Giving Basics

“Giving basics”

Mark 12:41-44

Mrs. Boman was a 6th grade Sunday School class teacher:

One morning she brought a pan of brownies to our class.

As the goodies sat tantalizingly over by her chair

she gave each child a slip of paper marked with a household expense:

house payment, phone bill, credit card bill, entertainment, and so forth.

Before long, Mrs. Baughman picked up the tray of fresh brownies:

and began naming the expenses named on the papers.

As the students gave her our expense slips,

she redeemed each one for a brownie from the pan.

Finally, the last brownie had disappeared:

But one boy named Donald still held his unredeemed slip.

"God!" called Mrs. Baughman.

Donald came forward, hoping the teacher had one more brownie hidden somewhere.

With a knife:

Mrs. Baughman scraped the crumbs from the bottom of the pan

into Donald’s napkin.

He got a pretty raw deal, I thought - just the crumbs.

The teacher explained:

"The brownies represent your money," the teacher explained to us. "If you don’t give God his share right away, he probably won’t get anything at all except maybe crumbs." (illustration credit to Jeff Strite)

This morning I have good news and bad news for you:

The good news is that this church has all the money we need.

The bad news is it’s still in your pockets.

I like that joke, but this sermon is not being preached

because the Church needs money

Giving is a matter of the heart

The Bible puts a great emphasis on our giving:

prayer is mentioned 371 times,

love 714 times, and

giving 2162 times?

But why should it matter to God what we give?

It’s the thought that counts isn’t it?

He doesn’t even need my money. AND

He shouldn’t need my money to know how much I love Him… should He?

Jesus says in Luke 12:34 (ESV)

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

Jesus is saying:

- that what you value most will be in your heart

- and that it is a common problem for us

- to hold things and property in our hearts

- and we begin to worship created things

- more than the one who created everything!

Giving is a matter of the heart:

Do not let what you hold in our hand get ahold of our heart.

- someone once said it this way “own your stuff, don’t let your stuff own you"

We need to keep an eye on our hearts because the Bible says:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

Jeremiah 17:9

Your heart will lead you astray:

- we are not going to listen to our hearts this morning

- because our hearts will lie to us

- your heart will often tell you what you want to hear

- and not tell you what you need to know

- we are going to listen to the Word of God

Please stand in honor of God’s word:

“And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44

What’s Jesus doing here?

He has been watching people put their offering into the temple treasury and… WHOA!

What does that say?

It says he was watching people put their money in the offering?

I don’t know if I like that!

What I put in the plate – no one’s business but my own… isn’t it?

Well, obviously not!

What we give is important to God.

And He does watch.

1. God knows what we REALLY give. Mark 12:41 (X2)

“And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box.”

Back in the olden days when we passed the offering plate…

Sometimes I’ve been caught off guard at offering time:

- maybe my check was in my wallet

- I used to carry a velcro wallet and so I’d slowly tear open the wallet

- other times I’d try to write a paper check and quietly tear the check loose

- Then I always would fold the check for discretion

- I mostly give in cash, so I’d fold the money so no one can tell what I give

- now I use the envelopes