MTP Sermon Resources

“Cursing the Tree” Sermon Study Guide for March 1, 2020 Scripture: Matthew 21:18-22 1. Demons & Pigs (Matthew 8:28-34) 2. Cursing the Tree Mark 11:13 - not the season Creation Care (or lack of) Genesis 1:28 “rule” Revelation 21:1 - a new earth Isaiah 43:19 Fruit Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What are some of the things Jesus did that make you scratch your head? What do you make of the story with the demons and the pigs? Why did Jesus allow the pigs to be killed? Had you been a disciple with Jesus, how would you have reacted to his “only destructive miracle”? What reasons have you heard (or given yourself) for not taking care of God’s creation? How do those square with the whole of Scripture? What’s the difference between something being “new” and something being “renewed”? How does that impact the way we look at the creation? If the story of the fig tree isn’t about the tree, what is it about? How do

Everybody Likes Jesus? Philippians 2:5-11 February 26, 2020 (Ash Wednesday) • Mount Pleasant UMC There are two songs I know of that can only really be sung on this night, Ash Wednesday. One of them we sang at the beginning of the service tonight: “Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days.” The other is called “Sunday’s Palms Are Wednesday’s Ashes.” I know, those titles just roll off the tongue, don’t they? But that latter song refers to the older practice of keeping some of the branches we use on Palm Sunday so that we can burn them to make the ash for Ash Wednesday. I tried that the first year I was here. Pastor Aaron had left behind the palms from the previous year, so I took them down to the parking lot and set them on fire. Easy, peasy! Yeah, I nearly burned the building down, which would have been a real problem since we were, at that point, just about finished with the rebuild project. So, since then, I’ve chosen to get my ashes not from the previous year’s Palm Sunday, bu

To Be Found Matthew 18:12-14 February 23, 2020 • Mount Pleasant UMC In 2012, the group we had taken to Israel went hiking at a place called En Gedi. That’s an oasis in the southern desert, down near the Dead Sea, and it’s most famous Biblically as the place where King Saul found a cave to use as a toilet. If you don’t believe me, you can read the story in 1 Samuel 24. Today, En Gedi is a nature preserve and there are hiking trails that go up into the wadi or ravine back to the waterfall that is where the cave used to be. As we walked and tried to find our way toward the waterfall, I kept an eye out for the local wildlife. On the various hills and crags we saw lots of birds, a few ibex (sort of an Israeli mountain goat), and a lot of sun worshippers! As we wound through the ravine, I also thought a lot about how easy it would be to wander off, to get lost in the wilderness. As we tried to stay on the main path, there were lots of other paths that tempted us to stray away, to

“To Be Found” Sermon Study Guide for February 23, 2020 Scripture: Matthew 18:12-14 1. Sheep and the Wilderness Luke 15:7 2. Being Found Luke 19:10 Philippians 1:6 Ezekiel 34:16 Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Have you ever been lost because you took a wrong path? What happened? What does it feel like to be found? What is the difference between Jesus’ attitude and the modern world’s attitude regarding one lost sheep? What is your story of “being found” by God? Have you shared your story with someone? If not, why not? In what way(s) is Jesus searching for lost sheep today? How can he use you to find others who belong in the flock? Respond to this quote from C. S. Lewis: “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” How is this true in your own life? Scripture for the Week: Monday - Ezekiel 34:1-16 Tuesday - Ezekiel 34

What Faith is Not Proverbs 3:1-6 February 16, 2020 • Mount Pleasant UMC Cathy and I have different versions of how we started dating. Well, maybe not different versions, but certainly different perspectives. This we agree on: we had been friends for about 2 and a half years. We had been serving for about a year and a half with the executive team of the Ball State InterVarsity chapter, and so one night after the large group gathering, at the Flying Tomato Pizza place, I asked if she would like to go with me to a movie on campus. She likes to point out that apparently I never said the word “date,” so she wasn’t quite sure what it was, but she agreed to go. The movie was Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home , the one with the whales, and she asked questions all the way through it. Questions like, “Who’s the guy with the pointy ears?” Okay, in fairness, she had never seen a Star Trek anything before (and the guy with the pointy ears is Spock, for those of you not in the know), but you

“What Faith is Not” Sermon Study Guide for February 16, 2020 Scripture: Proverbs 3:1-6 1. The Value of Uncertainty Adds __________________ to faith Push us to ______________________________ Proverbs 3:3 - hesed Make ______________________ possible Hebrews 11:1, 6 1 Peter 1:12 I Corinthians 13:12 2. How to Trust _______________________________ (3:5a) _______________________________ (3:5b) _______________________________ (3:6) Questions to Discuss or Ponder: How do you respond when faced with uncertainty? What resources do you rely on to make decisions? Which value does uncertainty add most to your life? Explain. What is the difference between faith and knowledge? Why is faith crucial to “pleasing God”? To what are you committed most in life? When do you most tend to “lean on your own understanding”? What usually happens when you try to “do it yourself”? Why is faith better than “knowing everything”?