Listen up!
I was reading a booklet recently called ‘Listen up! A practical guide to listening to sermons’. You may think that a better booklet for me to read would be called ‘Speak clearly! A practical guide on preaching sermons’! Well, as hard as it may be to believe, I have read lots of books on preaching sermons. I have read very little on listening to sermons. However, I am both a listener and a preacher and the booklet reminded me of how important listening is.
In Luke 8:18, after Jesus had told a parable to a large crowd, he said ‘consider carefully how you listen’. In Mark 8:18, Jesus implies that it is possible to ‘have ears and yet fail to hear’. In Mark 4:12 we read of people who were ‘ever hearing but never understanding’. So we need godly preachers but we also need to be godly listeners. The booklet has ‘Seven ingredients for healthy sermon listening’ followed by practical steps to take in order to help us listen well. I won’t tell you all seven, but here are two that got me thinking.
1. Expect God to speak.
As God’s word is faithfully and prayerfully taught, God’s voice is clearly heard. So when we come together on Sundays, we are gathering to do something very significant. We are listening to the God of the universe, our Heavenly Father, address us through His Word and by His Spirit. So, listen expectantly and prayerfully.
2. Do what God says.
‘Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says’ (James 1:22). The purpose of sermons is to change us into Christlike people. So we gather on Sundays, not to be entertained but to be transformed – transformed through God’s Word by God’s Spirit for God’s glory. So listen attentively and obediently. If you would like to know the other five ingredients for healthy sermon listening, you will need to visit 10ofthose.com and part with £1.50!
Richard Leadbeater, Assistant Minister