When a sermon is heard, there is more to listening that sitting passively in a pew. Do you remember the sermon you heard yesterday? If you do, consider these questions to ask and answer from The Center On Excellence In Preaching. Maybe it would be good to be thinking of these things BEFORE the next sermon is heard…
Regarding Scripture…
Was this sermon rooted in a particular text of Scripture? What was the main point of the sermon? What was the main point of the text? Did the sermon say what the text says (theme) and do what the text does (purpose)? What did this sermon tell you about Jesus Christ? What did it tell you about what Scripture says about our situation and about God’s work of redemption? How did this sermon deepen your knowledge and/or appreciation of God’s Word? Was the sermon faithful to the central doctrines of the Christian faith and the creeds and confessions of the church?
Regarding Authenticity…
In so far as you know this preacher, is there integrity between the preacher’s words and life? Did the preacher’s tone and demeanor fit with the message of the text, the purpose of the sermon, and the preaching situation as a whole? Did the preacher exhibit passion and conviction through the message? (This is not a question about the decibel level of the sermon, but about its power, its resonance, and the sense it gives the listener that this preacher deeply believes the message of the sermon and strongly desires that listeners will know and follow God more as a result of this sermon.)
Regarding Contextualization…
Did the sermon give evidence that the preacher knows this congregation as well as the broader cultural context of non-Christians in the audience? If so, please give examples. Did the preacher give evidence of a deep understanding of the broken condition, the “trouble,” the needs, the human situation of those who listen, and proclaim the good news of the gospel in ways that effectively address that broken condition? If so, please give examples. Was the sermon communicationally effective? Was it clear? Interesting? Well-organized? Did the sermon keep your attention? Were there any distractions in the preacher’s delivery?
Regarding The Life Changing Element…
What was the purpose of this sermon as you heard it? What did the sermon encourage or empower you to do? What behaviors or attitudes did it confront? What grace and hope did you hear in the sermon? In what ways did this sermon build up the body of Christ and you as a part of it? How did the sermon relate to unbelievers in the audience?
Yes… there is more to hearing a sermon than just passively listening. Each time we are to THINK… like the Bereans did. So… how did the last message you heard fare in light of these questions?
This is really food for thought…for me at least! I admit there have been many instances when I was not focused. Therefore, I did not listen as I should have in order to receive a blessing that would have made a difference in my situation at that particular time. I am so thankful for what you are doing, and I have incorporated Ron’s Reflections with my daily quiet time. It has made a difference to have the time to really think, look up scripture, all based on your writings. Thank you so much.
Bless you Judy. We all are guilty of zoning out during a sermon/message. It takes work not to do it sometimes. I hope that this post will give us a few things to think about as we listen to messages. Thus 1 John 4:1… “Test the spirits to see whether or not they are from God…”