Ten Ways to Get the Most Out of a Sermon         1               

 

 

                         

                         Be seated early enough to have a few minutes of meditation
                    before the service begins. If possible, note the title of the sermon
                    from your church bulletin and think about it.  What does the topic
                    suggest to you? What do you already know about the subject?     
                    What do you hope to learn?

                       

                    Before worship begins, ask God to help you shut out external and
                    1internal distractions, and concentrate on the message. 

                     

                    Pay special attention to the beginning of the sermon. Most
           2.         speakers consider the first few minutes of great importance
                    because they set the tone and introduce the topic. Listen for hints
                    of what’s to come, and try to envision where the speaker is going,
                    like an explorer looking for a path across a broad vista.

                       

                    Take notes. Nearly everyone grasps and remembers things better
          2.          when they not only hear them, but also write them down.  Note
                    the things you most want to remember— Bible verses, statistics,
                    quotes, and so on.  Saving these notes can preserve and
                    reproduce the benefit of a sermon long after it's delivery.

                       

                    Be alert for the speaker’s main points or most important ideas
                    and pay attention to how the speaker develops and supports
                    those points.  It’s easy to remember personal anecdotes or funny 
                    stories, but do more than that; ask yourself why you think the
                    speaker chose that particular illustration.  What point do you think
                    he is making or supporting?

                       

                    Talk back. In some churches the congregation participates in the
         2.           sermon by saying things like "Amen," and "That’s right." Even if   
                    your church doesn’t do that, you can increase the impact of the
                    sermon on your heart and life by communicating with the speaker
                    by nodding, making eye contact, and perrhaps even whispering a
                    "Yes" or "Amen" to points you particularly agree with.

                       

                    Listen for words and phrases like, "finally," "in conclusion," or "to
             2.       summarize." In addition to indicating that the sermon might be
              2.      drawing to a close, such phrases can alert you to listen for a
                    review or synopsis of what the speaker most wants you to
                    remember.

                       

                    Talk about the sermon. On your way home from church or around
        2.2.            the dinner table, ask others what they thought about the
                    message, or the Bible passage on which it was based. Perhaps
                    some of them interpreted it differently.  Such a discussion can be
              2.      not only stimulating (and sometimes be more of an impact than  
                    the sermon itself); it also can help to fix the sermon and its lesson
                    in your mind.

                       

                    Follow up. If the sermon presents a question or generates
                    interest in your mind, mention it to the speaker or make it a       
                    topic of your Bible reading later that day or week. You may
                    learn as much or more from your follow-up as from the sermon
                    itself.

                       

                   Another great way to follow up the sermon is to try to incorporate
                   its main points into your life that week in some practical way. In    
                   fact, purposefully letting a preacher’s words affect how you live is
                   the single best way to get the most from a sermon.

Copyright Standard Publishing.  Used by Permission.  This article by Bob Hostetler first appeared in "The Lookout" June 15th 2003.   Bob Hostetler is a freelance writer in Hamilton, Ohio.