Preparing for Sunday...

I was looking back over the last sermon Don DeVries delivered to us in July of 2007. Our series was from 2 Timothy 4:1-8 and was called Final Words... partly because it reflected Paul's last charge to Timothy and partly because it reflected Don's last series of sermons to Sovereign Grace Church.

As he was closing out this message he gave us five ways of preparing for the Sunday meeting... particularly in preparing ourselves to hear God's Word preached. Rereading them, I thought these were so good that I wanted to share them with you here as we prepare for tomorrow:

1^st Recognize the unique place of the preached word in your life. Last week I shared that the four legs of Christian growth included: Scripture, prayer, biblical fellowship and preaching. Something unique happens when we sit under God’s word in the context of the local church. The Holy Spirit anoints His word and He anoints those who are listening.

2^nd Go to bed early on Saturday night so you are ready to listen and engage with God’s word. I must draw on John Piper here, “Without sufficient sleep our minds are dull, our emotions are flat, our proneness to depression is higher and our fuses are short” He goes on to write, “I especially exhort parents to teach teenagers that Saturday night is not the night to stay out late with friends…It is a terrible thing to teach children that worship is so optional that it doesn’t matter if you are exhausted when you come.”

3^rd Avoid worldly entertainment on Saturday night to prepare your heart for the message on Sunday. Again, John Piper brings a very sobering exhortation when he writes, “It astonishes me how many Christians watch the same… empty... trivial… suggestive…immodest TV shows that most unbelievers watch. This makes us small and weak and worldly and inauthentic in worship. Instead turn off the television on Saturday night and read something true and great and beautiful and pure and honorable and excellent and worthy of praise. Your heart will unshrivel and you will be able to feel greatness again.”

4^th Put aside preferences. We all have the temptation to prefer a particular style of preaching or a particular theme. We might prefer to have the OT preached to the NT or a gospel preached to one of Paul’s letters. None of these desires are inherently wrong unless they hinder you from hearing and applying God’s word or they tempt you to become sinfully critical.

5^th Be humble and teachable. Each week, listen to what the Spirit might be speaking to you from His word. Look for one thing each week that you can apply. As you do, the roots of your spiritual life will grow deeper and your communion and walk with the Lord will only grow sweeter.