiful countenance than other people, you didn't do anything to earn that. That's not a virtue. You know, something that's virtue is, you know, people that strive for things, that work hard, that have character, those are virtues. You know, people that overcome obstacles, people that, you know, have a good character, people that are disciplined, people that excel in certain, those are virtues. It has nothing to do with the physical appearance. Look at Proverbs 31 verse 29. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excelest them all. Favor is deceitful and beauty is vain. Beauty is a vain thing. It's empty. But a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Is the world going to praise her? No. You know, but our children might rise up and call her blessed. Her husband will honor her and above all, you know, she has a meek and quiet spirit. If she fears God, she shall have praise of God. That's who's going to praise her. You know, the women who actually try to live up to this standard that seek to excel, you know, to these standard, these biblical standards that are very clear in the word of God. But this is the message to the young men. Look, if all she's got is good looks, good luck. Okay, if all she's got is good looks, good luck. She's going to take a whole lot more than just being a pretty face, to be a good wife, to be a good mother. It's going to take a whole lot more than being attractive, to be a good wife and a good mother. It's going to take real virtue. Beauty is vain. And you know, obviously, ladies need to mark that down. But you guys need to mark that down, too. Some guys, some guys are just, they have this unbelievable standard for who they're going to marry. Like, she has to, she has to be new IFB. Obviously, she has to be saved. That's just a given. But she's got to be, and King James only and all that, but she's got to be new IFB. She's got to know how to cook, you know, you know, five-star Michelin, you know, meals three times a day. She's got to be, bear all my children. You know, how, you know, all 12 of them, 13, 15 of them that I'm going to have. She's got to stay home, and she's got to be obedient, and she's got to, she's got to be able if she wanted to be able to walk down a, you know, a runway as a model. And on top of all that, she also has to have these incredibly good looks. Good luck. You just described, you know, some unicorn of a woman. And say, oh, you mean I shouldn't find, I can't be, no, obviously be attracted to, you know, if you're not attracted to them physically, it's not going to work. You want to have, but you know what, there's always, you know, there's always somebody prettier than us out there, isn't there? There's always somebody better looking than us out there. I mean, that's the standard, you know, good luck with that. And if that's what's going to make your final decision on who you're going to marry, good luck. If that's the number one thing on your list, she must be good looking. All these other traits don't matter. Good luck. Enjoy your life. And I'm saying that very sarcastically in case you haven't picked up on that. Last point when it comes to this thing of seeking to excel when it comes to standards. Look, don't dress in a way that draws attention to yourself by accentuating your physical features, by putting on expensive garments and just, you know, all of that. But lastly, you know, wear clothes that are appropriate to your gender. You say, is that a thing? Yeah. Did you know there's a garment that pertains unto a man? This is the Bible says this, verse five, the woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment. There's a popular verse for our society today. Maybe they should start teaching that in school. You know, a man should not put on a woman's garment. No one would really object. I mean, I know there's plenty of people out there that would object to that now, but obviously probably everybody in here, I hope, would agree that if a man showed up in a dress, he would be shown the door immediately and rather curtly and maybe even called a few names on the way out and told and made an example of so that he can go back and tell of his fag buddies, don't bother coming down here. We'd all agree with that, you know, because that's cross dressing. Because why? Because he's putting on a garment that pertains to a woman, a dress. So a dress is a woman's garment, a skirt. So what could possibly be a man's garment? And people just, they act so dumb on this point, like, I don't know. I mean, I just, what could it be? It's such a, it's such a mystery, that man's garment. It's pants. It's pants. Pants are men's garments. You know, and that used to be understood for a long time, you know, until the, you know, the world war when women started going to work in the factories and they all started dressing like a man. It's the first thing they did. You know, it used to be illegal in California for a woman to wear pants. In California, in the 60s, you wore a pair of pants going to jail. It was a, it was a punishable offense for a woman to put on a pair of pants. But in the Bible said, it's still, and you know, California obviously has changed quite a bit. The Bible hasn't, it's still, I mean, my Bible still says that. That a woman should not put on a woman's garment. And look, I'm not going to turn to all the passages, or talk, just look up the word breeches, you know, britches, breeches, breeches, which is another word for pants. And you'll see that it's, men are commanded to wear those things. The priests, other people were commanded to wear breeches. They were commanded to wear pants. People were like, they didn't have pants. No, you just looked at too many, you know, old paintings that were, you know, from the first few centuries or whatever, or, you know, during the Greek empire where a bunch of guys were dressing, you know, were painting the aristocracy, all wearing a bunch of togas. Not everybody walked around like that. You know, not every culture, pants aren't some, it's not like a Swiss watch we're talking about here. You know, you know, figuring out how to put on a pair of pants, it's not like you're trying to land a guy on the moon. It's not exactly the most advanced technology, hosen, pants, breeches. People have known about these things for a long time. Anyway, you know, I could park it there, but I know I've got to, I've got to move on. Well, I might just have to make this two-parter. Let's look at 1 Corinthians chapter number 11, 1 Corinthians chapter number 11. It says in 1 Corinthians chapter number 11 in verse number 2, Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the ordinances as I delivered unto them unto you. When it comes to this idea of appearance, let's move through this very quickly. The other thing you have to consider is not just what you wear, but also your hair. Yes, the length of your hair matters. Your appearance matters. I mean, this is very clear. Verse 5, Every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonereth her head, for that is even all one as if she were shaven. So when that covering is not that little doily that they like to put on their heads, like the Mennonites, and then they put it up in that little bun, this is their hair covering. That's not, the Bible says that their hair is the covering. Your hair is a covering. That's why it says if she were uncovered, it was as if she were all shaven. I mean, she didn't take the doily off, but she might as well be as like she shaved her head. If a woman crops her hair very close, she might as well just shave it. For if a woman be not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. Let's move along here very quickly. Look at verse 13, Judge in yourselves as it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered, doth not even nature itself teach you that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him. You know, a man should not have long hair. And look, this is where, and you say, well, how long is long? And I've heard different things. You know, people have different standards. You know, my personally, I feel like if it's touching the ears, it's too long. That's my opinion. And people can have different opinions on this. I'm not going to be a stickler about this. I'm not going to take people aside and say, hey, let's get it up off the ear. You know, because I honestly, I've probably let that happen more times than I should have, you know, but my wife gets busy. I don't feel like forking out. How much is a haircut? How much is a haircut? 20 bucks. Good. 40. Where are you getting your haircut? I'm just kidding. I don't doubt that. That's probably true. Back when I was getting a haircut before I got married, because I used my head and married a hairdresser and I'm saving, I mean, I'm getting, that's a return of my money, buddy. Right. I'm getting my haircut. But you know, when you have kids, sometimes you got to go four or five weeks and it starts to get a little shaggy. Right. But, you know, obviously, you know, if it's, if a man's hair is starting to resemble that of a woman's, it's too long. Okay. And we all, and I don't want to spend a lot of time on this. I've already gone really long, but since I'm already making everybody mad, I want to just go ahead and wrap it up and just peel the bandaid off here. Okay. So we looked at appearance. We're talking about seeking to excel in our standards. So the first thing we looked at was our appearance. But what about our conduct? The things that we do? How we behave? And I'm gonna get real practical here. If you would, go to Proverbs chapter number 30. Proverbs chapter number 30. It says in 1 Timothy chapter number 3, these things right under the, oh, we already read that. You know, that there's a way to behave in the house of God. Right. The way you conduct yourself. Specifically, what I want to touch on this morning is you should seek to excel in your conduct with the opposite gender. How you behave. Boys behave with girls, and girls behave with boys. Young men behave with women, and how young women behave with young men. Okay. You know, those of us that are more, you know, have matured, we kind of have figured this out. Okay. But there is a way that you should conduct yourself with the opposite gender. And again, some of this might be more my opinion, how I feel about things, but I believe that I also have the Spirit of God. If you look there in Proverbs chapter 30 verse 19 or verse 18, did I have you go there? It says, there be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea for which I have known not, for which I know not. The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a maid. He's saying, these are wonderful things. Right. There's just something about the way of a man with a maid, but I want to point out the order there. It's the way of a man with a maid. And this, he's just pretty, you know, this was just something that was just kind of common knowledge and just kind of understood. This is something that would be considered ladylike, is that men are the ones that initiate relationships, that men are the ones that pursue women and not vice versa. Because, you know, again, when a woman is, when a young lady pursues a boy, it's unbecoming. It's not ladylike. And I'll say it again, it's not ladylike. No one's backing me up on this stuff. You guys are just leaving me hanging. I guess I really need to park it on this. I mean, isn't that the order here, the way of a man with a maid? Is it, isn't, you know, if a woman started behaving like a man, isn't that kind of unbecoming? Is it, aren't men typically the ones that initiate and pursue? Isn't a woman supposed to, you know, conduct or have a meek and quiet spirit? Isn't a woman not supposed to be just flirting with everybody? Isn't a, isn't a young woman supposed to, you know, have shame-facedness and sobriety, not trying to be the center of attention? I mean, I don't think I'm out to lunch on this, folks. And this is how, when it comes to seeking to excel, your conduct matters, how you interact with the opposite gender. And I want to conduct a little experiment here to teach the principle of proximity, okay, and I, and I, and I elinorated that point so you'd remember it. The principle of proximity, how near you are. This is a real practical point of the sermon when it comes to how to conduct yourself with the opposite gender. It, you know, you should keep a certain distance from one another, young people. And if you don't believe me, you know, well, first of all, I already asked the elites if they would mind doing this. Can you come up for me? They're going to conduct an experiment for us, just so I can illustrate this point. Brother, would you stand over here? No speaking, I'm not going to ask you to sing or anything, and if you would stand over here. Now, let's pretend we don't know the elites. They're brand new, you know, you know, Brother Joshua, he got here a little earlier, and then, you know, Miss Theresa came in a few minutes later. We don't know these people. And you guys are both facing this way, right? Do they look like a married couple to you right now? If you didn't know them, would you say those two are married? What's the one thing that's telling you that? The distance. You know, I don't walk down an aisle, and then there's another lady, you know, in the grocery store, and somebody walks and says, sees me at one end, and her at the other, and says, I wonder if that's a couple? Because just the physical distance between us, do you see this? Take a big step toward each other, right? Okay, right there. Now, now, how do you, would you look at that and say, there's something going on here. They might, but would we say there's definitely not, no, hey, would we say they're married, maybe, that there's some kind of, maybe a more intimate relationship taking place based on this proximity? What if they got a little closer? Go ahead, I give you permission. Now we would say, what's going on here? Yeah, go, yeah, now look at this, right? How about this? Don't even touch, just turn towards each other. Yeah, see, whoo, all right, that's enough, knock it off, you two. Right? But does that illustrate my point? And that's why you should be careful about how close you get to the opposite gender physically. You know, and my personal standard is, is I'm not going to let my daughters sit next to boys. And look, I'm not going to enforce this in the church, but I'm just saying, I think there's a principle there in Scripture. I think there's just some common sense, there's just some common understanding that should be there, that we don't let, you know, our young people sit next to each other, right next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, elbow to elbow, you know, looking like a married couple. Avoid all appearance of evil, the Bible says. It doesn't look good, it's unbecoming, okay? The principle of proximity. I got to wrap it up, but the Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter number seven, I'll just read to you, now concerning the things wherever you wrote unto me, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. It's good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, let every woman have her own husband, okay? And look, we could look at that and say the touching there is referring to fornication, and you know, I could see where people are coming from. But here's the thing, here's what, here's how, you know, fornication doesn't just, it doesn't go from, from, you know, not touching to fornicating. That's not how it goes. You know, there's seduction, there's all these other things, and a big part of that is touching. Physical touch often leads to fornication. And look, if all that's going on is just some touching, you know, it's still, and it's not going to lead to that, it's still the appearance of evil. Because people can look at that and say, you look like you're about to make out the way you're sitting. You look like you're about to have your hands all over each other any second now. That's the appearance of evil, and the Bible says to avoid all appearance of it. If it looks that way, that's bad enough, okay? Again, I'm just ripping the band-aid off this morning because we, some people need to work on this. Abstain from all appearance of evil. Your posture, your body language speaks volumes. You know, I've heard it said like 80 or 90 percent of all communication is non-verbal. That's why we just, we can register people's emotions, their moods, just by looking at their face. They don't have to say a word. We can just look at them and say they look angry, they look happy, they look upset, they look bothered, they look sad. Just, they don't have to say a word. We just look at them because the vast majority of communication is non-verbal. So your posture, how you sit, who you sit next to, the way you sit next to them, the way you conduct yourself, start stretching and doing all this stuff, leaning, laying down. It's, it's, I'm telling you, you need to knock it off. Why? Because it looks bad. Avoid the mere appearance of evil. Do all to the glory of God, the Bible says in 1 Corinthians chapter number 10. Whether ye, therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever you do, whatsoever, whatever you're doing, however you're conducting self, yourself, in every area of your life, do all to the glory of God. Do it all to God's glory. Is the way I'm conducting myself bring glory to God or not? That's what you got to ask yourself. Now if you would go back to 1st Corinthians 11, I'll end here. Obviously, you know, not everyone's going to agree with everything I've said this morning, and that's fine. You know, I'm not saying that if, if, you know, I see some of these things going on, then I'm going to enforce them or there's going to be consequences or punishment. Honestly, I don't feel like I have that authority. But hopefully I've laid out a case from the Scripture that, you know, we should be careful about how we conduct ourselves. When, you know, we should be careful about how we dress, the way we appear, and not only that, the way we carry ourselves, the way we interact with one another. It all speaks at all, and other people are noticing. The young, the children in this church notice, the adults in this church notice, the other young people in this church notice. They all notice, we all notice how one another are behaving. So that's why we need to be careful. And look, if you don't agree, that's fine, but you know what? You don't have to be contentious about it. Okay? Look at 1st Corinthians, verse, chapter 11. He says in verse 15, but if a woman have long hair, it is a glory for her, for her hair is given to her for a covering. So again, the hair is the covering. He's saying long hair in a woman is a glory. Okay? And he just got done saying it is a shame for a man to have long hair. Okay? But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom. Neither the churches of God. He's saying, look, it's not our custom to be contentious about this. This is what the Bible says. It's really clear. It's nature itself teaches you, but it's not necessarily something that we need to all get bent out of shape over if people have different standards. People have, you know, maybe they don't agree with everything. Okay? But I'm just kind of, I'm obviously, I'm giving you my opinion very much this morning. And there are some things that I've said this morning that are very biblical about how we ought to dress and other things. Maybe this last point, when it comes to, you know, how young people are going to be allowed to behave with one another, there's some wiggle room there, but what we need, either way, we need to seek to excel in this area of standards. You know, we need to ask ourselves, is the way I'm conducting myself, does it, even though it's not evil, does it look, could it be perceived the wrong way? Could it look like something it isn't? And if the answer is yes, we need to fix it. And you know, and let me just say this, I wouldn't be preaching this if it weren't a problem. You know, and I was, I almost pulled the plug on this one this morning because I knew it was going to be fun. But you know what? That's why I preached it. I said, well, and that must mean I need to preach it. If it's making me uncomfortable, it's probably because I know I'm going to step on some toes and there are probably some toes that need to be stepped on in this area. And we need to make sure that we're seeking to excel. And in this area of standards, let's make sure that the way we're conducting ourselves and our dress and our conduct, you know, is glorifying to God. Let's go ahead and pray.