Evaluate Your Value System?

BY MY APPETITE AND VALUE SYSTEM WE CAN GROW...

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

I. DO WE UNDERSTAND HOW OUR VALUE/ PRIORITY SYSTEM PLAYS A ROLE

IN OUR EVERYDAY LIFE?

Philip. 3:19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory

is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)

LIVING

Philip. 3:19 Their future is eternal loss, for their god is their appetite: they are

proud of what they should be ashamed of; and all they think about is this life

here on earth.

A. When I was little Christmas material came out after THANKSGIVING...

Down through the years Christmas has moved earlier and earlier during the

year... Christmas sales started in October.

B. Now there is a great push... CHRISTMAS IN JULY?

Have we finally realized the beauty of God GIVING HIS ONLY SON AND

WE DESIRE TO EMPHASIZE THE LOVE OF OUR SAVIOR?

C. Has the commercial value of CHRISTMAS SALE BECOME THE DRIVING TOOL

OF MATERIALISM...

II. WHAT IS THE CENTER PIECE OF OUR VALUE SYSTEM?

WHAT DOES MATERIALISM MEAN?

A. To develop the tendency to prefer material possessions and physical comfort

to spiritual values...

Eccles. 6:7 All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

NIV

Eccles. 6:7 All man's efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied.

B. The drive of materialism becomes a theory that nothing exists but matter

and its movements and modifications...

C. We seem to develop excessive appetites...

We become an SOCIETY DRIVEN BY EXCESSIVENESS

III. MANY ISSUES GROW FROM OUR PRIORITIES VALUES?

MATERIAL BREEDS SEVERAL GREAT ISSUES...

Proverbs 4:23 Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

A. THINGS MAKE YOU HAPPY...

B. PROFIT

C. GREED

D. SELFISHNESS

E. COMMERCIALISM

F. HE WHO HAS THE BEST AND THE MOST TOYS HAS THE GREATEST SUCCESS...

IV. OUR NATION IS IN GREAT TROUBLE...

A. OUR MEDICAL SYSTEMS FACE DANGERS AHEAD...

OUR FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION SEEM TO CRUMBLE....

WE LIVE IN A DAY OF THE "ME"... WHAT IS IN THIS FOR ME?

IN A MATERIALISTIC WORLD GOD HAS MANY NEEDS...

DON'T ASK WHAT GOD CAN DO FOR ME... ASK WHAT CAN I DO FOR GOD...

B. In the USA the is a DECLINE OF CHURCH GROWTH...

Most churches collectively and individual are in a DECLINE or a PLATEAU...

C. WHAT CAN I DO AS AN INDIVIDUAL TO TURN THE TIDE...

D. Are we trapped and is there no hope?

V. WE CAN START INVEST OUR TIME MORE WISELY... BE USEFUL AND NOT

BEGRUDGE OUR GIVING...

WE PRAISE A BEE FOR HIS BUSYNESS...

WE SWAT A MOSQUITO FOR HIS BUSYNESS...

A. We live in a day when everything is demanding our busyness...

our hands, our hearts, and our heads...

B. If I am to BUSY to read my Bible, to pray and to attend church faithfully

THEN I AM JUST TOO BUSY...

C. MARTHA WAS THE WORRIED HOUSEKEEPER... WE NEED SERVANTS...

WE NEED BUSY PEOPLE...

Luke 10:40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said,

Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?

bid her therefore that she help me.

D. MARTHA WAS A MUCH SERVER... We need much servers in the church...

Martha missed it... SHE HAD THE SON OF GOD AS A GUEST...

Martha GREW CUMBERED... WE NEED PERPETUAL COMMUNION WITH THE HOLY...

E. Martha FORGOT WHO HER GUEST WAS...

Martha could ONLY SEE HER SERVICE...

POOR MARTHA LET HER SERVICE OVERRIDE THE COMMUNION ...

F. Martha work BECAME A DUTY --- A DRAIN AND A STRAIN...

WE MUST FIND JOY NOT NELGECT...

VI. COME LET US GO... WE ARE A TEAM... WE NEED EACH OTHER...

WE ARE AS STRONG AS THE WEAKEST LINK...

A. The church needs you to COME TOGETHER...

A GOOD CHURCH IS NOT HERE LET ME?... I WILL GO? I WILL DO IT?

B. TO TURN ANY CHURCH AROUND IT MUST BE US... LET US GO FORTH

Song 7:11 Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.

[12] Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender

grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.

C. IT IS OUR JOB TO HELP GROW FRUIT...

1. NO FRUIT

2. FRUIT

3. MORE FRUIT

4. MUCH FRUIT...

D. We are KEEPERS OF THE VINE... MARY WAS IN COMMUNION WITH THE

MASTER... NOT NEGLECTING WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING...

E. TEAM --- T-ogther E-ach A-complishes M-ore...

VII. TO GROW THE CHURCH WE MUST COME OUT DEEPER...

WE MUST CLIMB HIGHER...

Luke 5:3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that