Receiving Words (listening) - SERMON NOTES

Intro: (1) series recap (2) listening → 20:12, Psalm 40:6, Jesus (“he who has ears …”) (3) clapping

How to Listen

1. Listen to counsel (15:22): (1) we need wise input from others (2) leadership (cf. 11:14), picking battles (cf. 20:18) (3) “guidance” = steering a ship (4) examples → Rehoboam, Jerusalem council (5) why we don’t → pride, fear, don’t know where to look, been burned (6) how to cultivate → church membership (i.e. elders), shep group, learn from experiences of others (cf. AP cg group)

2. Listen to correction (15:31-32): (1) willing to be corrected, instructed → to refuse is to despise oneself (2) 6:23 (“the way of life), 19:8 (“loves his own soul”) (3) also includes instruction, being taught, learning (4) examples → Nathan/David, Apollos/P&A, Paul/Peter, Bereans (5) application → children toward parents → don’t lose heart with “strong-willed”

3. Listen with humility (15:32-33): (1) true listening flows from a heart of humility (2) humility
related to both correction and also focusing more on others than ourselves (3) true humility
only flows from union with Christ (cf. Philipp. 2:1-11) (4) examples → Moses, Isaiah, Joseph (NT) (5) turning conversations toward ourselves → one-up, re-route, interrogation, fixer, deflector

4. Listen with intentionality (18:2,13,17): (1) good speaking happens after good listening → desire to always share opinion prevents this (cf. Gen. 9:21) (2) Joshua, boy Samuel, Nicodemus (3) grow as a listener → get around good listeners, open-ended questions, determine best times to talk, put phone down, listen to “unimportant” things to pave the way for more important things

5. Listen to pain (Proverbs 12:25): (1) everyone carrying varying degrees of struggle (2) part of serving each other is offering “a good word” → only happens by listening well first (4) examples → Jacob/Esau, David/Jonathan, Ruth/Naomi (5) listening well to pain → avoid cliche (cf. everything will be okay, God is good, will make you stronger), sit silently, empathize, pray, bible


Conclusion: Jesus listens (cf. Bartimaeus) and speaks (cf. John 10)