'Everything She Had...'

Rich Texan son’s would buy extravagant gifts to impress his dad — 10,000 Sky diving package — 50,000 piece of art — Talking bird 100,000 could sing yellow rose of Texas. How was the bird? It was delicious

The greatest gift is not necessarily the more expensive one

Dad — Tie — Golf Clubs — Wallet — Vase

Marks gospel — Jesus in the temple — Collection box — Observing HOW the crowd gave their money.

Many in their generosity came to support the church with their gifts — Tithe —

Jesus notices two types of givers —

— The Rich — Giving out of their abundance — Noisy, noticeable, beneficial...

— One Poor widow — Who gives out of her need — what she had to live on

One is extraordinary, the other is ordinary

Yet Jesus calls his disciples to observe with him — Teach them something of great importance — 44 Truly I tell you...

Mark 12:44 “ For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.””

The greater gift...the one who gave everything she had.

Not emptying your bank account — Faithful Stewardship — Money — Generosity

The lesson — What’s most important is not the size of ones gift... but the size of their heart for God.

A church had made a covenant with a former pastor, to tithe 10% of their income every year. He and his wife were young, did not have much money.

But things changed, and as his abundance increase so did his giving. He tithed one $1,000 the year he earned $10.000 — $10,000 the year he earned $100.000 — $100,000 the year he earned one million. The year he earned six million dollars, he could not bring himself to write out that check for $600,000 to the Church.

He telephoned the current minister, and asked to see him. Walking into the pastor’s office the man begged to be let out of the covenant, saying, "This tithing business has to stop.” It was fine when my tithe was one thousand dollars, but I just cannot afford six hundred thousand dollars. You’ve got to do something, Reverend!"

The pastor knelt on the floor and prayed silently for a long time. Eventually the man said, "What are you doing? Are you praying that God will let me out of the covenant to tithe?"

"No," said the minister. "I am praying for God to reduce your income back to the level where one thousand dollars will be your tithe!" (Joel Vicente)

“It has been said that the wallet is the “final frontier. The final test of true discipleship as a follower of Jesus. The last area to be conquered, when it comes to complete surrender to God.”

Are we doing all we can in the area of generosity? Does our giving match the size of our heart for God?

As a boy, I learned that GIVING FEELS GOOD! Giving bank — I observed faithful generosity in my parents...

Giving feels good —It all made sense…added up. Jesus’ math however, DOES NOT!

43 “Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.

‘The one who gives the least, is seen by Jesus as the most generous of all.’ How do we respond to that statement? Does it make sense? Was this lesson only for the wealthy to hear? Or is it a lesson that all followers of Jesus need to hear?

What had little value by the world’s economic standards, had the greatest worth in Jesus’ eyes? It had nothing to do with the size of the gift but the size of her heart for God. The widow teaches us several things about faithful generosity, what it truly means to follow Jesus.

Jesus’ final entry into Jerusalem — In the temple (church) — place of prayer, worship, Torah, offerings — Clearing the temple

He watched…with one eye open? Mark - he looked up…an indication, that he was praying. He knew the hearts of the people and their intentions as each placed their offering...

Psalm 44:21 God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart.

We are Introduced first, to some in the crowd…RICH who gave in great amounts…Religious leaders…well off – temple provisions/unscrupulous practices…dropping their gifts into the collection box…making sure everybody heard it!

Ever heard, the phrase – toot your own horn?

Collection box (13) – Shofar chests – trumpet shaped and labeled for a different types of offering...the poor..temple needs

In Matthew 6 sermon on the mount, Jesus…saying don’t toot your own horn.

2 When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues…to call attention to their acts of charity!

Faithful generosity is not measured by the size of the gift, but by the size of heart of the giver. The greatest gift can cost the least

Box of chocolate covered cherries for mom

No direct condemnation of the rich or the amounts they gave…yet he compares them to the poor widow; two lepta (pennies), 128 lepta – days wage…was basically worthless in monetary value and what it could do for the church.

What does the widows gift tell us?

Christian generosity is SACRIFICIAL not superficial

She gave all she had…without thought as to where her next meal would come from…

Giving can feel good…but giving till it hurts showed the size of he heart for God.

Christian generosity is meant to go UNNOTICED.

Give till it hurts…but let it go without the need for praise! Seek not praise from man but from God. Her gift was an acceptable sacrifce because she didn’t do it for her glory.

Romans 2:29 “29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.”

Christian generosity is without CONDITION

There are no strings attached…no expectation of return blessing…It’s giving because it feels good!

Is our giving sacrificial in nature? Do we offer it without fanfare? Only to please God not man? Do we give without condition? So much so, it feels good..

Many took a step forward that day and gave...The larger gifts made a difference...but Jesus knew the size of their hearts and their love for self over love for God.

20:47 (NLT) they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property…making sure everyone saw their giving

What does it mean to be generous?

Giving SACRIFICIALLY— Giving that goes UNNOTICED — Giving without CONDITION

Only one truly disciple took a STEP-UP in generosity – giving sacrificially, giving without the need to be noticed and giving without condition – out of love for God more than self.

Christian generosity can’t begin with us - our bank account, our circumstances, place in life, job, how many kids we have…It begins with a committed relationship with Jesus – The question is, are we willing, like the widow, to give all WE CAN for the one who gave us his all...

The widow saw a need greater than her own, she gave sacrificially, without fanfare and without condition. her gift matched the size of her heart and her love for God.

Previous to this, Jesus is asked the greatest commandment...

Mark 12:30 “And you must love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, ALL your soul, ALL your mind, and ALL your strength.’”

In other words, you are to love God with your WHOLE heart, with your WHOLE soul, with your WHOLE mind and with your WHOLE strength.

Mark 12:44 “For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.””

Does the church need our commitment to giving? Do all the gifts matter? Will some have more of an impact than the others? Do we need both the extraordinary and the ordinary giving?

Generosity…is not about doing what we SHOULD DO…it’s about doing ALL we CAN DO. The greater gift is not the one that cost more, but that reveals a heart for God.

Jesus gave greatest gift ever…by giving his all…because oif his love for God and his love for you and me...

Resources

1 — Comfort, R. (2003). The Evidence Bible: Irrefutable Evidence for the Thinking Mind, Notes. (K. Cameron, Ed.) (p. 1268). Orlando, FL: Bridge-Logos.