Week 11- True Honor vs. False Honor, Part II

MONDAY — Read the passage with your team.

 5 Everything they [the Pharisees] do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi.'  8 But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Matthew 23:5-12   

   1 Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do  3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 6:1-4

What does this passage have to say about honor?

Why is that important?

TUESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.

1) What was the Pharisees’ motive for their actions (Matthew 23:5)?  What specific things did they do, so that men might honor them?  What things do people do today, in order to be honored before others?  What do you do, in order that others might honor you?  Can a person’s actions gain him true honor?  Can your athletic achievements gain you true honor?  From whom does true honor come (Matthew 6:4)?

2) When a Pharisee was in public, how did he desire others to react to him (Matthew 23:7)?  The term “rabbi” was one of honor, and Jesus said the Pharisees did not deserve it.  Who, instead, deserved that honor (v. 8-10)?

WEDNESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.

3) We’re beginning to see that we can only be honored by God if our lives honor Him.  According to Matthew 23:11-12, what type of person will be “the greatest among you”?  Does this honor from the Lord sometimes not seem to be enough for you?  Does your sinful nature still crave the recognition of others?  In what ways do you (as an athlete) currently “exalt yourself” (in speech, in actions, in attitudes, in relationships)?

4) How can you keep your longing for false honor in check (v. 12)?  How can an athlete “humble himself”?  If you are faithful in serving others, what will be the result (v. 12)?  How will a taste of true honor compare to the false honor you have sought?

THURSDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.

5) If you do good things in order to impress other people, what reward will you receive (Matthew 6:1)?  When you do something nice for someone, are you tempted to tell another person about it?  Why?  In what way should you give (v. 3-4)?

6) The desire to “give to the needy” (v. 2) is a worthy thing, but what can be wrong about it?  (We see that the motivation for doing a very good thing can cause the act itself to become unworthy.)  As an athlete, should you desire to compete excellently?  What motivation should fuel that goal?  What common motivations can make that ambition unworthy?

7) What is the purpose of trophies and awards?  Is recognition inherently a bad thing?  (Remember that honor often involves recognizing God or another person.)  Can trophies and awards (and other recognition) sometimes misdirect your purpose for competing?  How?  Do you need to receive recognition for your efforts to be valuable?  From whom should you desire to receive honor?

FRIDAY — Discuss sport applications of honor, and pray together.

· Ask your athletes to briefly reflect on what they’ve learned about honor this week, and to repeat some of those things.  (Remind them of some of the Biblical truths about honor you’ve discussed, if necessary.)

· Ask your team, “Based on what we learned about honor this week...What does an honorable athlete do?”  Do not settle for vague answers; challenge your athletes to go beyond general qualities of an honorable athlete, and to determine what those qualities look like in action.

· Add the results to your team’s list of descriptions of the “honorable athlete”, and be sure the list is displayed somewhere that is constantly visible, as a reminder to the team.

· Pray together as a team.  Encourage your athletes to pray for your team’s growth in regard to the discipline of honor — especially in relation to some of the issues and challenges that you discussed together this week.  Challenge them to also ask for forgiveness, when applicable.  Give time for athletes to request prayer (regarding honor or anything else), and pray together.