Here are my sermon notes for this Sunday. As you can see it is still under construction. Above are my initial thoughts and below is the outline format I use. From there I will write a manuscript and then translate the manuscript back into a 1 page handwritten outline. The sermon will then be preached extemporaneously from the outline.
Title: Among You Stands One
Whom You Do Not Know
Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 &
John 1:6-8, 19-28
Key texts:
-"Do not
despise the words of prophets ..." (1 Thess 5:20)
-"May the God
of peace, himself sanctify you entirely ..." (1 Thess 5:23)
-"Among you
stands one whom you do not know ..." (John 1:26c)
Why matters: Your perception of
God creates your experience of reality.
One Sentence: Superseding John the
Baptist, Jesus invites us to explore the Christ within us.
Ramp: What are the things we
hear about this time of year?
a. Football: (New coach at Texas A&M
as they move into SEC West. Texans are having great year.)
b. Tech toys: (iPad2 vs. Samsung
Galaxy Tab).
c. Family: "Can't have Christmas
without so and so being home."
d. You hear about these things but
John the Baptist is here today to remind you that "Among you
stands one whom you do not know."
Know:
John the Baptist
John's gospel goes to great lengths to
show us that John the Baptist is inferior to Jesus. We read in John
1:20 where John the Baptist says: "I am not the Messiah."
John the Baptist says of Jesus: "I am not worthy to untie the
thong of his sandal."
In the early days after Jesus lived
there was a competition between the followers of John the Baptist and
the followers of Jesus. Some of the original disciples, such as
Andrew, were first disciples of John the Baptist.
John the Baptist refers to Jesus,
saying, "Among you stands one whom you do not know." The
one he refers to is Jesus. You do not know him, says John. Of course,
we think we do know him. The one we don't know is John the Baptist.
Yet there are followers of John the Baptist to this day who claim to
know John the Baptist better than we do. John the Baptist is still
followed today by the Mandeans. The Mandeans have a history from the
Knights Templar.
John the Baptist says, "Follow
Jesus not me."
The head of John the Baptist is said
to be entombed in the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.
Here is a comparison of Jesus and John
the Baptist:
a. They are cousins whose mothers are close. They share a Jewish heritage and the Jewish Bible.
b. John the Baptist dies beheaded by King Herod. Jesus dies crucified by Pontius Pilate.
c. John the Baptist's followers will later be called Mandeans. Jesus followers will later be called Christians.
Jesus
The one we do not know is the one who
comes to us from God. "He came from God but God's own people did
not know him." The unique quality of Jesus is that he is God
come down to us in human form.
The one we do not know is the Chris
within us. We are not well acquainted with the Christ within. We
either ignore the Christ within or try to subdue it.
Colossians 1:15-17 describes Jesus as:
a. the image of the invisible God
b. the firstborn of all creation
c. all things have been created through him and for him.
d. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Feel: Inspired. Head
rush from new insight/realization. Relief. Gratitude.
Bible references: 1
Thessalonians 5:16-24 & John 1:6-8, 19-28; Jonah
Personal references: Getting to know
the Christ within can be scary and uncomfortable. It sometimes feels
as if the Spirit is shining a light around in the basement of our
unconsciousness. Hidden sins are brought to light. This is what John
the Baptist was all about, revealing the darkness within us.
Dessert:
Need a powerful story that brings these thoughts together to close the sermon.
Closing: The early disciples
interaction with Jesus was experiential. Jesus invited them to "come
and see" and they came and saw. They gained insight found only
at the level of profound trust. Jesus invies us to experience
transcendence for the mystery of our lives is in our midst.
Superseding John the Baptist, Jesus invites us to explore the Christ
within us.
- - -
This method of writing a sermon or other speech comes from the excellent book shown below. I recommend this book for all public speakers. The book also contains suggestions for preparation and delivery. It is written not for preachers but for any public speaker and is oriented toward professional business people in the corporate world. It positively changed the way I prepare and deliver sermon.
- - -
This method of writing a sermon or other speech comes from the excellent book shown below. I recommend this book for all public speakers. The book also contains suggestions for preparation and delivery. It is written not for preachers but for any public speaker and is oriented toward professional business people in the corporate world. It positively changed the way I prepare and deliver sermon.
