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Mills River SDA Church

Cory Reeves

Education for a Purpose

But I am just so thankful for our school.

And I've thought about this a lot over the years.

And 1 of the thoughts I've had is Ellen White speaks of education, she speaks to parents, and in many ways, and she speaks of churches, and in many ways I feel those are somewhat in today's society tied together.

Our teachers, in many ways, they have the kids for so long every day, in many ways they become, what's the appropriate term, surrogate parents or step parents or assistant parents is probably a better way to think of it.

And so I'm gonna use those things a little bit back and forth, if that makes sense.

If you're sitting here thinking, well, I don't have kids, and I'm not a teacher, so I'm going to zone out, please don't.

Education should never, especially true education should never end.

And, friends, you're part of a church family.

And this church family is raising numerous kids.

And their education is valuable and important, and this church has also put a lot of money and resources to a beautiful school that is trying to educate for eternity, And that is part of who we are as a church.

So please listen and pay attention to those parts for you.

Our scripture, and I appreciate Andy going back a verse, but our scripture 22, verse 6, train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

So I have a couple of brief, on-the-surface thoughts from this text.

First, the text clearly speaks of the importance of training or education, right?

Education truly is a foundation for life.

But the, the question that this text leaves is what is the way he should go?

We're gonna talk about that a little bit today.

But I want to start out with a little clearer statement from Prophets and Kings, page 536.

To every nation and to every individual, God has assigned a place in His great plan.

And I'm not saying as pastors or teachers or doctors, but we should all be workers for Him no matter what we do.

We should be showing children the way they should go is truly showing them how to have a relationship with Jesus and learning that they personally can be of service to Him in His work.

It was, does anybody know this person before I start?

Since you already know it, I'll put it up there.

On January 15, most of you know this story, it sounds like, but for those that don't, on January 15, 2009, it was a day like any other.

The captain of Airbus A320 had a pretty ordinary morning as he began to take off from LaGuardia Airport bound for Charlotte on US Airways flight 1549 with a hundred and fifty-five people on board.

However, and isn't it scary when you use a word like that when you say ordinary flight, However, shortly after takeoff, the plane struck a flock of Canadian geese and lost power in both engines.

Now, passenger planes aren't really meant for gliding, And with no power in the engine, he wasn't gonna make it far.

So I'm gonna refer to Chelsea Burnett Solaberg III as Captain Sully throughout.

He quickly determined he would be unable to reach either LaGuardia or any other area airports.

And in a few seconds to process, Sully made a decision.

Sully later said, it was very quiet as we worked, my co-pilot Jeff Skiles and I.

We were a team, but to have 0 thrust coming out of those engines was shocking.

He said it was weird, the silence in a big plane like that.

The plane, as many of you know, flew to an emergency water landing on the Hudson River.

And the miracle was that all 155 people on board survived and they were rescued.

Soli was the last to leave the aircraft as he twice made sweeps of the plane.

Soli has become famous and has been praised for his poise and calm during the crisis.

Now I want to read you a quote of what he said.

Sully said that moments before the landing there was the worst sickening pit of your stomach falling through the floor feeling that he had ever experienced.

And here's the important part of the quote.

1 way of looking at this might be that for 42 years I've been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education and training.

And on January 15, the balance was sufficient that I could make a very large withdrawal." Captain Sully is basically saying his education and experience saved him and the 155 others on board.

It was the training that he received in the Air Force Academy that he practiced those skills for 42 years with additional education.

Obviously this training was important, and I hope my pilot, when I'm on a plane, if anything like this were to happen, would have that same experience as Captain Sully.

But is there training we receive that is just as, or if not more, important?

Is there training for our youth that has of more importance than this?

That will someday help save them in life, and not this life.

Let's continue to reflect on our Proverbs 22, 6, train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Besides vocational training, or math, science, English spelling, what is this training?

Child Guidance 507, the teaching of the Bible has a vital bearing upon man's prosperity in all the relations of this life.

There is no position in life, no phase of human experience for which the teaching of the Bible is not essential preparation.

I don't think to get your plumbing license you have an exodus or revelation exam.

But it says here, there is no human, no phase of human experience for which the teaching of the Bible is not essential preparation.

Yes, while we can educate in math, English spelling, science, reading, and all the other topics, all of it will be of no avail if we don't teach the Bible.

I feel we are blessed with a staff praying and looking for ways to bring kids to the Bible.

The Bible in Deuteronomy 6, verses 6 through 7 says it a little stronger.

And these words which I command, and I want to stop there, the Hebrew word means to give charge or to order.

So it's really not a choice, this command.

By and these words which I command or order you today shall be in your hearts.

What had God just given them before this verse?

He had just given them the law, the transcript of God's character, so they are to put them on their hearts.

Verse 7, and You shall teach, the Hebrew word also means sharpen, so you shall teach them diligently to your children and they shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.

The Bible, God's word to us, his law, are to be the center of our lives.

They are to be discussed, they are to be a focus of our day.

And I love the word teach here when it means also sharpen.

Because sometimes I think we get confused.

I think we should educate ourselves forever, but some people think, well, I learned that I can move on.

Because as you use it and experience life, it needs to be re-sharpened, right?

And so this word sharpened here, we've gotta continue to sharpen.

That's why none of you get out of this sermon today.

I feel that when we as a church and church school take on the job of educating children, there is a responsibility passed down.

Yes, part of that is that we are to educate them to be successful in this world.

But more important, we are taking on the challenge of them being successful in heaven.

So when we look at the Bible and the spirit of prophecy, I see that education is a job for all of us.

We are must first educate ourselves in God's word.

We are also educated, are taught, called to educate our children.

This is not done just by the teachers, but we have Sabbath school teachers in here, VBS leaders, and parents in here.

Not all kids who come, sadly, have the advantage of all of those.

So you are all a part of the children's education in here.

Now there is a group in the Bible that we know very little about.

Sometimes not even their names, but we always will see their impact in the Bible of those people for all eternity.

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Education for a Purpose

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