Cultural Norms

What is a cultural norm?

What is a cultural norm?

Cultural norms are the standards we live by. They are the shared expectations and rules that guide behavior of people within social groups

Cultural norms are learned and reinforced from parents, friends, teachers and others while growing up in a society.

The New King James Version Chapter 18

But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

The New King James Version Chapter 18

But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

Cultural norms are learned and reinforced from parents, friends, teachers and others while growing up in a society.

John 18:39 NKJV

39 “But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?”

There are all kinds of social and cultural norms around the world. Let’s look at some.

Roman Culture

The Roman’s had a custom of reclining at meals. Such positioning placed one in the bosom of the neighboring person. To be next to the host, that is to recline in the bosom of the host, was considered the highest honor. The Jews adopted this culture.

Crucifixion was a Roman also social norm.

Roman custom to burn the dead.

Roman architecture

Viking Culture

Buried their dead in boats

Men preferred being blond so they dyed their hair if they were not blond.

Women had more freedom and rights than most women during the time period.

Viking eat twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night.

British Culture

Fish and chips are a must

Punctual

Please, thank you and sorry are normal parts of everyday conversation.

They avoid eye contact

The Monarchy

German Culture

Highly organized in public and private life

Respect for rules and laws

Work and personal lives are kept separate. Don’t talk work at someone house if invited.

And of course, biergartens, Schnitzel and bratwurst

Qumran Culture

The dead sea scroll we have and in depth look at the community at Qumran where the dead sea scrolls where found. Not only do we have the oldest biblical manuscripts, we have rules for the community. The Social norms for the Qumran community.

Book of the Community Rule:

That they may seek God with a whole heart and soul and do good and right before Him:

That they may love all that He has chosen and hate all that he has rejected;

That they may abstain from all evil and hold fast to all good;

That they may practice truth, righteousness, and justice upon earth.

2. God with a whole heart and soul. and do good and right before Him as 3. He commanded by the hand of Moses and all His servants the Prophets; that they may love 4. all that He has chosen and hate all that he has rejected; that they may abstain from all evil and 5. hold fast to all good; that they may practise truth, righteousness, and justice 6. upon earth and no longer stubbornly follow a sinful heart and lustful eyes committing 7. all manner of evil. He shall admit into the Covenant of Grace all those who have freely devoted themselves to the observance of God’s precepts, 8. that they may be joined to the counsel of God and may live perfectly before Him in accordance with all that 9. has been revealed concerning their appointed times, and that they may love all the sons of light, each 10. according to his lot in God’s design, and hate all the sons of darkness, each according to his guilt 11. in God’s vengeance. All those who freely devote themselves to His truth shall bring all their knowledge, powers, 12. and possessions into the Community of God, that they may purify their knowledge in the truth of God’s precepts and order their powers according to His 13. ways of perfection and all their possessions according to His righteous counsel. They shall not depart 14. from any command of God concerning their times; they shall be neither early nor late for any of 15. their appointed times, they shall stray neither to the right nor to left of any of His true precepts. 16. All those who embrace the Community Rule shall enter into the Covenant before God to obey 17. all His commandments so that they may not abandon Him during 18. the dominion of Satan because of fear or terror or affliction. On entering the Covenant, the Priests and 19. Levites shall bless the God of salvation and all His faithfulness, and all those 20. entering the Covenant shall say after them, ‘Amen, Amen!’ 21. Then the Priests shall recite the favours of God manifested in His mighty deeds and 22. shall declare all His merciful grace to Israel, and the Levites shall recite the 23. iniquities of the children of Israel, all their guilty rebellions and sins during the dominion 24. of Satan. And after them, all those entering the Covenant shall confess and say: ‘We have strayed! 25. We have [disobeyed!] We and our fathers before us have sinned and done wickedly in walking 26. [counter to the precepts] of truth and righteousness. [And God has] judged us and our fathers also;

9. has been revealed concerning their appointed times, and that they may love all the sons of light, each 10. according to his lot in God’s design, and hate all the sons of darkness, each according to his guilt 11. in God’s vengeance. All those who freely devote themselves to His truth shall bring all their knowledge, powers, 12. and possessions into the Community of God, that they may purify their knowledge in the truth of God’s precepts and order their powers according to His 13. ways of perfection and all their possessions according to His righteous counsel. They shall not depart 14. from any command of God concerning their times; they shall be neither early nor late for any of 15. their appointed times, they shall stray neither to the right nor to left of any of His true precepts. 16. All those who embrace the Community Rule shall enter into the Covenant before God to obey 17. all His commandments so that they may not abandon Him during 18. the dominion of Satan because of fear or terror or affliction. On entering the Covenant, the Priests and 19. Levites shall bless the God of salvation and all His faithfulness, and all those 20. entering the Covenant shall say after them, ‘Amen, Amen!’ 21. Then the Priests shall recite the favours of God manifested in His mighty deeds and 22. shall declare all His merciful grace to Israel, and the Levites shall recite the 23. iniquities of the children of Israel, all their guilty rebellions and sins during the dominion 24. of Satan. And after them, all those entering the Covenant shall confess and say: ‘We have strayed! 25. We have [disobeyed!] We and our fathers before us have sinned and done wickedly in walking 26. [counter to the precepts] of truth and righteousness. [And God has] judged us and our fathers also;

In order to have a culture you have to have shared expectations.

In order to have a culture you have to have shared expectations.

Let’s talk about the Christian Culture for a minute.

Christian Culture

Christian culture rooted in the very word of God the Bible.

-- rightly dividing the word of truth

– The entirety of your word is truth

-- All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

Because Christian culture is rooted in the word, we naturally follow the word instead of the world. What a difference one letter makes.

So, what does the Christian culture look like when we follow the Word.

It looks like Roman 12:1-2

Romans 12:1–2 NKJV

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

The World is trying to make you conform to its culture and standard but God is telling us not to conform. Why are professing Christian acting like the world?

The Christian culture seeks God’s will not their own, do not be conformed to this world.

Ephesians 5:3 NKJV

3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;

Well, that means we don’t have intimate relations outside of marriage.

And we have a shared expectation that marriage is between one man and one woman. This follows the example God in creation the way God made it and is reinforced in the new testament in three different books to include Matthew.

Ephesians 5:3–4 NKJV

3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?

You know why traditional Biblical marriage is the only option in God’s plan. Look at Genesis.

- So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

The first command God gave the man and Women in was to be fruitful and multiply. Only a man and a woman can multiply. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world.

PS - God only created male and female. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world.

Deuteronomy 5:7–21 NKJV

7 ‘You shall have no other gods before Me. 8 ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 9 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 10 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. 11 ‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 12 ‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day. 16 ‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. 17 ‘You shall not murder. 18 ‘You shall not commit adultery. 19 ‘You shall not steal. 20 ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 21 ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’

How about the Ten commandments:

1 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

2 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image

3 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain,

4 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy

5 “Honor your father and your mother,

6 “You shall not murder.

7 “You shall not commit adultery.

8 “You shall not steal.

9 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

When a person says “I am a Christian” they are saying they belong to the group of people that live by the word of God and follow God’s rules, and expectations.

They have cultural norms based in the Word of God. They live a certain way, act a certain way. We often here a person say “that person is and man or women of God”..... because they live out the Christian cultural norms.

It is normal to read God’s word.

It is normal to pray every day.

It is normal to gather to worship God every week.

It is normal to tithe. Malachi

It is normal to pray every day.

It is normal to serve - “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

“just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

It is normal to expect and receive healing.

It is normal to gather to worship God every week.

It is normal to expect see miracles. God worked unusual miracles by the hand of Paul

It is normal to tithe.

It is normal to serve.

It is normal to expect and receive healing.

It is normal to expect see miracles.

To the outsider they don't understand these cultural norms nor do they practice them. So, they are not recognized as a Christian.

Rabbit Trail

This would be a good place for a rabbit trail. If you profess to be a Christian and you don't do the above then you are not actually part of the Christian community because you have nothing in common with them.

Let me remind you of the definition again.

Cultural norms are the standards we live by. They are the shared expectations and rules that guide behavior of people within social groups.

Cultural norms are the standards we live by. They are the shared expectations and rules that guide behavior of people within social groups.

If it looks like a duck, acts like a duck, and smells like a duck....well it is probably a duck.

If you look like the world, act like the world and smells like the world....well your probably part of the world. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world.

I can go to most Evangelical churches and know what to expect and how to act.

I can go to most Evangelical churches and know what to expect and how to act.

Now each denomination and even each church within denominations have their own subculture but they are all based on the main culture.

One cultural norm took me by surprise in the southern black church culture— I was preaching revival in Pensacola Florida in my early 20’s and I took off my coat while preaching because I was hot. At the end of service the men came to me and the ladies came to my wife to thank us. The first man came to me and shook my hand then I felt his hand in my front pants pocket. I was taken back but did not react lucky. I’m think what is going on here.....it happened again and again then i realized they where putting money in my pocket as there custom was. My mistake was I took off my coat so they could not put it in my coat pocket so they did the next best thing and put the money in my pants pocket.—lesson learned.

While there may be subcultures within culture and main culture guide us in our interaction which each other. The cultural norms bind us together and make us who we are. They give us identity and for the Christian our identity is in Christ.

So, what happens when there are no cultural norms?

Oh, I know look at Judges.

Judges 17:6 NKJV

6 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

What does this look like? Well you get an account in in the city of Gibeah where the men tried to have their way with the travelers and their host sent his concubine out and she was abused in every way and murdered. that is what everyone doing what is wright in their own eyes looks like.

It looks like Sodom and Gomorrah where there is so much sin Go destroys the city.

It looks like the days of Noah where the world was so sinful God destroyed all of mankind except Noah and his family.

There has to be social norms to have a viable culture. Societies will lose their identity if they have no social norms.

Look at England. They opened up their boarders to other cultures who did not assimilate into British culture and the British culture is almost wiped out. It is becoming more Muslim then British. In a survey 32 percent of Britain's believe Islam is a threat to the British way of life.

Without cultural norms you lose who you are. You lose your identity and you will cease to exists as a culture or will change into a different culture all together. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

Let talk about the United States now. prior to the 1960 US was considered a Christian nation. Why, because the majority of people where Christian and went to church and help Christian values as the norm for society.

Then from about the 1960’s to the 2000’s there was this growing apostasy where people did go to church but didn't bother those that did.

Well from about the 2000’s to 2020 there was a growing disdain for anything Christian. Today it is all out war on Christian cultural norms.

I have laid out the back drop for the message God wants us to here today. In light of all I have said so far, here is what the Lord has put on my heart to tell you....

So here is what the Lord has put on my heart to tell you....

Don’t let a sin culture erode your Christian culture!!

You need to stand firm in your faith in Christ. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

Stand Fast

Just like this plant growing and thriving in a hard place, literally growing right through the asphalt. You might think you are being steam rolled in life but this plant was steam rolled and fought its way back to the sun.

1 Corinthians 16:13–14 NKJV

13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done with love.

We can’t let a sin culture erode our Christian value system. We may have to stand alone in a place where we are being steam rolled, under pressure and heat but with God just like the plant we can stand firm. We can even grow green and lush in the middle of a waste land.

We can’t let a sin culture erode our christian value system. We my have to stand alone in a place where we are being steam rolled and put under pressure and heat but with God just like the plant we can stand firm. We can even grow green and lush in the middle of a waste land.

Jesus went to the cross and died for our sins so I think we can handle a little heat and pressure.

The Christian culture is under attack from outside the church and from inside the church from people who have been duped by the world. They did not hold fast the doctrine which they we taught

2 Thessalonians 2:15 NKJV

15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

I am here to sound the alarm, and proclaim that we need to stand fast and hold to the traditions and of the word. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

So how will the attach take place.

It will take place in:

Society

Public Schools

Colleges

Broadcast TV

Social Media.

I just told you where the attack will come from not what will the attack be?

The attack will be against the Word of God.

They will attack it in three ways, they will attack its:

Origin

Authenticity

Authority

Let’s talk about the first attack

Origin

The attackers will tell you the Bible is not God’s work and that it is not spirit inspired by God nor where the writers. It is the work of men.

The American Humanist association in their own words:

THey will

“They are convinced the book was written solely by humans in an ignorant, superstitious, and cruel age. They believe that because the writers of the Bible lived in an unenlightened era, the book contains many errors and harmful teachings.”

This is a prevalent view in the world today coming from all five of the places I said the attack would come from. You need to be ready to answer why it is false. I don't have time to go in depth today but do some study and brush up on this subject but Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

Humanist reject the bible because Instances of cruel and unjust behavior by the biblical God are seen in the most basic Christian doctrines. They give examples like He damned the whole human race and cursed the entire creation because of the acts of two people.

He drowned pregnant women and innocent children and animals at the time of the Flood ();

of He damned the whole human race and cursed the entire creation because of the acts of two people (; ); he drowned pregnant women and innocent children and animals at the time of the Flood (); he tormented the Egyptians and their animals with hail and disease because pharaoh refused to let the Israelites leave Egypt (,); and he killed Egyptian babies at the time of the Passover ().

He tormented the Egyptians and their animals with hail and disease because pharaoh refused to let the Israelites leave Egypt (,);

and he killed Egyptian babies at the time of the Passover ().

Humanist use the word innocent but only God can declare you innocent. Plus, they don't understand before Christ and his saving grace the sins of the fathers where transferred to their kids for several generations. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

Authenticity

They say, it can’t be authentic because once again man made it and we have no original manuscripts.

With the Dead Sea scroll find we now have more manuscripts for the Bible than any other classic work. Funny how no one dispute the authenticity of the classics. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

Authority

This is the real issue and it is a heart issue. Does the word of God have authority? If the Word of God is the authority then I have to follow it and I am not my own authority.

People want to be their own authority. They want to make the calls in life. They don't want to be bothered with conviction and they want to do sinful things so the easiest way to sooth a guilt-ridden conscience is to deny the biblical authority.

People

The argue the Bible is an unreliable authority because it contains numerous contradictions. Logically, if two statements are contradictory, at least one of them is false. The biblical contradictions therefore prove that the book has many false statements and is not infallible.

Authority

Let me just clear up any confusion. There has not been one single discovery that has disproven anything in the bible. People think there are errors and constrictions but they are perceived contradiction based on their worldview.

The Bible is an unreliable authority because it contains numerous contradictions. Logically, if two statements are contradictory, at least one of them is false. The biblical contradictions therefore prove that the book has many false statements and is not infallible.

Yes, there are manuscripts dependencies but we have over 20,000 manuscripts over a 4000+ year time span with 66 books and about 40 authors. But, But take the bible in your hand and hold it up. Not a single concept in the Bible you are holding is contradicted by any of the manuscripts. There is one main theme flowing through all it’s pages and that is the salvation of mankind through Jesus. It is the inerrant world of God. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world.

Here is the new attack that is taking hold in the US.

You are not a good person if you believe what the bible says.

If you believe fornication is a sin as the Bible make clear, then you are judgmental. To the point we are celebration porn stars at the expense of the tragic plight of the sex slave industry. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

If you believe Homosexuality is a sin as the Bible make clear, then you are a homophobic and a bigot. How can a loving God not let you love who you want? Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

If you believe Homosexuality is a sin, then you are a homophobic. How can a loving God not let you love who you want.

If you believe that gender is assigned at conception through biology as God declared then you are trans-phobic. Funny that Wikipedia messed up and said trans people do not conform to society's gender expectation. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

If you believe Jesus is the only way to heaven as the bible makes clear, then you are Islamophobic. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

The enemy is taking these issue and others and are creating a wedge in society and in the church. They are making sin a cultural norm and if you come again them you are a bad person and need to be punished. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

Most television shows have normalized theses sin and kids today see nothing wrong with them. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

We have seen denominations bend to the world instead of the world bending to Gods word. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

If you hold biblical believes then you will be attacked and if you have a business then you will be targeted. They are using discrimination laws to shut you down and shut you up. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

Cultural Norms have to be shattered because the Christian life is based on biblical norms. If there are no social norms then the Christian can be pushed down set aside categorized and marginalized as a bigot, homophobic, trans-phobic, Islamophobic, judgmental person. Then laws can be created to stop your religious freedoms because you are these things. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

Categorized and marginalized as a bigot, homophobic, tran-phobic, Islamophobic, judgmental person. Then laws can be created to stop your religious freedoms because you are these things.

If there are no cultural norms, then there are no biblical norms and anything goes. If the Word of god is not the authority then I can do what I want. We cannot have a cohesive society when everyone does what is right in their own eyes. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

Society is celebrating sin at every chance it gets. Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world

Don’t Let a Sin Culture Erode Your Christian Culture

Let me leave you with this:

we can not have a cohesice socity.

The Bible is the very words of God.

It is authentic.

It is God’s authority on earth.

1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 NKJV

3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;

Philippians 4:8–9 NKJV

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

Ephesians 5:5–7 NKJV

5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.

So

Stand Fast, do not be conformed to this world