MTP Sermon Resources

John 10:22-30 August 27, 2023 • Mount Pleasant UMC A reporter came to Calcutta one time to interview Mother Teresa, and in the course of the conversation the topic turned to prayer. “What do you say when you pray?” the reporter asked the nun. “Nothing,” Mother Teresa replied. “I just listen.” “Well, then, what does God say to you when you pray?” the reporter pushed, to which Mother Teresa replied, “Nothing, he just listens.” Christians talk a lot about prayer. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been going through old sermons and I noticed that over the years I have preached a lot on the topic of prayer. Even earlier this year, we walked through the Lord’s Prayer and talked about the ways Jesus taught his disciples and us to pray. We talk a lot about prayer and when we pray, we talk a lot. We tend to do all the talking, in fact. We tell God what we want. We often tell God how we want it and how he should accomplish it. And, if you listen to a lot of praying like I do, you will notice we

  “One Voice” Sermon Study Guide for August 27, 2023 Downloadable Version Scripture: John 10:22-30 God speaking… 1. The Festival of Dedication “I and the Father are one” (10:30) John 14:8-9 Trinity - John 1:1-14 The “Word” 2. Listening to Jesus a. A regular diet of ___________________ b. Open __________ and listening ____________ 1 Samuel 3:9 c. Surround ourselves with __________________ d. God is rarely ___________________________ Jeremiah 29:13 “For those who have ears to hear” Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Why do we seem to prefer to talk about prayer than to pray? What has been your experience with prayer? What about with listening prayer? Respond to this statement: “Learning to hear God’s voice is the simple most important thing you will ever learn to do.” How does our experience of what we believe “God tells us” to do contrast with the Biblical account? In what way does the Bible point to the Word of God? Why is reading Scripture so vital to learning t

Job 23:1-17 August 20, 2023 • Mount Pleasant UMC Dave Eggers was twenty-one years old when his father died from brain and lung cancer. Thirty-two days later, his mother died from stomach cancer and he was left to raise his eight-year-old brother by himself while at the same time trying to grieve and come to some sort of understanding about the sudden deaths of his parents. He had to grow up quickly, in ways he had not anticipated, and his future suddenly didn’t look anything like he thought it would. And though he channeled his loss into creating a nonprofit in California that helps troubled youth learn creative writing, he also is pretty committed to the belief that the world is a cold, hard place. The only way through, Eggers believes, is to be true to yourself and to laugh at lot at yourself and at others. It’s a rather cynical worldview, but it’s not an unusual one in the world we live in today (cf. Keuss, Living the Questions , pgs. 117-118). This morning, we’re wrapping up th

  “Valley of the Sigh” Sermon Study Guide for August 20, 2023 Downloadable Version Scripture: Job 23:1-17 1. Job’s Suffering “blameless and upright” (1:1) the so-called “patience” of Job God “showed up” Psalm 22:1 - forsaken East, West, North South… 2. Living in the Valley a. Accept the reality of __________________ b. Seek out ___________________________ c. Embrace our ________________________ Genesis 32:22-32 El Shaddai d. Welcome __________________________ Romans 8:28 Matthew 11:28 - “Come to me…” Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Why do you think God never informs Job why this suffering happens to him? What is it that Job wants? How does that relate to what you want/expect when you are hurting? What does it mean for us to say “God showed up”? What would it look like for Job to say God showed up? Recall a difficult time you have been through. What happened? How did you respond? What would it look like for you to “come forth as gold” out of a current tri