Deep Dive into Ken’s Message, “What's My Reward?” from 10-13-24
- What does Jesus mean when He says, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them” (Matthew 6:1)? How can we apply this in our daily lives?
- How does Jesus redefine the concept of a “hypocrite” in this passage? Compare this with the original meaning of the word. (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16)
- What does it mean to “let your light shine before others” (Matthew 5:16), and how does this relate to doing good deeds in secret (Matthew 6:3-4)?
- How does Jesus instruct us to give, pray, and fast? What is the common theme in His instructions for these practices? (Matthew 6:3-4, 6, 17-18)
- What does Jesus mean by “they have received their reward in full” (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16)? How does this contrast with the reward from the Father?
- How does understanding God as our Father (Matthew 6:1, 4, 6, 8, 18) impact our motivation for righteous acts?
- What does Paul mean in Galatians 1:10 when he says, “Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?” How does this relate to Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 6?
- How does 1 Samuel 16:7 (“People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”) connect with Jesus’ teachings about motivation and reward?
- What does it mean to have integrity in our spiritual practices? How can we cultivate this? (Consider Psalm 51:6)
- How does Jesus’ teaching on rewards challenge our cultural norms of self-promotion and immediate gratification? (Matthew 6:1-18)
- What does it mean to “store up treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20), and how does this relate to the rewards Jesus mentions in Matthew 6:4, 6, and 18?
- How can we practice “undercover operations” or secret acts of service in our daily lives? What might be the benefits of doing so? (Matthew 6:3-4, 6, 18)
