MTP Sermon Resources

“The Last Laugh” Sermon Study Guide for April 1, 2018 Scripture: John 20:1-18 1. From Darkness to ______________________ John 1:5; 8:12; 13:30 2. From Evil to ________________________ Luke 8:2 3. The Worst Thing is ____________________________ “Why are you crying?” They have taken away… Resurrection! 1 Corinthians 15 God always gets… That you may have life (20:31) Questions to Discuss or Ponder: 1. What does “Easter” mean to you? Why is worship on Easter important to you? 2. Where do you see darkness in our world today? What hope do you have for light to break through? 3. In what ways have you seen love triumph over evil? How does the resurrection of Jesus demonstrate that triumph? 4. Why are you crying? What burden do you bring to the empty tomb? 5. Why does Jesus tell Mary not to hold onto him? 6. What about the promise of eternity gives you hope in the midst of difficult, dark days? 7. What does it mean to say that “God always gets the last laugh”? Scripture for the Week:

John 19:38-42 March 30, 2018 (Good Friday) • Mount Pleasant UMC In my twenty-five years in active ministry, I have officiated or participated in 167 funerals and attended a whole lot of others. Every occasion is unique and memorable and moving, a celebration of life and, especially for one who was a Christian, a celebration of life yet to come. I find myself sad when people tell me that they don’t want to have a funeral; they don’t want people crying over them, but that’s exactly what we, as human beings, need to do. We need some sort of closure. Funerals, after all, aren’t for the dead; they are for the living, to give us a time and space to mourn, to grieve, to remember, and then to go eat fried chicken and potato salad. But seriously—I know people attend (or don’t attend) funerals for all sorts of different reasons, and some come with more hope than others, but in our culture we have successfully distanced ourselves from death so far that we rarely truly see it up close.

John 13:1-17 March 29, 2018 (Maundy Thursday) • Mount Pleasant UMC There are a lot of things I don’t understand. Theoretical physics, for one. A lot of financial lingo, for another. I don’t understand everything my son tries to tell me about video games and computer coding and how he creates video animations. When Rachel talks to me about medical things and the parts of the body and how to care for a patient, I tend to only understand the parts I’ve been through as a patient myself. There are a lot of things I don’t understand, but there are a lot of situations I’ve found myself in where I’ve learned even through the experience. Much of the little I know about home repair I’ve learned by going on mission trips; much of what I know pastoral care in the hospital has come because I’ve been a patient myself. We often learn through our experiences, and that truth is what makes the statement in John 13:7 so amazing to me. Even after three years of experiences with Jesus, living and w

John 19:12-16 March 25, 2018 (Palm Sunday) • Mount Pleasant UMC This past fall, Rachel’s dance team was invited to dance before an Indiana Pacers game. Now, to give you an idea of how long it had been since I had been at a Pacers game, the last time I saw them play was at Market Square Arena! So one November Friday afternoon, we loaded up the car and headed to Banker’s Life Fieldhouse for the game—and more importantly, to see the Spirettes dance. They danced before the game, but we wanted to see the game. Our tickets were for seats one row from the top back wall, so it was actually hard to get into the game too much. Besides that, I was about 6 or 7 weeks post-op and got tired easily, so when Rachel suggested we leave after the third quarter, I agreed. The Pacers were way behind, and they were not going to win anyway, plus leaving early allowed us to miss the crowds. So we did that—and on the way home, we learned that somehow, the team had managed to rally and ended up winning

“No King But Caesar” Sermon Study Guide for March 25, 2018 Scripture: John 19:12-16 The final quarter… Pilate, Roman Governor Exodus 20:4 - no graven images 2. Trail of Jesus No basis for the charges - John 18:38 “Son of God” “Friend of Caesar” (19:12) Exodus 20:3 Deuteronomy 6:4 1 Samuel 8:1-22 3. “No king but…” Matthew 27:19-26 Pilate’s fate… Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Recall a time when you thought the “story was over” when it really wasn’t. What happened? What sort of a predicament does Pilate find himself in? How would you have approached this situation if you were in his shoes? Why is the charge “Son of God” so serious to Pilate? Why is Pilate not willing to risk losing his “friend of Caesar” status? Where do you see similar situations and/or compromises in today’s world? What are the “kings” that demand our loyalty today? Which ones are you most tempted to bow down to? What do you need to do

“Discipleship: Duty or Devotion?” Sermon Study Guide for March 18, 2018 Scripture: John 15:9-17 Final conversations… Jesus’ Final Conversation… “Farewell Discourse” Comforting words… Counsel… 2. Discipleship - John 15 a fruitful life… “I am the true vine…” The abiding principle (15:4-5, 8) 3. Elements of a Fruitful Life a. Cleansing b. Abiding c. Relating “Love one another…” Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What would you want to be your “final words”? What important truths about your life would you want to communicate? What was the point of Jesus’ farewell discourse? What truths do you find most comforting in his words? What are the essential elements to a “fruitful life” according to Jesus? What does it mean to be rooted in faith? What does it mean to “abide in Christ”? What are the elements of a fruitful life? How are those elements seen in your own life? Who or what inspires you to live a fruitful life?