MTP Sermon Resources

John 19:17-22 February 25, 2024 • Mount Pleasant UMC He got the job because he knew someone. His mentor, a man who hated the Jews, thought Pilate would be a good match for the job of prefect in the province of Judea. A prefect was basically a military commander of a group of 500-1,000 soldiers, but with that came responsibility for keeping the peace in this unruly area. Like his mentor, Pilate had no love for the Jewish people. Almost immediately after he arrived in Judea, he set up images of the emperor in Jerusalem to remind them of Roman authority, but it just made the Jewish leaders angry. When they went to ask Pilate to remove them, he sent soldiers into the crowd and when the soldiers drew their swords, the Jewish leaders bared their necks and said, “We would rather die than break our laws.” Pilate backed down and removed the images of the emperor. But soon after he took money from the religious treasury to build an aqueduct. The people’s protest that time resulted in sever...

  “I Have Written” Sermon Study Guide for February 25, 2024 Downloadable Version Scripture: John 19:17-22 “Suffered under Pontius Pilate…” 1. Pilate and Jesus Passover… “What is truth?” “King of the Jews” “What I have written, I have written.” 2. King …of the Jews …of the world …of Pilate Questions to Discuss or Ponder: In what situation(s) would you empathize with Pilate, willing to do anything to keep the peace? How would you answer Pilate’s question: “What is truth”? How would people you know today answer that question? What challenges does Pilate face in trying to release Jesus? What do you think of when you hear about a “king”? In what does Jesus either fulfill or not fulfill those images and ideas? What does it mean in today’s world to say Jesus is “the truth”? How is his claim that “everyone on the side of truth listens to my voice” received today? Why, do you think, truth has fallen on such hard times today? Why is truth undervalued? Is Jesus the king of your ...

Matthew 27:39-44 February 18, 2024 • Mount Pleasant UMC When I take groups to the Holy Land, we always go to two different sites for the crucifixion and the resurrection in Jerusalem. One, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, has the weight of tradition behind it. For centuries, it has been regarded as the place where Jesus died and was raised. The church itself was built centuries ago and is a significant monument in the Old City. The other, commonly called the Garden Tomb or Gordon’s Calvary (because it was discovered by British General Charles Gordon), is newer, has no church building, and is usually the one people prefer. It’s the place where we always have Holy Communion, usually on one of our last days in Jerusalem. People prefer it because it’s beautiful. It looks more like a garden, more like the place that is described in the Gospel as to where Jesus was buried and raised. Even the rocky outcropping looks like a skull, or it used to. From when I first went in 1995 to the la...

  “He Saved Others” Sermon Study Guide for February 18, 2024 Downloadable Version Scripture: Matthew 27:39-44 Two places… 1. The Crucifixion a cross-section of humanity 2. People at the Cross a. “those who ___________________” “shaking their heads” if you are the Son of God… Matthew 4:1-11 Isaiah 55:9 b. _______________ leaders if you are the Son of God… Isaiah 53:3-5 Isaiah 42:3 Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What images come to mind when you think about the crucifixion of Jesus? What sorts of people showed up to be a witness to the crucifixion? Can you see yourself in that crowd? How does that make you feel? Why would people “show contempt” toward Jesus on the cross? What are similar situations today in which people react the same way? What is the importance of the word “if” in their accusations against Jesus? Why are the religious leaders so opposed to Jesus? Why were they desperate to see him crucified and intent on mocking him? Why does ...