- Note: given at home because of Covid-19 spike
Before I get into our
sermon today, I would like for us to note that it is the final Sunday before
most of our teachers go back to school. I would like for us to recognize our
teachers in the congregation. We would like to specifically pray for you today,
and pray for the students of your schools as they come back in the coming
weeks. Let’s pray.
(Prayer by me for
teachers and students)
Thank you so much for
being such good stewards of the faith in the schools today. I know that there
is a great deal of pressure to not show your faith within the school these
days. But even if you cannot always share your faith with the students and your
coworkers, I know that you show Christ to those around you in your deeds and
actions. We thank you for this, and will continue to pray for you throughout
the school year!
2 Timothy 4:2
Preach the word; be
ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete
patience and teaching.
I.
Introduction
Now, I know that some of
you know that I am married to a teacher. That much is plainly obvious
considering how much we talk about education with y’all. But what you might not
know is that I am the son of a teacher, and twice-over the grandson of
teachers. Teaching runs in our family nearly as much as preaching does, which a
lot of people would say is teaching, but in a different vein. We hear all sorts
of jokes about education, as well. Now, teaching, as we know, is a serious
matter, but with all things, there always seems to be a little humor in
everyday life. Sometimes it will be a student’s answer. One time, one of my
Mom’s friends had a student that was struggling the entire year with coming up
with the right answers. The subject being taught was not a strong suit for this
young lady, and over time, this young lady stopped raising her hand to
voluntarily answer questions. She was not stupid by any stretch of the means,
but besides struggling with the contect of the class, she didn’t help her case
by being a daydreamer. Well, one day the teacher was asking a somewhat serious
question about the history of something, and the young lady very adamantly raised
her hand, shook it in the air. The teacher was very impressed, thinking that
this was the breakthrough moment! Well, she called on the young lady, and
before the teacher could say Yes or No, the young lady blurted out “I like
blue!” Dumbfounded, the teacher goes, “well, that’s nice dear. Do you have any
thoughts of the topic?” “no, ma’am. But I really like blue!”
Teachers struggle sometimes in the face of adversity, both from the pressure
that they place upon themselves, but also from outside forces. I know that more
than once, many of the teachers in this congregation today have been asked why
they didn’t teach at a Christian school. ‘Why don’t you want to be around other
Christians’, or ‘why do you want to be told what to teach’, or, my favorite, ‘you’re
going to be forced to teach something you don’t believe in!’ I know that, at
least from my wife’s and my Mom’s perspective, the answer has always been this:
if we are not a light in the darkest of places for these kids, who is going to
be? If we aren’t there to stand up for what the truth is, who will? If we
aren’t there to teach Christian principles to these kids by showing them what
it means to love them, who will do it? The message for teachers from this
pulpit today is simple, and its one that we can take with us as we go into the
world, even if we are not “teacher” in a school setting: we are to be teachers
for Christ, because that’s what he called us to do. Let’s look at God’s word
together.
II.
Teaching is a gift from
the spirit
One of the gifts from
the Holy Spirit is that of teaching. Look in Romans 12:7, which reads “if it
is teaching, then teach”. This part of verse 7 is in relation to the
spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to people when they become
Christians. It is affirmed in 1 Corinthians 12:28, which says “And God has
appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then
miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of
tongues.” Paul then goes on to ask if everyone has these gifts, answering
himself that we must earnestly desire higher gifts from the Holy Spirit,
because when we do, there will be shown to us a still more excellent way.
Teaching is a gift from
the Holy Spirit. As one commentary put it, “a pastor is also a teacher, but a
teacher is not necessarily a pastor.” Those that have the spiritual gift of
teaching show a natural ability to do so, but also they commit themselves to
studying and to developing their skill, much like any other spiritual gift.
Those with this spiritual gift are able to take something difficult and
communicate it to others so that they may understand it. In today’s society, we
are used to having information given to us in a way that is easily digestible.
I know that many of you teachers have taken years of study and practice to be
able to do that with whatever you are teaching. I know that it has taken me a
long time to be able to do so, and I still struggle with certain concepts on
how to communicate them well to others. I’ll give you an example: most
preachers would tell you that their best critic is their wives. This is not a
put-down of the pastor’s wife by any stretch of the means. I remember asking
Tasha a while back if I was getting any better at communicating my ideas. She
said that when I was first preaching on a regular basis here at the church, it
reminded her a lot of how she was when she first taught school. It wasn’t bad,
but in the time that she continued to work, certain things began to be easier
to work on, and certain ideas took a hold in her life and in her teaching. It
was the practice of doing that made her better, but also the continued studying
of her craft that made her a better teacher, and she told me that I was doing
much of the same.
One of the old quotes about teaching is actually a misquotation by George
Bernard Shaw, stating “those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” I know that
is an irritation for teachers everywhere, and it truly discounts what we know
about teaching as a gift from the Holy Spirit. Jesus, as we know, was perhaps
the greatest teacher of all time. The Sermon on the Mount is the foundational
teaching of Christianity, but that was not his only teaching. He taught in the
Temple during the week of his death. He was found by Mary and Joseph teaching in
the synagogue when he was 12. Jesus taught all over the place! But beyond this,
Jesus taught with the command of someone who also does. Interestingly enough,
it was the Greek philosopher Aristotle that stated “those who know, do. Those
who understand, teach.” Jesus knows all things, and we know that He has always
been there from the beginning of everything. But because he understands all, he
can also teach us.
What God allows us to do
with a spiritual gift of teaching is to USE it. I know that there are some of
you sitting here today that are thinking to yourselves “I’d never be able to
get up in front of everyone and talk about something!” Now tell me, if we were
out on the porch and we started talking about something that you are passionate
about, would you be able to do it? Would you be able to tell me and a bunch of
other folks about how you first started whatever you do and how you grew and
how you learned in it? And furthermore, if someone showed an interest in that
particular subject and wanted to know more, don’t you think that you could
teach them how to do it the way that you know how? THAT is the spiritual gift
of teaching! When we study our Bibles, when we take time to pray, and when we
take time to listen to the Holy Spirit, we will learn from it, and in turn
we’ll be able to share what we have learned from those experiences to teach
others about the way of the Lord. And we have to work at it to make sure that
we are truly using that gift to its full advantage.
III.
We are all teachers
Matthew 28:18-20 reads
this: “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with
you always, to the very end of the age.” We have a command from the Lord to
go and teach others about Him. As I was studying this week, I came across a
passage in the Holman Bible Dictionary that said this: “Jesus is pictured as
teaching large crowds. While Jesus was much more than a teacher, he was
recognized as a teacher by his contemporaries. He was A God-sent teacher who
taught with an authority and challenge which held his audiences captive. As
risen Lord, Jesus commissioned his followers to carry their evangelism and
teaching ministries into all the world. As seen in Acts, teaching became an
important work in the early church in Jerusalem.”
It is interesting to me
that, when you read about education in Biblical times that education was most
certainly not for all people. That’s what so different about Christianity
compared to even the Roman way of life at the time. I know that there have been
people in my life who have asked me, “Matt, you’re very smart, how can you
believe in Jesus Christ?” And something I almost always say to them is this:
the way of Jesus is learning more and more every day. Jesus reveals to us
through the Holy Spirit so much knowledge and understanding that it is almost
unfathomable. But here is the turn on this. We are to share that knowledge and
understanding with others. Go and make disciples, Jesus says! In other words,
teach them how to live like I have lived, and teach them the ways that they
will go so they will not depart from it. That is what we are called to
do.
IV.
Conclusion
Today, as we conclude, I
want you to take a moment to reflect upon the teachers that have influenced
your life the most. I think back to my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Judy Buck.
Mrs. Judy would eventually become a principal over in Gainesville, as well as
serve as the vice principal at Oconee County High School. But I don’t think
that there was a kid in her class, or at any of her schools, that didn’t love
Mrs. Judy, even begrudgingly. She was the kind of teacher that you could tell
wanted to show the love of Christ to others. When there was a kid stranded at
the high school, she took them home. When there was a child in her kindergarten
class that got skint up on the playground, she made sure that we got cleaned
up. And she taught us the fundamentals of reading, writing, and mathematics,
giving my classmates and I a love of learning that has stayed with us
throughout our lives. There were other teachers, of course, including my own
mother and father. How could you not learn from them? Besides being my parents,
Dad was my pastor for the longest time, and Mom helped me, and still helps me,
with learning new things! And it is always done with a compassion that speaks
volumes of their passion and love for Jesus Christ.
And that is our takeaway today: when we love Jesus enough, we want to share Him
with others, and to teach others about Him. We want to share what we have
learned from Him and teach it so that others can do the same. And we can, if we
are willing. Thank you teachers for always being there for us, and for showing
Christ’s hands even in the schools. Let’s pray.
No comments:
Post a Comment