Exploring Modesty and Lust: A Biblical Perspective

Join Reagan as he delves into the interconnected issues of modesty and lust from a biblical standpoint. Turning to 1 Peter 3, he discusses the importance of treating these issues together rather than in isolation. Drawing parallels from the medical field's approach to treating symptoms, Reagan emphasizes the need for Christians to focus on pleasing God through their outlook and attitude, dress, and sight. He explores scriptural teachings from 1 Timothy, Genesis, and Matthew, stressing the significance of inner qualities and the hidden person of the heart over outward appearances. This thoughtful sermon encourages viewers to reflect on their own hearts and strive to live in a way that professes godliness and pursues righteousness.

00:00 Introduction and Opening Prayer
00:28 Therapeutic Sequencing in Medicine
02:07 Modesty and Lust: A Combined Approach
03:07 Individual Responsibility and Societal Influence
04:41 Gender Perspectives on Lust and Modesty
06:10 Biblical Teachings on Modesty
08:25 Historical Context of Modesty in Roman Society
10:29 Godly Conduct and Good Works
19:53 Lessons from Genesis on Modesty
23:53 The Importance of Modesty in Modern Life
28:53 Guarding Our Eyes and Intentions
36:43 Conclusion and Call to Action

Transcript

Would you check out your Bible please and turn to one Peter chapter three, one Peter chapter three. We'll read a few verses from the third chapter of one Peter here in just a moment. If you turn there and if you did not get a handout for the lesson this morning and you would like one of those, raise your hand.

And there are some gentle men who will come around and give you one of those if you would like one. In medicine, sometimes a doctor will intentionally choose to focus on a particular diagnosis or system symptoms of a patient, even though that patient might have several things that are going on at one time.

And this approach is often referred to as therapeutic sequencing or a focus treatment strategy. A doctor treats one condition or symptom at a time in a specific order, intending to take care of one issue before moving on to the other. Hopefully less important issues, and sometimes this kind of treatment works.

The problem, of course, in choosing this sort of method of treatment is that no symptoms happen in a vacuum totally independent of everything else. Often there are multiple issues that are interacting with one another at the same time to produce overlapping symptoms and taking this kind of approach sometimes leads to missed connections between symptoms.

Or sometimes even in more extreme cases, misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment for the actual underlying issue. When Stephanie's grandfather was in the hospital a lot toward the end of his life, this seemed like this happened a lot with him. He had a lot of things going on, and so doctors would choose, well, this seems to be the biggest issue, and they would focus on trying to treat that.

The issue with him particularly was that he had diabetes and on three different occasions the symptoms were masking something that was going on with his diabetes. And so this kind of approach just didn't work. I'm afraid I've sometimes done that with my preaching on modesty, specifically Immo dress and lust.

Through the years, I've tried intentionally to address each of these issues individually without bringing in the baggage of the other. And of course, those things don't happen in a vacuum either. And while focusing on each one individually and that approach has its advantages, I'm gonna try something different this morning by considering modesty and lust together.

They are individual concepts, of course, but they clearly have connection and interaction with one another. Both, for example, are issues of the heart and both are dealing with in very general terms, the way we look at ourselves, the way we look at others, and the way we want others to look at us. Now when I say that they're connected, let, let me first say a couple of things.

First, I am so glad the pendulum has swung where we no longer act as though as though those who are lusting have no culpability if others are dressed immodestly, you know, for, I think for many years, perhaps even in sermons, the idea was, well, if someone's dressed immodestly, then the person lusting after them.

Well, that immodest person, they're really the one that's at fault. And what I see consistently in the Bible is I am supposed to be in control of myself and my own desires. And if I sin, it's, it's my fault, and I should be the one who overcomes that through the grace and help of God. We each are individually responsible for our own sin, regardless of the actions of others.

And if you're lusting in this life, you need to stop lusting. Not blame someone who is dressing immodestly or even a highly sexualized society in which we live for your sin. And if you're dressing immodestly, you need to stop dressing that way and not blame those who are lusting or even a highly sexualized society in which we live for your sin.

But at the same time, those two things are related. And we cannot allow the pendulum to swing so far that we don't acknowledge the reality that there is a connection here. And the second thing that I would say in thinking back away about how this has been addressed for many years, and maybe looking at it from a slightly different perspective this morning.

For many years, I think lust was considered to be a sin primarily, or almost exclusively for men. And modesty or immodest dress was primarily, or almost exclusively a temptation for women. I, I think in our society today, we just have to throw out that reality that that's not the way things are anymore.

Instead, both of these temptations and both of the sins, if we give into them, are things that are struggled with by both of the sexes. And so we need to address it from that perspective. I think the reality is that there would still be lust even if everyone dressed modestly. Do you believe that to be true?

But immodest dress can and does incite some to lust when they see exposed nakedness, and I would suggest that probably there would still be a modesty even if no one ever lusted. Lust can and does incite some to dress immodestly in order to receive that lustful attention from others. So let's talk kindly and candidly this morning for a few minutes about lust and Im modesty and begin by asking the question, what is the goal?

What, what's my goal? What's your goal? What's our goal in, in regard to these issues? Well put simply, it's the same goal really for anything else regarding this life. The goal is to please God. My goal is to see that God is pleased by the things that I do by the things that I practice, by the things that I think, by the things that I look at, by the things that I wear.

If you're there in your Bible in one Peter chapter three. Beginning in verse three. First Peter, chapter three, beginning in verse three. Peter says this, do not let your adornment be merely outward arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel. Rather let it be the hidden person of the heart with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the eyes of God.

For in this matter. In former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves being submissive to their own husbands. Notice he says, do not let your adornment be merely outward. And, and really what's text says, do not let your adornment be outward. What he's doing here is he's making a comparison.

It's a not, but don't, he's not saying don't wear clothes. One of his points is you need to wear clothes, but that's not where your focus ought to be. Instead, your focus ought to be on the hidden person of the heart. It ought to be on who we are on the inside. If you look over in one Timothy, notice a couple of passages from the letters of Paul to Timothy one and one Timothy chapter two.

It's interesting. We see some pretty similar. Terminology vocabulary that is used by Paul as what we saw with Peter in First Timothy chapter two. Let's begin reading in verse eight. Together. I desire therefore, that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting and like manner.

Also, so without wrath and doubting and faith that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel with propriety and moderation or discretion. Not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but what is proper for a woman professing godliness with good works. Now, it's interesting both Peter and Paul talk about this idea of the way we adorn ourselves and I.

And specifically Paul talks about modest apparel, but they mentioned some things that maybe at first don't come to mind for us in our society. They both talk about arranging or braiding the hair and wearing gold and putting on fine apparel and all those sorts of things. And, and remember that they're in Roman society.

The Romans loved to make statues of things whether that was idols or people. And we see these busts of women where their head is shown. And there are a number of examples of women who look like this, no, this isn't Medusa, or something like that. This is what women would've actually looked like in High Roman society.

You can even see carved into her hair, these braids in the back, and then this. Beehive on the front, whatever that is. Right. What was the issue here with the braided hair and all those sorts of things? Is it wrong to braid your hair? Is that a modest, that's not Paul's point, and it's not Peter's point either.

Instead, in Roman society, this was a way to show your status. It was a way to draw attention to yourself to show I am better than other people. And that's the very opposite of what we would call. Modesty, it's immodest to draw attention to yourself in this way. And so we see that it's, I'm showing my status, but also people who could afford to do this well, they had a lot of time and a lot of servants on their hand, and they would have these long beauty routines so that others were focusing on their outer beauty rather than the hidden person of the heart.

When we think about long beauty routines, trying to hold on to the appearance of youth, that was a, that was a, a part of Roman society, just like it's a part of our society today. But Paul says to Timothy instead, it needs to be that which is proper for women professing godliness with good works. Good works in a context like this are the works of God.

That's what we see in Ephesians chapter two in verse 10, for we are his workmanship. God has recreated us in Jesus Christ, created in Jesus Christ for good works, and God prepared these ahead of time that we might walk in them. These are the kind of good works that he's talking about in one Timothy chapter two, and he says, the way you dress should profess godliness.

It should not hinder the good works that you're trying to perform in the name of God. Now later, Paul's gonna write to Timothy and speak to him directly in two Timothy chapter two. If you turn over to two Timothy chapter two,

begin reading with me in verse 19. Nevertheless, the solid foundation of God stands having this seal. The Lord knows those who are his, and I hope we have that same knowledge that I am his. I am a child of God and I'm striving to please him, as he says, second half of the verse, and let everyone who names the name of Christ.

You're a Christian. You're wearing the name of Christ, depart from iniquity, and then he uses this metaphor beginning in verse 20. But in a great house, there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay. Some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from the ladder.

He will be a vessel for honor you cleanse yourself of, of things that are of a, an ungodly way and be sanctified and useful, set apart for the master, prepared for every good work. Again, we don't want to have anything that hinders the good works that we're trying to do as Christians. So he says, verse 22, to Paul, this young man specifically flee, also youthful lusts.

Pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. With those, he says, yes, we are pursuing peace with those, but I think he's speaking more broadly, not just with this idea of peace, but that we're pursuing all of these things of a godly nature with other people who are calling on the Lord out of a pure heart.

All of us together are striving to have the kind of hearts that are pursuing the things of God we are doing, the things we do with others who seek to please God too. And we should view this as being all in it together, seeking to help one another. And in that way, these two things certainly overlap with one another.

I think we know what these verses are saying that we are striving to be absolutely. Positively beyond a shadow of a doubt, sure that God is pleased with me so that I might live and do the good works he's called me to do and that I might do it beside others who are striving to please him. And that's really what, what this sermon, hopefully all of my sermons are about that I'm not seeking to please myself and my fleshly desires.

I'm not. Seeking to please my peers of the world. I'm not seeking to please the faceless masses on social media. I'm not seeking to please the world at all, and I'm not even seeking to please my parents or my preacher. I'm seeking to please God on this issue, and that should be the kind of attitude that we have, which leads into the first of our points.

The goal is to please God with my outlook and with my attitude. That's the heart. Pun intended of this discussion. We all want to be modest, which is primarily a condition of the mind and a condition of the heart. Turn back again to first Peter, chapter three, where we began. First Peter, chapter three.

We probably all had the experience whether it was. Were the one giving the accolades or we were the one receiving the accolades. Probably we've had both experiences. If someone is given accolades or compliments for their accomplishments and they kind of blush and get embarrassed and they, they brush it off, we might tease that person and say, well, you're just being modest, and that's right.

That's exactly what they're being, and it has nothing to do with how they dress. It has to do with their humility. It has to do with their attitude in regard to the intention being all on them. They are deflecting that attention and praise from themselves, hopefully to others and to God himself. As we sometimes say, when people give us those kind of accolades to God be the glory, and that's exactly where we should be directing that glory.

A modest person is not brazenly seeking attention, whether by dress. Or by actions or by speech and modesty opposite immodesty, as with all issues of holiness, is an issue of the heart as well. If you're there in one Peter chapter three, read again with me beginning there in verse three. Do not let your adornment be merely outward arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel.

Rather let it be the hidden person of the what of the heart. With the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet, what spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God for in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves. So this is about our spirit and our heart, which is most important to God to begin with.

And so my question from one Peter chapter three is, do I have a heart intent? On serving and glorifying God or not, is that where my heart is? Is that really what I'm trying to do is please God in the things that I do. Now, we learn from this passage that a godly woman is to be chaste. And that word is not a word that we use a lot from the old King James, but that idea is free from all taint of impurity, and it primarily implies a refraining from acts or even thoughts or desires.

Are not pure or are not sanctioned by marriage vows. We're pure in thought. We're pure in act, in a word. We are to be holy in regard to our relationship with God and so others. Verse two should observe our chaste, our holy conduct. That is accompanied by fear. So other people are looking at us. That's part of life.

And sometimes we receive attention, even though we're not looking for it, we're not striving for people to do that. But when they do give us that attention, what do they see in us? Do they see this, this holiness in us? And two good questions to examine our hearts before getting into some specific app applications would be these.

What am I professing with my life? Well, first Timothy chapter two in verse 10 says that I should be professing godliness with good works. So this is what I am professing is the idea of saying, but I really think what Paul's talking about here is living that I'm saying something by the way that I live.

What am I saying? Am I saying this is godliness and this is what good works look like? I hope that that's what's in my heart. I hope that's what my desire is. And on the other side of the coin, what am I pursuing with my life? What am I going after? Well, two Timothy two in verse 22 says, I should be pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace.

That comes from what? Well, that is out of a pure heart. So notice we hadn't gotten to really any specifics yet.

I truly believe that if I am professing and I'm striving from a good heart to profess godliness with good works and out of a pure heart, I am pursuing with my life righteousness and faith and love and peace, then I have the kind of heart that's modest about things because I know that God is the one who's given me all things and I have to give all things back to him.

And with that kind of attitude of heart and mind, with that kind of outlook about what life is and what life's about, the way I dress, the way I want others to look at me and the way I look at other people should profess that and should be, I. Pursuant to that, it should reflect the things that I am pursuing in that regard.

So my goal is to please God with my outlook and my attitude. And so by extension, if I'm striving to please God in this way, then I'm gonna strive to please God with my dress as well. Now Preston had a really good lesson a few weeks ago called Further Clothed. He stole my title for this lesson and he said at the beginning of that lesson, this is not a modesty sermon, but.

It would be a good title for one. And, and that idea of being further closed was connected to Joseph and, and Jesus. But really we see that concept beginning as Preston pointed out in Genesis chapter three. As with so many other things in the Bible and regarding our perspective on these things, it begins at the beginning.

Go back to Genesis chapter three, if you would. Genesis chapter three, and let's begin reading in verse seven. So this is after Adam and Eve have both sinned. Eating of the forbidden fruit of the tree, of the knowledge of good and evil. They give into the temptations of Satan and their eyes are opened so that they know good and evil.

And so in verse seven, then the eyes of both of them were opened and they knew that they were naked and they sowed fig leaves together and made for themselves coverings. Girding coverings, loin cloths. There's lots of translations. It, it's difficult to know exactly what they did, but they're trying to cover up their nakedness by doing this.

We might say they made underwear for themselves and they heard the sound of the Lord walking in the garden and the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden and the Lord. God called to Adam and said to him, where are you? So he said, I heard your voice in the garden.

And I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. And he, God said, who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree, which I commanded you that you should not eat? And so we see here on this occasion that they made for themselves coverings, they were covering their body, and yet still the text refers to them and God and they themselves refer to themselves as naked.

Preston put it this way, so if you don't like the lesson, take it up with him. Adam and Eve have tried to just pathetically cover themselves in fig leaves, but it wasn't sufficient clothing for them, and that's true spiritually. That was Preston's point. It's true metaphorically as we apply it to our lives, but it's also true.

Literally, they needed to be further and properly clothed. God was the one who cloth them in verse 21. Also for Adam and his wife, the Lord God made tunics of skin and covered them. Again, tunics is a word where there's some debate as to what exactly the definition of that is, but this is a garment that covered much more.

And Preston's lesson is a good jumping off point for our discussion in a couple of ways. Number one, I think it's clear from this text and others in the Bible that you can be less than fully nude. And still be naked, that there is further clothing that needs to take place. And then number two, we want to be clothed in the way God would clothe me.

And maybe that's a good way to think about it, is how would God want me to dress? Would God be pleased with the way I am dressed? Is, is this the way God would clothe me? It's, it's great for me as a dad. I hope to. The girls get ready in the morning and so forth, and for a long time part of the responsibility of getting them when they were way littler, getting them ready in the morning meant I had to pick out outfits.

You know, I had to close them. And let me tell you, for a dad that was, that was a little difficult sometimes, especially when they were a little bit closer size. Like, who's even is this? Why, why do we have people's, you know, clothes in different drawers and in the closet? This is not the right thing. And then they get mad at me.

I'm like, you hung it up in the wrong place. What am I supposed to do? Right? And so I had this responsibility of clothing them. Now, thankfully, you know, they picked those things out for themselves. They closed themselves. But what if God was the one picking out our outfits? What would that look like if God were the one to further clo me?

And really the issue is God says, well, I'm gonna let you clothe yourself, but would God be pleased with what it is I choose to wear? What is God primarily concerned about when it comes to our appearance? Well, we know that God is not primarily looking at the outward appearance, but instead God is the one who sees the heart and that's emphasized a number of times.

Old and New Testament, but that's the thing. Dressing modestly isn't just so other people will focus on my inner qualities instead of my outward appearance. Dressing modestly helps me. To focus on my hidden person of the heart as well, and we know that Colossians chapter three and other places talk about how we clothe ourselves and God close us in tender mercies and kindness and humility and meekness and long suffering and love and peace and thankfulness that we are closed with the new man who is.

Who is clothed in the very image of Christ himself. And so there are all of these qualities of the hidden person of the heart that I am supposed to put on, and my outer man should reflect that. And dressing modestly helps me to not focus on the outer person, but instead the hidden person of the heart.

It guards my heart from defining myself and who I am and my worth in life by my looks or by my fleshly appeal. It doesn't matter what they say about the way that I look or the way that I dress. It matters what Christ thinks about that fitting in being attractive to the world, and the world says these things are the things you need to say or do, accept and wear to be attractive.

Those things should have less and less appeal as we strive to put on the Lord Jesus Christ to us as Christians. The old phrase is true. What you use to attract others is the kind of person you attract. And that's true in our dating and in our marriage and our, our relationships in those ways. But it's also true in our friendships.

If we profess godliness to attract others, we will attract godly people. And if we use ungodly means to attract others, we will attract ungodly people. Modesty turns some people away, no doubt. But with them, it turns away the heartache that they often bring. It turns away relationships that are based on lust and carnality instead of love and fellowship.

And it is easier to be distracted by sexual sin when you're choosing how to dress based on what feels if I may be so bold, sexy, what the New Testament calls, sensuality or lasciviousness when you're consumed with physical appeal, I. That's your focus and that's where you find your worth. And so we ask the question, how do these clothes I'm wearing make me feel what do, what do these clothes do to my outlook?

What do they do to my attitude? And if the clothes that I'm putting on awaken something in me when I put them on, or I think that they will awaken something in someone else that is ungodly. I need to reserve that for my husband or my wife by dressing modestly. You show respect for not just the ways of God, but you show respect for yourself.

I am more than what I look like. Is that true? I mean, is that true of you? Can I hear your heads rattle? Are you more than what you look like? I, I hope so. Am I more than what I wear? Am I more than my body? Modesty is a tangible reminder of where my focus needs to be. Get rid of those things that distract, clean out the closet metaphorically so that you can purify the mind.

And in so doing, you don't just remove temptation, you remove that stress and pressure to conform to the impossible ideals of the world and replace it with. Conforming to the image of Christ and you say, well, that seems just as impossible, Reagan. And yet God says, this is what we can be. We can be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

And that's what's real. That's what lasts. That's what doesn't fade away and isn't going to be burned up. And this world is so temporary and so fake in what it offers, and it's unattainable in what it demands of us. But you as a human being and a child of God, you are not fake. You are real. You are valuable, and you have thoughts and feelings and intelligence and creativity.

You have something to offer others, and that's true no matter what your tent looks like or how you clothe it. And you deserve the respect of others. And as Christians, we should look at others with that respect. Respectfully, no matter how they're dressed, we should view others with respect. And so third and finally, the goal is to please God with my outlook and attitude with my dress, but also with my sight.

And there are lots of verses in the Bible that talk about us guarding our eyes and placing nothing evil before our eyes. But let's jump right to what Jesus says in Matthew chapter five. If you'll turn over there with me, Matthew chapter five.

Matthew chapter five, beginning in verse 27, Matthew 5 27. You have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not commit adultery. And obviously that's still wrong today, but I say to you. That whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. And he goes on to say, if your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you.

It is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell. And if your right hand causes you to send, cast it, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

The ESVI think makes it just a little bit clearer. Whoever looks at a woman with lustful intent, and that's Jesus' idea. It describes turning our thoughts towards something rather than away from it. And that's where the sin takes place. It's not the temptation, it is in the intent of our look. It is not something that happens accidentally and we might not have set out to do it, but when the bait is placed before us, we give into that desire rather than resisting it.

It's in fact, it's very similar to Exodus chapter 20 and verse 17, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife in that it describes a looking upon and desiring to have someone to whom you have no right. So what do we see? What is our sight when we look at someone? Maybe the solution is to metaphorically pluck out our eye and not look at all.

But I think that might miss the point, both of what Jesus is saying and the rest of the New Testament. When we look at someone, it should not be with lustful intent. What should it be with? I mean, we're gonna look on people. I mean, I'm looking on a bunch of people right now. What should my intent be?

Shouldn't I look on people with righteous and pure and holy intent? I need to be able to look at someone and focus on them rather than how they look or how they're dressed. You know, I made it a goal a long time ago if, if I'm interacting with someone that is immodestly dressed, and, I mean, it's not like you can just ignore that and say, well, I, I don't see it.

Yeah, it's not there. But whether it's someone who's a waitress or a fellow parent or someone standing in line with me or, or, or in the elevator, whatever the case might be, I, I look in at them in their eyes. I, I listen intently if we have a conversation to see them rather than their body, because if they're dressed in that way, they may not have had many who really see them rather than the way they appear.

They may be used to people with. Wandering eyes, and maybe to a certain extent they even invite that for the attention that it provides. But we as Christians can and should see people differently. We should see people for who they really are with righteous and pure intent in regard to our relationship with them.

I want you to turn to one more passage. First Timothy chapter five, first Timothy chapter five.

Read with me verses one and two.

Do not rebuke an older man but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, because Timothy was a young man. And then notice what he says in verse two. Older women as mothers. Younger women as sisters, with all purity, we need to humanize and personalize people rather than turning them into tools for our use.

The objects for lust, we need to see all other people as children. Siblings and parents as real people created in the image of God who are deserving of our respect and our Christian Love. We need to see others as created in God's image and thus they deserve this from us with our sight. That woman is someone's daughter.

I mean, that's just the reality and and I have two of those. I have two daughters. She could be someone's mother. I have one of those. She could be someone's sister. I have one of those. She could be someone's wife. I have one of those as well. Richly blessed with women in my life.

How would I want others to look at those women in my life? That's the way I should look at other people and this person that I'm looking at. She has a real name. She has a life story with a past, and in the case of pornography, probably a sad and broken past and, and this person has a future. What would I want that future to be?

For her or for him? But most importantly, she is created in God's image and she is loved by God. She is a potential sister in Christ or perhaps an actual sister in Christ. And so my primary concern should be for her soul and our concern for one another should be, I will not place a stumbling block in my brother or sister's path, either by lust or by a modesty that would cause my brother or sister to stumble and not be who God has created them to be.

As created in his image and as recreated in the image of Christ. Earlier in Matthew chapter five, from the verses we read a moment ago, Jesus said this in Matthew five and verse eight, blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God and Shand in a great job leading us in some songs about this very attitude of heart and mind that we should have.

And as we think back to our initial example, what if. What if there was a doctor who knew every symptom came back to the same cause? You know when you went in, they knew that, hey, this is what is causing these symptoms. Whatever these symptoms are, this is the cause of it that deep down every issue could be traced back to the same organ that needed treatment.

Well, for the Christian, isn't that true? That ultimately every issue that we might possibly have comes back to the same ultimate cause? Yes, sin is the cause, but I, I really have in mind a, a, a different concept that every issue that we have comes back to our hearts. Do I have a pure heart that seeks to see God and be like him and please him?

And what I do and what I say in the way I see the way I think and what I wear. And if I do, if I have this kind of heart that desires God in this way. I'll pursue God's will and I will pursue God's way in everything that I do and think and see you're here this morning and you're not yet a Christian God.

God wants to recreate you in Jesus Christ for good works. And if you're willing to come in humble submission saying, I want whatever God wants, and I'm willing to put off who I used to be to make it so you can go down into a watery grave of baptism that you might rise to walk and newness of life. And if you're a.

A Christian here this morning and you realize that your heart is not where it ought to be on this or any other issue, it comes back to, am I trying to please God? Is that truly what is the desire of my heart? And if we as your brothers and sisters, can help you in any way in that, come now while together, we stand and while we sing.