(Third Floor) Going shopping for the Lord

Are you ready for the third floor?

Great!!! We are heading for the third floor hurray!! This is Holiness floor; it’s time to pick up a new wardrobe, and a make-up job. If we’ve accept Jesus Christ into our life on the first floor we should be carrying the Holiness with us, because the word of the Lord, the book of direction, and instruction. Tells us that we must give our body to the Lord as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto him. (Romans 12:1)  ": I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

The Third floor is a doze, many people have the misconception about the word holiness, “be ye holy for I am holy” (I Peter 1:16) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. This floor is as white as the beauty of the clouds in the sky. On the first floor God has heard your cry for forgiveness from you’re past sins, and forgiven you, means that all the things of old are passed and forgotten in the eyes of the Lord. (2 Peter 1:9) But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Let’s make example of washed in the blood of the Lord, and live the life. If you are invited to go to your friends house for dinner let’s say” and inside of his house are white rug, walls, carpet, furniture, etc; you get the picture” and you are knocking at the door and waiting to be invited into the house for dinner, and the door opens and your friend takes one good look at you, and you have greases hands, grease all over your clothe, and shoes. What would your friend say to you, shouldn’t you of taking a bath and prepared yourself to be cleaned up, Just imagine if you were at the front gate of heaven and Jesus would take one good look at you and found that you had a blemish on your white garment. He would turn you away, but how can God just turn him away for one little blemish on his garment? Why shouldn’t he? Well, if he would let the one into the gates of heaven he would also have to let the others as well. (Romans 3:23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Matthew 7:13,14)Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. One white lie is as bad as a murder in the God’s eyes. A sin has no greater value of points then others it’s still sin. God said in the word its Holiness or Hell (Hebrew 12:14) Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. If you are not going to see the Lord where are you going? The word of the Lord said (Matthew 10:28)And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell; Hell was made for the devil and his angel’s and if you notice in this very next verse it said that the angels have sinned and are reserved for judgment. And that will also include us as well. ( 2 Peter 2:4) For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

 (Revelation 20:12)  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. Let’s talk alittle more about Holy living. It consist of respectable outward appearance, that old world dressing is gone; it’s time to cover up. Holy living is not for the inside only. It works from the inside out. On this floor we are going to pick-up the new wardrobe, we are covering up the flesh more so that you may not cause others to sin in their hearts to lust after you. We also understand that in order to be modest in God’s eyes, our dresses, shirt’s need to fall below our knees—for any part exposed above the knee is considered nakedness in the eyes of God.  (Isaiah 47:2,3) Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.
Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.

Webster’s dictionary defines the thigh as being the portion of the leg between the hip and the knee. Another verse that defines nakedness as an exposed thigh is this is

This verse applies to Men:

(Exodus 28:42,43)And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:
43: And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute for ever unto him and his seed after him. As you noticed that the last part of this verse reads forever unto him and his seed after him, Means that we must keep the statute of living holy unto God in the way we dress both man, and female. As Christian, we must be aware of the sinfulness and shame of immodest apparel and protect our Christian influence by not seeking to be like the world. Romans 12:2 tells us “and be not conformed to the this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what (is) that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Bible principles, teach that it is shameful to allow our nakedness to be seen (Genesis 3:9,21) Exodus 20:26). Paul gave instruction in I 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.

“Shamefacedness” is the opposite of brazenness and simply means reserved or having the ability to blush. This passage not only condemns apparel that is seductive and enticing but also those who dress in such a way to draw attention but also those who dress in such a way to draw attention to themselves. So then, apparel that is gaudy and flashy or clothing that is inappropriate for certain occasions is also condemned by this passage (what may be appropriate in the privacy of one’s home might be inappropriate and therefore, immodest at a public gathering). Christian men are not excluded in their responsibilities to dress modestly, but are to be” an example of the believers, in word, in conversation (manner of life), in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity (I Timothy 4:12)

         When we were in the life style of sin we wore clothes to attract the opposite sex. If we were looking for a mate God would send the right person in your life to fulfill your hearts desires. We don’t have to dress like the world to become a target for one to lust after you, for the wrong reasons. “Men stop wearing those tight clothe that reveal much; as a zip lock bag vacuumed tight. And use your knowledge on what looks presentable when you’re outside. Woman should bring those skirts down, or replace them with longer dresses, cover up. We should understand God’s standards, once we are saved, it doesn’t take us long to understand that God considers it an abomination for a woman to dress like a man. (Deuteronomy 22:5) The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

    This is the people of this generation that disagree on these terms of holiness Why? The excuse is that this is modern times, and we should follow the changes, and God understands he only looks upon the heart. Remember the flesh is the weaker vessel; we have the flesh, and we have the spirit, and our soul. Let’s make example of God only looks upon the heart. What if I had earrings pieced all over may body, tattoo’s, my hair was multi colored, and dressed like a biker. Would you think that it maybe a little hard for me to witness to a lost soul looking for a change of hope? If it were me, I would think twice about listening to someone dress like that. I would wonder what kind of church he was attending looking like the world. But, remember they say, “God looks upon the heart”. (Matthews 5:16) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good work, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

     Let your light shine before man that they may see the glory of the Lord. This means from the inside out. The way you conduct your daily business at work, or in this world, and the way you communication showing your respect for the Lord among sinners, and our fellow Christian. Let’s bloom in holiness for the Lord. (I Peter 2:11,12)Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. How does it feel when your outside and you are performing some type of activity that required physical work and your body is all sweaty and you feel unclean?  “Well, a shower or bath “do you feel refreshed?  I would agree to say yes” You see the inside of your body doesn’t receive the physical dirt of the world just like the example of the sweaty body, the flesh, and bones are protected on the inside of your body from the elements of the outside world. When you ask Jesus into your life we are going to receive a spiritual bath cleansing us from all your sins he will change your heart of stone to be flesh, that he may sow the word in it, and change that mind of sinful thought that a uncorrupt heart to be ready to serve righteous. Now that the inter-man is changed, the spiritual mind sees the outer-man a physical part of the image of the world. We can be changed, to shine from the inside out. It’s like noticing the sweaty body because our nature mind tells us that we need to be refreshed, and take a bath to be renewed. Lets show our righteous before man and look closely at the clothes that you wear, judge yourself to be approved (Jeremiah 13:22) And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy heels made bare.

If you have understood that the third floor had to do with changing our outward apparel, and you picked up the right look for God we are ready for the fourth floor.

Pastor Rolando Ramos 

www.fghconline.com