Sermons Are Not for Liking

Tim Challies reminds us that Sermons Are Not for Liking:

Today I want to share a lesson I’ve learned that applies primarily to those of us who listen to preaching (as I do, most Sundays, since I am not an every-Sunday kind of preacher). Here’s the lesson: Sermons are not for liking. Sermons are for listening, they are for discerning, they are for applying, but they are not for liking. You don’t get to like or dislike a sermon. We tend to ask questions like, “So how did you enjoy the sermon today?” It is just the wrong question to ask.

Read the entire post here to see exactly what he means.

*I appreciate one of our church members making me aware of this article.

Expository Listening

There are hundreds of books on preaching but not very many on listening to preaching. So when I come across one that looks helpful, I want to make others aware of it. Tim Challies has a brief review of Ken Ramey's new book, Expository Listening: A Handbook for Hearing and Doing God's Word, which looks to be one of those. You can read Challies' review here.

Other helpful resources for listening to sermons include Christopher Ash's booklet, Listen Up: A Practical Guide to Listening to Sermons and the first chapter ("A Healthy Church Member Is an Expositional Listener") in Thabiti Anyabwile's little book, What is a Healthy Church Member?. I highly recommend both of these.

A Practical Guide to Listening to Sermons

Whether you are primarily a preacher of God's Word or a listener of God's Word preached, Christopher Ash's little booklet, Listen Up! A Practical Guide to Listening to Sermons, is a valuable resource for you and your church. Phil Dunn has a helpful review of it here at the Unashamed Workman blog. Here is his conclusion:

In summary then, I can't speak highly enough of this little booklet. I honestly can't imagine anyone reading it and not finding it immensely helpful (and that includes older Christians too). Are there any drawbacks – well, I really couldn’t think of any! It’s short (only takes about 5-10 minutes to read), it’s clearly laid out, and it’s easy to understand. And if the reader takes the content to heart he/she is bound to benefit and enjoy God's word much more. My advice – grab a copy for yourself – or even better get one for each member at your church!

To read an online sample of the booklet, click here.