Covenant Group Questions (3/26-4/2)

During our current sermon series focused on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, we will publish weekly a set of small group questions for your Covenant to make use of should you desire to use them.  Here are the questions for this week:

1. ​  Read Matthew 6:19-24.
   
2. Contrast the treasures of earth and heaven.  Are they mutually exclusive?  How does Jesus' teaching relate to what is popularly considered the good life? 
   
3. Over the course of a person's Christian life, how can they store up treasures in heaven (6:20)?  What specific treasures can be sent ahead? 
   
4. What are your most valuable material possessions?  In what specific ways have you witnessed the decay and loss of belongings?  Have you ever been robbed?  If so, what did this do to your sense of security and permanence? 
   
5. Would others describe you as a generous person (6:22–23)?  Andrew Murray (1794–1866) once said, “We ask how much a person gives; Christ asks how much he keeps.”  When it comes to the money that God has entrusted to you, how much do you keep for myself (and those that count on you)?  How much do you let go of and invest in the Kingdom of God?
   
6. Do you live in light of Proverbs 23:5?  How would you explain this verse to children?  Would your own lifestyle back this up?
   
7. How can a person increase their standard of giving instead of their standard of living?
   
8. Name one thing this passage might change for you?