MTP Sermon Resources

Mark 14:32-38 August 30, 2020 • Mount Pleasant UMC They called him “the light of the world,” and everywhere he went, he did seem to brighten things up. But not this night. This night it was dark, as dark as it had ever been. Oh, not in the world around him, though certainly that was plenty dark since it was very late at night and there were no street lamps in those days. But the darkness in the garden was nothing compared to the darkness in his soul. The darkness that had threatened him since Sunday now felt overwhelming as he approached what he knew was the last night of his life on earth. The others didn’t know, these friends of his. To them, this was just another Passover (they’d had three of them together now), just another time of prayer. They had been to this garden many times, and every time they came near they could smell the hint of olives in the thick air. This place, this Gethsemane, this “oil press” (cf. Garland, NIV Application Commentary: Mark , pg. 539) was a norma...

  “Faith, Hope and Love” Sermon Study Guide for August 30, 2020 Downloadable Format Scripture: Mark 14:32-38 1. Gethsemane Faith… Hope… Love… 2. The Silence of God Faith… Hope… Love… 3. Watch and Pray Jeremiah 29:11 Questions to Discuss or Ponder: “Everything is possible for God.” Do you believe this? In what way(s) does your prayer life reflect this faith? What does it mean to you that you can call God “Abba”? What do you normally pray about? Do those prayers reflect your hopes for yourself, for others, for the world? How is obedience connected to love? Have you ever “heard” the silence of God? Share as much of the experience as you feel comfortable sharing. If our faith is grounded in the Scriptures, why do we utilize so little of the Scriptures in our prayers? How can you rectify that? What is the difference between praying for God to bless your will and praying to be able to do God’s will? What will it mean for you this week to “watch and pray”? Scripture for the ...

John 12:20-29 August 23, 2020 • Mount Pleasant UMC Several years ago, we spent a week in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, a beautiful part of the country, and one day we ventured to Whitefish Point, famous because of the song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” If you don’t know that song, go find it and stream it after worship. You can thank me later (when it’s stuck in your head). Anyway, Whitefish Point is on Lake Superior, and we couldn’t resist sticking our feet into this Great Lake. Lake Superior is always cold because it’s so far north, and at Whitefish Point, it was also very rocky. One of the kids we were with stepped into the lake and soon stepped on a sharp rock. His face winced and he declared that Lake Superior is “the most uncomfortable of the Great Lakes.” The most uncomfortable! That’s quite an indictment because there are few things we Americans love more than comfort. It has been said that our “minds are universally preoccupied with meeting the body’s every ...

  “The Uncomfortable Prayer” Sermon Study Guide for August 23, 2020 Downloadable Version Scripture: John 12:20-29 1. Jesus at the Festival his “hour” 2. Two Prayers a. “Father, save me…” 2 Corinthians 12:8 b. “Father, glorify…” name glorify 1 John 4:8-10 John 3:16 1 John 3:16 Three responses… Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What is the modern convenience that makes like most “comfortable” for you? What did Jesus mean that his “hour” had not yet come? What do you think listeners heard when he said that? Why do we prefer to go around a difficulty than to go through it? Share about a time when you had to go through a challenging situation. In what ways has COVID been a challenge to your faith? What does it mean to know someone’s name? What does it mean to bring glory to someone’s name? How do you intend to live out “the second half of the gospel” this week? What one thing will you do? Scripture for the Week: Monday - Matthew 6:5-8 Tuesday - 2 Corint...

  “Confident Praying” Sermon Study Guide for August 16, 2020 Downloadable Version Scripture: John 11:40-43 Hebrews 11:6 1. Confidence Romans 8:28, 38 John 15 - “abide” Our purpose in prayer is to see ___________ done. 2. God’s Response to Our Prayers a. ____________________ b. ____________________ c. ____________________ 3. Praying With Confidence 1 John 5:13-15 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; Philippians 4:6 Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What images come to mind when you think of confidence? What does it mean to “abide” in the Father’s will? How have you experienced answered prayer? How have you experienced “unanswered” prayer (“no”)? Recall an experience when God knew better than you thought you did. What do you think was God’s eternal purpose in saying “no” or “wait”? Which of the ideas for praying with confidence do you most need to integrate into your prayer life this week? Scripture for the Week: Monday - Romans 8:18-39 ...

Hidden From the Wise Matthew 11:25-30 August 9, 2020 • Mount Pleasant UMC I’ve been praying one prayer over and over during the last few months. In a world where coronavirus is at the top of everyone’s minds, where racial tensions have flared and there is a renewed call to work for equality among all of God’s children, where divisions seem to be becoming more and more pronounced the closer we get to November 3, where denominational strife and disunity has been put “on hold” but not forgotten in the midst of these various pandemics—I’ve been praying one prayer over and over again, and it’s this: “Lord, heal our land.” Heal our land. It’s actually a prayer from the Old Testament, 2 Chronicles 7 specifically, but one day when I didn’t know what to pray, when I didn’t know what to say to God, those are the words that came to my heart and mind. “Heal our land.” And I keep praying those words, hoping beyond hope that they will come true. I don’t know what you’re praying these d...