Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 6

 “The Bible was not given for our information but for our transformation.” - D. L. Moody.
“The goal of Bible study is not to make us smarter sinners but to make us more like our Savior.” – Howard Hendricks
Too often so-called “students” of the Word are looking for more information without ever getting to the all-important step of application. We need to ask this: “How does this truth change my life?” We should not be satisfied with just hearing a good sermon. James 1:25 pronounces a blessing on what you do when you apply God’s Word to your life. The one who is described as blessed in this verse is not a “forgetful hearer”, but an “effectual doer”. A forgetful hearer is one who neglects what needs to be done. It’s like hearing a sermon, complimenting the preacher, and then waiting for a new one next week. Meanwhile, the effectual doer is one who goes to work. That’s the significance behind the word “effectual”. Listen to a sermon, and get to work putting it into action.
Some good insights are offered in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 on how we can listen to scripture and use it for changing our lives. These verses tell us that the Word of God is profitable (useful and helpful) in four ways.
First, it is profitable for TEACHING  Other versions use the word doctrine. The word has to do with giving us information. Such information may be something new to us, or something of which we need to be reminded. When listening to the Word of God, we should be asking questions about what we are learning. Here are some examples:

1.      What did I learn about ______________ (God, Christ, Church, holiness, etc.)

2.      What promise do I see from what I heard?

Second, it is profitable for REPROOF  Reproof means that you are being confronted with something that is sinful, either doing something you should not be doing, or not doing something that you should be doing. The verb form of this word is translated as “exposed” or “convicted” (James 2:9; Ephesians 5:11). So the Bible should bring conviction in your heart that you are doing something wrong. Here are some questions to ask:

1.      What sins have I committed and need to repent of?

2.      What should I start doing (or start doing it again)?

3.      Are there commands that I have ignored, forgotten, or not previously heard?

Third, it is profitable for CORRECTION  The positive side of reproof is correction. It sounds just like the word: correcting the wrong behavior. Something in our life is out of order, and it needs to be restored to its proper place. The Bible shows you what you should be doing. It is looking for the opposite of what you have been doing. Ephesians 4:22-24 and 1 Peter 1:1-2 offer some examples that can be found in the New Testament where we have to do the negative (“put off”) before we can do the positive (“put on”). Try these questions to help find areas of correction:

1.      What should I be doing instead of _________________?

2.      Where do I need to make things right?

Fourth, it is profitable for TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS
Training is what we do with people who don’t know how to do something, like our children, students in school or coworkers on the job. Here the object of the training is righteousness. This is not the righteousness that is to be gained by trusting in Christ alone for salvation. Rather, it is the righteousness that we are to live out day by day. We should be seeing how God wants us to think and act. Scripture shows us how we are to live. That's what Paul says in Titus 2:11-12. Here is what we can ask:

1.      What do I need help doing? Who can help me?

2.      Is there an example to follow (or not follow)?

These four ways of allowing the Bible to be profitable in your life will help you be a “doer of work” rather than a “neglectful hearer” and thus be blessed in your “doing”. That’s a promise!

Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 5

The church is constantly in danger of being exposed to false teacher. It is important that listeners be able to discern whether the teaching they heard is biblical. We saw the reason for preaching the word last time in 2 Timothy 4:3-4. People want to be entertained and feel good. They will reject sound teaching, turn away from the truth, and turn toward false teaching.

So that makes it important for preachers to preach the Word, as well as for listeners to listen to the Word in a way that helps them become strong in their faith. Let’s focus on 1 Timothy 4:6-7 to see the importance of our own work in listening to the Word.  

First, we have a need for NOURISHMENT  Here is the context of the verses we are studying. Paul has just stated that there will be people who will “fall away from the faith” in what he calls “later times”. This will happen as the result of false teaching. So he tells Timothy that he will be a good servant when he shows the Church what will be happening.

The next phrase says he is “constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.” Timothy was a student of the Word! God was feeding Him. The word used for nourish is the opposite of atrophy, a wasting away of part of your body due to a lack of nourishment or feeding. So Paul is saying that Timothy has been nourished by continuing to follow the teaching he had been given while growing up and working with Paul (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15).

By the way, the word for “good” (describing servant) and “sound” (describing doctrine) are the same, and it speaks of the quality of something. He was an excellent servant because he was following excellent teaching. That sounds like good advice. We need to always look for good spiritual nourishment rather than spiritual junk food! Paul talks to Timothy and Titus about “sound” doctrine or teaching several times, but usually with another word that means healthy (hygiene is the Greek word for “sound” in 1 Timothy 1:10; 6:3; 2 Timothy 1:13; 4:3; Titus 1:9, 13; 2:1-2). It is obvious that Paul was concerned about the kind of teaching the church was receiving. There has always been a great need for discerning listeners as well as sound teaching.

Second, we have a need for EXERCISE  The nourishment we receive from God’s Word does not come easily, however. In verse 7 Paul tells Timothy of the need to “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.” Other translations use the word “train”. But probably the best way to understand this word is from the good old King James Version: exercise. In English, we have the word gymnasium from this Greek word. It has the idea of a constant, strenuous workout.  You would be working up a good sweat! We need to go to God’s gym, and the equipment we need for our workout is the Word of God.   

Just as most people have a goal in mind with their physical exercise, when it comes to listening to God’s Word, we also want to focus on a GOAL. Paul tells us that the goal is GODLINESS, the opposite of what was being produced by  false teachers based on what Paul says elsewhere (1 Timothy 6:3; 2 Timothy 2:14-18). Jerry Bridges defines ungodliness as living your life with little or no thought of God. You don’t think of His will, His glory, or your dependence on Him. So the Christian who is getting the good exercise needed is going to be working towards Christlikeness. Sometimes we seem to be working more towards the goal of worldlikeness (a new word I made up! Think Romans 12:1-2). God needs to be the focus of our life.

Think about the nourishment and exercise you need, not just as a listener of the Word, but also as a student of the Word. That’s not just a once-a-week deal, but a constant, serious, in-depth time to dig into what God has revealed to us in Scripture.

Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 4

The topic in the fourth chapter of Expository Listening by Ken Ramey is the problem of hearing what needs to be heard. Some people just want to hear an entertaining message and feel good. They aren’t interested in being challenged with their lifestyle. If a preacher goes in that direction, then the listeners will be receiving false doctrine. Indeed, many of them will not even hear the gospel. From 2 Timothy 4:1-4, we see some principles that are helpful for the listeners as well as the preacher. We will look at the commands to the preacher, and see how they might be turned into commands to the listeners.

First, if the preacher has to preach, then the listener has to listen.  That sounds so simple! Paul said in verse 2: Preach the Word. The “Word” is obviously the same message that was proclaimed as inspired at the end of chapter 3. To preach it means that you are acting as a public messenger to announce an important message. If it’s public, then we will be listening with others, meaning we will be in church. If it’s important, and if it’s from God Himself, then the listener better be careful to listen to what is being said. So Paul might say to the church where Timothy was located (Ephesus), “Listen to the Word”. Don’t go looking for something that will just amuse you. You want to be challenged. So here is our command: Listen to the Word. It’s urgent. It’s important. Start listening.

Second, if the preacher has to be ready all the time, then the listener has to be ready all the time. The next command to Timothy was to “be ready in season and out of season”. What do they mean to Timothy? The word “ready” suggests the idea of standing at the ready. A soldier has to be prepared at all times. He does not just prepare for one battle, but for any battle. That requires a preacher to be a student of the Word constantly, a man who walks with God throughout the week. So how about the listener? Are you always ready to hear God’s Word? In fact, are you hungry for it, wanting to get the best message that will challenge you in the way you live?

Third, if the preacher has to reprove those who hear, then the listener has to be receptive to reproof. Timothy is commanded to confront the people with the truth. It may be that their lives are not consistent with Christlikeness. Possibly there has been acceptance of false teaching. Such things need to be corrected. What does the listener need to do? Listen for areas in his life or doctrine that are not consistent with God’s Word. You actually have a desire to see areas that need to be corrected.

Fourth, if the preacher has to rebuke, then the listener has to be receptive to rebuke.  This is the follow-up to reproof. Once the false doctrine or sinful living has been exposed, people need to be challenged to be changed. Expository listeners want to change. They look for problems in their lives or weaknesses that need to be strengthened. Rebuke is not a threat to them; it’s an opportunity to grow.

Fifth, if the preacher has to exhort, then the listener has to be receptive to exhortation. What is exhortation? It is the same word translated as encouragement and comfort. Someone is coming along next to you to help implement the needed change. Often that is in small groups or with just one other person. This is a more positive ministry of assisting someone in bringing about positive change in their life. Listener, are you looking for something that you need to start doing in your life? When you hear the Word, look for something you need to do that you have not been doing. It may be something new, or it may be something you used to do, but you have left it behind.

Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 2

In reading through chapter 2 of Expository Listening, the parable of the sower is used to explain how the Word of God (seed) is received when it is preached. The context indicates that this reception basically had to do with hearing the gospel message of salvation, but by way of application, we can see that the same can be true when anything is taught from God’s Word. There are four different ways that we might respond.

First, Rolled Eyes: A Stubborn Heart  We might ignore the Word proclaimed.  Some people come to church, hear a sermon, but it doesn’t do them any good. It is specifically stated that the devil comes and takes the message away from them. Such a person is unsaved. The message of salvation needs the involvement of the Holy Spirit to take the Word, bring conviction, and give them repentance and faith (both of those are gifts, by the way!).  

Second, Teary Eyes: A Superficial Heart  We might “make a decision”.   The second type of soil is the kind where the seed finds a place to get some roots started. Such a person can hear the message, and they even respond to it in a positive way. They get excited about it! They appear to be truly impacted to the point that there is some type of change taking place. But such change does not last. When things get tough (“time of testing”), so dies the change. It disappears, just a memory. True, it is difficult to be consistent over the long haul, but there was no “long haul” with such a person. There is no lasting fruit, if there is any at all. It wasn’t heart change. This person was not saved.

Third, Distracted Eyes: A Strangled Heart  We might make some changes in our life.  This type of hearer appears to last longer than the second. There is even some fruit for a period of time, just as it takes weeks awhile before they begin taking over in a garden. They build up over time. The one who hears the Word of God can show some fruit for a while. But eventually, something becomes more important to them than the Word. They get distracted. They are deceived by a pursuit for more wealth. They become pleasure-seekers. The times in which they live have captured their attention, and they drift away, like Demas (2 Timothy 4:10). This person who showed such promise was not a believer at all, but a“make-believer”.

Fourth, Focused Eyes: A Soft Heart  We make changes that have a permanent impact on how we live. Then there is the person who not only is a hearer, but a doer (James 1:22). He hears the Word of God and puts it into practice, not just for a brief time, or even for an extended time. There is consistent, habitual action. There is fruit that is evident. And the fruit is abundant. It is clear to all who look at this person that there is a changed life. This is the only one of the four types of hearers that is truly born again.

We should be careful not to judge the amount of fruit that others are showing in their life (“I have more fruit than you!”). Their fruit may look different than our fruit. But there WILL be fruit if they are truly saved. If your life is evidenced by a continual response to God’s Word like the first three soils, then it is time to examine yourself, to see if you are in the faith (1 Corinthians 13:5). At the same time, however, we should always be striving to produce more fruit as we grow.

That brings up another point: growth. True believers do grow, just like plants will grow as they are fed with what is needed. We should always seek opportunities for more growth (by getting more of the Word), but we should continually producing more fruit. In people’s lives, the fruit may change. At one time, you may have been an aggressive evangelistic, or a faithful teacher of the Word. Later, your fruitfulness may be in more personal work, impacting smaller groups, or perhaps just one or two people. But there is still fruit.

Are You Ready to Listen to God's Word Proclaimed? Part 1

Ken Ramey wrote an excellent book called Expository Listening where he talks about how to listen to God's Word being preached. Over the next few posts, we will be looking at what the Bible says about hearing God’s Word. There is a big emphasis on not just hearing, but also obeying it, practicing it, doing it. We will be studying some of those passages, and applying those principles to our personal sermon listening. But we will begin this study with establishing a Biblical audiology: the study of hearing God’s Word (p. 10). Why should we do it? He provides four reasons, which I have slightly modified into five reasons.

First, God gave His Word to us. Two passages are important to review. In 1 Timothy 3:16, we are told that God’s Word is inspired, literally, “God-breathed”. They are the very words of God. Of course, that means that the teacher has a serious responsibility to be faithful in proclaiming, but it is also a serious responsibility for the listener to hear it. In our study we will focus on what it means to actually “hear” God’s Word.

In 2 Peter 1:20-21, we find out that scripture came to the writers as they were moved by God, which tells us the “how” of God breathing out His Word. What we hear when listening to an expository message, is God’s Word. Of course, human teachers are subject to error, but as they are faithful in preparing and presenting the Word of God to their audience, it will be their intent to accurately present God’s message. We do well when we act like the Bereans (Acts 17:11)

Second, we have not obeyed God’s Word. This was the practice of the first people God created. They knew God’s Word, and they chose to disobey it. The same is true of every human being ever since. Ephesians 2:1-3 describes the sinful condition of every person: we are all dead in our transgressions and sins. Romans 5:12-21 makes it clear that this is the result of Adam’s sin.

Third, God has saved us with His Word. Numerous places in the Bible tell us it is the Word of God itself that brings us salvation. 1 Peter 1:23 is very clear: “you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.” Romans 10:17 also tells us that our faith comes from the Word. In this verse (“faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ”), the “word” is actually referring to the spoken word (rhema) in contrast to the message (logos).

Fourth, God enables us to understand His Word. Being a child of God gives us the privilege of the ministry of the Spirit of God. Jesus taught His disciples in John 16:13 that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth. In 1 Corinthians 2:11-13 we are told that the Holy Spirit who gives us the ability to comprehend those things that God wants us to know.

Fifth, God blesses us when we listen to His Word. This is the part that we may intellectually know, but we end up ignoring. We do a lot of listening. We hear a lot of sermons and Bible teaching from many different sources. But we are told that we are only blessed if we “do” them. Consider Luke 11:28. And when Jesus was told that His family was outside, he said, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” (Luke 8:21).

When the Bible talks about “hearing” the Word of God, it is clearly implied and often explicitly stated that it comes with the responsibility to do something with it. As we continue our study on this topic in the weeks ahead, that will be our emphasis. When we are finished, we will hopefully be different types of “listeners” than we have been in the past. We will not only listen, but we will be prepared to listen, and we will do something about what we heard.