Treasures of the Heart, part 2

This post is a sermon I preached at MRWC on Sunday, Nov. 18. It is part two in our 4 part series called ToH. Enjoy.

Last Sunday evening we kicked off a brand new sermon series called Treasures of the heart.

       This new series will focus on money and possessions and our response toward money and possessions. 

            Our key verse for this entire series comes from Matthew 6:21. These are the words of Jesus: “…where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (NIV)

            If you want to take a peek into a person’s heart and see what is important to them, all you have to do is look at what they treasure.

            We proceeded to unpack this just a little bit, by looking at the first worship service recorded for us in the Bible—the story of Cain and Abel—and we came to the conclusion that it’s better to give to God what’s right, not what’s left (over).

            Cain gave God left-overs. God didn’t want leftovers, any more than I want leftovers when I come home from work… God wanted what was right, and Abel gave God what was right, not what was left over.

            We give God what’s right when we give Him the best part of our time, the best part of our talents (abilities) and the best part of our treasure (income).

            Anytime we refuse to give God the best part of our time, talent and treasure, we are giving God the leftovers; and God doesn’t want leftovers.

            This morning we want to examine a story in the New Testament that teaches us that it’s better to God what’s right, not what’s left (over).

            If you have a Bible, I invite you to turn to Mark 12, beginning to read at verse 41.

            If you don’t have a Bible, please follow along as I read this passage:

            “Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts.

42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

43 Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions.

44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44, NLT2)

Have you ever felt like someone was watching you as you put your money into the offering plate?

Well, the Bible tells us that Jesus was in the Temple, in the area called the “Court of Women” watching people put their money into the Temple’s treasury boxes.

These boxes would have been strategically placed all thought the Temple, allowing people to come up to one of the boxes and deposit their money and go about their business.

As Jesus watched the people put their money in these boxes, He zeroed in on two people: the rich person and the poor person.

Both rich and poor do the same thing: they both put their money in the offering box, but this is where the similarities end.

As Jesus watched the rich put their money in the offering box, He probably noticed how they were looking around to see who was in the Temple, and if anyone was noticing them giving a gift to God.

ILLUSTRATION- These people are what I like to call a Look-at-me-personality.

            They wait until the spotlight is shining on them before they act, and when the spotlight is shining on them, they act.

            While they might not have shouted “Look at what I am putting in the box” you can be certain they were thinking this, for the rich people gave to be seen.

            As the rich people were putting their money in the offering box, Jesus also noticed a poor widow depositing her money in the offering box.

            Now, Mark gives us a couple of indications as to how poor this woman truly was.

The first indication is the word that he used for poor.

            The Greek word for poor- Ptōchos—is used to describe someone who is so poor that they can only obtain money by begging. A poor (Ptōchos) person has nothing at all.

            Mark also tells us that the money that this woman did have was the smallest currency in circulation at that time. It was “worth only a fraction of a penny.” (Mark 12:42b, NIV)

            The two coins that this woman deposited into the treasury didn’t amount to very much at all.

            It would appear that the bigger gift was much more valuable to God, to the people counting the money and to the Temple itself, because bigger is always better, right?

            But I’ll have you notice which gift caught the attention of Jesus.

            It wasn’t the gift of the rich that Jesus used as a springboard to teach His disciples; it was the tiny gift of a very poor woman.

Jesus said to His disciples: “…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." (Mark 12:43-44, NIV)

Jesus told His disciples that it was the gift of the poor widow, not the gift of the rich people that mattered; it was the spirit in which the widow gave the gift that mattered more than the gift itself.

She was giving to God what was right, not what was left (over).

The rich people were giving out of obligation, they gave because they were told to give, but the widow gave because she wanted to.

So, how does this fancy little story apply to us?

Well, I think this passage should cause us to look inward and help us examine our motives when we give. 

Are we giving God what’s right, or are we giving Him what’s left (over)?

Are we giving God our time, talent and treasure because someone has told us that’s the right thing to do, or are we giving our time, talent and treasure to God because we know it’s the right thing to do?

You see, this account is all about the heart… are we giving to God reluctantly or willingly?

When you give your time, talent and treasure to God, are you doing it to be seen by others? Are you giving to God to be noticed by other people?

This is what the rich people in our story were doing; they were giving in order to be seen.

If you are giving to God in order to be noticed, Jesus has a warning for you:

“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.

² When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get.

³ But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

⁴ Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. (Matthew 6:1-4, NLT2)

While it’s better to give to God what’s right, not what’s left over, it’s also the disposition of your heart that matters just as much as the gift itself.

If you are giving just to be seen, that is all the reward you will ever get, but if you are giving because your heart is in the right place, God will reward you for your gift.

Bible commentator Adam Clarke reminds us that: “Christ sees all the motives which leads people to perform their good deeds.

He knows whether they act through vanity, self-love, ambition, hypocrisy... or through love, charity, and a hearty desire to please Him.

            “He observes the motivations which accompany our actions—whether we act with care or negligence, with a ready mind or with reluctance.” (taken from my files)

            There are many people who are willing to give God credit, but few who are willing to give Him cash!

            There are many people who are willing to give God some—even much—but few people are willing to give God all.

            There are many people who are willing to give a tithe or an offering... but few are willing to admit that all our possessions—including our bank account balance- actually belongs to Him.

            If God rewarded our giving on the basis of motive, not amount, would He make little ado about much, or much ado about little?

            How you give to God matters just as much as what you give to God.

       So, are you giving God what’s right with a right heart, or are you giving God the leftovers with a left-over heart?

            Jesus reminded us that what we treasure the most is where our heart is, so when you give to God where is your heart? Is it in the right place? Or is it in the wrong place?

            Are you giving of your time, of your talent and of your treasure to be seen by everyone, or are you giving of your time, talent and treasure to be noticed by God?

            Are you giving to God what’s right willingly, or are you giving to God what’s left (over) reluctantly?  

            We don’t know how the story in Mark 12 ends. We don’t know if God blessed this woman for giving all that she had, with the spirit she had, but we can know how our story will end today.

            If we are giving to God out of out of obligation—or even with an expectation of getting something back—then we are giving God what’s left.

            If we will make a commitment to give the best—OUR best—to God, He will bless your life with His presence.

            So consider today not only what you are giving to God, but how you are giving it.

            Are you doing so willingly, or reluctantly?

            It’s better to give to God what’s right willingly, than what’s left over reluctantly.  

            As the band comes back, I want all of us to take a few moments and ask God to search our heart.

            Is it in the right place? Are we giving to Him with right motives, or are we giving with wrong motives?

            If our heart happens to be a little askew, this is the perfect time to confess it and seek to correct the attitude of our heart, because it’s always better to give to God what’s right, not what’s left (over).