Nehemiah 8:1-3, 8 (ESV)

And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the LORD had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

Today’s Point: hearing God’s Word taught and preached is a great source of joy and satisfaction for Christians.

In the last post I tried to make the case that we, as Christians, should love reading God’s Word and doing so is very good for us. In this post, I would like to suggest that it is also very good to listen to good preaching and teaching that is biblical and expository (verse-by-verse is explained).

Hopefully we get that type of preaching and teaching in every church service we attend. At least we should expect it, because it is an essential part of church. But, thanks to the internet, there are also great opportunities to listen to God’s Word being taught. I like to watch a message while I’m riding a stationary bike, listen to a message while I’m running, or listen to a message while I’m driving on a long trip.

God uses the proclamation of His Word in a great way in the lives of His people.

There are some great pastors and teachers who offer their teaching resources online. Some of my favorites I like to regularly hear are:

• Francis Chan
• John Piper
• David Platt
• I also like watching or listening to the speakers at the Southern Seminary chapel services.

May we be like the people of Nehemiah’s day and have ears that are attentive to God’s Word. I encourage you to listen to one message from the internet this week. I think you will find it very encouraging. If you don’t have a message in mind, I suggest one I recently watched from Francis Chan. It was a message he preached in 2010 at a pastors’ conference in Minneapolis, MN. It was encouraging and challenging to me.

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