Getting more - From preaching
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
The Word is powerful!
The Word is powerful!
The word is powerful, it is effective, it is informing, it is convicting, it is converting, it is transforming and it is conforming. (Heb4:12; Isa55:11; Rom7:7; Rom12:2)
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
The word is powerful, piercing, discerner (Heb4:12)
God spoke the the prophet Isaiah and said this.
11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
The word will not return void (Isa55:11)
Paul said this about the Word being informative
7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
If it were not for the law (word) I would not know sin (Rom7:7)
I think you get the idea here.
(insert Preach the Word picture here)
(insert Sunset story here) - “preach the word” - not about the preacher its about the word. Its not about little stories or illustrations, it’s about the word. (expand on this)
Our assembly is broken down like this (in general)
Songs: 10-15 minutes
Prayers: 5-10 minutes
Lords Supper 10-15 minutes
Preaching: 30-40 minutes
With most of the time in the assembly devoted to the preaching, today we are looking at what our devotion is and how to get more from the preaching.
As a preacher I have some responsibilities:
Preach the Word
Expound on the Word
Encourage and challenge with the Word
Give application from the Word
Preaching from the word informs, convicts and converts. (1Tim4:13-16)
13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. 14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.
Informed through exhortation and teaching (v.13)
15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
Need to take pains, be absorbed in them, in what, the exhortation and teaching, preaching of the Word. I am responsible for making sure the the preaching and the teaching are from the word and in doing such can ensure salvation for myself and for those who hear. And it is the same responsibility for anyone who stands up to preach or to teach.
(Transition) - did you catch that at the end of (v.16) - ensure salvation? Despite the great potential for people to hear the word, believe the word, obey the word and be assured by the word. People hear and react differently.
Some are encouraged and inspired by the Word
Others are convicted and conformed by it
While yet others, well they are bored and unimpressed
(Transition): There are some drastic difference in the reception of the word. Now I think it is safe to say that you get out of something, what you are willing to put into something. I do not want to say I’m here to impress you with my stories, or to entertain you. I’m here to engage you with God’s Word to help you grow.
So, what do you put into the preaching of God’s word as the listener?
I hope you may pray these things as you enter the assembly each time.
Pray that the message is from God’s Word today
Pray for an open heart, open mind and open eyes to receive God’s Word today.
(Transition): Come to the assembly expecting! Expecting to hear God’s Word and a take away from God’s Word too. To hear something starts with listening doesn’t it? So you will see a lot of that interwoven in the message from God’s Word this morning.
Preach the Word - In the assembly
Preach the Word - In the assembly
We have established that preaching takes up a good portion of time in the assembly. There are some things we can learn, we can pull out from the preaching of the Word.
(Insert Actively listen picture here)
The benefits of preaching in the assembly, or to receive, the benefits of the preaching takes something on your part. Remember you get out what you put in. Your part is to listen, to actively listen with open heart, engaging your mind to the preaching of the Word, not the preacher, but the word and look for the application of it, and apply. It starts with actively listening!
The blessings (Mt13:16-17; Rom1:16-17 Eph1:3)
God does not hold back from us, because of the word we have been blessed
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
Question: How many spiritual blessings do we have in Jesus (Eph1:3)?
Every spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ
All because someone shared the gospel with you.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”
The gospel the power of God unto salvation, which leads to another question, how? It is revealed through the word for it is the righteousness of God that brings about faith, from the hearing of the word.
Brings faith/belief (Rom10:17, Jn20:30-31; Rom10:14)
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
Question: How does faith come (Rom10:17)?
It comes by hearing, and specifically by the word of Christ.
30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
The written word becomes the spoken word, that brings faith and that comes from someone speaking it.
14 How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?
(Transition) So, is the preaching of the word important? - YES!
Produces fruit; or to be fruitful (Col1:6-8; Mt7:20)
Paul in Col1:3 and following Paul is thanking God for the faith, love and the hope of the Colossian believers. That is after they have heard the word of truth (v.5) and then we get to the passage
6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,
8 and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.
How did they come to believe? Because Epaphras preached the Word to them! The Word brings faith, brings hope and produces love!
When we hear, when we understand the grace of God that comes from the Word of God fro the preaching of God’s Word we will produce more fruit for the kingdom.
Jesus said it like this
20 “So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Them, being disciples of Jesus Christ!
When we are attentive, active listeners we are better able to grasp and understand God’s grace and be motivated, encouraged and bear more fruit for the kingdom.
(Transition) Biblical preaching when actively listened to can help to prevent apostasy.
Brings words of protection, warning (Heb2:1-3, 5:11-13; Mt13:13-15; 2Tim4:1-4)
1 For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. 2 For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty,
3 how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,
Question: What is the instruction and the warning you find in (v.1)?
Pay closer attention, so you don’t drift away (Heb2:1)
Side note, if says so you don’t drift away so that means there is an ability to drift away doesn’t it? So sounds like a pretty good warning and instruction!
Brings instructions (Lk8:15; Act17:11)
15 “But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.
Question: what kind of heart is needed according to Lk8:15?
An honest and good heart will hold fast and bear fruit (Lk8:15).
So the instruction is to receive the Word with an honest and good heart, hold fast to that and you will bear fruit for the kingdom of God!
(transition) Maybe not an instruction here but at a minimum a good example
11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
Question: how was the word received (Act17:11) and why was it received that way?
The Bereans were noble-minded. They received with eagerness, and they examined the scriptures daily.
(what kind of listener picture inserted here)
(Transition) Do we come to the assembly eager to hear God’s Word? Are we ready to receive it, check it out and apply?
I don’t know if we think about this very much how blessed we truly are to be able to gather in a place such as this. We have the opportunity to hear the Word, hear exposition of the Word, have application given to. We have classes, small groups, one on one studies where we can and do the same thing too. Remember it is about the word not the preacher. May we have hearts like the Bereans and we will be open to the blessings that come from God’s Word!
So, as yourself what kind of listener am I? Am i tuned in and attentive to hear and apply the Word?
Getting more out of the preaching
Getting more out of the preaching
So, how you listen, how you apply is an indication of your devotion to God. Just as much as singing with the instrument of your heart, praying with a heart after God and being in the assembly. So now, maybe some suggestions for application.
Make listening an act of worship
Come with a heart prepared to hear God’s Word
Come with a heart expecting to be engaged in God’s Word
Come and be sure to stay tuned in, from introduction to conclusion. You cannot expect to get much out of a book if you only read or hear the introduction and read the conclusion and not get the information in between.
Regular formula to the preaching you may have noticed.
Tell them what you are going to tell them
Tell them
Tell them what you told them
Tell them what to do with what you told them.
(Transition) - you may hear of some famous person who is coming into town, you may choose to go listen to them, but we have the opportunity to hear from the most famous person, God, Jesus, to hear God’s word through the message preached. Again, it is not about the preacher it is about the message!
(Transition) - you may hear of some famous person who is coming into town, you may choose to go listen to them, but we have the opportunity to hear from the most famous person, God, Jesus, to hear God’s word through the message preached. Again, it is not about the preacher it is about the message! So let press on some more
Stay engaged, look at the preacher, look at the screen, when you start looking around you can be distracted or you can drift away from the preaching of the Word.
Stay connected, stay engaged, don’t close you eyes for you are apt to fall asleep. (Don’t feel bad if you need to get up, move to the back or foyer so you don’t fall asleep)
I know some of these things maybe hard to do, they will take practice, take a spiritual discipline of active listening. Now the benefits are the blessings that come from the Word, the instructions for a fuller life and, well it helps you also develop your attention span too. But wait there is more.
Bring your bible, plan to use your bible, especially in Bible class. Get comfortable with your bible, put tabs on it if needed to help that you can turn somewhere quickly.
Scriptures are normally on the screen, read along with whoever is reading them. I know it may sound crazy, but it helps you stay engaged with the preaching of God’s Word!
Get the outlines made available, the scriptures are noted there. There are some questions and fill in the blanks to help you stay engaged in the preaching too.
Plan ahead, normally the outlines are available prior or study passage is noted on line prior to Sunday if you want to read, study prior to the assembly or class.
(Transition) now this leads to the next point, or application.
Listen with a heart of faith (Heb4:1-2)
Come with a willingness to accept God’s Word as it is preached. Again, it is not about the preacher it is about the Word, the message preached from God’s word. The Israelites had problems, let me show you, then talk about the problem just for a moment.
1 Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.
Question: What was the problem that is found in (v.2)?
They had the good news, they heard the good news, but the good news was not coupled (united) with faith.
The word did not profit them, and it will not profit us if we are not listening and uniting what we are hearing with faith.
Listen with intent to apply (Eze33:30-32)
God always gives us good and bad examples and we can learn from both. Look what God had to say through Ezekiel and you tell me if it is good or bad example
30 “But as for you, son of man, your fellow citizens who talk about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, speak to one another, each to his brother, saying, ‘Come now and hear what the message is which comes forth from the Lord.’
31 “They come to you as people come, and sit before you as My people and hear your words, but they do not do them, for they do the lustful desires expressed by their mouth, and their heart goes after their gain.
32 “Behold, you are to them like a sensual song by one who has a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument; for they hear your words but they do not practice them.
Question: What was the example, what it good or bad, and why?
The hear but they did not practice (apply them). We too can be guilty of the same thing.
They loved to hear, but did not apply. They listened for the wrong reason, they got the wrong results. Do we listen because of the presentation or because of the presence of the Lord in the Word being preached?
Listen not only with intent to apply, apply (Jm1:22-25)
In a passage of scripture that maybe quiet familiar to many, but is it actually applied? Look at the elements in this passage.
There is a call for application
There is a warning if not applied.
There is a promise for those who apply
22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
Call for application-prove yourselves (v.22); look intently (v.25)
Warning if not applied - You delude yourselves (v.22), you forget(24-25) who you are (in Christ, implied)
(Transition) So, don’t just be a hearer of the preaching, of the Word, be a doer, apply the Word, look intently into the Word (law of liberty) and apply it an live.
(Invitation side - be a doer)
Invitation, be willing because of the message preached, the word of God to take a step, or a leap of faith, be a doer, obey the gospel (expand) be a doer, apply and live the gospel in your life today!
(invitation song) (Prayer) (Exit)