Intro: One Sunday in church a little boy took off his tie and put it into the offering plate.
“What are you doing?” asked his mother.
“The preacher told us to give our ties and offerings.”
It is apparent that the young boy misunderstood what the preacher said. It is also apparent today in the church that there is a misunderstanding of tithing and even more giving.
This morning we are going to examine the story of the widow’s mite. What we will find is that much more than simply money is involved.
The widow in this story gave two small copper coins equal to a mite. The mite was only worth about 1/5 of a cent. However the love, and faith with which she cast all she had into the offering horn made all the difference in the world. She gave more than all the “big” givers.”
We see in this story that God’ desires that we would give from our hearts not simply our hands.
Jesus gives us in this teaching in the temple principles for giving. We will see The Matter of our Giving, The Measure of our Giving, and The Motive of our Giving.
I. The Matter of our Giving (Mark 12.41)
A) Jesus Cares about our giving
It is very clear from just part of this verse that Jesus is highly interested as well as highly aware of our giving. “He sat down opposite the treasury and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury:”
The amazing thing about Jesus is that he has not stopped observing what we do with our money! He not only observes how we offer our money, but our time, our talents, our treasures.
God is not ignorant to how we offer our possessions and even ourselves to His kingdom work.
B) God’s Challenge in our giving
God’s yardstick for giving is the tithe. This word simply means a tenth.
Leviticus 27.30 "A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD."
1) Everything. John and Mckinley get an allowance. When they get their allowance say
$40.00/ month. Automatically they do not have $40.00. Ten percent belongs to God first.
2) It belongs to the Lord.
If the church could really get their minds and hands wrapped around this. All that I have all that I am belongs to my God and Father in heaven.
Do you ever wonder why people don’t tithe, or give to God’s work
1) People may not have been taught 2) Misunderstanding of tithing and giving
3) Rebellion to God’s revealed will in His holy word.
But it’s uncomfortable. . . I don’t like it when the preacher talks about money.” If that’s true, you would certainly not liked the preaching of Jesus. When he walked the earth, he have 36 parables, and 16 of them had to do with our attitude toward money! 1 out of 10 verses deals with our attitude toward money!”
Randy Alcorn wonderfully captured the idea of giving by calling tithing the “training wheels of ginving.” (it is not the ceiling of giving it is the ground floor)
C) God’s Claim to our resources
It is so easy to get hung up over tithing that we forget so easily that everything is God’s. Everything I have from my wife, children, clothes, job, cars, computers, books, breath, food, all of it is God’s not mine. Technically I have no real right to it. I am simply a manager of what he has given. What is revealing is the attitude in which I deal with what is his.
Dr Adrian Rogers so rightly said, “a faith that hasn’t reached your wallet, probably hasn’t reached your heart.”
Nothing I have is mine, it is all His. What a note of freedom.
II. The Measure of our Giving (Mark 12.42-44)
There in the treasury were 13 containers called trumpets. They were probably brass receptacles shaped like a rams horn. Each had on them name for the respective offering. Now if you wanted to make a show of how much you gave it would be very easy. The money they had at the time was metal and the offering bins were metal. So the rich that made little sacrifice would clang their money in proudly. Jesus commended the widow not for the size of her offering but for the size of her love for the Lord and willingness to give all.
A) The principle of proportional giving
God in no way expects every to give the same amount. He does however expect us all to give by the same standard. His standard is the tithe.
You may say it is not taught in any place in the New Testament. Jesus never tells us what amount we are to give. However, Jesus also never tells any of His followers not to tithe. The size of the offering is not the issue it is instead recognizing God as the source of all you have.
B) The principle of proper giving
Where does the tithe belong? According to Malachi 3.8-10 it goes “into the storehouse.” The closest thing we have to the storehouse today is the Church. A great picture of this is in the book of acts where the early church was selling what they had and bringing it to the apostles feet so that it could be distributed.
Malachi goes on to say if you hold back the tithe you are “robbing God.” Why because as we have said it all belongs to God. It is His. You can define robbing as taking something that does not belong to you and doing what you want with it.
In Malachi 3 God says test me, “see if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing until it overflows.”
Someone once said, “I just keep shoveling out and God just keeps shoveling back, but God’s got a bigger shovel.”
C) The principle of perpetual giving
According to 1 Corinthians 16.2 giving is to a planned and purposeful part of our life.
III. The Motive of our Giving (Mark 12.41-44)
The widow woman offering was not noticed by man. We often do things that others do not notice, but be sure God’s is watching. The crowds there probably praised the men for their large gifts but were silent when the widow dropped her two coins. However God was silent when the men gave from their abundance but sang the widows praises because she gave with the proper motive.
A) The call to give thankfully
Is your giving a response to what God has done? Sent His only son to die on the cross for your sins. Considering all that God has given ten percent seems small.
A thankful heart is a giving heart.
B) The call to give cheerfully
According to the Bible God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9.7 “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his own heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
This word cheerful literally translates “hilarious”
OS Hawkins said, “The principal hindrance to the advancement of the Kingdom of God is greed, It is the chief obstacle to the heaven-sent revival. It seems that when the back of greed is broken, the human spirit soars into regions of unselfishness. I believe it is safe to say there can be no continuous revival without “hilarious” giving. And I fear no contradiction: wherever there is ‘hilarious’ giving there will soon be revival!”
C) The call to give liberally
Simply stated don’t be stingy when giving to the Lord and His work or His people. According to Luke 6.38, and 2 Corinthians 9.6 according to the measure we give it will be given to us. God will bless us.
D) The call to give sacrificially
Jesus did not praise the amount the widow gave in this passage, He praised that she gave out of her need. The rich gave their extras, the widow gave her all!!!
If you wait till you have enough to give you will face two problems.
1) You will never get to where you think you have enough 2) If you cannot give when you have a hundred dollars you patterns will not change when you have 1000
If you cannot give 10 minutes now what makes you think you will give 10 hours later?
A preacher explained it wonderfully listen.
“Sadly today many seemed to be afflicted by Cirrhosis of the Giver. This terrible malady keeps them from being able to move their hand from wallet to offering plate. The only know cure is to remove them from the Lord’s house where the condition seems to be able to cure itself. This is seen in the fact that the sufferer is more than willing and able to spend money at restaurants, and in activities that he/she enjoys. If you have this disease there is a permanent cure. It is called repentance and obedience to the Lord. If you are afflicted by Cirrhosis of the giver let me point you to Dr Jesus he has the cure you need.”
Conclusion: What has ever matted with God in matters of money? The recognition that all we have comes from Him. The motivation that we give all that we are to Him and His kingdom work.
What would I have you do today? I am not going to challenge you to give money. God’s word has already done that!!!
God’s word is clear about our giving. How we give is a clear indication of our relationship with God. Ask God what should I give Lord. He has told you this morning that the place to start is ten percent. But he has also clearly said ten percent is not enough.
The widow woman gave all.
Have you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ?
Have you surrendered your possessions to Jesus Christ?
