MTP Sermon Resources

  “O My Son!” Sermon Study Guide for September 4, 2022 Downloadable Version Scripture: 2 Samuel 18:6-15 1. From King to Exile Tamar, Amnon, Absalom Matthew 6:14-15 - if you forgive… 2. Suffering and the Believer The battle against Absalom “Compassion” means… Three responses to suffering… a. ________________________ b. ________________________ c. ________________________ …a sharp word… Questions for Discussion and Reflection Have you been in a situation where a family was broken by words or actions? Recall as much as you can. How did it affect everyone involved? Why do you think David did not intervene in his family drama? What happens when someone like David does that? Share about a “wilderness” (real or metaphorical) experience you had that shaped you. When have you been told that Jesus would remove all your suffering? What effect did that have on you? What does “compassion” mean? What images do you have of what compassion looks like? Which of the three res...

2 Samuel 12:1-7; John 8:1-11; Psalm 51 August 28, 2022 • Mount Pleasant UMC She was on the ground, half-naked and ashamed. When they broke in and grabbed her, they didn’t let her get dressed. Now they stood in a circle, facing her, taunting her, calling her all sorts of awful names, names she never expected to hear coming from the mouths of religious leaders. He had left in a hurry, and she had begun to believe he was in cahoots with them. Maybe he had never loved her at all. She didn’t know, and it really didn’t matter, because at this point, the next thing she expected to feel were the stones. All of them had one, and they were ready to throw them at her. She expected that a few well-aimed throws would knock her out, and then she would die. That was, after all, the penalty for what she had done. She knew that when she got into this mess, but she couldn’t help herself. Or at least that’s what she had told herself these last few weeks. Why were they waiting? Why weren’t they th...

  “Fortunate Fall” Sermon Study Guide for August 28, 2022 Downloadable Version Scripture: 2 Samuel 12:1-7 John 8:1-11…the woman 1. David…not at war (2 Samuel 11) Bathsheba Uriah “send” Nathan (2 Samuel 12) 2. The Slide a. ___________________________ b. _________________________ (12:7) c. _________________________ (12:13) felix culpa Psalm 51:1-2, 10-12 d. _________________________ (51:13) “Let the one without sin…” “You can take a thousand steps away from God, but…” Questions for Discussion and Reflection How do you tend to react when you hear of someone else’s sin? What is your response? In what ways and situations are you tempted to “play God”? How does that usually turn out? Why is it hard for us to let God be God? At which point of the “slide” do you find yourself today? Have you ever thought of “sin” as being “happy”? In what way(s) does that go against your usual understanding of how things work? In what way(s) does our sin help us realize our need...

2 Samuel 9:1-13 August 21, 2022 • Mount Pleasant UMC The predictions are legendary and they remind us that we are often very short-sighted people. One man was told he was “too stupid to learn anything” and that he should find a place of work where he might succeed “by virtue of his pleasant personality.” That man, Thomas Alva Edison, went onto create many things we use today, including the telephone and the light bulb. Another similar man, who was unable to talk until he was four years old, was told by his teachers he would "never amount to much.” I wonder where those teachers were when Albert Einstein won a Nobel prize? Abraham Lincoln failed in business, had a mental breakdown and was defeated in eight elections before becoming president of the United States. In 1962, Decca Records did not offer the Beatles a recording contract because “guitar music is on its way out” and the Beatles had “no future in show business.” Oprah Winfrey was told she “wasn’t fit for television,” and ...

" Dead Dogs" Sermon Study Guide for August 21, 2022 Downloadable Version Scripture: 2 Samuel 9:1-13 Famous Failures… Mephibosheth David becomes king… His name means… 2 Samuel 4:4 - 5 years old Lo Debar David’s promise to Jonathan - 1 Samuel 20:14-15 2. Hesed when the one who owes you… We are Mephibosheth… John 13:1-35…final meal with the disciples From head to heart… A new command… Questions for Discussion and Reflection What defines you? Where do you find your identity? In what ways do other people tell you who you are? How do you know what to listen to and what not to listen to? How would you describe Mephibosheth? What sort of person do you think he was? What does hesed mean? In what ways have you seen or experienced that in your own life? What does it mean to move from “head knowledge” to “heart knowledge”? In what ways do you struggle with that move? Who do you most struggle to love? Why? In what practical way(s) can you show love to the Mephibosheth...