You are Not Blessed by Hearing the Word...

Scripture: Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. Revelation 1:3

Observation: John says that those who read this book (in the early church, these letters would have been read aloud to an audience of listeners like our modern day preaching) are blessed. And those who hear and keep, or obey are blessed. In other words, you are not blessed by hearing the words, but by hearing and obeying them.

Application: This is a common theme in scripture—that we are expected to do what we hear from Jesus. Often I get well-meaning people who will share with me observations on my sermons like, “Great sermon today,” or “we need more good preaching like this.” I take those words in the spirit that they are intended. But I wonder if they reveal a misalignment between us and John’s words. The blessing does not come from hearing a sermon, but from taking to heart the truth of God within. In other words, preaching is only “good” if the hearers hear and obey what God has said to them through it. The criteria for good preaching is not how many hear, but how many hear and keep. This is a good reminder that the goal of preaching is to glorify God, and that happens when people apply the word to their lives, not simply listen.

Prayer: God, keep me laser focused on being a doer of the word and not a hearer only. And help me keep that as a focus for Pulpit Rock as well. We have been known for decades as a church that preaches the word. May we become known now as a church that does the word.