Human beings will not naturally listen to the Word of God.

Those who are God's possession delight in His Word. Yet, as I examine myself I notice there are times I avoid letting the Word penetrate as I listen to sermons.

It is the preachers (and though less recognised, the listeners) responsibility to ensure that we diminish any hindrances to engaging with the Word of God.

So when do we cease listening?

Of course there are many reasons and causes, but one I that I regularly notice is when the preacher totally dismisses a way of thinking or acting that the listener not only practices, but also sees merit in.

I saw this during Moore College chapel this week.

I was preaching from 2 Peter and the service began with the leader asking us to discuss "what keeps you going?". In our group of three, two people said "deadlines" and the other "enough sleep". These answers show that even in a theological college we naturally have to respond to and are influenced by our surroundings.

Given these comments, if I had then stood up and preached, saying we must not be affected by the everyday material world, but be focused only on heaven, I suspect that many listening would have subconsciously dismissed what I had to say because:
- I did not understand the immensity and importance of their situation, and how it was all consuming. If I did, I would never have said what I said
- concluded that what I am saying is unliveable, and so only of academic use.
- I am speaking about someone else. After all I, the listener, think about heaven.

This has led me to a few conclusions.

1. Our preaching should help us to recognise how we operate and why we do so. When we 'own' our thinking and actions, then we can challenge them. This will help the listener explore why certain ways of thinking are attractive.

2. Often the dualism of this creation and new creation is not applied to our situation. That is, we are both creatures and Christian, living in the overlap of the ages. Our lives are eternally transformed by the gospel of grace, but we still live in these bodies. So until the Lord returns we are always mortifying the flesh and giving life to the spirit. It is possible and easy to have an over-spiritualised concept of the world in which we live.

3. In teaching it is often helpful, and easier to apply a 'binary model' of things we are comparing; that is painting one as wholly black and the alternative as wholly white. We demonise one way of thinking and sanctify another. Such comparisons make the point easily. But so often the distinction is not between good and bad, but good and best. Why would you drink from a dirty cistern when there is a fresh spring next to it; but even the water from a dirty cistern is good if you are dying of thirst. A little more finesse would help our listeners engage, as it shows we understand them.

One of our goals in proclaiming must be to not let listeners dismiss the powerful word of God, so we must keep thinking through how we communicate.