Improving our listening to sermons

Most Christians are used to listening to sermons, but how well do we really listen? I have had the privilege of growing up in church and often attended multiple services when I was younger. I have probably listened to at least a couple of thousand sermons in person, not counting conferences and online listens. On top of that, I have probably preached somewhere close to a thousand myself. Yet I don’t remember the details of all that many of them.

Let me ask you some questions. What was the Bible text of the most recent sermon you heard in church? What was the main point of the sermon? And what have you done in response to what you heard in that sermon?

I’ll give you a minute to think about those questions. I do pray you can answer them well and confidently! If so, you’re doing better than a lot of Christians. It is so easy for us to hear a sermon, appreciate it at the time, then walk away and never think about it again and never do anything in response. Isn’t that a great waste? It could be a well-crafted, faithful, and well-delivered sermon, heard by someone who loves Jesus and wants to hear it, and yet it might not lead to any change in many of the hearers.

I think all of us need to think harder and work harder at listening well to sermons.

As someone who has been both a long-term listener and long-term preacher, let me be very honest. There are many sermons that are difficult to listen to. There are many preachers who are underprepared or disorganised in their thinking or who make no effort to connect with those who hear (that’s a blog post for another day). Yet that doesn’t excuse us. We come to listen to the Word of God; even the clumsiest sermon that attempts to explain the Bible to us should be useful in some way. We cannot just blame the preacher; we need to work on our listening.

I also need to say something to those who have a theological education or are mature long-term Christians; don’t fall into the trap of just marking the sermon in your head. It is easy to be so critical that every little mistake, every illustration that doesn’t quite work for you, and every little mannerism of the preacher you don’t like puts you off. We are sitting under the Word of God. We need to listen well, not mark it, as if it is us who have the authority rather than the Word!

Sermons are not lectures; they are intended to persuade you of something. They should lead to action, not only to increased knowledge. We should always ask what to do in response to what we have heard. Maybe the right response is to cry out to God in thanks! Maybe we need to work on some aspect of our lives, or include something in our prayers for the week, or take some action to stop doing something. Whatever it is, don’t walk away and do nothing. Think of something you can do towards it, and make the time to do that thing.

Here are three quick ideas on how to listen to sermons more effectively:

1. Take notes (but briefly and afterwards). Sermons are intended to be listened to. Some people find that taking notes all through the sermon helps them to stay on track, and if that’s you, great! I find that I get carried away and try to note down the structure and everything as if I might need to replicate it myself. But that’s not the purpose of the notes. The notes are for you to remember the main ideas, new things from the passage you need to think about, and possible responses to pray about and act on. So try listening without taking notes, then jotting down these few ideas after the sermon is done (perhaps immediately after the service is finished). This can be an extra tool that reinforces what you have heard.
2. Pray about the sermon immediately and then again later that day or the next. If God’s Word requires a response from us, pray about what is in your mind immediately after hearing the sermon. In my church, I allow a short time of silent prayer straight after the sermon to encourage this. As different people respond to the same sermon in different ways, this gives people the opportunity to start processing and applying what they have heard.
3. Talk about the sermon with others. Many churches have morning tea or even meals after the service which gives a great opportunity to do this. Many families talk about it together in the car on the way home from church. Talking it over with someone will help both of you process it, think about it, and apply it.

Sermons from God’s Word are a great resource and blessing to the church. Let’s use them well.