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Sermon Title: “Listening Like Jesus”

Text: Matthew 8:5-13

Preacher: Alex Hogendoorn

Date: January 26, 2025

Summary Tagline:

“Listening reveals God’s love and prepares hearts for the gospel.”

Message Summary:

In Matthew 8:5-13, Alex reflects on the story of the centurion whose faith amazed Jesus. This narrative showcases the power of listening—not just hearing words, but understanding hearts. Alex emphasizes that listening is not passive but an active extension of prayer, aligning believers with God’s heart and purposes. Jesus modeled this perfectly by listening to people with love, dignity, and a readiness to respond.

Through examples like the centurion’s humility, the woman at the well, and blind Bartimaeus, Alex highlights how Jesus’ attentive listening led to transformational encounters. Believers are called to follow this pattern, first listening to God in prayer and then listening to others with empathy and intentionality. Alex introduces the idea of “gospel listening,” which is rooted in prayer, understanding, and a willingness to see God’s work in others. Listening becomes a powerful way to show God’s love and opens the door for gospel conversations.

Group Discussion Guide

Icebreaker Questions: (Choose one)

  1. Can you think of a time when someone really listened to you? How did it make you feel?
  2. Who is someone in your life that you consider a great listener? What makes them stand out?
  3. Have you ever had a moment where listening deeply to someone revealed something unexpected?
  4. “These next discussion questions are intended to give us each a chance to engage in the message personally and hear what Jesus is doing in each of our lives too. In this, we all become preachers to one another as we learn to follow Jesus together.”

Discussion Questions:

  1. Gospel-listening is an extension of prayer. How can your prayer life help you become a better listener to those around you?
  2. “Non-listening” is either simply waiting to speak or feeling paralyzed by not knowing what to say. How have you experienced or struggled with this in your relationships? How does the listening for the Lord, with love, and with life help you listen more effectively?
  3. The centurion’s humility and faith amazed Jesus. How does humility help us both in listening to God and in listening to others?
  4. Gospel listening means being attentive to what God is already doing in someone’s life. How can you better recognize and respond to God’s work in the people you interact with?
  5. Jesus dignified the centurion by honoring his request. What are some practical ways you can show dignity and love to others through listening?

For Further Study:

  1. Matthew 8:5-13 – Jesus listens to the centurion and honors his faith.
  2. John 4:1-26 – Jesus listens to the woman at the well.
  3. Luke 18:35-43 – Jesus listens to blind Bartimaeus.
  4. Philippians 2:3-4 – Consider others more significant than yourselves.
  5. James 1:19 – Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.
  6. Acts 8:26-40 – Philip listens to the Ethiopian eunuch and shares the gospel.
  7. Proverbs 18:13 – Answering before listening is folly and shame.
  8. Isaiah 50:4 – God gives the tongue of the learned to sustain the weary.
  9. Psalm 34:15 – The Lord’s ears are attentive to the righteous.
  10. Colossians 4:5-6 – Be wise and let your words be seasoned with grace.

Gospel Connections

Let’s discuss how we can apply this message to our lives as we seek to make the following connections as we follow Jesus:

  1. How does listening like Jesus help deepen your connection with God and with others?
  2. How can our church cultivate a culture of attentive listening as a way to show God’s love to our community?
  3. How can our group practice gospel listening, encouraging one another and pointing each other to Jesus?
  4. How can we reflect God’s compassion and dignity through listening in our city, helping people feel seen and valued?
Adults
Gospel Communities