INTRO.- You are slow to learn. Some of us are slow learners, but learn we must. Life is a learning process. School is a matter of learning.
ILL.- Pete walked up to his teacher’s desk, holding a report card with a big red F. He said, "If I were you I would change this while you still can."
"Why is that?" asked the teacher.
"Because my daddy told me that if I brought home one more failing report card, someone was going to get a beating."
Did you have a daddy like that? Or perhaps more pertinently, were you a student like that boy? Did you ever fail a class? Sometimes we do fail in life, but that doesn’t make us failures.
ILL.- One ballplayer set the major league record for strikeouts with 1316. The same player set a record for five consecutive strikeouts in a World Series game. The holder of both records was the great slugger Babe Ruth. Everybody fails, even seemingly great people.
Rom. 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Another way to say is this: We all make mistakes. We all fail. We all fail in something, but we can’t let our failures get us down. If we do, we’ll stay down and God doesn’t want us to stay in the pits of gloom and doom, discouragement and depression.
ILL.- Baseball great, Reggie Jackson said, “I feel that the most important requirement in success is learning to overcome failure. You must learn to tolerate it, but never accept it.”
There is a remedy for pit living and for failing in life.
Ps. 40:1-3 “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.”
The Lord is the only cure for the failures of life. He can lift us up, make us whole and give us a new direction in life. But we must constantly and consistently cry out to Him, look to Him, lean on Him, learn from Him, love Him.
Life is full of failing. Life is full of pits and pitfalls, but we have to keep going forward and we can overcome with the Lord’s help and grace.
ILL.- A wise school teacher sent this note home to all parents on the first day of school: "If you promise not to believe everything your child says happens at school, I’ll promise not to believe everything he says happens at home.”
Some strange and wild things do happen at school and sometimes at home.
ILL.- The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture. " Just think how nice it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, ’There’s Jennifer; she’s a lawyer,’ or ’That’s Michael, he’s a doctor.’" A small voice at the back of the room rang out, " And there’s the teacher; ...she’s dead."
School kids are liable to say anything.
PROP.- Since this is “back to school” Sunday, I want to compare life to school. Life is like going to school.
I. WE GO TO SCHOOL TO LEARN
Oh, really!? Not in Mrs. Straw’s Art Class. I didn’t go to her class to learn about art. I went to her class to learn about her, Mrs. Straw. She was one pretty lady and nice too. I can still see her in my mind’s eye: that smile, that pleasant look, and I can still hear her soft words. “Steven Shepherd, you can do better work than that.” Wow, do I have a good memory for some things!
Basically, we go to school or are sent to school to learn. To learn what? In the old days it was reading, ritin and rithmetic! And we did learn those basics. The basics are vitally important. Without them no one will get far in life.
Heb. 5:12 “…By this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again.”
These elementary truths may well be the basics, which we all need to know. What are some elementary truths of God’s Word?
- God created man for fellowship. But man sinned and broke that fellowship with God.
- God gave man a law to live by but man broke the law.
- God loves all people intensely and has provided a way for them to be saved. God sent His Son Jesus to save us. We accept Him by faith.
- God is gracious and will save us because of who Jesus is and what He did.
- When we die we will spend eternity with God and Christ and with those who have believed and trusted in them. We will fellowship together, worship, love and serve our God of love.
- The unbelieving and evil will be punished.
It pays to remember these basic or elementary truths of God’s Word. They help to govern and direct our lives. They are the foundation on which our house, our lives are built. No foundation or a poor foundation means not much of a house or a life.
ILL.- John Adams said, “There are two types of education: One should teach us how to make a living, and the other how to live.” True. We go to school to get an education in order to make a living, but perhaps the most important education is learning how to live.
Where does this come from? I would say it starts in the home with our moms and dads. They teach us many things about life, about right and wrong, about morals, about courtesy, about loving others, etc. Hopefully, we learn these things in the home.
Prov. 1:8 “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.” If you had godly parents who gave you godly advice, then thank God for them.
We also learn a lot in life in the working world. We may learn a trade but also learn about dealing with people.
ILL.- My first job was at the local grocery store called Foodtown in Webb City, MO. My manager, Paul Nichols, told me one time that I needed to learn how to work and talk at the same time. He could stock shelves or face the produce rack and talk to me at the same time. I have never forgotten what he said, however, I don’t he was completely correct.
I have also learned in life that when you are talking to someone they prefer to have your undivided attention. AND PEOPLE ARE MOST IMPORTANT. Good listening is a skill that most of us have never learned. I suspect that Jesus gave people his full and undivided attention. This is something we need to learn.
Hopefully, we learn about how to live by going to Sunday School and church. A Christian education is vitally important. We all should want to learn more about God, Christ and how to live a Christian life.
What’s the greatest lesson you ever learned in Sunday School or church? I suspect it is not a Bible lesson at all, but probably the grace or graciousness of some Christian person.
ILL.- I’ll never forget my Sunday School superintendent at the First Baptist Church of Webb City, MO: Mrs. Nola Anderson. What a sweet lady she was! She was always smiling and was always gracious to me. I got the distinct impression that she loved people and she loved me too. I COULD NOT HAVE LEARNED ANYTHING BETTER FROM HER.
We go to school to learn, but we also live to learn. We learn from many things and many people. The important thing is to never stop learning. If you think you know it all, you don’t. If you don’t want to learn, you’re wrong. BE OPEN TO LEARNING THE GOOD IN LIFE.
I Cor. 11:1 “Follow my example (or learn from my example), as I follow the example of Christ.”
We must always imitate the qualities of Christ that we see in people. That’s one of the best educations we can get in life.
We go to school to learn, but our learning must not stop with school.
II. WE HAVE MANY TEACHERS IN SCHOOL
Life is like going to school in the sense that we have many teachers.
ILL.- A school teacher injured his back and had to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body. It fit under his shirt and was not noticeable at all. On the first day of school, still with the cast under his shirt, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in school.
Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, he opened the window as wide as possible and then busied himself with desk work. When a strong breeze made his tie flap, he took the desk stapler and stapled the tie to his chest. From that time on he had no trouble with discipline in his class.
Did you ever have a teacher like that? We did have many teachers in school: some good, some poor, some interesting, some boring, some joyful, some sober, some mean, some nice, etc.
ILL.- I remember Mr. Garrison who was our high school principal. What a nice guy he was! He was always smiling, always encouraging. I lifted weights in high school and it was like he thought that was the greatest thing in the world. It wasn’t, but he was certainly encouraging and proud of my accomplishments.
It’s teachers like Mr. Garrison that give you a big boost in life. IT’S GREAT TO HAVE TEACHERS WHO BELIEVE IN YOU!
I Tim. 1:5-7 “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.”
The apostle Paul is saying that the goal of God’s command is love. The scriptures are given to produce love in our hearts and lives. Some people, however, have wandered away from God’s command and are teaching meaningless stuff. THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TEACHING OR TALKING ABOUT.
ILL.- For example, I heard a TV evangelist speak one time about the scripture in Gen. 1:26 that says God gave man dominion over the birds of the air. He said that God meant for man to fly and the reason we don’t is because we don’t have any faith.
I happen to believe that God never gave me wings and that’s why I can’t fly! You can’t believe all teachers in life.
I’ve known of some good Christian kids who went to secular college and lost their faith (or nearly lost their faith) because of some so-called smart professor who really didn’t know what he was talking about.
ILL.- One young man who was raised in the church got out in the secular college world and later said, “The way I see it now, Christ isn’t the only way to God…living a good life and believing in God is the important thing. The Bible isn’t divine revelation.” AND HE IS ONE MIXED UP YOUNG MAN AS A RESULT OF LISTENING TO TEACHERS OF THE WORLD!
Be discerning in regard to what anybody is teaching.
Acts 17:11 “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and EXAMINED THE SCRIPTURES EVERY DAY TO SEE IF WHAT PAUL SAID WAS TRUE.”
Scripture is God’s Word. Use it as your guideline as to what people are teaching and you will not go wrong.
II Tim. 3:13-15 “While evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”
We may have many teachers in life, but scripture is always right.
III. WE HOPE TO GRADUATE
Life is like going to school in sense that we hope to graduate.
ILL.- Joe: “That college turns out some great men.”
Bill: “When did you graduate?”
Joe: “I didn’t graduate. I was turned out.”
Did you graduate or were you turned out?
ILL.- It’s graduation day, and everybody’s going to get their diploma but Jon. At the assembly, the entire senior class stands up and shouts ’Let Jon graduate, let Jon graduate!’
The principal agrees to give Jon one last chance. ’If I have five apples in my right hand and five in my left hand, Jon, how many apples do I have?’ he asked.
Jon thought long and hard and then said: ’Ten.’ And the entire senior class stood up and shouted ’Give Jon another chance. Give Jon another chance!’
The moral of the story is that some who graduate don’t know much. They should never have graduated in the first place.
ILL.- The Philosopher Will Durant said, “Sixty years ago I knew everything. Now I know nothing. Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.” I admit that the more I know, the more I realize how little I really know.
Even if we graduate from college with a degree, we still continue to learn about life. If not, something is wrong with us.
Heb. 5:11-12 “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!”
The inspired writer is saying that we are slow to learn. I think most of are slow to learn when it comes to God, Christ and the Bible…when it comes to spiritual matters. We are quick to learn the things of the world, but not the things of God. Our spiritual or Biblical ignorance betrays us.
ILL.- Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary wrote: Researchers George Gallup and Jim Castelli put the problem squarely: "Americans revere the Bible--but, by and large, they don’t read it. And because they don’t read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates." How bad is it? Researchers tell us that it’s worse than most could imagine.
Fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. Many Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples. According to data from the Barna Research Group, 60 percent of Americans can’t name even five of the Ten Commandments. Barna said, "No wonder people break the Ten Commandments all the time. They don’t know what they are”. The bottom line? "America is biblically illiterate."
Brothers and sisters, if we are biblically illiterate, how can we hope to graduate? Obviously, we don’t graduate in Christianity, unless it is when we die and then we graduate to heaven, whether we know much or not. This is a part of being saved by grace. If we were only saved and could go to heaven based on what we know biblically, we’d all be in trouble!
Hebrews five, however, points out that by now we should be teachers, instead, we need to be taught again. There is a point where any of us should be able to teach something from the Word of God whether we have any teaching ability or not.
In other words, there is a point where we should have enough spiritual knowledge and biblical knowledge that we should be able to pass it on to someone else.
II Tim. 2:2 “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”
What should we do? Keep learning. Be willing to share your faith. That’s a part of going forward. That’s a part of graduating in the faith.
Of course, our ultimate graduation will be when we leave this world and go into the presence of God. This is a day that we all should plan for and look forward to.
II Cor. 4:8-9 “We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please Him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.”
CONCLUSION-----------------------------------------
ILL.- A young man who just graduated from college rushed out and said, “Here I am, world, I have my AB.” The world replied, “Sit down, son, and I’ll teach you the rest of alphabet.”
We may graduate from many schools, but our education goes on. As someone said, “A child educated only at school is an uneducated child.”
Every day we learn something new, that is, if we are open to it. But of course, the greatest education of all is about God and Christ.
Someone said, “Nature forms us. Sin deforms us. School informs us, but only Christ transforms us.”
A secular education is good, but a spiritual education is even better. Some day this life will end and all the degrees in the world will probably mean little in heaven. Knowing God should be our major educational goal in life. MAKE HIM YOUR PURSUIT, YOUR AIM, YOUR GREATEST DESIRE IN LIFE.
