Guarded Steps Series

Guarded Steps

Steps Toward Enjoying God’s Favor

Listening

The Word of God gives clear instructions of what heart attitude we should have as we enter into the Church of Jesus Christ for true worship. “Guard your steps when you go into the house of God. Go near to listen... Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God..." (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2)

Catch the active verb, “listen” (?????? šama?) meaning to hear, to obey, to be heard, to proclaim aloud. The most famous use of this word is to introduce the Shema, “Hear, O, Israel, [the people of the Lord]. The church of Jesus Christ understands the written Word of God, they are in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, and they walk in step with the Holy Spirit of Christ.

We are not to be swayed by eloquent speaking, we are not to seek out speakers who will tell us what our inching ears want to hear and we our not to be intrigued or distracted by style of the delivery of the messages. We are to be hungry for Biblical content which will feed our souls for the glory of God. (Matthew 4:4) God is not swayed by delivery style of His messages – He sends the Holy Spirit-based off the content of the message and the heart of the messenger.

We come to understand this as we look at how God use the preaching of Jonathan Edwards. This clergyman was an extremely important and influential preacher in the New England colonial America. He has been given credit for beginning the Great Awakening. Jonathan Edwards most famous message was Sinners in The Hands of An Angry God. “Edward’s message had a huge effect in Enfield, Connecticut. In fact, an eye-witness named Stephen Davis wrote, ‘people were crying throughout the congregation during his sermon, asking how to avoid hell and how to be saved.’” In his day, reaction to his messages were mixed. However, there is no denying the impact of his written and spoken teachings from God’s Word which are still read and referred to by theologians to this day. (Martin Keily, July 03, 2019, Jonathan Edwards Colonial Clergyman of the Great Awakening – 1734-1735)

In keeping with our point of speaking styles it is interesting to learn the style of Jonathan Edwards preaching. For the most part, especially in his early years. Preacher/teacher Edwards was considered as a “boring manuscript preacher.” Most homiletic textbooks cite him as “one who preached powerfully although lamely dependent on his manuscripts.” (Henry C Brown, Jr. and H.Gordon Clinard, and Jesse J. Northcutt, Steps to the Sermon: Nashville: Broadman 1963, 186.)

Popular authors, such as Peter Marshall, Jr., presents the same few of Bible teacher Jonathan Edwards, “who delivered his sermons in a monotone voice, with eyes never straying from the back of the wall of the church” (Peter J. Marshall Jr., and David B. Manual, Jr., The Light and the Glory: Old Tappan, NJ: Revell, 1977)

Lastly concerning Jonathan Edward’s preaching style, we read “He spoke in monotone words and just stared at the bell rope as though he would stare it off the wall, and his work was effective, it was believed by many, it was through the sheer power of his doctrines and language” [his messages had the anointing power of God’s Holy Spirit]. ( Alan Heimert, Religion and the American Mind: From the Great Awakening to the Revolution (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1966), 230.)

In his later years Preacher/Teacher Jonathan Edwards faced the rejection of a church which refused to have listening heart. Member of the church Edwards oversaw for the Lord were not happy with his conservative orthodoxy. Over 90% of the members of the congregation voted to remove Edwards from his position as minister. He was 47 at the time and was assigned to minister to a mission church on the frontier in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. He preached to this small group of Native Americans and at the same time spent the years writing theological works. Christians with a listening heart can currently read any of Edwards works through the Jonathan Edwards Center. (Martin Keily, July 03, 2019 Jonathan Edwards Colonial Clergyman of the Great Awakening – 1734-1735)

God is not swayed by the vote of the people nor is held to a certain style of preaching!

In contrast to Jonathan Edwards was British preacher George Whitefield. He was a passionate preacher with a booming voice. FaithLife has a book series, describing George Whitefield as one who preached to as many as tens of thousands of eager listeners at a time – he is known for his theatrical style of delivery of his messages.

Again! The Lord is not bound too, nor is He swayed by a certain style of proclaiming or teaching of the Written Word God.