“LOVE OFFERINGS”
By: Dr. Dennis Deese www.dennisdeese.com
JOHN 12:1-8
This a remarkable contrast to the widow’s two mites. But the purpose God is to show us all gifts given to him out of love are accepted in his site.
Mark 12:42-43 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called [unto him] his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
Here is a true story about a nine-year-old boy who lived in a rural town in Tennessee. His house was in a poor area of the community. A church had a bus ministry that came knocking on his door one Saturday afternoon. A young boy came to the door and greeted the bus pastor. The bus pastor asked if his parents were home and the small boy told him that his parents had left for the weekend and left him at home to take care of his little brother. They went into the living room and sat down on an old couch with the foam and springs exposed. The bus pastor asked the kid, "Where do you go to church?" The young boy surprised the visitor by replying, "I’ve never been to church in my whole life." Then the bus pastor said, "Well, son, more important than going to church, have you ever heard the greatest love story ever told?" and then he proceeded to share the Gospel with this little nine year old boy. The young lad’s heart began to be tenderized and at the end of the bus pastor’s story the bus pastor asked if the boy wanted to receive this free gift from God. The youngster exclaimed, "You bet! The boy and the bus pastor got on their knees and the lad invited Jesus into his heart and received the free gift of salvation. They both stood up and the bus pastor asked if he could pick him up for church the next morning. "Sure," the nine old replied.
The next morning after arriving at church the little boy just sat in church clueless of what was going on. A few minutes into the service the ushers walked down to the front and picked up some wooden plates. One of the men prayed and the kid with utter fascination watched them walk up and down the aisles. He still didn’t know what was going on. All of a sudden like a bolt of lightning it hit him what was taking place. These people must be giving money to Jesus. He then reflected on the free gift of life that he had received just twenty-four hours earlier. He immediately searched his pockets, front and back, and couldn’t find a thing to give Jesus. By this time the offering plate was being passed down his aisle and with a broken heart he just grabbed the plate and held on to it. He finally let go and watched it pass on down the aisle. He turned around to see it passed down the aisle behind him. And then his eyes remained glued on the plate as it was passed back and forth, back and forth all the way to the rear of the sanctuary. Then he had an idea. This little nine-year-old boy, in front of God and everybody, got up out of his seat. He walked about eight rows back, grabbed the usher by the coat and asked to hold the plate one more time. Then he did the most astounding thing I have ever heard of. He took the plate, sat it on the carpeted church floor and stepped into the center of it. As he stood there, he lifted his little head up and said, "Jesus, I don’t have anything to give you today, but just me. I give you me!"
Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
There are three things I want you to notice about this love offering:
1. COSTLY 12:1-3
1. The Enormous Sacrifice 12:3 & 5
This was not some attempt to appear Ostentatious or pretentious. It was a sincere and sacrificial love gift.
Nard was a highly prized perfume imported from the Himalayan region of India.
The actual amount in the Greek text is 300 denarii. A denarius was a small silver coin, often used in the Roman world as a day’s wage for an unskilled laborer. In terms of equivalent buying power from the U.S.A. of the late twentieth century, Judas’s complaint is that Mary just wasted $15-20,000 worth of nard.
2. The Unashamed Humility 12:3 “wiped his feet”
3. The Devoted Risk 12:3 “with her hair”
2. CRITICIZED 12:6
There’s not the least thing can be said or done, but people will talk and find fault.
Matthew 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Let the man who says it cannot be done not disturb the man doing it. - Chinese proverb
Churchill had the following words of Abe Lincoln framed on the wall of his office:
“I do the very best I can, I mean to keep going. If the end brings me out all right, then what is said against me won’t matter. If I’m wrong, ten angels swearing I was right won’t make a difference.”
1. The source - Born out of Hypocrisy 12:6
2. The reason - He wanted the money Jealousy 12:6
3. The influence - It Spread to unsuspecting duped disciples
Matthew 26:8 But when his disciples saw [it], they had indignation, saying, To what purpose [is] this waste?
Mark 14:4 And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?
Dr. Mitchell had someone in his congregation point out several faults in him and his preaching. Instead of retaliating, or trying to defend himself, he looked at the woman and said, “If what you say is true, would you mind praying for me?”
3. COMMENDED 12:7-8
Matthew 26:10-13 When Jesus understood [it], he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did [it] for my burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, [there] shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
1. He received it 12:3
He didn’t receive what they said (12:7) but he received what she did
2. He rewarded it 12:7 “let her alone”
3. He recorded it
Matthew 26:13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, [there] shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
I know that sometimes it seems that everybody and his brother wants something from you.
It had been a hard winter in the Rockies. The snow piled deeper and deeper. The temperature dropped below zero and stayed there. The rivers froze over. People were suffering. The red cross used helicopters to fly in supplies
.
After a long hard day, as they were returning to their base, the rescue team in a helicopter saw a cabin nearly submerged in the snow. A thin wisp, of smoke came from the chimney. The men figured those people in that cabin were probably critically short of food, fuel, and medicine. Because of the trees they had to set down about a mile from the cabin. They put their heavy emergency equipment on their backs, trudged through waist deep snow, and reached the cabin exhausted, panting, and perspiring. They pounded on the door and a thin, gaunt, emaciated mountain women finally answered.
The lead man panted, "ma’am, we’re from the red cross." she was silent for a moment, and then she said, "it’s been a hard long winter, sonny. I just don’t think we can give anything this year!"
Though demands for our time, talents and treasure come form nearly every direction -- and sometimes with understandable justification we are leery at times to answer the phone or open the door... but the grace of giving to God is not, a demand -- it - Story from Steve Malone
Some words of Jim Elliot, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain what he cannot lose."
