Back to School – Learning How to Learn, September 2, 2018

Here are the notes for my new teaching series.

FINISHING WELL VS. A DRAMATIC FINISH

There are some really dramatic death scenes in the Bible:

Samson

David

Joshua

Stephen

None more dramatic than Jesus

• John 21:19 – This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”

J. Robert Clinton: "Six Characteristics of Leaders who Finish Well”

Characteristic 1 - They maintain a personal, vibrant relationship with God right up to the end.

Characteristic 2 - They maintain a learning posture and can learn from various sources—life especially.

• Genesis 49:1-4 –And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: 2 “Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father. 3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power. 4 Unstable as water, you shall not excel…’”

• Romans 12:1 – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

⁃ beseech: to urge or to ask for influence

⁃ mercies: benefits; one the benefits of your faith and salvation package is you can live a holy life

⁃ acceptable: compatible

• Romans 12:2 – And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

⁃ Beginning: compatible and finished

⁃ Will of God: His desires, His heart, what He likes

• People who are conformed to the world are as unstable as water

• The way you keep from being unstable as water is you have to have your mind renewed. Have a born-again brain

THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE IS CONNECTED TO THE PROPHETIC

• Daniel 5:12 – Because an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding to interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve problems were found in this Daniel…

• The pursuit of excellence is a huge theme within my life. For a lot of people, that translates as different things, such as;

Seeing what you didn't see before

Understanding what you didn't understand

Gaining mastery in your life where you used to be a tenderfoot

Becoming an expert instead of a novice

LIVING LIFE FORWARD

⁃ Going to the next level – it’s about advancement for the sake of living a better life and for the sake of advancing the Kingdom

⁃ Being an overcomer

⁃ Being somebody who can

Experts and high achievers

• YOUR KNOWLEDGE BASE – You learn it

• LEVEL OF COMMITMENT – Determination to improve and get it done

• PRACTICE – Do it over and over again

⁃ The first element is the acquisition of a large knowledge base in the area of expertise. Experts and high performers invariably have a level of curiosity and the drive to know even the smallest details of their specific domain. Once they have the knowledge set, they can then tap into well-organized cognitive schemas that allows for performance that can appear intuitive or innate.

⁃ Next up is a high level of commitment. Those who attain excellence are absolutely determined to continually improve, and therefore persevere when things get tough. In this sense, the knowledge and specific expertise required to develop excellence at a skill is unique only to those who have the same level of commitment.

⁃ Finally, there’s practice, and lots of it. Malcolm Gladwell popularized the research that shows it takes an average of 10,000 hours of practice to achieve excellence. Regardless of the actual number, top performers begin practicing earlier than others, practice more, and practice more consistently.

⁃ Taken together, these three aspects come together not just in practice, but deliberate practice. This means a form of sustained practice that is focused, planned, concentrated, and effortful. Your attention is on only what you’re doing correctly, and incorrectly, at every moment.

• That’s not easy. And you won’t be able to pull it off if you’re lacking in knowledge, commitment, practice time, and consistency.

We have to learn how to learn.

• You can learn how to go to college without learning how to learn.

• It is said that the most important life skill you can have is to be teachable.

• Teachable people never stop learning the never stop getting better.

• Renew your commitment to have a teachable spirit.

• Another word for teachability: HUMILITY

• 1 Peter 5:5 – “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

• In Proverbs 3, the attitude the father recommends to the son is one of humility: “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord” (v.7).

• In chapter 2, he says, “Incline your ear to wisdom . . . ; search for her as for hidden treasures” (vv.2,4).

• Proverbs 9:10 – The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.