Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture from the book of 1st Thessalonians.
1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
First of all this morning, Jesus taught that we are not supposed to judge by appearances, because sometimes wolves are dressed up in sheep’s clothing.
Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
But, on the other hand, a sheep is not supposed to appear in wolf’s clothing! Anyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus is not supposed to be dressing up in a manner that most of the public would consider evil. After all, why would a sheep want to dress up like a wicked wolf? A lot of the time it’s because they are not ashamed of the wicked life that they supposedly came out of. Take it from one who knows. I was living out in the world for many years, and went through the whole thing. Earrings, hair down my back, fringe leather jackets, spurs on snakeskin boots, riding a spring chopper, putting on the loudest mufflers in town, partying in the bars all night, promoting reckless music, keggers out in the woods, beer bongs, lasciviousness, proud and rebellious, and most of all, completely stupid! What an incredibly wasted period of life, but this is the way that depraved men live. So when some stranger gave me a King James Bible, the more I studied it, the more I understood what the Apostle meant when he said he was the chief of sinners. Paul’s life did a complete 180 from the lifestyle he lived before he became a believer, and God provided him with the grace that he needed in order to do it.
Now, think of this for a moment. Can you see a follower of Christ Jesus such as the Apostle Peter, dressing up in evil clothing, sporting wicked jewelry, wearing t-shirts with profane writings, spiking their hair and wearing chains, and then heading out into the world to jump into some mosh pit at a rock concert somewhere? God forbid! A true man of God will be ashamed of that old life, and will separate themselves from those who continue to live like that.
1 Peter 4:3-4 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
When I became a Christian, I hated the person that I was so much, that every reminder of my past life had to go. I even rejected using my first name for my middle one instead. The day that I truly believed what Jesus had done for me on the cross, I was so convicted of the wrong things that I was doing, that I ran away from that old man as hard as I could.
Ephesians 4:22-24 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
So when I see people who profess to be Christians getting involved with these types of activities, you can know for certain that there is nothing really happening inside of their heart. There is no life-changing conversion, something that is required to inherit eternal life. All it is is a person who is trying to walk on both sides of the fence, claiming to be a Christian, but refusing to renounce the past life from which they came. Genuine faith and repentance will result in an inward change of the heart, which will ultimately result in a change in one’s outward appearance.
Think about a women who dresses up nice for church somewhere, but then on the weekend, they run into Sodom and Gomorrah, dress up like a hell-drivin heathen, party together with their wicked girlfriends, and wear less clothing than a lot of the unbelievers. This is not Christianity, it’s hypocrisy. It’s claiming to believe in Jesus but never abandoning the old lifestyle that they used to live when they were a complete unbeliever.
1 Timothy 2:9-10 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
Ignorant unbelievers live sinful lives, and I can understand that because they don’t have faith yet, but those who claim to believe in Jesus enter into the judgments of God contained in the teachings of Holy Scripture. There are no weekend warriors when it comes to living for Christ. Those who try to walk both sides of the fence will reap the same consequences as the unbelievers.
Revelation 3:15-16 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
We are saved eternally through the knowledge of God and the application of scripture. That is what is known as repentance. You cannot fashion yourselves according to what you used to be, and still claim to be a Christian at the same time.
1 Peter 1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:
Those who claim to follow Christ must consider closely the things that they wear in public. As scriptures teach, our appearance is very important, and should never be perceived by others as something that is immoral and wicked.The way that you present yourself should never have a hint of rebellion, naughtiness or evil. When we are baptized by submersion, we are reborn as a new creature of Christ Jesus. We are called to become sons and daughters of God, and we must reflect that high calling not only inwardly, but through our outward appearances as well.
Sometimes parents can have the best intentions for their children, and dress them up appropriately for school or other events, but as the child grows into maturity, they might go out into the world and rebel, dressing exactly the way they want to, and following after their own carnal desires. They will begin to hang out with people who in the end are only going to rip them to shreds.
But listen very closely. A parent can guide you towards the truth, and a preacher can warn you about what path to take, but it is only through sincere faith in Christ Jesus that you will react to the will of God and be convicted by the wrong things that you are doing Genuine faith doesn’t need a parent to force them to go to church. Those who have genuine faith will personally seek after God, which can lead to a complete transformation of the soul.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Have you ever noticed in a classroom when everybody is sitting at their desk and obediently listening to the lecture, but suddenly the teacher gets called down to the office. When they are gone, a lot of the schoolchildren will begin to goof off, throwing spitballs and becoming disorderly. But occasionally you will find a handful of children who will quietly abide in their seats, and continue in their studies. This is the difference between true and false Christianity. When you truly believe in Jesus with your heart, you won’t need a school teacher to reprove you, because you will be filled with your own self reproach and convicted inside your heart that what you are doing is wrong.
Hebrews 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
So when we become a Christian in our hearts, the things that we wear need to change. Faith starts on the inside and works its way out. Sometimes people can be very rebellious and grow their hair out long, and when they become a believer, one of the first things they do is get a nice haircut. The reason why, is because they are ashamed of that person they see in the mirror. They don’t want to be associated with that old sinful person that they once were. You cannot be a shining light to the world when you are dressed up in rebellious and wicked clothing. Anyone who has the fear of God would take all that junk, throw it into a pile and burn it.
So, in order to walk a new life in Christ, you must renounce your past, which will require emptying out your closet, throwing the rebellious clothes in the trash, and learning to abstain from……
……The Appearance of Evil
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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