MTP Sermon Resources

“Street Crossers” Sermon Study Guide for June 10, 2018 Scripture: Matthew 5:43-48 Perfection… “Be Perfect…” (5:48) the image of God (Genesis 1:27) 1 John 4:8 - “God is ___________________” Love your neighbor / hate your enemy Psalm 5:5; 31:6 Luke 10:25-37 2. Christian Perfection “Purity of heart is to…” With All - Matthew 28:19 Four “alls” Questions to Discuss or Ponder: When you hear the word “perfect,” what comes to mind? When Jesus said to “be perfect,” what did he have in mind? How does that compare to how we normally think of “perfection”? What is the purpose God made us for? Is it easier to love our neighbors or hate our enemies? Why? What does Jesus call us to do? What is Christian perfection? What is it not? Are you a missionary? If not, why not? Where is God calling you to cross the street for the sake of his kingdom? Scripture for the Week: Monday - Matthew 5:13-26 Tuesday - Matthew...

“We Need One Another” Sermon Study Guide for June 3, 2018 Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-6, 31-32 We were made for relationships… Four universal heart-felt needs… The need to be _______________________ The need to be _______________________ The need to be _______________________ The need to _________________________ 2. Together Class meetings (Wesley), purpose… Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 LifeGroups… “One another” commands The ultimate relationship… Questions to Discuss or Ponder: When have you experienced the truth that we need relationships? How have you experienced each of the “four heart-felt needs”? What was the purpose of the “class meetings” in early Methodism? How do we see those purposes being fulfilled in the church today? What has been your experience in a small group (or a LifeGroup)? How do you handle the imperfections of others and disappointments with others when you are part of a small group? How ...

1 Peter 1:13-16 May 27, 2018 • Mount Pleasant UMC A couple of weeks ago, when I had the week off, I had a major computer meltdown. It’s a little complicated to explain, and I’m not sure I understand all that led up to it, but the first thing to go was my back-up drive. No problem, I thought, I can re-do that because I still have the original files. So I erased the back-up drive to start over, and in the midst of that, the original drive for half of my files crashed and refused to respond. I spent two days trying to get it to work, to no avail. All of the audio, movies and most especially the video I needed for our LifeGroup the next evening seemed gone. Beyond recovery. Beyond hope. But I grabbed the drive anyway and headed out to iMechanic on Third Street, and told them my desperate story. They didn’t promise anything, but that evening they did call me and say they could at least see the files on the drive. Whether or not they can rescue them is still up in the air. S...

“Wholly Holy” Sermon Study Guide for May 27, 2018 Scripture: 1 Peter 1:13-16 Computer Crashes & the UMC The purpose of Methodism… 1. Be holy… Leviticus 11:44 …as he is holy… 2. Holiness for Today a. A mind that is _____________________ 1 Peter 3:15 b. A mind that is fully _____________________ c. Do not ______________________ Romans 12:2 Galatians 5:19-23 d. People of _______________________ Questions to Discuss or Ponder: When have you felt a need to “reboot” your life? What happened? What is the purpose of the people called Methodist? In what way(s) do we human beings “pass” on who we are made to be? What is at the heart of our faith, handed down to us from the Jewish faith? If holiness is not a list of “do’s” and “don’ts,” what is it? What does it look like? Which aspect of holiness as Peter describes it do you most need to focus on this week? What will you do to develop that aspect in your life? ...

Matthew 7:15-27 May 6, 2018 (Confirmation) • Mount Pleasant UMC So, late last evening we returned home from a whirlwind trip to northwest Indiana, where we got to celebrate with our firstborn in his college graduation. While in my mind I am still young myself, I am now the father of a son with a bachelor’s degree in Computer Graphic Technology from Purdue University Northwest, and we couldn’t be prouder of him—especially since these last three years, he had to learn pretty quickly to navigate life on his own when, as he likes to tell it, his parents moved out on him! Nevertheless, yesterday was a huge moment of transition, for Christopher and for us as his parents. And though we tend to think of graduation as an ending, in reality it’s only a new beginning. It’s a moment, a transition, a time for reflection but more importantly, a time for moving on into the future you have been preparing for. This morning, in our second service, we’re going to be celebrating a similar...