I think . . .

“[Listen,] that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge.”
-Proverbs 5:2

I’ve been listening lately to a lot of “bad” sermons. These are sermons that are not so much based upon the Word of God, but on something else, whether it is on finances, or movies, or personal experiences by the pastor. Often, the pastor will read a verse or two from Scripture, but then spend the rest of the time going in a different direction from the text.

There has been a common thread to these sermons, and that is the phrase “I think.” As in, “I think what the Bible is saying here is . . .,” or, “I think what Paul is trying to get at is. . . .”

Some pastors substitute the phrase “I believe,” but used in the same way. What might be slightly worse is the phrase, “I feel.” Here we don’t even have the pretense of thinking!

It’s a symptom of a culture that likes to speak more than they like to listen. Listening is a tough thing to do properly. It means examining yourself to see if this other person is right. In talking, you just vocalize those things we’re already convinced of.

Many pastors scour the Word to find a verse that will fit the sermon they have already planned. Other pastors let the Word dictate the sermon. The difference should be clear. The first pastor is talking, and the second listening first. It’s the same way some debates turn into shouting matches, with each side trying to get their point across in volume rather than by convincing evidence. Other debates give and take and send all parties away knowing a little more.

Solomon is telling us to listen first, and then speak. And by listening first we may actually know what we are talking about. Listen, specifically, to the Word of God. It always surprises me how little people read the Bible. We have the very words of God available to each and every one of us, and we usually would rather talk than listen to Him.

But when Paul admonished Timothy to “preach the word,” there is a reason for what he is saying. The Bible tells us the Gospel, the good news, about Jesus. We have philosophies too numerous to count. We have strategies for living popping up everywhere. But the Son of God came down in the form of a man, walked amongst us, taught us, and died for us. Frankly, I don’t care to listen much to the philosophies of a man when I could be hearing of God’s Son and what He did.

And what He offers is something no philosopher, self-help guru, religion, or system can offer – forgiveness.

In the Blood of Christ we have a chance. In His Blood we can be forgiven. It is the free gift for those who repent and believe in Him.

Listen to this truth, and then tell it to others. Once you know this, you have something worth speaking.