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.
Having a listening heart in the house of the Lord is a key spiritual heart-beat which enables us to be empowered by the gifts of the Holy Spirit which are sacrificially exercised for Jesus Christ, the Body of Christ and the good of all mankind. (1 Corinthians 12:7)
Jesus in His parable of A Lamp on a Stand proclaims a truth which should be impressed on our hearts. Luke 8:18 has a short powerful phrase, “Therefore, consider carefully how you listen…” The born-again Christian who is led of the Holy Spirit of Christ is the person God esteems. The Bibles says, “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” The Message Bible has this way of presenting God’s truth, “…there is something I’m looking for: a person simple and plain, reverently responsive to what I say.” (Isaiah 66:2b) The whole of Scripture tells us God is not looking for those who are just hearer’s, He is looking for those who do. James the half-brother of Jesus Christ wrote, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves …the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, …a doer …will be blessed.” (James 1:22-25)
Those who have in their hearts the truth the Apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonian believers will be reverent towards God, our Father, live a life with Christ, because they have Holy Spirit revelation and illumination. Paul wrote, And, for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the Word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
The practical application goes like this: 1.) Communication, which begins by listening to God’s Word. (John 10:16) 2.) Comprehension, asking the Holy Spirit to teach you and remind you what He has taught you. (John 14:26) 3.) Confidence, trusting that God is not a man, He cannot lie. (Number 23:19) And 4.) Change, being a new creation in Christ Jesus, the old has gone and the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Christians with a listening teachable heart are not like the Jews in Thessalonica, but rather like the Bereans Jews. The Bible says, [The Bereans] were more noble minded… for they received the Word of truth with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.” (Acts 17:11) Every day, Christians are facing a greater drawing of their fleshly desires because of a worldly few-point and the lies of the devil. Seeking diligently through study of God’s Word will keep them from becoming lethargic and enable Christians to see through the lies of the devil, especially as he uses wolfs in sheep’s clothing to deceive many.
Proverbs 2:1-5 holds a promise to the child of God who has a listening heart, “My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”
Christians with a listening heart know it is a privilege to have the written Word of God so they can be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and comfort. On many occasions God has spoken to His obedient servants. Many have listened to God’s Word and have written down their message (Isaiah 8:1) in manuscript format, just like Jonathan Edwards did. One such ministry is SermonCentral, they have many preachers who donate their work for the Lord, and nearly 250,000 people from all over the world are being blessed weekly with written material so they may fulfill their calling of, “Preach the Word.”
Those preachers have listened – obeyed and are being a blessing all over the world.
Are you hungry for the Word of God? Are you seen as a person who listens before speaking in the house of God? For the next year make it a point to listen while in the worship services for Jesus Christ!
Anyone who has spent a meaningful chunk of time in the written Word of God knows that it not just words. All Biblically ordained preachers are now calling out, Christians should be actively attentive to the voice of the Lord. It is like Piper said, “Put your ear to the ground of God’s Word and listen to the rumble of His faithfulness in coming back.” A.W. Tozer reminds us [Read the Word and listen to God, for] it is not only a book which was once spoken, but a book which now speaking.” May the Lord give you ears to hear and a heart to obey this year.
