For the past several weeks, I have been thinking about the art of hearing. Specifically, how does the congregation hear the preached Word of God and respond to it?
Generally, my sermons follow a similar flow: God, man, Christ, redemption, and application. The first four come from the exposition of the text. We are trying to hear what God has said. But when we come to application, my desire is that the doctrines we have gleaned from the text would not simply be heard. I want them to be digested, implanted in the heart, and lived out.
I want Sunday’s Word to still be working in us on Tuesday.
Yet I have been faced with a problem. Sometimes I will sit down with my family after a sermon and ask what was preached, and much of it has already been forgotten.
I know this is not unique to them because it happens to me too. I have listened to sermons and zoned out. I have become distracted. I have thought about everything coming up that week, instead of what was being preached. Then Tuesday comes, and I have forgotten the very truths that should have been implanted in my heart.
This led me to realize something: I do not remember anyone ever teaching me how to listen to a sermon.
How should we prepare ourselves to hear the Word preached? What should we do while listening? What should we do with that Word afterward? James 1:19–25 gives us a helpful framework.
Prepare Yourself to Hear the Word
James tells us to be “quick to hear.” This is more than advice about becoming a better listener. Romans 10:17 tells us, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”
God has chosen to work through His Word. Through it we hear about our Creator, our fall into sin, and our inability to approach God on our own terms. We hear about God’s plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. We hear of a Savior who entered His creation, died for sinners, rose from the grave, reigns as King, and will return in victory.
If this is what we hear in the Word, we should come hungry for it. Yet often we do not. We can have a steak sitting in front of us and a pile of Swiss Rolls beside it and choose the Swiss Rolls. We know which one will nourish us, but one seems sweeter.
We often do the same thing spiritually. We have the Word that gives life sitting before us, yet our hearts are drawn toward a thousand other things because they seem sweeter. James calls us to run toward the Word because we understand its value. Practically, that means preparing before Sunday morning.
Get some sleep Saturday night. Read the passage beforehand if you know where your pastor will be preaching. Pray for your pastor, but also pray for yourself: “Lord, give me ears to hear. Show me Christ. Expose the sin in me that I cannot see. Correct what I have wrong. Give me humility to receive Your Word.” Do not begin preparing for the sermon when the preacher begins preaching.
Come hungry.
Listen Carefully to the Word
James also tells us to “receive with meekness the implanted word.” Meekness does not mean weakness. It is a deliberate posture of submission. It is the willingness to say, “It does not ultimately matter what I think or feel. If God has spoken, I will trust what God has said.”
That matters because eventually the Word will confront something we do not want confronted. It will expose bitterness we have justified, pride we have protected, jealousy we have hidden, or sin we do not want to surrender.
What do we do then? Receive the Word with meekness. This requires active listening.
Keep your Bible open. Follow the text. When the preacher makes a point, ask whether you can see it in Scripture. Follow the movement of the sermon. Write down the main idea or major points if that helps you remember them.
You do not have to remember every illustration or sentence. You do not have to become a court reporter. But identify what God is showing you about Himself, Christ, yourself, and the life He has called you to live. And fight distraction.
Your mind will wander. You will think about lunch. Your phone may buzz. Someone will cough. You will suddenly realize you have no idea what the preacher has been saying for the last five minutes. Come back. Find the text again. Look at the point being made. Listen to the sentence being spoken right now.
Listening is active. And when the Word confronts you, resist the temptation to immediately think about who else needs to hear it. Before giving the sermon to your spouse, children, friend, or coworker, receive it yourself. Ask, “Lord, what are You showing me?”
Respond Obediently to the Word
James then gives perhaps the most important instruction: “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Hearing without responding is not faithful hearing. sJames compares it to looking into a mirror, seeing what is wrong, walking away, and immediately forgetting what you saw. God’s Word functions like that mirror. It exposes sin, reveals pride, confronts bitterness, shows us where we have wandered, and continually points us toward our desperate need for Christ.
The question is what we do after seeing ourselves. When the Word tells you to forgive, forgive. When it exposes sin, repent. When it commands you to love, love. When it gives you a promise, believe it. When it shows you Christ, trust Him. This is why the sermon should not end when church ends.
Talk about it on the way home. Ask your children what they learned about God. Ask your spouse what stood out. Talk with other church members about what you saw in the text.
The Puritans sometimes referred to this practice as “holy conference.” Christians would gather and discuss the Word they had heard preached. The preaching ended, but their hearing did not.
We need something similar.
On Monday, remember the sermon. Spend five minutes looking back at the passage and your notes. On Tuesday, apply it. Ask, “Where does Sunday’s Word meet my life today?” Maybe Sunday’s text addressed anger, and Tuesday someone makes you angry. There it is. Maybe it addressed trusting God’s providence, and Tuesday you receive unexpected news. There it is. Maybe it addressed forgiveness, and Tuesday you encounter the person you have refused to forgive. There it is. The Word has followed you into Tuesday. On Wednesday, talk about it with someone else. On Thursday and Friday, turn its truths into prayer. Praise God for what the passage revealed about Him. Confess the sin it exposed. Thank Him for its promises. Ask for strength to obey its commands.
Then Saturday comes. Read the next text. Pray. Get some rest. Come hungry.
Then gather with the church on Sunday and begin again. The goal is not merely to become better sermon listeners. The goal is Christ. We come hungry to the Word because in the Word we see Christ. We listen carefully because we want to know Christ. We receive the Word humbly because Christ is our King. We obey the Word because Christ has redeemed us and called us His own.
I do not simply want our churches filled with people who sit through sermons. I do not even want us merely to remember sermons. I want us to become people who hear the Word of God and do it. So come hungry. Hear well. Come attentive. Listen well.
Leave ready to obey. Do well. And don’t let Sunday’s Word die before Tuesday.
—Christopher Lindsey serves as the pastor of New Holland Baptist Church in Wagener. He holds a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and has a passion for preaching, teaching, and helping believers grow in their knowledge and love of Christ. He is married to Courtney, and they have four children: Aiden, Lillian, Brooklyn, and Hudson. His desire in ministry is to faithfully proclaim Christ, equip the saints for the work of ministry, and see the local church grow in spiritual maturity.