When it comes to preaching, God holds both the preacher and audience accountable. The preacher must proclaim God’s word in a clear, organized, and concise way. And the audience must listen carefully.
Throughout the Bible, a strong emphasis is placed on the importance of good listening (Romans 10:17; Matthew 17:5; James 1:19; Matthew 11:15; Matthew 13:9; Luke 8:18; Luke 14:35).
What specific things does effective listening in the worship assembly require?
It requires prayer.
- Pray for the preacher (Ephesians 6:18-19). Ask God to help the preacher as he studies, plans, and writes the lessons during the week.
- Pray for the sermon (Psalm 119:18). Pray for the sermon (Psalm 119:18). Pray that the sermons are Bible-based, challenging, and designed to make us more like Jesus.
It requires high expectations.
- Expectations influence our attitudes before engaging in an activity. This is especially true when it comes to hearing preaching.
- What do you expect when you come to the worship assembly? Do you expect to hear from God? Do you expect to hear revelation from the Creator? You should!
- The fact that we are present to hear from God should motivate us to sit up, open our ears, and listen carefully whenever it is proclaimed (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:23-25).
It requires physical preparation.
- The problem of Christians falling asleep in church goes back 2,000 years (Acts 20:7-9).
- How can this problem be avoided? We must set our alarm clock and go to bed at an adequate time on Saturday night. We must get early enough to eat a good breakfast and read Scripture. We must show up to worship God on time, with our Bibles and an eagerness to learn.
It requires personal application.
- God doesn’t want us to hear His word merely. He also wants us to apply what we hear (James 1:21-25).
- A preacher must always answer the “so what?” question. He must not only impart information to the audience, but he must also tell them what to do with that information.
- When the sermons are not applied, the problem is not with the preacher. The problem is with the listeners.
Conclusion:
How will you respond after hearing the word of God?