This was the first AE (Academic Excellence) sermon I heard when I came to Heart of God Church. A very good friend passed me the CD at a time when I really, really, really needed it. This was also the very 1st AE sermon Pastor How preached when AE started in 2005. This year, Garrett preached the reboot version of sermon in the services.
So, here it goes! Enjoy!
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THE QUESTION STUDENTS ASK ALL THE TIME:
Why must I study?
To kill time?
To appease our parents?
For money?
QUESTION:
If you had $100 Million in your bank account, would you stop studying?
We don't just study for money
We study for the training of our mind.
Mark 12:30
... love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your MIND and with all your strength.
Christianity is not the removal of our mind but the renewal of our mind.
Proverbs 4:7 (MSG)
Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom!
Write this at the top of your list: Get Understanding!
God never describes a person in the Bible as smart or stupid.
He does describe people as wise or foolish.
Nobody is born smart or stupid.
What the Bible does talk about all the time is Knowledge, Understanding and Wisdom.
Deuteronomy 1:13
Choose wise, understanding and knowledgeable men from from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.
If you want to be a leader, whether in church, school or elsewhere, you need to have knowledge, understanding and wisdom.
Daniel 1:4 (NKJV)
...young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.
Daniel 1:4 (MSG)
...young men who were healthy and handsome, intelligent and well-educated, good prospects for leadership positions in the government, perfect specimens!
HEALTHY - eat properly (no junk food!)
HANDSOME - look after your appearance (brush your teeth, dress decently)
INTELLIGENT / WELL EDUCATED - this is why we go to school
Daniel and his friends were people who served God.
The people who serve God are not lazy and dumb.
KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge is the acquiring of facts (when? where? what?)
- it's not about being smart; it's about how much knowledge you can retain
- The more knowledge you have, the more ways you have to solve problems.
Example: "How do you arrive at 50?"
** Primary school knowledge gives you addition, subtraction, multiplication, division
** How about exponential? logarithm? square root? integration?
- This will help you because life is about solving problems.
- More that acquiring knowledge, we also need to retain knowledge.
UNDERSTANDING
Understanding is the interpreting of facts (why?)
- Daniel not only possessed knowledge, he was QUICK to understand (sharp and fast)
- It is not enough to understand. Our exams don't just test our understanding; they test our quickness. That is why we practice Math. Practice makes us fast. Our mind is a muscle, you have to train your mind.
The laziness of the mind is the worst form of laziness.
Use it or lose it.
WISDOM
Wisdom is applying of facts (how can I apply this?)
Example:
KNOWLEDGE: facts
An average person uses a toaster for 15 minutes a day.
The rest of the 1,425 minutes the toaster is on display in the kitchen
UNDERSTANDING: interpreting of facts
1% of a toaster's time is devoted to utility.
99% of a toaster's time is devoted to display.
WISDOM: applying of facts
If you are a businessman, wisdom would say focus on coming up with nice designs instead of just the function of the toaster.
How do we get knowledge, understanding and wisdom?
We need to learn from Jesus.
In the last days of Jesus' life, he was going through one of the most stressful times of his life - He was about to be crucified.
Matthew 26:36-44
Jesus went/did...
vs 39 - a little farther
vs 40 - a little longer
vs 42/43 - a little more
Jesus was diligent. He never gave up.
"Today I do what others won't, so that tomorrow I do what others can't."
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I really liked the story shared at the end of the service, so I also want to share it here.
It is about this guy who was like failing in school and he scored 30 points at the end of Sec 3. But after he applied "Creating Winning Habits" everything started to turn around and he even won a scholarship in Poly! I think he even scored like almost-perfect for his Poly! His dad was so curious because he had changed so much that his dad came to check out Heart of God Church. Today, the dad is even coming every week!
I hope that will happen for my family too! I will keep having faith for it! Pastors and leaders always teach us that if we grow in our character and we're a good testimony at home that God can and will move.
