MTP Sermon Resources

Devil’s Advocate Mark 15:33-37 February 9, 2020 • Mount Pleasant UMC Bertrand Russell was one of the most famous atheists in the last century, and he would often engage people about issues of faith, particularly Christian faith. At a party once, when he was ninety, Russell was talking with a woman and eventually, as it usually did, the conversation turned to faith and belief. “Mr. Russell,” the woman said, “you are not only the world’s most famous atheist; you are maybe the world’s oldest atheist. You will die soon. What will you do if, after you die, it turns out that God exists? What will you do if you come face-to-face with this God whom you’ve defied your whole life long?” Russell said he would point his finger at God and say, “You, sir, gave us insufficient evidence!” (Ortberg, Know Doubt , pg. 105). Insufficient evidence. Most of us probably don’t think about needing evidence from God until a difficult time comes along. When I was a kid, one of our playmates wa...

“Devil’s Advocate” Sermon Study Guide for February 9, 2020 Scripture: Mark 15:33-37 “_________________________ is the devil’s advocate that honest faith requires.” 1. The Crucifixion of Jesus silence… Trinity 2. The Silence of God unanswered questions the problem of evil hell 3. Dealing with God’s Silence Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What characterizes a person who is struggling with honest doubt? How do we sometimes use doubt as a “front” to avoid God? What you “hear” in the three hours of silence at the cross? How do you understand Jesus’ “forsaken” cry from the cross? Share about a time when you experienced “the silence of God.” What caused that time? How did you respond? What image do you have in your mind for Hell? In what way did Jesus experience Hell on the cross? Respond to this statement: “Never doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light.” What role do close friends play in helping us w...

A Wounded Faith Matthew 11:1-6 February 2, 2020 • Mount Pleasant UMC When I was in high school, I was in several of the plays that the drama department put on. I never had a big part so I was never on stage when “it” happened. But in every play, “it” did happen. “It” was that moment every year when one of the leads would try to throw everyone off. We had, of course, rehearsed the play for weeks leading up to the performances. We all knew our lines and the way we would move about the stage, but behind the scenes there was always a “plot” to throw in something that wasn’t in the script—to surprise both the director and the rest of the cast. It might be a different line, or an unexpected prop, or a reference to an inside joke—all intended to make the cast on stage laugh but sometimes it just confused us because it wasn’t what was supposed to come next. It wasn’t what we expected. Sometimes life is like that, but usually not in a funny way. Sometimes stuff happens that t...

“A Wounded Faith” Sermon Study Guide for February 2, 2020 Scripture: Matthew 11:1-6 Not what we expected… 1. John the Baptizer Mark 6:18 - Herod Antipas Disappointed by Jesus… Is God unfair? Is God silent? Is God hidden? 11:3 - Are you the one to come…? 2. What Jesus Offers Not ________________ but ________________ skandalon The Last Supper… Questions to Discuss or Ponder: Share a time when something happened that you did not expect. How did it affect you and those near you? What is the relationship between doubt, faith and unbelief? In what way had the people of Jesus’ time misunderstood what he was supposed to do? How do we still “misunderstand” him? Explore the time when you have been disappointed by Jesus. What happened? How did you respond? What is the difference between “evidence” and “proof”? Which would you rather have? How have you experienced Jesus as a “stumbling block”? What is the difference...

“Connected Through the Spirit” Sermon Study Guide for January 26, 2020 Scripture: Hebrews 10:23-25 Ephesians 4:1-6 Created for Connection Four Universal Heart-felt Needs The need to be ________________________ The need to be ________________________ The need to be ________________________ The need to be ________________________ 2. Better Together Ephesians 4:31-32 Psalm 133:1 - how good and pleasant… Psalm 34:8 We __________________ better together. We __________________ better together.  We __________________ better together.  We __________________ better together.   We __________________ better together. “one another” Questions to Discuss or Ponder: What has been your experience with the church? What is the value of the church in your personal life? Which of the four universal needs is deepest in your life at this time? Why is the command in Scripture to gather together so import...

Connected Through the Generations Ephesians 6:1-4 January 19, 2020 • Mount Pleasant UMC I’ve got something for you to listen to this morning. For some of us, this will be a trip down memory lane. For others of you, you’ll be like, “What in the world is this?” But take a listen to this… VIDEO: AOL Ah, yes, the sweet sounds of a modem struggling (or at least it always sounded like it was struggling) to connect to what we knew as the internet in the 1990’s. I still remember dialing in for the very first time, setting up an account with AOL (America Online), and feeling like I suddenly had the world at my fingertips. I didn’t really; when I signed on to AOL they didn’t have a way to get onto the wider internet. But I had email, and I knew exactly one person in the entire world who had email: a missionary friend in Africa. Of course, in those days, we didn’t see him very much and only got a photocopied support letter once a month or so. But now, I could email him, so ...