Below are notes to a sermon preached Sunday morning, May 01, 2005, at Gospel Light Baptist Church, Albany, Georgia. For more outlines, including zipped files of outlines from previous years, click on the link at the bottom of this note, and go to our website:

LET'S GET A GOOD EDUCATION

By Michael D. O'Neal
Pastor, Gospel Light Baptist Church
Albany, Georgia

Scripture Reading: Deut. 4:1-10

Text: Deut. 4:10

Deuteronomy 4:10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.

Introduction: Our country was founded by people who knew God and feared God. The men who governed this country, when it began, revered the Bible, and they read the Bible.

Today pressure groups are telling our leaders that there is no room for God in government.

Of course not everyone agrees with them. One politician stated openly, "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." Perhaps you have heard of him. His name was George Washington, our first President.

We have turned from God and toward idols as a country. One of America's idols is education. Strangely enough, by turning from the source of true wisdom, our educational system has "gone down the tubes" over the last 50 years, so that our students today are dumber than they have ever been.

My message this morning is titled: LET'S GET A GOOD EDUCATION.

What IS a good education? An education that is designed to train a child to make the most money possible is not a good education. It is a selfish, worldly, pagan education. I say again, if your goal is to help your child make the most money possible by his education, your goal is a pagan, heathen goal. NO Christian should SEEK to be RICH:

Proverbs 23:4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

1 Timothy 6:9-11 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Proverbs 13:7 There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

Well, if we should not make the goal of our education the ability to be rich, what SHOULD we be trying to accomplish?

The word "learn" occurs for the first time in the Bible in our text verse out of the 32 verses in which it appears. Let's look at it again.

Deuteronomy 4:10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.

What a WASTE of 12 years or more, for a child to study English grammar, literature, chemistry, history, mathematics, economics, and NOT learn to know God, trust God, fear God, and serve God!

Jeremiah 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

I have been in the work of educating children with a Christian school ministry for 20 years. Both of my daughters trained in our Christian school and are serving the Lord today.

I intend to give you guidelines for a good education this morning based on the use of the word "learn" in the word of God. I know that what I am going to present to you this morning can only be an introduction to what might better be presented as a series of messages, but may the Lord help us to see the truth of the matter, and

LET'S GET A GOOD EDUCATION

I. LET'S LEARN
THE PERSON TO FEAR

Deuteronomy 14:23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.

Deuteronomy 31:13 And that their children, which have not known any thing, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

Psalms 34:11 Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Job 28:28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

A. This fear brings salvation

B. This fear brings security
1. Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the
LORD is strong confidence: and his
children shall have a place of
refuge.

II. LET'S LEARN ABOUT
PARDON THROUGH JESUS CHRIST

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Man needs to learn:

A. The problem of man is sin

B. The power of the message of
salvation - the gospel

III. LET'S LEARN ABOUT THE
PROBLEM WITH PRIDE

1 Corinthians 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

A. Pride is sinful
1. God hates it; see
Prov. 6:16-19
2. God hates pride in
all places, in all faces,
in all cases

B. Pride is Satanic
1. Satan fell by pride
(Isa. 14:12-14)
2. The leviathan (Satan) is
king over all the children
of pride (Job 41:34)
3. Pride brings a man into the
condemnation of the devil
(1 Tim. 3:6)

IV. LET'S LEARN ABOUT
PURITY OF TALK

1 Timothy 1:20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

A. Bad talk reveals a
bad heart (Matt. 12:34)

B. Bad talk ruins the real
"you" (Matt. 15:10-20)

V. LET'S LEARN ABOUT
PATHS TO AVOID

Jeremiah 10:2 Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

The way of the heathen

A. Is wide
1. "Liberal-minded"
2. "Open-minded"
3. Tolerant of everything but
God and His truth

B. Is well-traveled (Matt. 7:13)

C. Is wrong - It has:
1. A wrong course
2. A wrong crowd
3. A wrong conclusion

VI. LET'S LEARN THE
PRECEPTS OF SCRIPTURE

Deuteronomy 5:1 And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them.

Psalms 119:71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.

Isaiah 29:24 They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine.

A. Let's give our minds to God
(Matt. 22:37)

B. Let's grow in knowledge as
well as in grace (2 Pet. 3:18)

VII. LET'S LEARN TO
PERFORM GOOD WORKS

Titus 3:14 And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, that they be not unfruitful.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Good works are:

A. Holy works

B. Heavenly works

C. Helpful works - Gal. 6:2

Conclusion: How is your education?
What is your "major"?
How is today's test score?