The measure of a good sermon is the listener’s response, not the pastor’s speech.

How does God talk to you? Through the Bible and the inner voice of the Holy Spirit, sure. But don’t forget that God also speaks to you though the sermons that you hear.

Most of us make the mistake of sitting in church like we are members of an audience. (We are there to be entertained by the musicians and motivated by the speaker.) That is the wrong approach. When we worship at church, God is the audience, and we are the participants. True worship includes responding to the message that is preached–not just listening–but actually applying what we have heard to our lives.

God is speaking to you through the sermons that you hear. Don’t rate the quality of the preacher’s performance (like a judge at an ice skating competition–8.6 for technical ability and 9.2 for style). Your role is to hear the message and to respond.

Then [Jesus] said, “Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand!”

Mark 4:8-9