MTP Sermon Resources

Luke 21:1-4 October 29, 2017 • Mount Pleasant UMC When you hear the word “wealthy,” who comes to mind? How much money does someone have to be to be considered “wealthy”? The answer usually is, “More than me.” In reality, most of us here this morning are considered wealthy by the world’s standards. You can go to a website, globalrichlist.com , which will calculate where your income stands in comparison to income across the world, and the amazing thing is that anyone who makes $25,000 a year or more is in the top 2% of income earners in the world (cf. Rainer, The Money Challenge , pg. 88). That’s sort of a staggering statistic in our country where poverty is defined as less than $24,600 for a family of four. 98% of the people in the world make less than that every year. And I get issues surrounding “standards of living,” and how our standard tends to be higher than others, but I also know when I was in the Middle East last summer, my eyes were opened to a new reality. People ther

“Out of Our Wealth” Sermon Study Guide for October 29, 2017 Scripture: Luke 21:1-4 Jesus at the Temple Offerings… A widow… 2. Lessons from the Widow a. A ___________________ to give Proverbs 3:9 - first fruits Deuteronomy 26:1-15 b. Giving is done ______________________ tithe - Numbers 18 Malachi 3:10 Matthew 5:18 c. Giving is done ______________________ 2 Samuel 24:18-25 d. Giving is done _______________________ 2 Corinthians 9:7 John 14:12 Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Who or what comes to mind when you hear the word “wealthy”?  What power has money had in your life? Do you view money differently now than you did earlier in your life?  Have you heard the concept of “first fruits giving” before now? What does that mean? How has it been active in your life?  Why does God allow us to “test” him in the giving of the tithe?  What does it mean to give as a sacrifice? Have you ever done that?  How can you make giving cheerfully a priority in your life? What is the firs

“Living Hopefully” Sermon Study Guide for October 10, 2017 Scripture: Romans 8:15, 28, 31-39 Hope… 1. God’s Definition of Hope Hebrews 6:18-19 2. Joseph Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 The Three Trees: The Biblical Story Re_____________________ Re_____________________ Re_____________________ Questions to Discuss or Ponder: In what situations do you struggle to find hope? What causes you to become hope-filled?  What have been tempted to “end the story” too soon?  In what way does Joseph demonstrate the truth of Romans 8:28?  How does the whole of the Biblical story help you find hope and see hope around you?  Which of the “three r’s” are you living under today?  What helps you move from seeing yourself as a victim to hope?  Scripture for the Week: Monday - Psalm 3 Tuesday - Genesis 39:1-23 Wednesday - Genesis 41:1-40 Thursday - Genesis 50:15-21 Friday - Mark 4:30-34 Saturday - Luke 18:35-43 Resources for Hopeful Living Colson, Charles. The Good Life. Tyndale, 2005. H

Genesis 32:22-32 July 19, 2017 • Mount Pleasant UMC Pastors get called on to do all sorts of things throughout the course of a week. Sometimes we get called to do funerals for people we didn’t know, and one time in a small town, a pastor received a call to do such a funeral. He hadn’t personally known the deceased, but he recognized the name right away, because everyone in town and throughout the surrounding community had known of this man. He and his brother were known to be disreputable and dishonest. Over the course of many years, they had cheated, swindled, robbed and generally stole from everyone they ever did business with. Now, one of the brothers was dead and this pastor was being asked to do the funeral, even though neither brother had ever been inside the church. In the midst of the preparations for the service, the pastor received a call from the remaining brother. He said to the pastor, “Of course I want you to do the normal things and say the usual things at t

"In the Night” Sermon Study Guide for October 8, 2017 Scripture: Genesis 32:22-32 1. Jacob His story and his brother… birthright & blessing Esau is coming… Night at the Jabbok… a man wrestling 2. Us When we turn to God… Dark nights of the soul Joel 2:25 Romans 8:28 When daylight comes… the face of God blessing A new name Revelation 2:17 Scars John 20:24-29 Revelation 5:6 Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What does your name mean? Why did your parents choose that name for you?  What do you think Jacob was feeling when he learned Esau was coming to meet him? Have you ever been in a similar situation? What was it like?  In what situations are you most tempted to treat God the way Jacob does?  Why do we tend to turn to God only when we are most desperate?  Have you ever experienced a “dark night of the soul”? What was it like? In what way(s) did you encounter God during that time?  How have you experienced God as “redeemer”?  In this context, what does it

Genesis 12:1-9 October 1, 2017 • Mount Pleasant UMC Have you ever wanted a sign from God? Skywriting, a booming voice, an email or a tweet—something! Something that tells you, for guaranteed 100% sure, that you’re doing the right thing and are headed the right way. A few years ago, someone began putting up billboards all across the country that claimed to be a word from God. Some of them are thought-provoking and some are just funny. This one says, “If you must curse, use your own name!” Or how about this one: “Let’s meet at my house Sunday before the game.” This one goes straight to the point: “Life is short. Eternity isn’t.” Or this one, that just addresses our desire straight out: “Well, you did ask for a sign.” I’m sure you’ve seen these or others, but the truth is, when we say we want a “sign” from God, a billboard is not usually what we have in mind. We’d like to know what we’re supposed to do, or sometimes we say we’d like to know what’s next. We’d like to see the option