MTP Sermon Resources

Judges 16:4-9 August 29, 2021 • Mount Pleasant UMC Today most people know Franklin Graham as the heir to his father Billy’s evangelistic ministry, or they associate him with Samaritan’s Purse, the organization we work with on the Operation Christmas Child boxes. He’s also been an outspoken political activist, which has led to him being both loved and hated, maligned and appreciated. But early on in his life, he really didn’t want anything to do with the spotlight or the Graham name. In his autobiography, Rebel With a Cause , he described his early years as living the “fast life.” He smoked, drank, got in fights and admitted trying marijuana. His family sent him to Stony Brook, an elite Christian boarding school on Long Island, New York. He dropped out and was later expelled from another school, LeTourneau College, for keeping a female classmate out all night past curfew. Both of his parents worried about Franklin, and when Franklin accompanied his father on a trip to Switzerland in 1

  “The Secret of Strength” Sermon Study Guide for August 29, 2021 Downloadable Version Scripture: Judges 16:4-9 1. Samson’s Story Nazirite Vows Delilah Samson’s downfall 2. The Secret of Strength “The Lord left him…” “God gave them over…” Romans 1:24-25 “But his hair began to grow…” John 15:14-17 Isaiah 41:10 Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Have you known someone who rebelled against their faith? What happened? What sorts of vows have you taken (i.e., wedding, membership, etc.)? How are you living those out? What is the significance of Delilah having a name in this story when other women do not? What leads to Samson’s capture? Why, do you think, he tells Delilah the truth about his strength? What does it mean that “the Lord left him”? When and where have you seen a situation where God has left and the people haven’t noticed? If God’s absence can happen slowly, how can we guard against it? What is the source of your strength? How does your life evidence that source

Ruth 1:6-22 August 22, 2021 • Mount Pleasant UMC “Nothing remains of the Lodge. The intensity of the fire even destroyed the foundations. That takes a lot of heat.” So writes Maria Goff in her book Love Lives Here (chapter 1). "The Lodge" she is referring to was their family retreat in an isolated part of Canada, a place they would often open up to people who just needed a place to get away, to recover, to retreat. It caught fire, and though no one was hurt, the Lodge was a total loss. Burned literally to the ground. And, Goff says, as they stood there next to the charred ruins, the question that they all had was simple: what’s next? What do you do when something you love burns to the ground? Ruth, Naomi and Orpah are in a similar situation in our text this morning. When we meet them, their life has burned to the ground. Not literally, of course, but they are at a crossroads, a point in life where they are all wondering: what’s next? Where do they go from here? The choic

  “Where You Go” Sermon Study Guide for August 22, 2021 Downloadable Version Scripture: Ruth 1:6-22 When it all burns down… 1. Naomi, Orpah & Ruth Moab… The road back to Bethlehem… 2. Ruth Pledges… a. Her _________________________ (1:16) b. Her _________________________ (1:16) c. Her _________________________ (1:17) Matthew 28:20 Hebrews 13:5 Romans 8:38-39 Commit your _____________________ to an   _________________________. Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Do you like change? Why or why not? Have you had a “Moab” experience? What happened? How did it affect you in the long term? How do people you know respond when it seems like everything has burned down around them? How do you respond? Where did you learn this response? Who do you call when things are difficult? Who will stand with you no matter what? What does it mean to “act your way into Christlikeness”? How can you do that? How have you experienced the reality that Jesus will never leave you? Why do w

“Mighty Warrior” Sermon Study Guide for August 15, 2021 Downloadable Version Scripture: Judges 6:1-12 1. An Unlikely Hero 40 years… 1 Corinthians 10:11 - warnings John 10:10 - Abundant life A Winepress and a “Mighty Warrior” Ephesians 6:10 “The least of the least…” 2. God’s Promises “I Am ________________________” Romans 8:37 “The Battle is _________________________” Hall of Fame… 2 Corinthians 5:7 Walk with Christ… Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Why do people so easily forget God after experiencing God’s blessings? Why does it take getting to “the bottom” before some people ask for God’s help? Do you tend to learn from others or “the hard way”? Why? How does fear inhibit us from doing what God wants? How has it inhibited you? How does your self-image differ from the way God sees you? What are the battles that you are facing? How is God calling you to take on that struggle? How does God want to make you into a “mighty warrior”? Who inspires you? Who do you insp