Give it all away Part 3

Announcements:

NS class

Halloween outreach

Candy drive

YOUVERSION

CK Curriculum this week:

Doubting Thomas: ages 6-12 (week 3)

This week’s lesson is titled: Unlimited Experience

SuperTruth this week: Jesus wants us to experience Him.

David and Goliath: ages 2-5 (week 4)

This week’s lesson is titled: Does it match?

Bible verse: “...be ready to do what is good” Titus 3:1

The Point: How can your heart match God’s heart? I get to know God!

Blinky’s bubble: My heart matches God’s heart when I stand up for Him!

Intro:

So far, we have spoken on the “rich young ruler” who had everything he could ever want according to the world’s standards

And yet, he didn’t have the one thing he needed. And it was his wants that kept him from his needs

Last week we discussed our need to "Let go" of the things in our lives that keep us from fully following Jesus. 

Last week we talked about how we will only "Let go" of other stuff when we are able to see the value we have in Jesus.

How we far too often we value too much the things we have too much of

And value too little the prize we have in Jesus

This week we are going to pivot a little and talk about how we can check ourselves to see where we are in our attempts to live generously.

Right, so this isn’t a series to see how much money we can squeeze out of you but rather, a series to remind us of Christ’s generosity toward us and how we should become the most generous people on the planet because of it

Mark 12:41–44 NIV

41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Pray

The location where Jesus sat down to teach was known as the “Court of the Women”.

It was called this because it was as close as a woman could come to the Holy Place. Located on the east side of the Temple, it was the most accessible area for the overall Jewish population.

This was also the location of the Temple treasury which housed 13 bronze, trumpet-shaped banks for people to pay their tithes, Temple tax and other fees.

It would have functioned like a change catcher at a toll booth.

From His seated position, Jesus could see many people walking up to the treasury banks and tossing in their coins, including the rich folks.

The text states Jesus was observing “HOW” the people were giving because there are many different ways a person could give.

So the scene here is Jesus comes to the temple and He is teaching and the text earlier says that the crowd was listening to him with delight

Jesus see the banks where people give and he sits across the way and begins to observe how people would do this

The rich people were the first to catch Jesus’ eye and they were giving much.

Many of these rich individuals had a bad practice in their offerings.

The hypocritical rich of Jesus’ day would often use the giving at the treasury as an opportunity to draw attention to themselves.

Their generosity was self-driven

They would take large sums of coins and making a lot of noise while dropping the coins into the trumpet-shaped banks.

This is probably what Jesus was referring to in Matt 6:2

Matthew 6:2 NIV

2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.

So, Jesus observes the rich giving.

And then a poor widow approaches. We don’t know many details of her aside from that.

It says that she approaches the banks and she places two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents

The two “coins” (Gr. lepta), was the smallest bronze Jewish coin in circulation in Palestine.

Two of them equaled 1/64 of a Roman denarius, a day’s wage for a typical laborer.

In today’s terms. the average US wage is around $50k. that would come out to almost $137 a day.

1/64th of that would be about $2.

$2 was all she had

As far as what her gift could purchase, she might as well have given nothing.

But, she gave it all.

If you contrast her with the rich young ruler (10:17-31) who loved his money more than he loved God.

They are two different responses from two completely different perspectives

Context

The context of this story is powerful.

The preceding paragraph mentioned widows as the object of religious exploitation (v. 40).

The simple piety of this “poor widow” stands in stark contrast to the self-centered, self-seeking ambition of the scribes.

So let’s read what Jesus says right before this moment takes place

Mark 12:38–40 NIV

38 As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

Here we have two contrasting pictures of those who reject and those who accept the values of God’s kingdom.

Those who reject are the teachers of the law who love power and position and wealth. They made an outward show of religion, but ‘gobbled up’ the property of helpless folk like widows, perhaps by continually demanding religious contributions from them.

On the other hand, there was a poor widow, who willingly and gladly gave to God all the money she had, on which her life depended.

And all of this take place in the temple of God

The temple was to be God's dwelling among men.  A house of prayer.  A house of worship. 

But in Jesus's day, it had become a place of greed, pride, and posturing.

The example of the widow flies in the face of all that the temple had become and reminds us of what it was intended to be.

The widow reminds us of kingdom generosity

Generosity is measured by what we keep, not what we give.

Note that she had two coins.

I think that is a very important detail that only makes the point even stronger.

she could have kept one. But she didn’t.

She gave sacrificially. She gave her all. There was nothing more she could have given.

The amount wasn't large, but the sacrifice was.

Generosity is determined by the heart, not the amount.

We can compare this with another story of a woman that gave to Jesus

Mark 14:3–9 NIV

3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. 6 “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

One gift was large, the other was small.

Neither was about the amount, but about the heart.

Our heart of generosity is evidence of our trust in God.

By giving all that she had, the widow shows us her awareness of and dependence on God's provision for her life.

We give thankfully, joyfully, generously, and sacrificially.

"Biblical and spiritual giving is the act of giving one’s self and all that he has completely to God by a voluntary act which flows out of a thankful and grateful heart. It is motivated out of a complete understanding that everything belongs to God, and that He is the source of every blessing (1 Chr. 29:14; Ps. 50:9-12). It is also motivated out of gratitude for what God has done for us in Christ (2 Cor. 8:8-9; 9:15). By returning a portion of that blessing to God, the believer acknowledges that he has received God’s blessing and that He is truly grateful. The times of Israel’s greatest spiritual fervor and the church’s greatest impact on society were also the times of their greatest sacrificial giving. This indicates that there is a correlation between the spiritual state of true believers and their willingness to be involved in sacrificial giving. In practice, the tithe (10 percent) is a good place to begin one’s financial service and worship unto God. It is, however, a bad place to stop. God wants us to grow in all areas of our Christian life, including giving. As we look to Him in faith, as we look to the cross and give, He will, in this area, do through us and for us far beyond that which we could ever hope or imagine. In light of God’s indescribable gift of His Son Jesus (2 Cor. 9:15), it is hard to imagine doing anything less. God gave His all. He gave His best. So should we." -- Danny Akin (president of the southeastern baptist theological center)

Where are our hearts when it comes to generosity

Not just to the church but to those around us?

To our community?

To our families?

How much do we trust God?

Do we give wholeheartedly? Joyfully? Generously?