How Then Shall We Listen? Our Catechism's Tips on Listening to Sermons -- Part III
We are considering how we can best sit under the preaching of God’s Word, for our own good and edification, and for God’s glory, using Shorter Catechism Question and Answer 90 as a guide. The first part in this series reflect on things to do beforehand, such as preparation and prayer, the second on our attitude during the preaching of God’s Word, namely faith and love. In Part 3 and Part 4 we are going to consider what we do after the sermon. In other words, what kind of response are we to have to the Word preached? The Westminster Shorter Catechism touches upon the an essential response we must have to the true preaching of God’s Word: we ought to “lay it up in our hearts.”
What does it mean to lay up God’s word in our heart? For one thing, it means we will respond to the word in a personal way. The heart is the seat of human relation. The more my heart is open to someone, the closer and deeper our relationship is. The same is true concerning our relationship to God’s Word. To store God’s Word in my heart means I will allow it to have a personal and practical affect on me. I will be moved by it. Hearing a sermon, therefore, is more than intellectual exercise, but by necessity must also be emotional exercise. To be saved, God’s Word must do more than enter our heads, it has to enter our hearts.
This also teaches us that we must respond by giving God’s Word the primary place in our lives. Augustine once said that “Wherever I am carried, my love is carrying me.” We go where the affections of our heart take us. When we treasure God’s Word in our hearts we will be carried in a Godward direction. It’s one thing to keep your Bible close at hand, perhaps on your nightstand or on your phone, but it’s another thing entirely to keep the Bible close at heart—to have it memorized, to be continually meditating upon the truths of Scripture. Treasuring God’s Word in our heart helps ensure that we are treasuring God Himself above all else.
When we do this, the Word of God has a moral affect upon us. This is what the psalmist declares is the reason for keeping the Word of God in the heart: “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (119:11). Let us not forget this as we walk away from the teaching of God’s Word: when responded to in faith and love, it will keep us closer to our Savior and further from sin.