On Sunday, September 29, 2019 at Wildwood Community Church, I preached a sermon based on Matthew 22:15-22. This message was part 2 in the “King of the Mountain” series. See below for questions related to this message for personal reflection or group discussion.
Sermon Questions:
- Pray
- Read Matthew 22:15-22
- Why do you think conversations related to religion and/or politics are so prone to division?
- The Pharisees and the Herodians ask Jesus a politically and theologically charged question in these verses. What evidence do you see in these verses that their question was “insincere”? In other words, were they really seeking wisdom or something else?
- Jesus answer about paying taxes has two facets. As it relates to taxes, He remarks that they should “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s” thus legitimizing taxes paid to this pagan leader. This was because God had established the authority of the Roman Empire to serve people for a purpose, and we talked about some of the blessings those tax dollars paid for. What are some of the ways your taxes are used by the government to provide blessings for you today?
- The New Testament encourages Christians to be great citizens by paying taxes, obeying the law, respecting our leaders, and praying for them. Do you struggle to apply consistently any one of these commands?
- Though we pay taxes to Caesar, there is only One we worship. What does it look like for you to “render unto God what is God’s”?
- What is one particular application you took away from this message?
To access these questions in pdf format, click here.