Culvitating Expositional Listening – #6: Cultivate Humility

This is the final posts in the series where we’re reviewing the six practical ways Thabiti Anyabwile suggests for developing “expositional listening” in his book What is a Healthy Church Member? Click here to bring up all the posts in the series.  Also, by way of review, here are the first five ways to develop expositional listening according to Anyabwile:
1.   Meditate on the Sermon Passage During Your Quiet Time
2.  Invest in a Good Set of Commentaries
3.  Talk and Pray with Friends After Church
4.  Listen to and Act on the Sermon Throughout the Week
5.  Develop the Habit of Addressing Any Questions About the Text Itself

The 6th and final suggestion for developing a habit of expositional listening is to cultivate humility.  As we hear the Word preached, read the Word and take in the truth of God, we will by God’s grace grow spiritually.  Anyabwile cautions us though against becoming “professional sermon listeners” as we move along in our spiritual maturity, becoming one who is always hearing but never learning.  Beware of false knowledge that puffs up:

Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind
Colossians 2:18

Furthermore, pride, the condemnation of others and “critical nit-picking” are sins that should be dealt with, mortified, as soon as we see them.

We should instead look to meet Jesus each time we come to Scripture, discovering and applying the truth to all of life.  Instead of exalting ourselves we should humble ourselves according to Peter’s admonition: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you” (1 Peter 5:6).

Thoughts
As someone who takes in a lot of “content” I appreciated this point.  I can easily veer into “professional sermon listener” territory and have had to check myself, evaluate my motives and ask myself what the goal is of listening/reading to all the preaching and teaching.  Knowledge puffs me up easily.  “Good knowledge”, never mind false knowledge (although of course we should all be on guard for this constantly).

May we humbly come before God, seeking His grace and power by the Holy Spirit, to kill the sin of pride whenever it rears its ugly head.

Men of High Pointe, by God’s grace we have the priviledge of sitting under faithful, Christ-exalting preaching that holds up God’s Word as sufficient for all of life and Jesus as the Greatest Treasure.  Let us humbly receive the Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit apply what we hear for the Glory of God and for our joy!

I’m reminded of Isaiah 66:2
But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

So, this wraps up this series on Expositional Listening.  Although it took quite a bit longer than I had anticipated I hope that you found it helpful.  I would highly recommend reading the whole book.  It might still be available for free at the information desk.