It’s Monday. A rainy Monday at that. Yesterday, the sun was shining, we were hearing God’s Word together, singing songs together, and taking the Lord’s Supper. It was a great time of fellowship and encouragement. But now it’s Monday and Sunday starting to seem further and further away.

There is a passage in James 1 that talks to people like us who hear the Word of God week after week:

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing." (James 1:22-25).

This is a warning for us to not hear the Word casually on Sundays. A warning for us not to hear the sermon and then allow it to be swept away by Sunday lunch, or the NBA playoffs, or a case of the Mondays.

So how do we listen to the Word and become a doer of the Word? How do we not waste the Sunday sermon?

Meditate on the Sermon

One of my favorite things to do after I preach is to meditate on my notes. On Sunday afternoon or Monday morning, I want to re-preach the truths to my heart. I want to repent, pray and seek to apply the Word to my life. We all should do this every week. Meditate on the Word you heard during the week. Write down a point on the postcard to take with you during the day. Take the notes from Sunday’s message and apply it again and again.

Talk about the Sermon

Jesus didn’t save you from your sins and place you in the body so you could have people to talk about sports with or to go shopping with. He placed you in the body to “stir one another up to love and good deeds.” We are called to become more like Christ together. So talk about the truths over Sunday lunch with another family. Take a brother or sister out for coffee this week to encourage one another with the sermon. Join a community group where the group applies the sermon together.

Go Deeper

Let the Word you heard Sunday stir up a desire to go deeper in the Word during the week. Sunday should not be your weekly bible intake but it should drive you to study the word all week. For example, this last Sunday we heard a message on how Christ defeated death for us. Go to Romans 8 and meditate on how nothing could separate us from the love of God, not even death. Study Ephesians 2:1-10 on how Jesus makes us alive in the gospel. Open up the word to Revelation 5 to see what we will see as believers after death. Let’s let the Word on Sunday be an appetizer for the Word we will feast on all week.

Share it with Others

Take the Word you heard Sunday outside of the body of Christ. Tell a coworker about how you were encouraged by Sunday’s message. Call a family member and tell them about what you learned. Go to a neighbor and share with them the gospel just like you heard it preached on Sunday. If the Word was a blessing to you on Sunday, share it so it can be a blessing to others.

Let’s strive to not just be hearers of the Word, but let’s strive be doers of the Word as well. Let’s let the Word of Christ dwell within us richly and richly in those around us. Let’s not waste the Sunday sermon. Even if you have a case of Mondays.