HOW TO LISTEN TO A SERMON
A Letter from a Pastor #4
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Sunday, July 21, 2024
(1 Corinthians 1:21, LEB) “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.”
(1 Corinthians 2:1–5, NLT) “When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified. I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.”
(James 3:17, Message) “Real wisdom, God’s wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others. It is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold the next, not two-faced.”
A CHRISTIAN PREACHER PREPARES HIS HEART SPIRITUALLY AND EMOTIONALLY.
1. REJECT SELF RELIANCE.
2. RESOLVE TO KNOW JESUS CHRIST.
3. RESOLVE TO LOVE THE WORD OF GOD.
4. RESOLVE TO LOVE PEOPLE.
(2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT) “Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”
A CHRISTIAN PREACHER RELIES ON THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO PERSUADE.
(1 Corinthians 2:4–5, NLT) “I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.”
1. THE HOLY SPIRIT TRANSFORMS LIVES. (vss. 1-5)
2. THE HOLY SPIRIT REVEALS THE TRUTH OF THE GOOD NEWS. (vss. 6-16)
(1 Corinthians 1:23–25, CEV) “But we preach that Christ was nailed to a cross. Most Jews have problems with this, and most Gentiles think it is foolish. Our message is God’s power and wisdom for the Jews and the Greeks that he has chosen. Even when God is foolish, he is wiser than everyone else, and even when God is weak, he is stronger than everyone else.”
MAKING EVERY MESSAGE MATTER
(James 1:21, NLT) “So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.”
1. PREPARE YOUR HEART ON SATURDAY.
“To make a pretense of coming unto God, and not with expectation of receiving good and great things from Him, is to despise God himself … and deprive our own souls of all benefit thereby.” – John Owen, Works John Owen, 7:437
(Psalm 19:13–14, NLT) “Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
a. GET ENOUGH SLEEP.
b. PREPARE TO LISTEN.
c. LISTEN EXPECTANTLY.
There is no such thing as an uninteresting subject—only uninterested people. – G. K. Chesterton
2. LISTEN WITH HUMILITY.
(1 Thessalonians 2:13, NLT) “Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.”
a. PREACHING HELPS US READ OUR BIBLES BETTER.
b. PREACHING ENCOURAGES US IN OUR LOVE FOR GOD.
(1 Thessalonians 5:14, ESV) “Encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”
3. APPLY THE MESSAGE.
(James 1:22, NLT) “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”
a. TALK ABOUT THE MESSAGE WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
b. ASK, “HOW DID THE MESSAGE APPLY TO YOU?”