How to Listen to a Sermon

How to Listen to a Sermon

 

            Today’s sermon is titled, “How to Listen to a Sermon”.  God gives preachers and teachers to build up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:11-12).  Preaching is to be done “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2).  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the preaching of the word (Rom 10:15). 

 

Preaching is important only because the substance of preaching is important:  the Word of God.  God’s word is just that – God’s Word!  It isn’t my word, your word, or anyone else’s word.  God’s Word is meant to be preached.  The worst thing in the world that can happen is for silence to surround the word of God.   So often the responsibility of preachers concerning how they speak God’s word is addressed in the Bible. 

 

But on the other side of the equation is the responsibility of the hearers.  How should someone listen when the Word is being preached?

 

Here are 3 points to practice when God’s Word is being preached.

 

#1:  Come Humbly

            First, come Humbly.  A humble heart is the key to hearing God’s Word.  Psalm 25:9 says, “He guides the humble in what is right, and teaches them His way.”  How often did Jesus lambast the Pharisees for their pride when He was teaching?  When listening to the word of God make your heart humble.  Pride will make your heart blind to spiritual truth. 

 

Pride will also keep you from listening for your own benefit.  In other words, you will always be listening for the benefit of others.  You know what I mean.  How many times have you been listening to a sermon and thought, “Boy I sure hope Bob is listening!”  Or, “Wow, I wish Darlene were here today this sermon is for her.”  Or, “I think the preacher needs to listen to his own sermons.”  You know what I’m talking about:  more often we find ourselves thinking of how other people need to change in response to the sermon but I never seem to be convicted myself. 

 

Humility is the key to reverence for God.  And reverently is the only way to listen to God’s word.  Turn to Nehemiah 8 with me please.  [Read]  Notice in verse 5 when Ezra began to read the people stood up.  When a judge enters a courtroom he is shown honor when all the people stand during his entrance. 

 

            Humility means we give attention to the condition of our hearts before hearing God’s Word.  In Matthew 13 we have the parable of the sower and the seed.  Let’s turn there and read it together.  Jesus is saying that each person who heard the word preached had a different heart condition.  One was confused, one was worldly, one was pure.  The point is that our hearts should not be distracted with anything of this world when we come to the word of God.

 

Come with an awe-filled and humble heart.  Come with a mind that is captivated by the heavenly glories of the Creator.  Come with fear and trembling.  Come with deep admiration.  Do not come lightly before Him.  No one is like Him.  Let us give careful, reverent and humble attention to what He says.

 

#2:  Come Hungry (1 Peter 2:2)

            Come hungry.  In 1 Peter 2:2 we read, “Like newborn babes crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up into your salvation.”  In Revelation 22:17 it says, “Whoever is thirsty, let him come.  And whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.”  God puts a premium on a hungry soul.  Jesus said “Man doesn’t live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).  We have to come to a sermon with a hunger in our hearts.  A deep desire to be satisfied from God’s word.  The Psalmist in Psalm 42 says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you O God.  My soul thirsts for the living God…” 

 

Hunger doesn’t come from an intellectual curiosity alone, although those will come.  Hunger comes from a deep need within our souls.  We want to be with God.  We cherish His words.  We treasure His ways.  We love His instructions.  Our very life is inseparable from Him and we are ever drawing nearer to Him. 

 

            Hunger means we won’t put up with anything less than God’s Word.  Turn with me to 2 Timothy 4:1-4.  It means that we want sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  We want the man speaking to correctly handle God’s word.  We want the meaning of the Scriptures opened up.  If we’re coming with ears then He better come with the word.  He needs to be a man who feels like Jeremiah in the pulpit, who says, “His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.  I am weary of holding it in, indeed I cannot!”  (20:9).  You match a preacher like that with a church who won’t put up with anything other than the word and you have a beautiful thing.

 

            Come Hungry.

 

#3:  Come Heeding.

            Lastly, come heeding.  To heed means to pay close attention and be ready to respond to what you hear.  Be ready to obey and live out what God says in His word.  In Acts 2 after Peter preached 3000 men asked “What shall we do Peter?”  Each of us should respond with such sincerity.  Turn to James 1:22-25 with me [Read]. 

 

            We come to God’s word to find out His will in order to live in His ways.  Greater knowledge doesn’t necessarily mean greater obedience to God.  And knowing more Bible doesn’t necessarily mean you know much about God.  The key to knowing God is obeying Him.  Knowledge of God depends very much on how much you’re willing to obey Him.  You learn about Him as you obey Him.  Jesus said this in John 14:21, let’s turn there and read it together.

 

So when we come to the word of God, we come heeding.