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The Heart of a Student
Evangelist Dr. Bob Sanders
June 1, 2010
“Study to shew thyself
approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.” II Timothy 2:15
“And there were certain
Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: The same
came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and
desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.” John 12:20-21
I want to draw your attention
to an occurrence in John 12. Here we have a group of
individuals that have a heart for higher education, for a
greater knowledge of the truth. They desire to come face to face
with the truth. They have seen the emptiness of where they were
and desired to rise about the shallows of ignorance and ascend
the lofty heights of wisdom and truth. May their example create
within each of us a desire to climb the sunny summit and reject
the shadows of the valley floor. Their assent is marked by at
least four things.
(I) The Right Process –
“Sir”
Their process is right
because they began with an assent and not a descent. The word
“sir” means supreme in authority, a respectful title, a
controller. The Greeks came to the right source to get or to
gain the knowledge of the truth. Paul enlightens us to this
process when he wrote to young Timothy, “Thou therefore, my
son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the
things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same
commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others
also” (II Timothy 2:1-2). When writing to another young
preacher, Paul told Titus that the aged women were to teach the
younger women (see Titus 2:3-5). If you desire to attain
the truth, you have to go to the right place and in most cases,
it is found in the lives of seasoned and mature saints of God
that have been a depository of spiritual truth.
Solomon’s son proved to be
ignorant to the right process; “But he forsook the counsel of
the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the
young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before
him” (I Kings 12:8). The result of his error was that the
kingdom was divided under his reign! Do not compound your
ignorance by seeking counsel from unproven and immature sources.
These Greeks sought out Philip in the process of gaining wisdom
and truth.
Philip was an educated man;
he had set at the feet of Jesus and heard truth from the lips of
the Master. Philip had listened intently as Jesus prayed. He was
there when Jesus delivered the Beatitudes and the Sermon of the
Mount. Philip was an experienced man; he had spent three
years with Jesus. Philip had not only heard truth, but he had
lived what he had heard. If truth is to be acquired, the process
begins by going to a source where truth has been deposited.
(II) The Right Passion –
“we would”
The word “would” means
to be determined, choose or prefer, to desire, to be disposed,
love, to intend. The true student does not possess a take it or
leave it mentality! Peter said, “As newborn babes, desire the
sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (I Peter
2:2). The word “desire” means to yearn intensely, to
crave possession, to greatly long for. When a person is born
from above, they become a new creation and with that birth comes
an intense longing for the truth of God’s Word. Do you possess a
passionate desire for the truth of God’s Word? We can see this
passionate pursuit in the lives of God’s people. Paul said,
“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14). David said, “As
the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul
after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living
God: when shall I come and appear before God?” (Psalm 42:1-2).
(III) The Right Priority –
“see”
We need to do more than just
hear words or gain an intellectual knowledge of truth. Learning
by itself is impersonal! Job said in the midst of his trial,
“I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine
eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and
ashes” (Job 42:5-6). When speaking to the Church of the
Laodicea’s, the Lord said, “I counsel thee to buy of me gold
tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment,
that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness
do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou
mayest see” (Revelation 3:18). The hearing of truth must
lead to the heeding of truth and that occurs when we see the
truth as it is relevant to our own personal lives.
(IV) The Right Person –
“Jesus”
While the process would begin
with seeking out Philip, the ultimate end was to get to Jesus!
It is Jesus that the true student needs to see! There are the
positive effects of seeing Jesus. For the sinner, there is
salvation (see John 12:32). For the saint, there is
supplication, separation, sanctification, and satisfaction
(see Hebrews 12:2). There on the Isle of Patmos, John the
beloved was looking for Jesus. Having seen Him, John said,
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
Do you possess the heart of a
student? Are you actively seeking the lofty heights of Divine
Truth, or are you content to dwell among the shadows below? The
heart of the student is marked by the right process, the right
passion, the right priority, and the right person. Let’s leave
the crowded masses below and join the small band of students
that desire to die climbing. This small nucleus of believers is
those that have become weary of ignorance and have given
themselves totally to the passionate pursuit of enlightenment.
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