Quest 29

GOD IS OFFERING A REWARD

1.  THE FLESH

• Description (Galatians 5:19-21) - Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.

• The Verdict (Romans 8:5-8) - For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

2.  THE ARREST AND CONVICTION OF THE FLESH

A.   The flesh is arrested and convicted when you give.

• There is a reward for giving (Matthew 6:3-4) - But when you give to the needy . . . your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

• Giving demonstrates your trust in God’s provision – you don’t keep it all for yourself.

B. The flesh is arrested and convicted when you pray.There is a reward for prayer (Matthew 6:6) - But when you pray . . . your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

• Prayer destroys your self-sufficiency, which is the essence of the flesh.

• Self-sufficiency is a spiritual dead end (John 15:5) - I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

 C.   The flesh is arrested and convicted when you fast.

• There is a reward for fasting (Matthew 6:16, 18) -And when you fast . . . your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

• Fasting helps break the self-gratification of the flesh.

• Jesus assumed his disciples would fast – when you fast, NOT if you fast.

3.  SETTLING FOR THE HYPOCRITE’S REWARD

• You do not automatically receive a reward from God for giving, praying, and fasting. There is a way to do it wrong – a way that nourishes the flesh.

• The hypocrite reward for giving (Matthew 6:2) - Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

• The hypocrite reward for praying (Matthew 6:5) -And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

• The hypocrite reward for fasting (Matthew 6:16) - And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

4.  CLAIMING THE FATHER’S REWARD

• The Father’s reward for giving (Matthew 6:3-4) - But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

• The Father’s reward for praying (Matthew 6:6) - But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

• The Father’s reward for fasting (Matthew 6:17-18) - But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

• The pattern is clear – the reward is claimed anonymously, secretly.

• In your religious duties, who is the audience?