We cannot play at preaching. We preach for eternity.[1]
—Charles Haddon Spurgeon
If you agree with Spurgeon’s words above,
then you will also agree that we cannot play at sermon-listening. We listen for
eternity.
Some people talk about church activities such
as preaching without making reference to the Bible. Don’t they know that God
has something to say about these things? He created and ordained preaching. He
also determined that people would listen to preaching. Surely then, He would
provide instruction to both those who preach and those who listen? Indeed, He
has.
The Bible says a lot about sermon-listening.
The next few blog posts will summarize the responsibilities each and every
Christian has before God whenever we listen to a sermon. Don’t be frightened by
the word ‘responsibility.’ Embrace listening and responding to God’s Word as a
privilege. We are blessed that God would reveal Himself to us in the pages of
Scripture. There’s a joy in knowing that He wants to communicate with us. And,
of course there are appropriate responses to God’s shared blessings. Call them
responsibilities—call them privileges—but there are right ways to listen. What
does God say about sermon-listening?
It’s not a subject we
think about a lot. How do you listen to a sermon? Jesus
said, “Take care how you listen” (Luke 8:18a). It’s a familiar Bible text, but
maybe we too quickly assume that we’ve got it down. I
mean, we keep going back to church, don’t we? Surely that means we inherently
know what to do when we get there? But, how do we learn to be effective
sermon-listeners? Do we just pick it up from others by osmosis? Are all
Christians naturally good sermon-listeners?
Watching a television
show or a movie is quite easy. You can zone out while the plot unfolds. The
story pulls you through. Listening to a sermon is different. It takes sustained
effort. It requires discipline. We need to put our
brain into gear. We need to engage our cognitive skills. We need to open our
hearts. Listening to a sermon requires preparation. It’s a skill that needs
developing. It requires practice. It requires instruction. That’s where this
blog come in.
Over the next few weeks, I will review what
the Bible says about
sermon-listening. Then, I will add some practical
pointers on how to maximize your sermon-listening experiences as an
individual. These are going to be helpful
and encouraging posts. We’ll start next
week with the first of four biblical sermon-listening principles. Catch you then. . .
[1] As cited in Steven J. Lawson, Famine in the Land (Chicago:
Moody Publishers, 2003), 56.
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