If you have been attending church for any length of time you are quite aware that one of the central features of the worship service is the preaching of the Word. You’ve probably heard hundreds, even thousands of sermons in your life. But have you ever intentionally stepped back to analyze how you listen to sermons? Or how about the way you prepare to listen to sermons? Or even what you do with the sermon after it is finished? A sermon should not just be something you put up with and get through, it should truly be something you truly anticipate, attend to, and analyze. What follows is some wise advice for how to become a better sermon listener.(1)
“The biblical pursuit of godliness teaches us that we should make diligent use of the preached Word. The Puritans in particular relished good sermons. They attended corporate worship faithfully, took careful notes, and often talked and prayed their way through the sermon afterward with their children. These practices were the fruit of Puritan pastors teaching their people how to listen to sermons. Here is a digest of Thomas Watson’s advice(2):
Prepare to hear the Word by bathing your soul in prayer.
Come to the Word with a holy appetite and a tender, teachable heart.
Be attentive to the preached Word.
Receive with meekness the implanted Word (James 1:21)
Mingle the preached Word with faith.
Strive to retain what has been preached and pray about the Word that was proclaimed.
Put the Word into practice; be doers of it. Ask of the sermon: “How does God want me to live differently in light of what I have heard?”
Beg the Spirit to accompany the Word with effectual blessing.
Familiarize yourself with the Word by discussing it and sharing it with others.”
(1)Piety, Joel Beeke, p. 25
(2) A Body of Divinity, Thomas Watson
For more advice on how to become a better sermon listener check out 7 Ways to Become a Better Sermon Listener.