Giving Your All

Intro

You’ve probably heard someone say, Put your Money where your Mouth is or Money Talks. The way we spend our money just like the way we spend our time, shows what’s really most important to us.

If you didn’t know this about me, I had a career in corporate marketing before full time ministry, so I’m a bit of a spreadsheet nerd. Any of my people out there?

These show charts show how Americans spend their time and money. The chart on the left shows that in a typical day, we spend an average of 9 hours sleeping, 3 hours watching TV, 3 hours working, 1 hour eating, 47 minutes driving around, 40 minutes preparing food and cleaning it up, 36 minutes doing housework, and 36 minutes making ourselves look good. And religious activity like prayer or reading the Bible is only 5 minutes.

How do we spend our money?

34 percent on housing,

16 percent on transportation,

12 percent on food,

8 percent on healthcare,

5 percent on entertainment.

Charitable giving is so small it doesn’t even show up. In 2021, just 56% of American donated to charities with an average gift of $574. Food banks were the highest group. Followed by giving to animal services tied with giving to churches.

Granted this is all averaged out over all Americans. But take a moment to think about your own life - your typical day. How do you spend your time and money and what does that say about your priorities? I know scrolling on my phone or looking at things I might want to buy on Amazon, gets way more time than it should!

Our time and money are spent much more on ourselves than on God and others. But we heard Jesus say the way we glorify God most is when we Love Him and Love others most.

We worship God most when we sacrificially love Him and love others more than ourselves. Listen to that again.

Series

We are resuming our series from Mark’s Gospel: The Crown & The Cross. Mark shows Jesus as a man with a clear message and mission, and the reader is called to actively response to the message. Jesus’ responses always helped his listeners better understand God’s heart and his statements are typically clear commands for us to follow.

In the first half of Mark the emphasis was on seeing Jesus revealed as Messiah - the King who deserved the crown. The second half’s focus is on Jesus in Jerusalem fulfilling His life’s mission to suffer and die on the cross - and to rise from the dead.

Last time we were in Mark together, a few weeks back, a scribe asked the ultimate question about God’s laws - what is most important law.

Jesus summarized all the law with this - Love God and Love your neighbor.

Today, Jesus warns of the hypocrisy and pride of the religious leaders then uses an example of a widow's small gift as the right way to worship - to Love God and Love others more.

We are finishing up Mark chapter 12 this week. Our parallel passages are in Matthew 23 and Luke 20-21.

PRAY

READ Mark 12:38-44

Beware the Hypocrites

So, if you remember a few weeks back, the scribes were one of the three religious groups that made up the Sanhedrin. In Jesus’ day they were involved in teaching and interpreting the Torah (God’s Law) and working in the temple, royal court, or in administration. But rather than trusting the Scribes to help the people know and understand God’s Word, Jesus warns people to avoid them.

They were doing just the opposite of what God’s Word taught - Love God above everything. In verse 38 and on, Jesus said, the scribes Like people’s attention and praise. The word “like” can also be translated as love or find pleasure in. So what brings them the most joy?

1 Corinthians 10:31 says So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. The Scribes were all about doing things that drew attention to themselves - not glorifying God.

The long “flowing robes” they wore and the formal greetings people gave them in public drew attention to them and to their higher status as temple leaders.

They wrangled for the best seats in the house, whether at the synagogue or at banquets - This also showed how these men loved to draw attention to themselves. Jesus told his disciples that to be first in God’s kingdom meant you served others not looked for attention and being served by others..

V. 40 says “they devour widow’s houses.” Widows were among the most vulnerable people in society. Defrauding or taking advantage of them is despicable. God’s Word has a lot to say about taking care of widows and orphans.

While there is no specific biblical record of how they did this, scholars speculate that it could have been through things like excessive legal fees, mismanaging their estates when acting as trustees, maybe even taking their homes in place of unpayable debts.

Jesus’ final complaint against them is that their religion had nothing to do with sincerity before God. It was just a public show - even when they were praying to God. They made long drawn out prayers so that everyone could see and hear how eloquent and righteous they thought they were.

Then Jesus warns that the Scribes will receive even greater condemnation than the so-called common sinners they avoided. Even though they looked religious and good on the outside, God, who judges everyone’s heart and motive will not be fooled by their hypocrisy and pride.

Giving Some or All

In verse 41, Jesus sits down across from the treasury with his disciples to give them another lesson. The treasury was in the Women’s Court of the temple, just outside the Men’s court. The treasury was the place where money was stored and collected. There were thirteen shofar or trumpet chests - called that because of their trumpet shape. In addition to the required temple tax that all men had to pay there were six chests for freewill or voluntary offerings.

Jesus and his disciples watched many rich people dropping large amounts of money into theses chests. You can imagine the sound of many silver or gold coins clanging into the metal chests for all to see and hear.

Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small copper coins which make a penny. This coin was called lepta which means peel because it was so small, thin and insignificant. It was the smallest coin of that time and worth only 1/64 of a denarius which was a common days wage. This was a small gift - unnoticed or maybe ridiculed by others.

But Jesus said she has put in more than all of the others who have contributed. How could her tiny offering be more than all the rest?

Because they gave a small part of their great abundance and though she was poor with very little, she gave everything she had. I didn’t make pie charts for this, but do you understand how a lot of a whole lot is a much smaller percentage than a little that was 100%? The Widow had two small coins, she could have given one of the two which would have been a huge 50% but she gave it all! She thought more about helping others through the offering than helping herself.

The Widow’s silent prayer as she gave may have been “God, I love you, and all that I have is yours. Here’s my heart, my life, everything!” That’s the gift God is looking for. It is far greater than the what the hypocrites gave.

Giving Your All

Matthew 6:21 ESV

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Giving our time, giving our money, giving our energy and life back to God is more about what we hold back than what we actually give.

When Jesus calls disciples to follow Him, he calls for us to be All In - willing to give up anything including your own life. That’s the sacrificial love that Jesus was going to demonstrate on the cross.

Here are some principles we can learn from the Widow’s Gift.

Our hearts and motives make all the difference when we give. Do we want our gift to be noticed and praised or do we give joyfully even if no one is looking. Do you give an amount that requires no faith at all. Nothing that will be missed? Or do you give enough that you trust God for the rest?

We are not interested in big gifts with plaques honoring the person who gave. God wants us to give him our heart’s desires and our full trust.

God can do great things with tiny offerings

The great missions movement of the late 19th and early 20th century recognized that even though there were some occasional big wealthy givers, the money that sent more missionaries overseas to share the Gospel came from poorer people who faithfully gave small amounts was really the majority.

Everything will be revealed at the judgment seat of Christ

1 Cor 3 tells us that believers works will be tested by holy fire. What was done for Christ will be revealed and rewarded, but whatever was done for selfish pride or impure motives will be destroyed.

God values the giver not the gift

God owns the cattle on a thousand years - He owns everything. He doesn’t need our gifts, He wants our hearts - totally sold out to Him. When we give our hearts are right.

We worship God properly when we sacrificially love Him and love others more than ourselves.

Take Aways

Danger of Pride

Without recognizing our own sin and need for a Savior, we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Have you trusted Jesus alone for your Salvation?

Abuse of Power

Do you enjoy the advantages and benefits of your position at work, home, or even here at church?

Humble & Self-Sacrificial Service

Do you love the praise and recognition of people instead of bringing all the glory to God? Are you only looking for leadership positions or are you willing to do whatever is needed?

Commitment to God’s Kingdom

Do you give sacrificially and regularly? Our church is financially independent. We don’t get money from any outside groups. So everything we do is because of the giving of our members and regular attendees. The kingdom of God expands as we give and serve for the sake of the Gospel.

I don’t talk about money very often, because God is always faithful and I don’t want that to scare people away - thinking all the church wants is their money. I talk about money when the Scripture passage talks about money. I want you to give generously because God says it is good for you, not just because it pays the bills.

God changes our hearts and desires when we recognize everything comes from Him. We can give freely when we see that we are only stewards of what he has given us. We can give more, when we trust Him to provide for our needs. I will never tell you to give more so God can bless you more. The Bible says nothing about wealth and prosperity for Christians. But it does tell us that when we give willingly and cheerfully - God loves that!

The passage that Bradley read for us earlier in 2 Corinthians 8 says we should give according to what we have. Those who have been blessed with more can give more. And as Jesus pointed out always, giving generously and trusting God to take care of your needs.

We worship God properly when we sacrificially love Him and love others more than ourselves.

Benediction

Now to God the Father who is able to do far more abundantly than all what we ask or thing, according to the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, the Son, throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.