The Listener's Guide to Preaching or, The Art of Hearing

[JOwen]

For those who may be interested, I am beginning a series of blog articles for my congregation on the art of hearing. I would be very appreciative of your thoughts, especially if you happened to have knowledge of any written material on the subject from the past, or present. It's kind of an untouched subject. Yet how important!

A Listener’s Guide to Preaching…

There are plenty of books on the who, what, where, why, and especially how of preaching. The preacher is well-instructed. But what about the listener?

frcpp.org

 

[Polanus1561]

https://www.amazon.com/Expository-Preaching-Blessings-Faith-Strain/dp/1629958506 this was recently out.

 

[CathH]

This sounds very interesting. I will try and follow along with your series.

On the subject of listening, the best that I'm aware of are:

• Christopher Ash, 'Listen Up! A practical guide to listening to sermons’ (but it is only a booklet)
• David Murray, How Sermons Work.

There is also Ryan McGraw, How Shall They Hear?, which claims to be aimed at non-preachers, but is at least equally aimed at preachers. I wrote a review of it some time ago, How Shall They Hear?.

If I could raise an issue. A lot of manuals on preaching/hearing will acknowledge that preachers sometimes preach poor sermons (eg in your post, the preacher usually rates a B but sometimes slips to a C/D). Yet there are also situations where the minister over an extended period of time usually rates a C/D, and only rarely gets back up to even a B. During those periods, what advice should hearers be given? Assuming that the hearers love their minister and do their best to turn up with diligence, preparation and prayer, wanting to be fed under the preaching, yet come away disappointed?

 

[JP Wallace]

Jerrold
I'm sure you're aware of the Larger Catechism's Q&A on the subject - it's brief but considered in light of the supporting texts it is useful. Also worth looking at expositions of that question in Vos etc. It might make a good outline for a series of sermons if nothing else!

WLC 160 What is required of those that hear the word preached? A. It is required of those that hear the word preached, that they attend upon it with diligence,(1) preparation,(2) and prayer;(3) examine what they hear by the scriptures;(4) receive the truth with faith,(5) love,(6) meekness,(7) and readiness of mind,(8) as the word of God;(9) meditate,(10) and confer of it;(11) hide it in their hearts,(12) and bring forth the fruit of it in their lives.(13)"

 

[JOwen]

This sounds very interesting. I will try and follow along with your series.

On the subject of listening, the best that I'm aware of are:

• Christopher Ash, 'Listen Up! A practical guide to listening to sermons’ (but it is only a booklet)
• David Murray, How Sermons Work.

There is also Ryan McGraw, How Shall They Hear?, which claims to be aimed at non-preachers, but is at least equally aimed at preachers. I wrote a review of it some time ago, How Shall They Hear?.

If I could raise an issue. A lot of manuals on preaching/hearing will acknowledge that preachers sometimes preach poor sermons (eg in your post, the preacher usually rates a B but sometimes slips to a C/D). Yet there are also situations where the minister over an extended period of time usually rates a C/D, and only rarely gets back up to even a B. During those periods, what advice should hearers be given? Assuming that the hearers love their minister and do their best to turn up with diligence, preparation and prayer, wanting to be fed under the preaching, yet come away disappointed?

I have Murray, but not Ash. Thank you for the suggestions.
As to your issue, it's an excellent point that I need to ponder. I don't want to give a trite answer. It's worth adding to the mix of what I am planning on writing. Thank you for that.

Kind regards,

 

[CathH]

I have Murray, but not Ash. Thank you for the suggestions.
As to your issue, it's an excellent point that I need to ponder. I don't want to give a trite answer. It's worth adding to the mix of what I am planning on writing. Thank you for that.

Kind regards,

I would truly be grateful for some advice on this. I have sometimes thought that it is part of the 'famine of the Word' that we face these days, when sincere believers who are hungry for the Word go up week after week only to be provided with scraps. It's not that the preaching is doctrinally wrong, it's not that the denomination isn't faithful, it's not that they have a personal problem with the pastor. So however high their regard for the ordinance of preaching and however much they want to 'open their mouth wide to be filled' it consistently doesn't happen. Then the longterm disappointment and discouragement makes it harder and harder to come up to the services believingly and expectantly, and precisely because the ordinance of preaching is the primary means of grace, surely their graces only shrivel and wither. I haven't been able to find anyone who has written about this but it is a very trying problem.

 

[JOwen]

Part 2. https://frcpp.org/listening-to-preaching

 

[JOwen]

I would truly be grateful for some advice on this. I have sometimes thought that it is part of the 'famine of the Word' that we face these days, when sincere believers who are hungry for the Word go up week after week only to be provided with scraps. It's not that the preaching is doctrinally wrong, it's not that the denomination isn't faithful, it's not that they have a personal problem with the pastor. So however high their regard for the ordinance of preaching and however much they want to 'open their mouth wide to be filled' it consistently doesn't happen. Then the longterm disappointment and discouragement makes it harder and harder to come up to the services believingly and expectantly, and precisely because the ordinance of preaching is the primary means of grace, surely their graces only shrivel and wither. I haven't been able to find anyone who has written about this but it is a very trying problem.

I will begin by saying, "Who is sufficient for these thing?" I speak as one perhaps guilty of your very concern. "Physican heal thyself" comes to my own mind.
Yet I can't help but remember the many times in our histories when God sent leanness to the hearts of ministers and members alike. There were reasons. And those reasons always lay on the side of man. Whole lands, desolate almost, of any vibrant ministry—pocket, here and there. The Marrow Controversy backdrop springs immediately to mind. We're able to analyze it, but only after it has passed. Much of the reason for these things in our day is a mystery. There is a full answer to your question, but I think only the LORD knows. What we can observe, we can judge; an orthodox yet dry ministry, a fridged heralding, an external script, little personal application or experiment as we leave. For that, we must pray to the LORD that He would shower your minister with abundant grace to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ, and make proper room for the Spirit to apply it by (the good old puritan, 'Uses,' and 'Objections' and 'Answers') application. To proclaim the whole counsel of God as Paul did, "as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." To preach 100% Law and 100% Gospel.
Ministers are liable to suffer the same spiritual pains and desolations as the next person. It is a shame to us, who are called to be light-bearers that our candles are so often dim.

Sometimes, however, it is the hearer too. Sometimes we come expecting a bag of wheat, and we get a few grains. Were more grains falling than I grasped? Probably. And we think we will starve. But the LORD knows how to multiply His Word despite its sparseness. (Mat. 6:12) He will sustain His people.
In the meantime, we must come expectantly anyway, with mouths full open. And in His time, He will feed us. Until then, let our griefs turn into prayers to God, Who alone can change the heart. And be contentedly discontent with the preaching.

 

[CathH]

Thank you for this. In terms of finding reasons I can only agree with this assessment. The tragedy of our times is that the Lord is largely sending leanness, and reflecting on our widespread faithlessness, lovelessness, earth-centredness, etc, we cannot argue with him. (I don't mean to disparage the faithfulness and love and spirituality that does exist and in some places is actually flourishing, but speaking generally.)

Thank you also for the reminder that the Lord still feeds his people one way or another. There is always enough to keep us going.

The advice to pray is of course well taken. Could I perhaps comment a bit further on this though. Christopher Ash and Ryan McGraw's advice both coincide in saying that when someone sits under unsatisfying preaching, they should (a) pray, (b) be patient, and (c) be charitable. Without disagreeing with any of these, I can't help feeling that it is difficult for people in the situation to actually put this advice into practice. The longer it goes on, the more demoralised and spiritually debilitated the hearers get. Just because of the high view we have of preaching as the primary means of grace, it's those who sit under inadequate preaching who are likely to struggle most to pray and be patient and charitable. So how can hearers turn a diet of poor sermons to some spiritual benefit?