Too Good To Be True? (Study Guide)

“Too Good To Be True?”
Sermon Study Guide for

Scripture: Romans 5:1-11

“Therefore…” - the pure Gospel

  1. A True Story

Telling better stories…

Stories Jesus told…

Luke 19:10 - “seek and save”
John 3:16-17 - “God so loved”

2. Shrunken Stories
“social gospel”

“good works gospel”

“shaming and scary gospel”
Ephesians 2:8-10

Is it too good to be true?

3. Do or done?
Galatians 1:8-9
2 Corinthians 5:21

“The Great Exchange”


Questions to Discuss or Ponder:
  1. Have you accepted the pure Gospel?
  2. What kinds of stories do you most enjoy? Why? What is it about a story that engages our hearts and minds?
  3. Why is a clear theme important to a good story? In what way(s) does Jesus have a clear theme in his stories?
  4. Which of the “shrunken stories” have you heard most often? How have either or both of those impacted your thinking and believing?
  5. When have you experienced something that was “too good to be true”?
  6. What is the difference between the gospel of “do” and the gospel of “done”? Which one will you embrace today?
  7. Is “the greatest story ever told” your story?

Scripture for the Week:
Monday - Luke 19:1-10
Tuesday - John 3:16-21
Wednesday - Ephesians 2:1-10
Thursday - Galatians 1:1-10
Friday - 2 Corinthians 16-21
Saturday - Acts 4:1-12

Resources for the bigger story
Frazee, Randy. The Heart of the Story. Zondervan, 2011.

Hamilton, Adam. Half-Truths. Abingdon, 2016.


Smith, James Bryan. The Magnificent Story. InterVarsity, 2017.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Shady Family Tree (Study Guide)

  “A Shady Family Tree” Sermon Study Guide for April 21, 2024 Downloadable Version Scripture: Isaiah 11:1-5 1. Isaiah exile…a stump divine punishment a shoot…from the stump of Jesse judgment Isaiah 53:2-5 2. Family Tree twisted and bent… a. You are not _______________________________ Romans 3:23 b. Bloom ___________________________________ Romans 3:24 The secret is this… Colossians 1:27 Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What images come to mind when you think of “shade”? What other trees do you think of in the Old Testament? What happened at those trees? What does a stump represent to you? Why do you think God punishes people and cultures? What good can come out of it? How do you see that happening today? What is the significance of the symbolism of a shoot? What is the shape of your family tree? Straight? Twisted and bent? Broken? How has that affected who you are? If Christ is in you, what can you accomplish? In what way(s) have you seen God restoring the br
Read more

Decision Tree

Image
Revelation 22:1-5 May 5, 2024 • Mount Pleasant UMC It had only been four days since the Winter Olympics in Beijing had ended. Four whole days of basking in the unity and the camaraderie that the Olympics are known for. The world comes together for these games to compete in a wide variety of sports and demonstrate that we can get along, at least for a couple of weeks. World leaders usually attend, too, and one of the prominent attendees in Beijing was Russian president Vladimir Putin. All eyes were on Putin because his army had been establishing itself along the border with Ukraine. And four days after the Olympics were over, that army moved. Here we are, over two years later, and the invasion and the conflict goes on. My friend Tony was on a Lands of the Bible trip and the next day they were to dock in Israel. October 7. That was the day the terrorist group Hamas launched 3,000 rockets into southern Israel along with ground vehicles and paragliders. Before the day was over, over 1,
Read more

Looking Like Jesus (Study Guide)

  “Looking Like Jesus” Sermon Study Guide for January 7, 2024 Downloadable Version Scripture: Matthew 11:28-30 Unprecedented times… “de-churching” 1. The Aims of Jesus a. ___________________________ b. ___________________________ Matthew 4:17 c. ___________________________ John 1:5 2. “Come to me…” Mark 9:17-29 Isaiah 42:3 Luke 23:43 Luke 22:24 John 13:1-11 Isaiah 53:7 Questions to Discuss or Ponder: How have you experienced the phenomenon of “de-churching” and/or church hurt? How has it impacted you or your family? Have you invited someone to rejoin or join you in worship? Why or why not? Why are we often afraid to do so? What image of the church do most people you encounter have today? In what way(s) does that or doesn’t it look like Jesus? Which of the “aims” of Jesus do you find most compelling or most important for these days? Why? Why is Jesus’ first sermon still so compelling? What does it mean to be “yoked” to Jesus? Why is that a good thing? What is
Read more