Teachable
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Title: ABLE- Teachable
Intr: 1. Teaching college students about ministry- 3 habits that made you who you are?
a. Being teachable- a lifelong learner
2. We are all teaching and learning throughout our lifetime
a. Spouses are trying to train us- clothes in closet
b. Kids are trying to train us- going to bed, eating, manipulate (daddy)
c. Even our pets train us- barking till they get what they want, up early
3. Four predictors of divorce
a. A Spirit of criticism
b. Defensiveness - not allowing your spouse the ability to complain/communicate
c. Contempt - aged anger
d. Stonewalling - shutting down and not talking
e. 2 of the 4 are an characteristics of an unteachable spirit
4. God has a way for us to live our lives so that He can work through us
a. Somewhere at the intersection of our values, gifts, and experiences we find our sweet spot
5. 2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness
6. Philippians 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him
a. Francis Chan- Yes It is God who works in you and yes there is work for you to do. Yes the Spirit empowers you to do the work. And yes you do the work
7. Deuteronomy 30:19-20 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
a. Four qualities that enable us to live a life that God can work through
1) Teachable- listen to His voice
2) Blessable- blessings and curses, He swore to give to your fathers
3) Useable- love the Lord your God
4) Reliable- hold fast, he will give you many years
b. These four qualities act as Guardrails or Margins in our lives so God can work in us and through us
8. Today we will look at being Teachable
9. Jimmie Evans - 5 signs of an unteachable spirit
a. Chronic failure- money, marriage, jobs
b. Argumentative or defensive nature
c. Isolation and withdrawal in times of difficulty- The devil works in darkness. An unteachable spirit would rather be alone
d. Blame transfer- Never your fault, family, boss, devil
e. Reject those with a differing opinion (yes men)
10. What does it mean to be teachable?
a. Being teachable is being willing to learn, unlearn and relearn
b. Dollar Sunday- do you have cash, $100, cash burns a hole, texting to give? New giving platform, reoccurring
TS: Three Characteristics of a Teachable Spirit
I. LEARN- ASKING QUESTIONS
A. Admitting I need help
1. As kids we are constantly asking, “Why?”
a. Research says children ask 125 questions per day. Adults, on the other hand, ask only a half dozen probing questions each day. That means that somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we lose 119 questions per day
2. Keep asking questions
a. Asking questions builds relationships- staff sharing their stories, Senior adults
b. Asking questions eliminates confusion- so what you’re saying is
c. Asking questions makes others feel special/important
d. Asking questions enables a person to discover answers for themselves
1) The disciples asked Jesus a lot of questions and he usually responded with questions
2) Jesus asked 300 questions in the three years of ministry, he only answered three
3. Half of counseling others is asking why (to get to the root)
4. A teachable spirit is not always a person’s aptitude, it’s more the person’s attitude
a. Humility- I don’t have all the answers
B. A willingness to listen
1. We have 2 ears and 1 mouth
2. When we ask a question, truly listen instead of thinking about what we want to say
a. Too many people ask questions, because they want to give the answer
3. Albert Einstein- I have no special talent; I am only passionately curious
4. Teachable people approach life with an understanding that they can learn from anybody regardless of that person’s state, status, or station in life
a. A Teachable Spirit has a posture about it, I can learn from anyone, anywhere
b. I can learn from a 20 something even though I have more life experience than them
5. We can’t always see everything from our perspective
a. Could never be on a jury- always believe the last lawyer
b. Movie Vantage Point- assassination of the president from different points of view
c. We can’t see the whole picture by ourselves so we need others input
* A teachable person asks questions
II. UNLEARN- ACQUIRING WISDOM
A. Not being a know-it-all
1. The greatest enemy of learning is knowing
a. John Wooden- It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts
b. Proverbs 26:12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him
2. If you’re the smartest person in the room, you might be in the wrong room
a. Try not to always be the first one to speak
3. Three people that talk too much
a. The know it all
b. The been there done that
They don’t want to listen to you… they just want to tell you what they’ve don
c. The one upper- Always have a better way or better story
4. Marcus Luttrell (Lone Survivor) Have the courage to be a beginner. It’s through learning new things that we get training. If we don’t have training, we tackle every new thing as a child
B. A desire to learn
1. Disciple is a “learner”
2. Being open to new ideas or trying new things
a. When you try something new, you learn something new
3. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks- one of the oldest idioms in the English language 1500’s
a. One Veterinary school tried and found all dogs could learn but older ones took twice as long- stubborn
b. My dog is exceedingly well trained. If I change any routine I trip over her
b. Finley and her old volleyball- Picture
c. Newlywed that cut the ends off of the ham. Mom- Grandma did, too big for the pan
d. God loves to mess with our patterns- Moses strike/speak, David fighting armies, Joseph’s path to his dream, Pharisees
4. Be a lifelong learner- Parents teaching, Pastor Polvado, Bible School, personal Bible study for small group
C. Take initiative
1. It’s up to you to keep growing and learning
2. It needs to be a priority
a. Proverbs 4:7 NLT- Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do
b. MSG- Above all and before all, do this: Get Wisdom
c. BBE- The first sign of wisdom is to get wisdom
3. Seek out and plan teachable moments
a. Reading/listening to books that challenge you
b. Visiting places that inspire you
c. Attending events that prompt you to pursue change (small groups)
d. Spending time with people who stretch you and expose you to new experiences
e. Five years from today, you will be the same person that you are today, except for the books you read, the places you go and the people you meet
* A teachable person is willing to unlearn some things
III. RELEARN- ACCEPTING CORRECTION
A. Attitude of submission
1. Proverbs 9:8 So don’t bother rebuking mockers; they will only hate you. But the wise, when rebuked, will love you all the more.
2. Proverbs 15:22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed
3. Proverbs four categories of people
a. Wise- listens and learns
b. Simple- naive, they lack experience
1) They say, "Nothing's gonna happen" "I can handle it", "You're overreacting”
2) Parents overreact because we anticipate the future
3) The simple have never seen real consequences from bad decisions
4) The cure to being simple is time
c. Fool- knows what to do but doesn't care
1) We can all see this in other people but it's hard to see in ourselves
2) They think they aren't hurting anyone but themselves but their foolishness masks their selfishness
3) Proverbs 13:20 The companion of fools suffer harm
4) If they don't care about themselves they aren't going to care about you
5) The cure to being a fool is tragedy
d. Mocker- scoffer, the fool on steroids, they mock the people who are trying to do right
1) Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults
e. Correct the simple and they won't get you, correct the fool and they'll ignore you, correct the mocker and they'll insult you, but correct a wise person and they'll thank you
4. We typically don’t wake up excited to receive correction today
a. I can’t wait to get a list of all the things I can’t do right from my spouse
5. Correction is not condemnation. Condemnation wants to push you away from God and point out all your weaknesses. Correction wants to draw you close and push you higher
a. Discipline is for the child, Punishment is for the parent
b. We correct your children while they are in your house because you want the best for them. You correct attitudes and actions so they can have healthy relationships, hold a job, move out of the house… and not move back in
B. Making Adjustments
1. Discipline- disciple is a learner, Discipline is to teach or to learn
2. Teachable people fail forward- learn from their mistakes
a. Failure without lessons learned is a failure. When you fail forward, you learn in the process of failure
b. On the final hole of the 1961 Masters tournament, Arnold Palmer had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a perfect tee shot. “I felt I was in pretty good shape. As I approached my ball, I saw an old friend standing at the edge of the gallery. He motioned me over, stuck out his hand and said, Congratulations." I took his hand and shook it, but as soon as I did, I knew I had lost my focus. On my next two shots, I hit the ball into a sand trap, then put it over the edge of the green. I missed a putt and lost the Masters. You don't forget a mistake like that; you just learn from it and become determined that you will never do that again. I haven't in the 30 years since.
3. A good question to ask yourself when you go to bed is, “What did I learn today?”
a. Every day is an opportunity to show up in the school of life
* A teachable person will relearn through mistakes and correction
Cncl: 1. Are you teachable?
2. A teenager from Northern England named Patrick was kidnapped at age 16. The Irish raiders took him back to Ireland, where he served as a slave for six years under a Druid tribal chief. During his captivity, Patrick chose to follow Christ. He escaped back home to England where he became a minister and led a Parish in Britain for nearly 20 years. Patrick felt God calling him to Ireland as a missionary. Because of his time there in captivity he understood the culture and how to build bridges into their society. Patrick struggled with his calling to ministry because he was poorly educated, ineloquent and faced significant opposition throughout his ministry from those who felt that he wasn’t up to the task. Even as an old man he still admitted, ‘Today I still blush and fear more than anything to have my lack of learning brought out into the open.’ Yet despite all his disadvantages Patrick remained convinced that God had called and anointed him as an evangelist. St. Patrick, as we call him, built churches all over Ireland and led thousands to Christ. History and legend says that through Patrick’s prayers 33 people were raised from the dead. He also reportedly prayed for the provision of food for hungry sailors traveling by land through a desolate area, and a herd of swine miraculously appeared. Today his more eloquent contemporaries have long been forgotten, but the impact of St Patrick’s ministry and mission to Ireland 1500 years ago is still recognized around the world. But we would never heard of him if he had allowed his ignorance to stop him, but instead he was teachable
3. He is also credited for writing Patrick’s Breastplate (a lyric written on soldiers shields for protection). Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me
4. If God is going to enable us to be what He wants us to be, we must be teachable
a. Learn by asking questions
b. To unlearn by being open to new things
c. To relearn by accepting correction and learning from our mistakes
Altr: 1. Salvation- being teachable
a. Admit- you don’t have all the answers
b. Believe- you need help bigger than yourself
c. It’s being teachable
2. I want to be teachable
a. Chronic failure, isolation, defensive (unreachable)