“Lord Teach Me!”
These were the words of Martin Luther. He expected to hear from God and it led to a revolution in the way many of us read and understand God’s Word. While we may long for a burning bush or an audible word from heaven, I believe the primary way God speaks to us today is through His Word. An especially powerful way He does that is through receiving the preaching of God’s Word.
Unfortunately, not everyone allows that to happen in their life. Paul puts it bluntly when he says, “ For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.” (2 Tim 4:3 ESV) I think it is funny that he uses the word “endure” in reference to listening to sermons. But Paul’s point here is not to put down sound Biblical preaching, it is just the opposite, he is saying that some people are simply tempted to not put up with it. They choose to have their ears” tickled” instead of listening carefully to what God has to say to them.
We can endure good teaching and hear God’s voice in the process. When Martin Luther said, “Lord teach me!” he was striving to hear the voice of God. I cannot help but wonder what would happen if we approached listening to His Word with that same type of bated anticipation. Luther’s request is not a passive idea that knowledge can be gained by some Matrix-like “download” of truth, it is about seeking truth from the source and expecting God to speak to us.
In his wonderful book Listen Up, Christopher Ash provides several thoughtful questions that can help us hear God’s voice in a powerful way when we are listening to sermons. (Adapted from Christopher Ash, Listen Up)
Read the passage or listen carefully when it is read.
What do you think is the main point of the passage? This may be signaled by repetition of something important, or by being in the punchline (for example, of a parable), or by being the theme that runs through the passage. Is the main thrust of the sermon the same as the main point of the passage?
Are there any surprises in the passage? i.e., Things the Bible says that we wouldn’t expect it to say, or that it says in ways we wouldn’t expect it to say them?
Who was the passage originally written or spoken to? Are we in the same situation as them? In particular, if they were before Christ, we need to be careful what parallels we draw; we can’t simply apply it straight to ourselves. After all, it wasn’t written to us. It was written for us (for our benefit) but not directly to us.
Why do you think the Bible writer wrote this passage? What is the passage intended to achieve in its hearers?
I firmly believe that God is still speaking to us today. I also believe that through diligence and intentionality we can grow in our capacity to hear His voice.
Expectantly,
Shawn
