Week after week, we go to great lengths to ensure that our worship is “done properly and in an orderly manner” (1 Cor. 14:40).  The hymns are selected and the slides arranged well in advance so that the leader and the congregation can concentrate on song worship.  We have special training classes from time to time to teach men about the responsibility of leading public prayer.  The one who presides at the table will read a passage or make a few remarks about the death of Christ, lest we partake of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner.  Before the collection, another brother will remind us of how the Lord loves a cheerful giver.

 

But what about the responsibility of the church toward the preaching?  Does that require any special attention or training? If not, why did Jesus say, “Take care how you listen” (Luke 8:18)?  As His disciples, we should want to take care of this.

 

“And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul preached to them” (Acts 20:7).  In a typical worship service, over half of our time is spent listening to the preaching of the word of God. What do we need to learn to listen better?

 

An open Bible.  Gospel preaching comes from the highest authority of all – the word of God.  That deserves not just an open mind or an open heart to the things that are said, but an open Bible to test the truthfulness of the sermon.  The Bereans were “more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).  They didn’t just take the preacher’s word for it. They “examined” what was said, a word that means “to study thoroughly.” 

 

People need to come to services with their Bibles.  Children need to see their parents listening to the sermon with an open Bible.  Visitors need to observe that they are in an assembly of people who respect the word of God with a desire to learn it and a duty to examine it.  Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom. 10:17).  The person who has ears to hear is the one who listens with an open Bible.

 

An attentive mind.  Just because our Bibles are open does not mean our minds will automatically be engaged with what is being said.  This takes focus and determination on the part of each listener.  The Bereans examined the Scriptures daily because they first “received the word with great eagerness” (Acts 17:11).  “Eagerness” is also translated “willingness” or “readiness.”  Their minds were able to test the preaching of Paul and Silas because they prepared themselves to listen. 

 

Attention can easily be lost. When someone “has” to get up and get a drink of water, the whole audience “has” to watch them go out and come back in.  When people whisper to one another, even when it is about the sermon, those in the pew around them have ears that are no longer attentive to what is being said in the pulpit.  And perhaps all of our minds would be more attentive on Sunday morning if we gave better thought to our plans on Saturday night.  Make up your mind to do so.

 

A receptive heart.  The heart is the target of the sermon.  When the people on Pentecost heard the word, “they were pierced to the heart” (Acts 2:38).   That’s exactly where Peter was aiming.  When Jesus explained the parable of the Sower to the disciples, He described the reception of the seed in the fourth soil as “the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15). That’s where the Lord wants to reign.

 

This must first be done on a personal level.  All too often, the sermon is applied to everyone else in the auditorium before it is allowed to pierce our own heart.  A good listener hears the word of God and honestly asks, “Does this apply to me?”  Because our Bible is open and our mind is attentive, our heart is able to “receive the word implanted” (James 1:21).  From there, it can take root.

 

Since this part of the process is so critical, great care must be given to listening until the sermon is completely finished.  When the Lord’s invitation is extended (Matt. 11:28-30), is this really the best time to be zipping up your Bible cover and gathering your things together?  Song leaders, is it decent or in order to lead an invitation song that is either unfamiliar to the congregation or, worse, does not invite anyone to respond?  Such distractions can easily turn an “I Am Resolved” into an “Almost Persuaded.”

 

The power of any sermon is not in the preacher but in the word he proclaims.  “Listen to Him,” said the Father concerning His beloved Son (Matt. 17:5).  And for His sake, take care how you listen.