Brothers and Sisters, think about these 6 points.
Adapted from Direction how to hear Sermons by George Whitefield.
1. Come to hear them, not out of curiosity, but from a sincere desire to know and do your duty.
2. Do not only prepare your hearts before you hear, but also give diligent heed to the things that are spoken from the word of God.
3. Do not entertain any the least prejudice against the minister.
4. As you ought not to be prejudiced against (the preacher), so you should be careful not to depend too much on a preacher, or think more highly of him than you ought to think. For though this be an extreme that people seldom run into, yet preferring one teacher in apposition to another, has often been of ill consequence to the church of God. It was a fault which the great Apostle of the Gentiles condemned in the Corinthians. For whereas one said, “I am of Paul; another, I am of Apollos: are ye not carnal,” says he? “For who is Paul, and who is Apollos, but instruments in God’s hands by whom you believed?” And are not all ministers sent forth to be ministering ambassadors to those who shall be heirs of salvation? And are they not all therefore greatly to be esteemed for their work’s sake?
5. Make a particular application of every thing that is delivered to your own hearts.
6. If you would receive a blessing from the Lord, when you hear his word preached, pray to him, both before, in, and after every sermon, to endue the minister with power to speak, and to grant you a will and ability to put in practice, what he shall show from the book of God to be your duty.
