\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Audio\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\tText: Psalms 78:1-8<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. Why go to school? What use is all those endless facts?<\/p>\n
A. A question I’m sure more school-aged children ask.<\/p>\n
B. Does an education have value?<\/p>\n
1. To answer this we must compare the alternative.<\/p>\n a. Solomon did this and concluded wisdom, which is gained by\nlearning, is better – Ecclesiastes 2:13\n
b. Why?<\/p>\n
II. The impact of ignorance<\/p>\n A. An ignorant person believes that the way he thinks is the only way – Proverbs\n28:26\n
1. Alternatives are not checked. Actions are not questioned.<\/p>\n 2. This becomes particularly dangerous when we deal with matters of right\nand wrong – I Corinthians 15:34\n
a. They act without knowledge of what is right<\/p>\n
3. If they don’t know something, then it must be “bad” – Jude 10<\/p>\n 4. Quarrels often start because an ignorant person doesn’t see things from\nanother’s perspective – Proverbs 20:3\n
B. If a person wants to do something, why question it?<\/p>\n
1. It is why we have so many who refuse to call sin “sin” – Proverbs 14:9<\/p>\n
2. The ignorant person doesn’t know that he is ignorant – Ecclesiastes 2:14<\/p>\n
3. He boasts in his ignorance – James 4:16<\/p>\n
a. My ignorance must be good. After all, look how well I turned out!<\/p>\n C. The ignorant person lives in the “now” and doesn’t consider the consequences of\ncurrent actions in the future – Proverbs 22:3\n
1. It is because he is unaware of possibilities beyond his own knowledge<\/p>\n 2. The naive young man was caught in the prostitute’s snare because he did\nnot know the danger – Proverbs 7:21-23\n 3. I had parents tell me that they didn’t want matters, such as sexual sins,\ndiscussed with their children, even those past puberty.\n
a. I understand the desire to hang on to past and to keep innocence<\/p>\n b. But Satan isn’t stopped by innocence. Ignorance won’t keep a child\nout of Satan’s traps.\n
D. The gospel cannot be spread through ignorance – I Timothy 1:5-7<\/p>\n
III. The value of knowledge and wisdom<\/p>\n
A. It is foolish to despise instruction – Proverbs 1:7-8<\/p>\n
1. The Proverbs were written for a reason – Proverbs 1:1-6<\/p>\n
B. A knowledge of history gives appreciation of the present – Deuteronomy 4:32-35<\/p>\n
1. It is one reason we study the Old Testament<\/p>\n
2. The Old Testament has a purpose – Romans 15:4<\/p>\n C. Knowledge of the past needs to be taught so past mistakes are not repeated and\nthat righteousness is done – Psalms 78:1-8\n
1. Again, knowledge of the past is important – I Corinthians 10:6-12<\/p>\n
D. Wisdom gives strength – Proverbs 24:5-6<\/p>\n
E. Wisdom is pleasant and offers possibilities and hope – Proverbs 24:13-14<\/p>\n
F. When you know what to do, it shows – Ecclesiastes 8:1<\/p>\n
G. Wisdom is a defense and a preserver of life – Ecclesiastes 7:11-12<\/p>\n
IV. There are limits<\/p>\n
A. You can’t learn everything – Ecclesiastes 12:12<\/p>\n
1. Some things are beyond the wisest person’s grasp – Ecclesiastes 7:23-24<\/p>\n
2. God’s works are vast and deep – Ecclesiastes 8:16-17<\/p>\n B. Opening your eyes to possibilities means you are also aware of possible\ndifficulties – Ecclesiastes 1:18\n
1. Paul mentioned this in matters of religion – Romans 7:7-10<\/p>\n 2. Still, to know the dangers is better than wandering through mine fields\nunaware.\n C. Wisdom alone won’t change the ultimate outcome. It is not a panacea for life –\nEcclesiastes 2:14-16\n
D. Don’t go overboard – Ecclesiastes 7:16<\/p>\n 1. Just as some constantly learn, but never apply to their lives – II Timothy\n3:7\n E. Trying to purchase an education for someone who doesn’t want it is a waste –\nProverbs 17:16\n
V. Some avoid education, fearing that it is an attempt to outmaneuver God<\/p>\n
A. Ultimately, life is in the hands of God – Ecclesiastes 9:1<\/p>\n
B. There are things that are out of our control – Ecclesiastes 9:11<\/p>\n
C. Things happen, not because I will, but because God wills – James 4:13-15<\/p>\n
D. But does that mean we put no effort into learning and planning for possibilities?<\/p>\n
1. Obviously not, we’ve seen that knowledge and wisdom have advantages.<\/p>\n 2. Look at the verse before. It is not just work, but knowledge and wisdom as\nwell – Ecclesiastes 9:10\n
E. Especially in matters of religion<\/p>\n
1. Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom – Psalms 111:10<\/p>\n
2. Buy truth and don’t get rid of it – Proverbs 23:23<\/p>\n
3. Understand God’s will – Ephesians 5:15-17<\/p>\n
4. Work out your salvation – Philippians 2:12<\/p>\n F. What I fear is that we allow the Calvinistic beliefs of the denominations around us\nto color our thinking\n 1. They see God’s sovereignty as complete: where every movement and\nevery thought was planned before the world began.\n 2. Ultimately this leads to the abhorrence of any exercise of free-will on\nman’s part\n
3. Planning for possibilities is seen as a lack of faith<\/p>\n
VI. God wants us to use our effort<\/p>\n A. God wants us to work, even though it is from Him we get our food – II\nThessalonians 3:10; Matthew 6:11\n
B. God wants us to learn, as we have seen in today’s lesson<\/p>\n C. He wants us to use our heads, plan ahead, and work in advance of our future\nneeds. This is the lesson of the ant – Proverbs 6:6-11\n
D. We prepare, and God controls – Proverbs 16:1<\/p>\n
E. We need to do this especially in matters of religion – Luke 14:28-32<\/p>\n
1. Plan for how to complete what you start<\/p>\n
2. Consider the costs of failing<\/p>\n
3. How are you going reach heaven if you become a Christian?<\/p>\n
4. Could you possibly succeed if you don’t become a Christian?<\/p>\n
F. Thus, in all our plans we need to consider what God wants first – Proverbs 19:21<\/p>\n
1. And what He wants this day is your heart<\/p>\n
2. II Peter 3:9-14<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Psalms 78:1-8 I. Why go to school? What use is all those endless facts? A. A question I’m sure more school-aged children ask. B. Does an education have value? 1. To answer this we must compare the alternative. a. Solomon did this and concluded wisdom, which is gained by learning, is better…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[381,999,1093,482,730],"class_list":["post-62297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-education","tag-ignorance","tag-knowledge","tag-learning","tag-wisdom"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":45487,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/spiritual-education\/","url_meta":{"origin":62297,"position":0},"title":"Spiritual Education","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Raymond Warfel","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3285,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/youre-too-harsh-on-public-schools\/","url_meta":{"origin":62297,"position":1},"title":"You’re too harsh on public schools","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 6, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Not all schools are bad. 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I recently read some books in the New Testament recently, but I've become convinced recently that all dishonesty and deceit are sinful (Revelation 21:8\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31179,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/boys-do-better-when-raised-by-a-traditional-family\/","url_meta":{"origin":62297,"position":3},"title":"Boys Do Better When Raised by a Traditional Family","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 4, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Source:\u00a0Graeme Paton, \"Boys raised by traditional families 'do better at school',\"\u00a0The Telegraph, 3 January 2012 Source:\u00a0Marianne Bertrand and Jessica Pan, \"The Trouble with Boys: Social Influences and the Gender Gap in Disruptive Behavior,\"\u00a0National Bureau of Economic Research, No.17541, October 2011 A study has found that the structure of a boy's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Issues"","block_context":{"text":"Issues","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16207,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-college-issue\/","url_meta":{"origin":62297,"position":4},"title":"The College Issue","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 28, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"(Six articles were published in\u00a0Preceptor magazine by brother Robert F. Turner between April and October of 1962. They are presented here as one continuous thesis.) Educational Institutions Among the Brethren by Robert F. Turner (Preceptor, April 1962) Educational projects among members of the church of Christ began in the same\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":56042,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/education-who-is-to-be-blamed\/","url_meta":{"origin":62297,"position":5},"title":"Education: Who is to be blamed?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 22, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"by Abraham Smith 'I am to blame if I don't do what I can' Many times lately we have heard, \"Our children are not getting a good education.\" Parents have been blamed, as well as children, teachers, administrators, and our government. 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I am to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/11\/school.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62297\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}