Roseavenue.org

 

Sunday, September 2, 2012 am

AS YOU GO BACK TO SCHOOL

Well that time of year is here again.  Our youth are returning to schools, most of them public schools.  Many in our audience are also teachers and summer break is over with.   When it comes to school, some are excited about it and others dread it.  But it is a part of life, and school is something that can you better yourself in the future.  And that applies to whatever schooling you are talking about.

When we talk about our schools, we usually have many grim things to say.  It is certainly a place where ungodliness breeds among our peers, the humanistic influence is ever present, sometimes dictated by our governing bodies and other times by educators with an agenda.  It is certainly no secret, that over the past several decades, morality in education and teaching that there is accountability beyond this life has declined, and along with it, the amorality of our society has increased.   Political correctness seems to be the flavor of the day.  

That is not to say, there are not exceptions to this or that there is nothing good to be said about education.  There are plenty of positives to be said – the ability to formulate good study habits, learning to read and think, learning history and sciences, as well as the latest in technology.  There’s even attempts to instill some “culture” with the arts and encouragement to exercise and take care of yourself.  What is interesting about EACH of the subjects I have mentioned is that they can be used to make you better or worse when it comes to your moral fiber and even your faith.  But the direction you go with them is up to you.

The bottom line is that, regardless of the environment you are in, as a Christian there are ways you ought to govern yourself.  While many around you may reject such things, there are still godly principles for you to consider as you go to school.  And if you’re already done with school, perhaps you can apply some of these things to your work place environment.   So with that in mind let us notice some biblical principles that ought to govern our lives as you go back to school (or continue to interact with society).   Take with you:

I.                    A godly example –

a.        All Christians need to be good examples, everywhere and always.

b.       Phil. 2:14-15 speaks of our lights shining “in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.”

c.        Whether we are on the job, at home, with friends or at school, we need to proudly project that we are Christians – and the Biblical view of such.

d.       Luke 9:25-26, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?  26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels.”

e.       Young Timothy was told, “Let no one despise your youth,…”  This was followed by an admonition for him to be an example to the believers in all things. (1 Tim. 4:12)

f.         Whether you are young or old, you can be an example.  The Bible has many examples of young men and women who were good examples – Joseph, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, Josiah who became king at age8, Jesus at age 12, etc.

g.       Ecclesiastes 11:9-10, “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; Walk in the ways of your heart, And in the sight of your eyes; But know that for all these

God will bring you into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, And put away evil from your flesh, For childhood and youth are vanity.”  NOTICE in this text that Solomon observes that youth is a time to enjoy life (before the REAL responsibilities come), BUT in so doing, don’t forget God!  Realize that in time, the decisions you make now and the example you set will have a bearing on the direction your life takes.

Prov. 20:11 says, “Even a child is known by his deeds, whether what he does is pure and right.”

 

II.                  Respect for authority - 

a.        It is truly sad that we live in a society where authority is NOT respected as it ought to be.  Our youth are constantly told to question authority and those in positions of authority are portrayed as buffoons or corrupt (both in our media and new casting).
How often do we hear about the bad cops? Bad politicians? Etc.   How often do we hear about the good ones?  I will guarantee it is not as often as the ones who go bad?
There are some in positions of leadership that have not earned it, (and even that is still not an excuse) but far too often our youth is seeking to live in rebellion and to reject authority – whether it be their teachers, parents, law-enforcement officers, or the elderly in general.

b.       The problem with this is that they may reject ALL forms of authority as they grow up.  This includes God’s authority.  Is it any wonder so many have set aside the precepts of God’s words today?

c.        Friends, it doesn’t matter what your friends are doing, you be respectful of those in positions of authority. 

                                                   i.      1 Pet 2:17 says, “Honor all people.  Love the brotherhood.  Fear God.  Honor the king.”  Rom. 13:2 says that if you resist governing authorities you are going to answer to God!

                                                  ii.      Children are commanded to obey their parents and to honor your father and mother – Eph. 6:1-2. 

                                                iii.      We are commanded to respect our elders, who shepherd us – Heb. 13:7, 17

                                                iv.      1 Pet. 5:5 says, “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."”  The best understanding of this text is that “elders” here is the elderly, or those who have been around longer than you and as such are worthy of respect
Leviticus 19:32 says, “You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the LORD.”  While a precept of the old law, it portrays the idea of what we are addressing here.
Job 12:12, “Wisdom is with aged men, and with the length of days, understanding.”
Prov. 20:29, “The glory of young men is their strength; And the splendor of old men is their gray hair.”

d.       Considering these things I challenge you to step up and be an example of respect.  It is so need in our society, and especially with our youth.

 

III.                Honesty –

a.        Honesty is a central characteristic in the life of a Christian.  It will govern your thoughts, words and conduct.  Honesty is taught in scripture as essential to securing eternal life.

                                                   i.      1 Pet. 2:11-12 – we are to have conduct “honorable among the Gentiles.”  Honorable conduct includes honest conduct.

                                                  ii.      Prov. 12:22 says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.”

                                                iii.      Philippians 4:8 tells us to meditate upon things true (honest), noble, just, pure, etc.

                                                iv.      Proverbs 4:23-27 which says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.  Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you.  Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you.  Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established.  Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil.”

b.       There are some who say that in our society there is a crisis in honesty.   I have a tendency to believe this because of what we continually hear about going on around us. (I do not believe everyone is dishonest, but the numbers are increasing on a yearly basis).   We are not just speaking of straight forward lies, but cheating, half-truths, not reporting income on taxes, plagiarizing, etc.

c.        IN February 2011, the Josephson Institute (Center for youth ethics) released a survey of over 40,000 students in which they found the following findings:[1]

                                                   i.      1 in 3 boys and 1 in 4 girls admitted to stealing something from a store within the last year.

                                                  ii.      2 in 5 said they sometimes lie to save money (48% males, 35% females)

                                                iii.      59% of students admitted to cheating on a test within the year, while 34% admitted to multiple times.

                                                iv.      1 in 3 plagiarized from the internet during the year.

                                                  v.      Concerning the survey, the numbers may be even worse as more than 25% admitted to lying on at least 1 or 2 survey questions.

d.       As youth, when you go to school, be totally honest.  You may not always have the easiest path, but you can live without regrets.  It is very rare that cheating doesn’t come with no cost, even in this life! The short cuts you take today, you will pay for tomorrow.  
Let us be honest with ourselves, our fellow students, our teachers and with God.

 

IV.                  Self-control –

a.        At the foundation of every sin we commit is a lack of self-control.  That is why it is found in 2 Tim. 3:1-5, as you find the description of selfishness.  Romans 1:26-32 describes ungodly conduct that involves men given over to their passions and thus lacking self-control. 
As Christians we are to exercise self-control – Gal. 5:22-23, 2 Pet. 1:5-7, etc.

b.       Developing self-control is a most valuable habit to develop.  The earlier we learn it, the better our lives will be.  Quite often our youth, thinking they are invincible, do things without self-control that produce consequences some of which are life altering.   Our prisons are filled with men and women (boys and girls) who in a fit of rage acted without self-control.  Many unwed mothers (and fathers) are such because they failed to exercise self-control.

c.        As you go back to school – learn self-control and self-discipline.  To do so will help you in so many ways. We need to learn to do what needs to be done and avoid what is wrong.  That’s right – self-control INCLUDES doing the right things with the best of your ability.

 

V.                   A good work ethic  -

a.        This accompanies our last point.  Our society is in desperate need for those who are willing to work hard to accomplish what needs to be done.  Far too many have been raised with an entitlement attitude (i.e. “you owe me”, “what will you give me for it?”, “You need to give me some of what you have earned”, etc.).  We are raising a generation of lazy and ungrateful souls.

b.       As a Christian, know that such is unacceptable to God.  Laziness is condemned in scripture – cf. Matt. 25:26, Prov.  13:4, 10:4, 18:9, 20:4, 6:6, etc. 
2 Thess. 3:11-12 challenges us to be busy and not idle.  1 Tim. 5:8 describes the one who does not provide for his family as worse than an infidel.   Whether school or work, a good work ethic is necessary because:

c.        God commanded it – whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord.  Eccl. 9:10, Col 3:17, 23, etc.  Consider 5 & 2 talent servants who were commended for their work ethics EVEN WHEN the boss wasn’t around!

d.       As youth, learn to get busy now.  Don’t spend so much time wasting it with television, video games, computer, etc.  Get out and do good for others. 
When it comes to your school work – study hard and strive to be the best you can be.  Excel at whatever you do!  
Why? Generally speaking good work habits spill over into other aspects of our lives.  One who is a hard worker at his job, or a top rated student, has the “skills” to be a top rated student of the Bible and serve God with all his might.

 

VI.                  Courage –

a.        We cannot escape the ungodliness of the world, and sometimes it is present within the school system.  But we can stand up for what is right and for our Lord.

b.       We need courage.  We need to be willing to stand up for what is right, when saying nothing is easier.  We need to boldly tell the truth, even when it’s unpopular.  That is what courage is about.

c.        1 Cor. 16:13 says, “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.”
2 Tim. 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound
In scripture we find many examples, even among youth who demonstrated courage – Joseph, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, Timothy, etc.  They stood up for what was right and said what needed to be said. 

d.       Sometimes we need to tell our friends no!  We need to defend our Lord when He is being falsely accused or blasphemed.  We need to be willing to let others know that we are Christians and that we do serve our Lord.

e.       One reason so many things are amiss in our society is because not enough people will stand up for what is right.   By far, the majority would rather just follow the crowd, even if they don’t agree.  BUT, often times, if someone will stand up for what is right, others will begin to follow.  Will you be that courageous leader?

 

VII.              Modesty –

a.        Our final observation deals with another serious concern.  In our materialistic world, many of the styles that are popular today are immodest.  By immodest we mean that they draw undue attention to one and often provoke lustful desires. 

b.       When Paul admonished women to adorn themselves with “modest apparel” (1 Tim. 2:9-10), he was dealing with clothing and accessories that were not moderate or with humble (a sense of shame or blushing) and that drew undue attention to the wearer.  It is interesting that the text actually deals with one over dressing, but the principles would certainly apply to one who underdresses as well (i.e. provoking lust).  1 Pet. 3:3-4 speaks women whose conduct is “chaste”.  HE says, “Do not let your adornment be merely outward – arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel, rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”  The point is what we wear is important!

c.        There are at least four ways something can be immodest:

                                                   i.      There is the amount of cloth covering the body (i.e. the lack thereof),

                                                  ii.      There is the way in which it covers the body (designed to enhance the figure, see-through, etc.)

                                                iii.      There is what it says (slogans, brand names, etc.) – often immoral or suggestive.

                                                iv.      And what statement are you making (Goth, piercings everywhere, etc) – often we find rebellion with our youth and it shows in the outrageous styles some are wearing.   There are some who dress with a certain style to declare they have no intention of conforming to society (especially the good of society). 

d.       As Christians, we need to make sure that what we wear is proper and that it does not provoke lust.  Yes, much more could be said about this, but again I stress that we need to stand out (in the good way) by not conforming to immoral standards.

And there you have it!  Some things to take with you as you go back to school (and to maintain in the workplace, etc.).   I am sure more could be added to these.  IN ALL of these, the need stems from our need to be a godly example.   Our society desperately needs godly role models who will live the word of God wherever they are.   As another school year begins (or you resume your work or other activities) let us resolve that we are going to be that godly example that is so desperately needed (Matt. 5:16, 13).   Let us strive to be the salt of the earth God wants us to be.  May we always realize that we are Christians first and no matter where we are or what we are doing, let that be at the very heart of our lives.  Think about it.