THE WORD

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THE WORD

Al

The Preaching Ministry of Ashley River Baptist Church

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God’s Family Values Luke 16:15 and I Chronicles 12:32 The times they are a changing’… Living “Christianly”, holding firmly to the values and actions of Christianity in the turbulence of change is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. The key is HOW we live not WHOM we fight. In the face of the breakdown of ethics and morality, we are facing a Values Crisis in America 1 Chronicles 12:32 “And of the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do,” …attitudes and actions of Christians look much like the rest of our society. …our salt has lost its saltiness and our lights have grown dim or flickered out. Luke 16:15 2 Chronicles 20:32 Proverbs 2:6-10 DEFINING VALUES: Values define us, determine who we are and direct what we do. Christian values distinguish the followers of Jesus Christ from everyone else. Value = Worth. To value something is to establish its usefulness, importance or general worth …the price we assign to something. Behavior: What we do and how we do it! Values: Why we do what we do. As boundaries for behavior, values govern our underlying thoughts, attitudes and decisions which result in behavior. Everyone has values...just different values. We put different price tags on the same things. Proverbs 21: 2 Focus on and adopt those central Christian values clearly set forth in the Bible… as opposed to those forged by changing politics and cultural expressions. “What we value is what we love” Matthew 6:21 Matthew 22:37-39 Value God- Value your neighbor!

RELATIVISM: Humans determine their own values Moral Relativism: The philosophized notion that right and wrong are not absolute values, but are personalized according to the individual and his or her circumstances or cultural orientation…values change depending on the time and circumstance. When relativism is the rule, everyone is free to determine morality according to individual preferences or belief. Relativism makes it virtually impossible to reach any kind of moral consensus. When the basis for values is relative and human, the price tags for those values are constantly changing. God has established Absolute values: Constant and not variable or dependent on culture, generations, situations or personal preference. Christians believe that God sets the values for our lives. God determines what is worth more and what is worthless…what is good and what is bad. God sets the value. Our choice is to accept them or devalue them and walk away. Micah 6:8 Proverbs 6:16-23 To be a Christian is to commit to Christian values. We agree with God on what has worth and the priority of that worth. Love what God loves and hate what God hates. God’s values are revealed in the Bible. As Christians, we cannot ignore the culture around us and leave values by which we live to be defined and controlled by society. The highest value for a Christian is to live Christianly…to live by the values of Jesus Christ regardless of the circumstances. Living circumstantially is an expression of relativism. Health, wealth, success and happiness are given high value. Living Christianly is an exercise of faith. The highest value is to think and behave like Jesus Christ. Living Christianly America’s values are ‘devaluing’ America, and she is dying for Godly values. What “price tag” do you place on the values of God? Are they absolutes in your life? True Christianity is marked by taking the opportunity to live Christianly— by Christian values … no matter what happens.