Sermon Manuscript100106
Sermon Worksheet & Manuscript
Robert L. Hutcherson, Jr.
Quinn Chapel A.M.E. Church
Sermon Preparation/Delivery
James 5:13-20
“THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED”
The Rev. Karla J. Cooper, Pastor
Oct 1, 2006
Sermon Worksheet & Manuscript
AUTHOR
1. Who wrote (or is credited with writing) the text?
2. From what perspective does the author write?
3. What are the historical and social contexts?
TEXT
" 13Is anyone among you suffering? {Then} he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14Is anyone among you sick? {Then} he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. 19My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, 20let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." (James 5:13-20 NASBR)
I. What does this passage say? (exegesis)
2. What does the passage mean? (hermeneutic)
A. To the original audience?
B. To the contemporary context?
READER
3. What does this passage say to the larger community? (homiletic)
What is the "Bad News" in the text? What is the "good News" for our
time?
What is the "Good News" in the text? What is the "Good News" for
our time?
How can the conflict between the Bad News and the Good News be
reconciled?
7. Specific Purpose/Central Idea.
(In one clear sentence say what the sermon is about and why you are
preaching it).
I propose to show ______________________________________________
To the end that the hearers will
8. What will the listener/audience celebrate as a result of hearing this
sermon? (Celebration happens in preaching when the Gospel becomes
Good News for the listener). Just as the sermon must have a specific
aim, the celebration must be specific as well.
9. How will I conclude the sermon?
10. Where will I make sermonic moves and transitions? List specific
transitional sentences.
11. What biblical translation and/or paraphrased version are consistent
with what I want to say in the sermon? What cross-references and/or
literary sources will I use?
BODY
I read a quote during my freshman year in college that someone had scratched into a desk, something I remember verbatim almost 30 years later: “There is nothing so tragic as to see a life torn by loneliness and strife in a place supposedly saturated by love.” I have often wondered who wrote that? Why did he feel he needed to pass that along? Was there anyone else with whom she might have shared that feeling? The most troubling part to me was that desk was located in a classroom on a Christian campus, a place supposedly saturated by love.
Jim went to church one Sunday morning. He heard the organist miss a note during the prelude, and he winced. He saw two teenagers talking when everyone was supposed to have their heads bowed in prayer, and he shook his head. He felt that the usher was watching him as the offering plate was passed, looking to see how much he put in the plate. During the sermon he heard the preacher make 5 (count them!) grammatical mistakes. As he slipped out the side door during the closing hymn, he muttered to himself, “Never again! Who needs a church like that!”
Ron went to the same church that Sunday. He heard the organist play a rendition of “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” and he was thrilled by the majesty of the music. He heard a young person share her faith in Christ during a special lay witness moment. He was glad to see that his church was participating in a special offering for world hunger that Sunday. He especially appreciated the sermon; it addressed a question he had on his mind for several weeks. He thought as he walked out the doors of the church, “What a joy it has been to be with God’s people today!”
I have just described three very real persons and three very real life experiences: a person who is lonely and feels disconnected, a person who is frustrated and, therefore, hyper-critical of others, and a person who is blessed, satisfied with his circumstances. All three of these persons were in a place supposedly saturated by love, but their experiences were quite different.
Maybe you can identify with one of those persons this morning. Maybe you know several people who fit into each of those categories. We are spending the same time here, occupying the same space, singing the same songs, hearing the same message, and in a few moments, we will be sharing the same meal at the Lord’s Table. Yet, our experiences can be very different. Why is that?
First, let me remind you that Christ’s invitation is, has always been and always will be to come just as we are: lonely, frustrated, angry, happy, bewildered, satisfied, seeking, sinful or saintly. “Just as I am without one plea….Thou bidst me come to Thee.” That is Christ’s invitation, and therefore, that is a good description of the Church as well. When that group of rock stars made the recording “We Are the World” several years ago, raising money for world hunger, singer Lionel Richie posted a sign at the entrance of the studio, “Check you egos at the door.” When we walk through the doors of the Church, we must do the same. We come just as we are, without any pleas or any pretense.
Have you ever noticed how this passage from James 5 almost reads like a resolution one would expect to hear at a conference?
WHEREAS there are those among us who are in trouble and need spiritual help, and
WHEREAS there are those among us who are happy and have a song to sing, and
WHEREAS there are those among us who are ill and need prayer support, and
WHEREAS there are those who have sinned and need to be forgiven;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we confess to and pray for one another.
According to James, none of those experiences is unusual: people get in trouble; people get happy; people get sick; and people sin. That is life, AND (don’t miss this point!), that is the Church. We are troubled people; we are happy people; That is where we begin.
THEREFORE, because there are people among you who are in trouble, people who are sick, people who have sinned, and even people who are very satisfied, “Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed.” Let’s briefly look at the two sides of this resolution.
FIRST - Confession. That word “confession” comes from a word that means “to say the same thing as.” To agree, admit; to acknowledge the truth about something. Confession is to openly admit that what God is saying about me is true. Thus, before I can expect others to pray accurately and effectively for me, I have to put away all falsehood, pretense, deception, games, denial and hypocrisy and be honest with my needs.
AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) has provided the opportunity for millions who are addicted to alcohol to experience healing by establishing the principle of confession as the 1st in the “12 Step” program: “We admit that we are powerless over alcohol; that our lives had become unmanageable.” Confession is the first step to a genuine experience of the healing power of God regardless of your need. It is to admit, “I need help. I cannot make it on my own.” We owe Bill W. a tremendous debt of gratitude for re-introducing one of the most basic principles of our life together as Christians: confession, acknowledging our needs before God and others.
Think with me a moment about the classic story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. In verse 17 of that chapter we read, “When he came to his sense, he said to himself, I am starving to death..” After wasting all his resources under the delusion that he could live apart from his father, he came to the place (sitting in the middle of a hog pen) where he was willing to admit, confess, acknowledge, to say the same thing as everyone else knew the truth to be that he needed help from another. The first step to healing, recovery, reconciliation and restoration is to realize that only God is God; we are not. We are powerless, and we need to be able to admit that there are times we need help beyond ourselves.
SECOND - Prayer. The second part of the resolution is that we accept the responsibility to pray for one another whenever someone is in need. Let me quickly point out that prayer is not a big problem for most Americans. According to George Gallup, 96% of all Americans say they believe in God; less than 2% claim to be atheists. There are fewer atheists today than 50 years ago. Why? Fewer people are willing to stick their necks out and say all this (creation) came about by accident. The more we discover, the more we realize there is a system and purpose in life. It takes more faith NOT to believe in a Creator than it does to believe in One. If I took a watch completely apart, put the parts in a bag, how many times do you think I would have to shake it to have it come together completely like a watch? Multiply that several billion times and you get an idea of the odds of our world becoming ordered as it is.
The real issue, however, is not Is there a God? but What kind of God is God? Does it matter what God is like? If and how we pray for each other depends on how we answer that question.
Fortunately, God wants us to know what he is like even more than we have the sense to figure God out. Jesus said in John 14, If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. With that in mind, let me suggest three ways we can pray for each other.
1. Pray for each other, believing that God knows all about our situations. God knows us as we are. Psalm 56:8, You know how troubled I am. You have kept a record of my tears. Isn’t that incredible? God knows us up close and personal. He has kept a record of all tears. “Nobody knows how troubled my marriage is.” Wrong. God knows. “Nobody knows how addicted I am to this habit, and it is killing me.” Wrong. God does. “Nobody knows how much pain I feel over the past.” Wrong. Psalm 31:7 says, You have seen the crisis of my soul. God knows our needs, who we are, where we are even before we ask. God knows the good days, the bad days, the in-between days, and God is not shocked by any of it.
Therefore, let us pray for one another to our God who knows all about our situations.
2. Pray for each other knowing that God cares about our situations. Psalm 103:13-14, God is like a Father to us, tender and sympathetic for he knows what we are made of. God understands our chemistry, that we are humans, frail and week. Yet, God promises an eternal love for us. How is that possible? Because God’s love is not our love; it is unconditional, higher and greater than any human love. It is not based on our performance or accomplishments. Paul wrote in Romans 5, God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us. Again, if any of you have worked through the “12 Steps” you know this is Step 2, the “Higher Power” step. Jesus Christ is the higher power who knows all about our situations and cares about us in those situations. If God so cares for us, let us pray for one another with a greater understanding of God’s compassion and great love.
- Pray for each other acknowledging that God can change our situations. Sometimes God changes the situation. Sometimes God changes us in the situations. Sometimes God changes both. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:20, I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great his power is to help those who believe in him.
If we truly believe in the resurrection power of God, can we not believe God can heal dead relationships? Save individuals from deadly addictions? Restore sin-sick souls to health and joy? Close the door to past memories, heal damaged emotions and bring hope and joy? “Aw Preacher, you don’t understand our situation!” No, but I understand the promise Jesus dared to offer us, What is impossible for us is possible with God. The sooner we are willing to admit/confess/acknowledge that, God has a chance to make a difference. Let’s pray for each other, believing that God has the power to make a difference.
The older I get, the more convinced I am that intercessory prayer is the highest and probably the most difficult ministry in the church. We pray regularly for the sick in our church as you notice on the insert in our bulletin. Their needs are more obvious, and we appreciate their desire to admit that and let us bear their burdens in prayer. But, let’s not stop there. There is no such thing as Lone Ranger Christians. We are in this thing together. Sometimes you need the faith of others, and sometimes, others need your faith as well. To hear the confession of others and bear their burdens in prayer is an awesome responsibility, but it is also the most Christ-like privilege we have as Christians. My friends, we are at our very best when we are able to open our hearts with each other, pray with each other, and trust God together for the answers.
So, let me ask this morning: Is anyone among us hurting? Does anyone feel great? Does anyone need to sense God’s forgiveness and love? Let your trusted Christian friends know your heart that they may pray for you, so you may be healed.
CHILDREN’S LESSON
ORDER OF WORSHIP
Order of Worship
Sunday October 1st, 2006
11:00 A.M.
Opening Hymn…………………” More About Jesus Would I Know”, Hymn 210
Doxology………………………………………All
Call to Worship……………………………….Bro. Robert Hutcherson
Hymn………………………………………” Abide With Me”, Hymn 495
Prayer…………………………………………..Bro. Robert Hutcherson
Prayer Response……………………………….Give Us This Day”
Scripture Reading……………………………..Bro. Robert Hutcherson
Decalogue………………………………………Bro. Robert Hutcherson
Gloria Patri……………………………………..Congregation
Sermon…………………………………………Bro. Robert Hutcherson
Invitation to Christian Discipleship………...””I Can Hear My Savior Calling”, Hymn 235
Altar Call/Offertory……………………………All
Offertory Response……………………………”All Things Come Of Thee”
Affirmation of Faith……………………………Congregation
Benediction……………………………………..Bro. Robert Hutcherson