MTP Sermon Resources

2 Kings 22:8-10 May 26, 2019 • Mount Pleasant UMC My brother and I could always tell it was “spring cleaning” time at our house when we would come home from school and all the furniture would have been moved around. Unlike Cathy and I, who tend to find one way the furniture works in a room and leave it that way, my parents had several different configurations to their rooms and one way to clean house was to move everything around so that you could clean behind it. Or, in my thinking, clean the places most people never saw. In our lives, honestly, we don’t think about those places behind and under the couches and chairs until those times when we have moved or, more frequently, those times when we have lost something and are trying to find it. Suddenly, we begin looking in all the nooks and crannies. Have you ever noticed that whatever you lost is always in the last place you look? And sometimes when you are cleaning and looking for one thing, you find something entirely differen

“Cleaning House” Sermon Study Guide for May 26, 2019 Scripture: 2 Kings 22:8-10 Judah & God Deuteronomy 17:14-20 (Moses) 1 Samuel 8:10-18 (Samuel) Temple “We found a scroll…” Josiah’s response… 2. Scriptures a. Three questions… b. Heart, Mind, Community James 1:23-25 Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Why do we tend to want to “be like everyone else” rather than follow God’s plan? How has this gotten you in a tight spot in the past? What role, would you say, does the Bible play in your life currently? Is it “alive and active” or “functionally lost”? Why did Josiah respond in the way he did toward the found scroll? Be honest: how often do you read and study the Bible? What is your biggest struggle with reading and studying the Bible? Which of the practices discussed would be most helpful in your own study of the Scriptures? How will you implement that practice into your routine? Scripture for

Genesis 15:1-7 May 19, 2019 • Mount Pleasant UMC My son, Christopher, loves video games, and when he was younger, I would often tell him about the Atari I used to play with when I was his age. I got excited when the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago advertised a “History of Video Games” exhibit, so we made plans to go there and see this Atari that I spoke of. Long story short: he was unimpressed. He looked at “Pong” for about three seconds and said, “Hmm.” Then he moved on to the other games, things he was more familiar with. The message was clear: the video games I enjoyed as a child were just not that impressive. I think he breathed a silent prayer of thanks that he was born in the era of high resolution graphics and intricate storylines rather than…Pong. Video games have been part of our lives for a long, long time. The Atari we had was released in 1972—that’s an eternity ago in terms of technology! That’s a year before the first call was made on a cellular phon

“Count the Stars” Sermon Study Guide for May 19, 2019 Scripture: Genesis 15:1-7 Abram Genesis 1-11 Focus on a family… Promises to Abram… Inheritance Count the stars… 2. Us Knowing God… A culture of prayer Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What does “having power” mean to you? What, do you think, Abram’s neighbors and friends thought of his response to this invisible God? Have you experienced similar reactions? How do you hear God’s call today? What is the significance of God telling Abram to count the stars? Why, do you think, did the promise take so long to accomplish? When did you first come to know God (not just “know about” God)? How have you grown in that knowledge over the years? Who is someone in your life who has lived out “a long obedience in the same direction”? What steps toward a culture of prayer will you take this week? Scripture for the Week: Monday - Genesis 12:1-9 Tuesday - Genesis

“Keep On Keepin’ On” Sermon Study Guide for May 12, 2019 Scripture: Luke 18:1-8 Mothers… James 5 - effective prayer… Breakthrough 2. Jesus’ Parable… Persistence in prayer Posture? Place? Heart and Spirit? Faithfulness in prayer… One of the finest things a mother can do is… Colossians 4:2 Well done… Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What “words of wisdom” has your mother spoken into your life? How does that continue to affect you? What prayers do you pray for your children or grandchildren (or other relatives of the next generation)? What image comes to mind when you think of “persistence”? What does it mean to be persistent in prayer? What is the most important “ingredient” in prayer? What has been faithful in prayer for you? For whom are you faithfully praying? Scripture for the Week: Monday - Matthew 6:5-15 Tuesday - Colossians 4:2-6 Wednesday - James 5:13-20 Thursday - 3 John 2-4