Preachers generally work hard to present lessons that are Scriptural, applicable, and interesting. But there are times when a sermon seems a little boring.
I’m comforted by baseball statistics. In 1923, Babe Ruth broke the record for most homeruns in a season. But the same year, he broke the record for most strikeouts in a season! His lifetime homerun total was 714, but he also had 1,330 strikeouts. Hank Aaron hit 755 homeruns, but he struck out 1,383 times. If you look at a list of players with the most homeruns, you’re likely to find them also on the list of most strikeouts. So, if one week the preacher strikes out, give him constructive criticism, then come back next week and see if he doesn’t get on base.
But really, preaching is not a spectator sport; it’s an activity we participate in. We often think of the preacher as a performer, and those in the pews as the audience. This is inaccurate! The preacher is leading our minds in worship. God is the audience. Studying the Bible is an act of devotion to the divine Author of the Bible. Just like with a prayer-leader or a song-leader, everyone in the pews must participate with the study-leader to get the most from preaching. “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42, cf. 1 Tim. 4:13).
Participation ensures we never again have to suffer through a boring sermon. So:
Open Your Ears. Before a challenging message, Jesus often said, “He who has ears, let him hear” (Matt. 13:9, 15). If we plug our ears as soon as things get personal (or hope So-and-So is listening!) we’ll miss messages designed to improve our walk. Preachers almost always stomp on their own toes first.
Open Your Bible. When we turn to the Scriptures, the fingers do the walking, while the brain does some perking. This simple physical activity keeps us awake and alert.Besides, it’s a good idea to check the preacher. We never know when a sneaky guy is going to try to pull one over on a defenseless congregation, by yanking a quotation out of context, or misapplying it altogether (Acts 17:11).
Open Your Mind. Let’s be sure we don’t close our minds when the preacher’s topic is something we’ve heard umpteen bazillion times—baptism, sin, etc. One of God’s methods for teaching is to repeat the same concept now and then (2 Pet. 1:12-15). Even if we are familiar with the topic, the preacher might bring up a new passage we’ve never connected before, or might use a new illustration that paints the point in a fresh and enthusiastic light. Or our personal situation in life has changed, and we are now prepared to appreciate the lesson in a deeper way. Audiences change, and there are surely a few in the crowd who have never heard that old lesson before. What is jaded to one may be eye-opening and soul-saving to another!
Open Your Notebook. Ask, “have I mastered this topic so well I can teach it to others?” Jot some notes for future reference and meditation (Psalm 119:15).
Open Your Heart. “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts…” (Matt. 15:19). It’s awfully hard for a sermon to swim upstream such a river of filth. Jesus warns that it is impossible to worship if we harbor hatred in our hearts (Matthew 5:21-24) or mistreat our spouses (1 Peter 3:7). So, cleanse the heart of immorality, squelch preoccupations with material things, the football game, whether the rain will hit before the preacher is done, whether there will be a line at the restaurant. “Putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21).
Open Your Mouth. A little “Amen” wakes up a boring sermon. Saying it means, “let it be so!” and indicates our approval, and our intention to apply it (Psalm 106:48). An appropriate “Amen” from the audience never fails to perk up both preacher and listener.
Open Your Arms. Love your brothers who have put forth the effort to preach and teach. “Bear with one another” (Col. 3:13), especially young men just learning to preach. Encouragement goes a long way.
—John Guzzetta