How should we prepare to hear?

This week we have been looking at Luke 8:9-10.

Luke 8:9-10 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.

We are trying to answer 3 questions that arose in my mind from this passage of Scripture. We have already looked at the first two questions: "What is preaching's purpose? And What does preaching produce?" We said that preaching's purpose is both to reveal and to conceal. Jesus' preaching concealed the secrets of the kingdom, and at the same time revealed the seekers of the kingdom. We said that preaching produces healing or hardening. After hearing the Word of God we will have brighter eyes or blinder eyes, but never the same set of eyes. Today we will strive to answer the most important question for us, "How should we prepare to hear?"
How should we prepare to hear God's Word? We definitely do not need to be cavalier in hearing God's Word week after week. If it is not softening and saving and healing and bearing fruit, it is probably hardening and blinding, and dulling. The point of Jesus' words in this scripture is not, take heed how you preach, but…take heed how you hear. In Luke 8:8, he says, "he who has ears to hear, let him hear!" As you prepare to hear God's Word strive to be a good listener.
Don't be a Casual Listener. A casual listener is like the hard soil which never really sinks in. Casual listeners doze off during the message, talk, and daydream during the message. Casual listeners presume that they already know as much as the pastor, there is nothing he can teach them, so they do not pay close attention.
Don't be a Convicted Listener. A convicted listener is like the shallow soil that has no root or the soil that grows thorns that choke the fruit out. They hear the message, but it doesn't sink very deep. They hear the message and are convicted so they try to respond, only to have the message choked out on Monday because they are caught up in the cares of this life. The convicted listener is often the "nominal Christian," if there is such a thing. They try to respond to the message in order to get fire insurance and some misleading pastor leads them in a prayer, has them fill out a card, runs them through the baptistery and assures them that they are saved. Then they go back into the world with the idea that they are going to heaven. The problem is they are still living their life as though it is their own. They haven't made themselves slaves of God. They have heard the word, been convicted, and half heartedly responded in order to try and escape hell, but they have not really heard and responded properly.
Don't be a casual listener who takes in little or nothing. Don't be a convicted listener who tries to respond without giving everything. Do be a Convinced Listener. The good soil is a picture of the convinced listener. The convinced listener receives the Word, responds whole-heartedly, and bears fruit. Be a convinced listener this Sunday. Come hungry and thirsty for God and for His Word. Come with a heart to hear and respond. Come with open ears, open hearts, and open minds to hear what God has to say to you. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.