How to listen to a sermon

When I was pastoring in northern Bollinger County, the church where I served had an annual tradition of going to the Baptist Home, a Baptist retirement facility in Ironton, to conduct a worship service for the residents. I remember one of these services very well. I got up to preach and looked out at all those folks who had been Christians much longer than I had been alive. (I was in my 20s at the time.) I did my best to preach the word of God to them, knowing that I could not offer them any radically new insights.

In the audience that day was a very elderly lady sitting in a wheelchair with her Bible on her lap. She had a beautiful smile on her face and listened attentively as I preached. After the service was over, she rolled up to me as I greeted the residents at the exit door of the hall where we held the worship service. She clasped my hand in her frail and wrinkled one. With great seriousness, she looked me in the eye and said, "Young man, everything you said today, I knew probably 50 years before you were born." My heart sank in my chest. I knew she was right and felt like I had wasted her time. Then a huge smile spread across her wrinkled face, and she added, "But it's always good to be reminded." Whew. My preaching had not been in vain. As I thought about this episode recently, I realized that elderly sister knew how to listen to a sermon. She had listened to it with an open heart and an open Bible; and, in the process, God had met with her through the words of a green, 20-something-year-old preacher.

In Acts 17.10-12, the Jews in Berea listened to the teaching of Paul in the same way as this elderly lady did. First, they listened with an open mind. The Jews and gentile proselytes Paul encountered in the synagogue in Berea were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica (v. 11 CSB). The word used here originally meant "of noble birth" or "well born." Then it came to be used for "people who exhibited noble behavior, who were open-minded, fair and thoughtful (ESV Study Bible)." These Jews and proselytes were far more "open-minded than those in Thessalonica (NLT)." As a result, they received the word (CSB) from Paul. The word received in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament used in synagogues all over the Roman Empire, was used to denote "the readiness to receive and accept the divine word (New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology)." Since the Bereans were open-minded, they did not automatically reject what Paul proclaimed to them as not being divine truth. Instead, they displayed humility and a longing to understand God's truth better. When you listen to a sermon, you need to begin in this same way. You can do this by praying like the psalmist, "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law (Ps. 119:18 ESV)" as the sermon begins.

The open-mindedness of the Bereans manifested itself not only in their receiving of what Paul had to say; it also was revealed in how they received it -- with eagerness (CSB). The word eagerness combined passion and action. The Bereans really wanted to hear what Paul had to say and were actively involved in doing so. All Christians should be hungry to hear God's word. Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word (1 Pt. 2.2 NLT) and this hunger should drive them to do all that is necessary to understand and apply it better and better. When you listen to a sermon, you should not just sit there as a passive listener. You should do all that you can to join with the preacher in the analysis of and reflection on the text or texts contained in the sermon. To do this you need to open your Bible and follow along as he reads and explains them. You should try to take notes at minimum about the theme of the sermon, its main lesson, and what the Lord wants you to do to apply the biblical truths discussed to your life. Then you should return to these notes over the next week and think more about the texts covered.

The Bereans listened to Paul's teaching with open minds, but not with naivety or gullibility. They listened with an open mind and an open Bible. Interacting with Paul, they examined the scriptures daily to see if these things were so (v. 11 CSB). The word examined meant to evaluate and was elsewhere in the New Testament by Luke, the author of Acts of judicial inquiry (Understanding the Bible Commentary). The Bereans wanted to know if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth (v. 11 NLT). So, they compared what they were saying to the ultimate standard of truth -- the scriptures. They were not content to meet once a week on Saturday to do this. They met every day and evaluated that which Paul was teaching them in the light of the Old Testament scriptures.

When some people listen to sermons, they are like baby birds that wait for their mother to return with worms and other food. They just open their mouths and accept, uncritically, whatever the preacher says. Then after doing this, they turn into spiritual parrots, repeating whatever they heard without thinking. God does not expect you to check your brain at the door and blindly accept whatever the preacher says. The Lord wants us to use our brains and be mature in our thinking. "My brothers, don't be like excitable children but use your intelligence! By all means be innocent as babes as far as evil is concerned, but where your minds are concerned be full-grown men! (1 Cor. 14.20 Philips Translation)." Listen carefully -- not just to what the preacher is saying, but where the ideas he is sharing can be found in the text and how he came to the conclusions he is sharing. If you have questions after the sermon, make an appointment to discuss them with the preacher. A good preacher will be glad to do so.

Some people mistakenly think that open-mindedness and critical listening and thinking will lead only to skepticism and lack of faith. This is not what happened in Berea. Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men (v.12 CSB). The word believed is used in the New Testament for both believing in something and believing in someone. Since Paul was sharing here in the synagogue, his approach was probably very similar to what he did in Thessalonica. There he reasoned with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and rise from the dead: "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah (Acts 17.2,3 ESV)."

As the Berean compared what he was saying to scripture, many of them became convinced that Paul was telling them the truth. At the heart of what Paul was proclaiming to them was the good news about Jesus' death and resurrection, and the offer of forgiveness of sins and restoration of fellowship with God. The Berean's belief in what Paul said led them to place their personal trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.

As you listen to the sermon, pay careful attention to what the Lord wants you to believe, of what he wants you to be convinced. However, let belief and conviction in these truths lead you to a deeper relationship with the Lord himself.

Over 35 years have passed since that sweet, elderly lady said those words to me at the Baptist Home in Ironton. I am sure she has long since passed away for she was almost 90 then; however, her example remains. May we all do like she did and like the Bereans did. May we listen to every sermon with an open mind and an open Bible.

DAN UPCHURCH is a native of Bollinger County. He and his wife, Lori, have spent many years as missionaries in Ukraine and currently serve in Poland.