Here are some questions based on last Sunday’s sermon text (Matthew 6:1-4), in case they’re helpful to you for personal growth or group discussion…

• “Hypocrites” are those who put on a mask and pretend to be someone other than who they truly are. Jesus warns that practicing righteousness in order to be seen by others is hypocrisy. It isn’t true righteousness at all. You can get the praise of others, if that’s the reward you’re looking for in life—but if you do, you’ll have no reward from God. We must not only repent of evil we have done, but in good things we have done for self-centered, sinful reasons. Can you think of a time in your life when you sought to impress others with your righteousness? Why did you do it? What were you looking to get from it? What does it look like to repent of something like that? Why would we want to be noticed and praised by others for our righteousness?

• We can often be generous to the poor so that we can approve of ourselves and feel good about ourselves. Jesus says we should forsake self-judgment and give “in secret,” where the Father alone sees, for his sake and for his judgment alone. What does it mean to give in secret? Can you give in secret, yet have others know about your generosity? Why or why not? Can you give in secret while giving in order to feel good about yourself? Why or why not?

• Jesus gave himself to us and for us on the cross. It was a public gift, yet it was also “in secret,” because he did it for the sake of his relationship with the Father, for God’s judgment alone. In raising Jesus from the dead, God judged his righteous love to be genuine. His righteous love, his self-giving generosity, is shared with us, along with the favorable judgment he received as our representative. Can you imagine the true selflessness that Jesus showed on the cross, the utter generosity that characterized his whole life? Can you imagine living with that love animating you in your own generosity? What are some ways you can give to the needy, in the Spirit of Christ?

• FOR THE CHILDREN: You are alive because God gave you the gift of life. You know God because he gave you the gifts of his Son, his Spirit, and the Scriptures. Everything you have is a gift from God, and you yourself are meant to be a gift given to others. Do you like receiving gifts? Are you thankful for gifts? Do you like blessing others with gifts? How can you live your life as one big gift to other people, like Jesus?