Two Small Coins Making One Big Contribution

We're going to begin our worship today. We're singing firstly in Psalm 116,

Psalm 116 in the Scottish Psalter to the tune Spore. That's on page 395.

We're singing verses 1 to 8.

Wonderful words that assure us of the Lord's hearing of our prayer, not just the hearing

of our prayers, but also that he answers and responds to prayer in his own way.

And the psalmist is giving thanks to God and the wonderful words of the psalm that he has heard

him and delivered his soul. As verse 8 puts it, my distressed soul from death delivered was by thee.

So Psalm 116, I love the Lord because my voice and prayers heeded here. I, while I live, will call

on him who bowed to me his ear. Verses 1 to 8 to his praise.

I love the Lord because my voice and prayers heeded here. I, while I live, will call on him who bowed to me his ear.

Of death the courts and sorrows stood, about me compass round. The pains of hell to call on me, I grieve and trouble find.

Upon the name of God the Lord.

God mercy full of righteousness, He gracious is our Lord. God saves the meek. I was brought low. He did me help.

God saves the meek. I am the Lord. He was brought to you by the Lord. He is brought to you by the Lord.

God saves the meek.

O Thou, my soul, to Thou, my soul, to Thou return.

Unto thy quiet rest

For largely lo the Lord to thee

This bounty hath expressed

For my distresses all from death

Delivered was by thee

Lightest my morning

Eyes from tears

My feet from falling

Free

Let's now briefly call on the Lord in prayer

and focusing especially on the Sunday school

and the other children.

Our gracious God, we give thanks

that we can once again gather together in this way

of all ages and all backgrounds,

of all experiences,

everything, Lord, that distinguishes us from each other,

and yet we come together, O Lord, in a common desire to worship you

and to praise your glorious name.

We thank you today for our children.

We thank you for their presence with us.

We give thanks, Lord, that they're brought by parents and relatives

to attend upon the church services,

but also to come to learn in Sunday school and at tweenies

of the things pertaining to Jesus and his love.

And we pray for them today and ask that your blessing will be bestowed upon them.

Help them, Lord, as they become accustomed to attending church

and to being where the worship of God is held,

that they may value this for themselves and grow up to be a people

who will indeed honour the Lord

and who will come to be known as his people in this world.

So bless them today, we pray,

and bless those who teach them

and those leaders who care for them during tweenies.

We give thanks for all who help,

and we give thanks, Lord, for their dedication,

for their willingness to be involved in such a way.

Bless them, we pray, all our concerns today

in our worship and in our lives on this holy day,

a day that you have marked as holy to yourself.

Receive our thanks now and cleanse us from all our sin.

For Jesus' sake. Amen.

Okay, children, it's good to see you all today, as always.

You probably might not see that from where I am.

Does anybody know what it is?

Can you tell from a distance?

It's my driving license.

I wouldn't be able to drive a car or any other vehicle legally

if I didn't have a driving license.

So a driving license is very important.

It means that I've been accepted,

having passed a test many, many years ago now,

having passed a test that qualifies me

to drive safely, I hope, on the roads.

So this is really a mark of my qualification

that I can actually drive a car legally on the road.

So if somebody asks me,

are you allowed to drive this vehicle?

You can produce, if I have it, this car.

I always keep it with me.

So you never know when you're going to be asked for it.

And I can say, yes, there it is.

It shows that I'm qualified to drive this vehicle.

And I've had it for a number of years.

Now, the Lord also gives us qualifications.

And he makes us qualified to belong to his family

because he gives us in our hearts

that knowledge of himself,

that love for himself,

and especially faith

by which we come to trust in him.

And we find in the Bible

that we're taught about adoption,

which is a big word,

to do with making someone part of your family.

And God makes us his family

when he adopts us.

When we are related to Jesus

by having accepted him,

God then says,

you're qualified now

to be one of my children,

to belong to my family.

Now, there's another thing about this.

You can't see it from there,

but this card has my photograph on it.

It's not, I don't think,

a very good photograph

because to pose for photographs,

you have to be pretty stern

and pretty boring looking.

You're not allowed to smile.

You're not allowed to do anything like that

in case it distorts the image.

But it is me.

It is my photograph.

And so anybody looking at that can say,

as long as I haven't changed too much

since the photo was taken,

yes, that's you.

Now, God, when he accepts us

as his children,

God knows exactly who we are.

God knows everything about us

and he has our ID

in his own heart,

in his own mind.

So nobody can say

that somebody else is me

as far as God is concerned.

He's saying, no,

I know who you are.

I know everything about you.

And I know,

especially in the way the Bible speaks

about knowing,

I know you in such a way

as has loved you.

And I love you in a way

that knows you

and knows your heart.

Something else about this license,

this driving license,

is nobody else can actually

use this license

and pretend that it's me.

I can't give it to somebody

and say, you're okay,

you can use this license,

just pretend you're me

and you'll be okay.

I can't do that.

I wouldn't want to do that anyway

because that would be wrong.

But nobody can actually

use this license

apart from myself.

Donna has her own license.

She can't go and drive

any of the cars

or vehicles.

But she wants to drive

and say, yes,

but my husband is qualified.

And it's the same with us

spiritually as well.

We can't go to God

and say,

I'm a Christian

because my mom or dad

is a Christian.

We can't say to God,

you have to receive me

and take me to heaven

because my mom loves you

or my gran loves you.

It has to be ourselves.

That's true for all of us

whatever age we're at.

And one other thing

about this license

I want to mention today,

as well as giving me

acceptance to drive,

qualification to drive,

and having a photo ID,

and also that it can't be used

by anyone but myself,

I also have to look after it.

I need to look after it carefully

because if I can't produce it,

well, I've got a problem.

If I was stopped next week

by a traffic check

or something like that,

or if I did something wrong

and sadly hit something

or somebody in another car

or whatever,

a policeman would come along

and say,

have you got your driving license

on you?

And if I didn't have it,

well, I could produce it afterwards

if it was at home,

but if I'd lost it,

it would be a problem,

wouldn't it?

So you have to look after

your relationship with the Lord.

How do we look after

our relationship with the Lord?

How do we look after it?

Well, we do so by coming to church

like we're doing today

to worship Him.

We look after it by

privately, personally,

worshiping Him

and praying to Him

and asking the Lord

to help us

each and every day.

So you look after

your relationship with Jesus.

You treat it carefully.

You don't want to do anything

that would actually bring

shame upon

your relationship

with Jesus Himself

or yourself.

So these are important things

about my driving license.

Much more important, though,

about yourself

and your relationship

with God.

So remember

that God accepts you

as you come to Jesus.

You know that He makes you

one of His family.

You need to do that

for yourself.

Nobody else can do it for you.

You can't travel to heaven

on anybody else's license.

And you must look after it as well,

as all our older folks

must as well.

And that's

so important for us

in life, isn't it?

Well, let's say the Lord's Prayer

then together.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Our Father,

which art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth

as it is in heaven.

Give us this day

our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts

as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom

and the power

and the glory forever.

Amen.

Amen.

We're going to sing verses again,

this time Psalm 119,

page 166.

And the verses marked

145 to 152.

The tune this time is

Eventide.

I call with all my heart,

Lord, answer me.

And then all your decrees

I will obey.

I cry aloud to you,

Lord, save my life,

and I will keep your statutes

every day.

We'll sing these four stanzas,

verses 145 to 152.

I call with all my heart.

Lord, answer me.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

I call with all my heart,

Lord, answer me.

And then all your decrees

I will obey.

I cry aloud to you, Lord, save my life,

and I will keep your statutes every day.

I rise before the dawn of God for help.

God, I have set my hope upon your word.

I stay awake throughout the earth of night,

reflecting on your promises, O Lord.

Lord, in your loving kindness, hear my voice,

and in your justice save and keep my life.

For those who disregard your holy law,

approach with schemes of wickedness and sight.

Yet you are near to those who seek you, Lord.

All your commands are true and ever should.

Rest from your statutes, long ago I learned,

that you have made them always to endure.

Now we're going to read from God's Word.

Our reading this morning is from the Gospel of Mark,

and chapter 12.

Gospel according to Mark, and chapter 12.

And we're going to read from verse 28.

I know the bulletin has from verse 18,

but we'll begin at verse 28,

where Jesus, having been disputing with the Sadducees,

we read in the earlier verses,

the Sadducees who didn't believe in the resurrection,

and were testing Jesus by the way in which they asked him that question.

And Jesus answered them in the way you find there down to verse 27.

God, as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,

he's not the God of the dead, but of the living.

Then at verse 28,

one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another,

and seeing that he answered them well, asked him,

which commandment is the most important of all?

Jesus answered,

the most important is,

hear, O Israel,

the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your soul,

and with all your mind,

and with all your strength.

The second is this,

you shall love your neighbor as yourself.

There is no other commandment greater than these.

And the scribe said to him,

you are right, teacher.

You have truly said that he is one,

and there is no other besides him.

And to love him with all the heart,

with all the understanding,

with all the strength,

and to love one's neighbor as oneself,

is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely,

he said to him,

you are not far from the kingdom of God.

And after that,

no one dared to ask him any more questions.

And as Jesus taught in the temple,

he said,

how can the scribes say that Christ is the son of David?

David himself in the Holy Spirit declared,

the Lord said to my Lord,

sit at my right hand

until I put your enemies under your feet.

David himself calls him Lord.

So how is he his son?

And the great throng heard him gladly.

And in his teaching,

he said,

beware of the scribes

who like to walk around in long robes

and like greetings in the marketplaces

and have the best seats in the synagogues

and the places of honor at feasts

who devour widows' houses

and for a pretense make long prayers.

They will receive the greater condemnation.

And he sat down opposite the treasury

and watched the people putting money

into the offering box.

Many rich people put in large sums

and a poor widow came

and put in two small copper coins

which make a penny.

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.

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.

Amen.

May the Lord bless to us

that reading of his word today.

Let's again call upon his name in prayer.

O Lord, our gracious God,

we thank you for this opportunity today

to give our minds anew

to the teaching of your word

and to call upon you in prayer

to sing your praises,

to know fellowship one with another

and to seek fellowship with you as our God.

We give thanks today, Lord,

for the many privileges we have in life,

for the many things

that you have given us

and your providence

that you continue to bestow upon us

in your kindness.

Lord, we acknowledge that kindness today.

We look around us in our own society,

especially in different parts of the world

where we find people in desperate need.

We bless you that while

we are always in need to some extent,

while as your word tells us,

the poor are always with us.

Nevertheless, Lord,

you have blessed us

in such a way that we can say

that we today have meant much

by way of material blessings

that so many other people in the world lack.

We thank you for all aspects of your kindness.

We give thanks especially, Lord,

in your kindness

that you have brought us the gospel

that many generations ago

you brought to this place we live in,

the gospel of Jesus Christ,

the message of salvation.

We pray, Lord,

as it has been with us

as a community

for all of these years,

that you would enable us

to prize it all the more,

that you enable us,

O Lord,

to hold forth its teaching,

not only by the word of our mouth,

but the manner of our life.

We thank you today, Lord,

that you give us the opportunity

to show to the world

what it means

to belong to God

and to his kingdom.

We pray that our relationship with you

will be more than one

that is outward in show,

like the scribes we read of in this passage.

Lord, help us, we pray inwardly

and in our inmost soul

to love you with all our heart,

as we have also read,

with all our mind,

with all our understanding.

Enable us, Lord,

we pray to be thankful

that you give us another opportunity today

to extend our knowledge of you,

to exercise our faith and love,

and to show, Lord,

that to the community around us

that we indeed prize this day

and prize this time of worship.

We give thanks, Lord,

for your word,

this word that directs us

in all aspects of life.

We thank you that you have given us

the conviction

that it is your word,

that you have given us, Lord,

the knowledge that,

whether we read of commands

or promises or prophecies,

some fulfilled,

some yet to be fulfilled.

In all aspects of it, Lord,

you still continue to speak to us.

And we pray today

that we may hear that voice,

that your word may be

a living word to us,

that we will receive it

by your grace and to our hearts,

that we will treasure it there

and seek to live by it

as each day goes by.

And we thank you, Lord,

for every way in which

we have the help of others

and are able to help others.

We pray that our lives

may be all the more useful

as time goes on,

that you would give us, Lord,

by the grace of your Spirit

to truly be living witnesses to you,

holding forth that word of life

so that others may come

and see something

of the beauty of the Lord

and be drawn to him for themselves.

Remember those today, we pray,

who still do not know you.

We think especially of those

in our community around us

who today have no desire

to be in a place of worship

and who today may worship

other ideologies

and who may come to follow

other ideas

rather than the gospel

of what it means

to live a fulfilled life.

Remember us, Lord,

as a community, we pray.

Pour out upon us your blessing.

We ask that you would

return us to yourself

and give us the blessing

of your Spirit

to guide us,

to quicken us

and to be in every aspect

of our lives as your people,

that strength and that stay

that we require.

Remember all those who,

Lord, today have difficulties

in their lives,

different types of trial

to contend with.

we know that there are some,

Lord, who belong to us

as a congregation,

some in our community

that we know about,

along with those who mourn

the passing of loved ones.

Bless them all, we pray,

and bless us all

in our times of need

as they are known to us.

Help us to draw near to you,

to draw our strength from you,

that we too, Lord,

will be able to sing

more meaningfully these words

that we have been singing.

I love the Lord

because my voice and prayers

heeded here.

I, while I live,

will call upon me,

will call upon him

who bowed to me his ear.

Grant us, Lord, thankfulness

that you hear our prayers,

that you read the thoughts

and the concerns of our hearts.

We pray today for the world

in which we live.

We pray, Lord,

for all places in the world,

so many of them, Lord,

where there is trouble,

where there is terrorism,

where there is war,

where there is famine,

where there is deprivation,

where there is persecution,

where there is, Lord,

so much of those issues

that we know are contrary

to your will

and are but the workings

of human beings

in their sinfulness

and in their hatred

for one another.

Lord, remember today,

we pray,

the people of Moscow,

the people of Russia,

we know how much, Lord,

they themselves

have been involved

in aggression and war

against Ukraine

in recent years

and we pray today

that you bless them

as they have received

such an event

as has happened

with the loss

of so many lives

in Moscow itself.

we pray that you would

bless the regime

over them.

We pray that you would

break in upon the hardness

and darkness of heart

as you have done

many times with others.

Lord, we pray that

the power of the gospel

especially

might come to prevail

in their midst.

We pray for those

who are faithful to you

throughout that great nation.

we ask that you would

continue, Lord,

to uphold them

and strengthen them

against aggression,

against imprisonment,

against threats

and many other ways

in which they are dealt with

for their faithfulness

to you.

Remember, too,

the situation

in the Middle East.

We pray for the conflict

in Gaza

with Israel

and with Hamas.

Lord, we pray for all

who are so affected

by the tragedy

of these things.

and we ask that

you would bless

the situation

in such a way

as to bring peace.

We pray, O gracious one,

that you would bring

glory to yourself

and may your kingdom advance

despite how difficult

it is, Lord,

for us to believe

how can it advance

in these circumstances.

Yet we know that it has

in the past

and we pray

that it will be so

in our day as well.

And we ask that you

would continue, Lord,

to bless our own nation.

Bless those who are over us

in government.

We pray that you would

grant to them, Lord,

the wisdom,

wisdom that is from on high,

the wisdom that comes

through a knowledge

of yourself

and of your truth.

And, Lord,

we pray that you would

graciously bless

our rulers.

We pray for them

in Scotland

and in Westminster

who preside over us

in government

and in devolved administrations.

We pray that you would

grant, Lord,

to turn us more and more

into your own ways

and to bless those

who stand

for your gospel,

for your values

in our parliament.

We pray that you would

continue, Lord,

to uphold them

and to grant that

they may be encouraged

to keep on witnessing

to you.

Remember the royal family

during these difficult days

for them.

Remember our king

during his own illness

and treatment.

We commit him to you.

We ask that you would bless him

and bless Camilla as well.

We pray that you'd bless them

as a family.

We pray especially

in these days,

O Lord,

that you would grant

your blessing

to Catherine

as she has come

to publicly declare

her treatment

for cancer.

We pray that that

may be an encouragement

to many others,

O Lord.

You would grant

that there be

a lessening

of the interest in her

and grant them

some privacy

so that they may,

O Lord,

find time together

and together as a family

to attend to these matters

free from harassment.

We ask, Lord,

that your blessing

will be with all others today

who are receiving treatment

or anticipating such,

who have gone through surgery,

who are in hospital

or in care homes

or in the hospitals locally.

Bless them

and bless those

who tend to their needs.

We ask that you would

graciously hear us

as we pray for them.

We pray all these things

confessing our own sins,

confessing our need

of cleansing

and of your forgiveness.

We ask it all

in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Now,

before we turn

to Mark chapter 12,

Mark 12 · chapter mention

we're going to sing

some more verses

in Psalm 37.

Psalm number 37.

That's on page 254.

Singing verses 16 to 21.

The tune is Grafenberg.

A little that a just man hath

is more and better far

than is the wealth

of many such

as lewd and wicked are.

For sinners' arms

shall broken be,

but God the just sustains.

God knows the just man's days

and still their heritage remains.

So that's verses 16 to 21.

A little that a just man hath.

A little that a just man hath

is more and better far,

than is the wealth of many such

as lewd and wicked are.

For sinners' arms shall broken be,

but God the just sustains.

God knows the just man's days

and still their heritage remains.

They shall not be ashamed

when they the evil time do see.

And when the days of famine are,

they satisfied shall be.

But wicked men and foes of God

as fat of lambs decay,

they shall consume

yea, and to school

they shall fortune away.

The wicked borrows but the same

again be done the pain.

Whereas the righteous mercy shows

and gives his own away.

Let's turn for a short time this morning now

to Mark chapter 12.

Mark 12 · chapter mention

Mark 12 at verse 41.

We'll look at this short passage.

Jesus sat down opposite the treasury

and watched the people putting money

into the offering box.

Many rich people put in large sums.

And a poor widow came and put in

two small copper coins,

which make a penny.

And he called his disciples to them

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.

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.

Well, we're all very much aware

each day goes by

that much revolves around money

in our society

and in our own lives personally as well.

It's hardly a news bulletin

without some reference or other

to the economy

or to inflation

or to bank interest rates.

So much of that is current news

and has been news

all down through the generations.

We regularly hear about those

who have massive bonuses,

whether it's in industry

or in banking,

where again money is central

to the detail that's given us there.

We hear about the massive wages

of certain footballers

who are at the top

of their profession

and who earn hundreds

of thousands of pounds a week,

amounting to millions a year.

Huge sums of money.

We hear about lottery gains.

So many other things

you hear from day to day

that center around money

or riches

or the use of money

or something or other

to do with that.

And the Bible has much to say to us

about money

and about the use of money,

about our own use of money,

about how to regard money,

about what our attitude should be

to money,

to the possession of it,

or to seeing its use elsewhere.

And Jesus also included it

as here in his teachings.

And that should actually

make us conscious

that because it's given

that sort of place in the Bible,

it's not by any means

the most important topic

the Bible deals with,

but it does deal with it

to such an extent

that we shouldn't just dismiss it

as unimportant

among our thoughts of things

which are morally

or spiritually important.

And Jesus here is

really driving home

a very important lesson

on what sort of perspective

we should have,

not only in our money,

but also on our support

of God's cause with money,

on what we give

to the upholding of the gospel,

and how we use our money

in that way to be useful,

we trust,

for the gospel itself

and for the things of God.

Well, the Lord,

as he, as we brought,

as is brought out

in this passage here,

the Lord in this context

sat opposite the treasury

in the temple

where the money box

was located,

where people put their offerings

into the box

for the upholding

of the things of the temple.

And there are two things

we can take from it.

First of all,

the Lord's observance

of the offerings.

The Lord's observance.

He was deliberately saying to us,

he sat down opposite the treasury

and watched the people

putting money

into the offering box.

He watched the people.

It's not a mere observance.

It's an observance

with a certain amount

of assessment in it.

Jesus didn't just watch this

as it was going on casually

or just happened to notice

out of the corner of his eye.

He deliberately studied

what was going on.

And any time you see in the Bible

that Jesus is observing keenly

something that's going on,

whatever it is,

you and I have to take note of that

and say,

well, Jesus is interested in that.

This is something

that he himself observes keenly.

That's what he was doing here.

He sat down opposite the treasury

and watched the people

putting money

into the offering box.

We might think

that that's really quite unimportant

or relatively unimportant,

but to Jesus it mattered.

And because it mattered to Jesus,

he observed it.

He was looking at it.

He was studying it.

And of course,

that follows through

into what we do ourselves.

It was important enough for Jesus

to observe it carefully

and actually to bring out

the teaching you find

in the following verses from it

so that those who were listening

could gain from that

if they were really keen

to listen properly

to what he was saying.

It wasn't enough for Jesus

to actually note it

and comment on it.

He brought out this teaching

that you find in the verses

which follow.

And it's important for us,

of course,

sounds a fairly

straightforward point to make,

but it's one we very often forget,

isn't it,

that everything we do

is observed by the Lord.

Even the most common actions of life,

they're observed by the Lord.

Not just observed by the Lord,

but measured by the Lord,

weighed up by the Lord.

Even the money we put in the plate

or the offering we have online

or wherever it is.

It's observed by the Lord.

The Lord is taking note of that.

The Lord is measuring that.

The Lord is seeing

the attitude of the heart in that.

It's not the amount we put in.

It's not the amount of our time

that we give to His service.

Not the amount of money

we use to support the gospel.

It's primarily the attitude behind it.

It's the direction of our mind.

It's the thoughts of our hearts

as we go about all our actions in life.

Well, the Lord observes keenly

what we're doing.

That's what you find in verses 41 to 42 here,

that He observed them,

and He observed how rich people,

many rich people,

or they put in large sums.

And then there came along this poor widow,

and she put in two small copper coins.

Now, Jesus is making an assessment.

When you read these words,

it shows us that in Jesus' mind,

He's measuring this.

He's weighing this.

He's weighing it up.

He's comparing the offerings.

And He's comparing the offerings

and taking note of the people

who are involved

and what their position in life is

in relation to their offerings.

They have many rich, He says,

and there was this one poor widow.

Now, there's nothing here about

condemning those rich people

for having the riches.

The Bible never does that.

Abraham was a very rich man.

Job was a very rich man.

There are many rich people

down through the years

that have come to serve the Lord

in a way that's acceptable and commendable,

and they're never criticized

for having the riches.

It's not having money that's the problem.

It's not having an abundance of money

that's the problem.

That's not being millionaires.

If we're millionaires,

that's not the problem.

What Jesus is measuring

is not just what we do with it,

but what the thought of our heart is

as we do whatever we do with it.

That's what He's doing here.

He's assessing.

He's carrying out a comparison,

not condemning the rich for being rich,

not condemning the poor widow

for being poor.

You see, for Jesus,

it's all a matter of the heart, isn't it?

It's all a matter of what's internal,

and what is internal ought to match

what is external as well in our lives.

The attitudes, the mindset,

the heart, the motives.

And then we find the same thing

in the previous verses

that we read together

from verse 38 in the teaching.

He said,

Beware of the scribes

who like to walk around in long robes

and like greetings in the marketplaces,

have the best seats in the synagogues

and the places of honor at feasts,

who devour widows' houses

and for a pretense make long prayers.

They will receive the greater condemnation.

You can see at once

there's a very close connection

between that

and the passage we're looking at

that follows on from that

because that's a passage

regarding the scribes.

It's to do with externals,

to do with making a big show of themselves.

It's a matter of drawing attention

to themselves

so that people will say,

Aren't they really generous?

Aren't they really good?

For a pretense.

They make long prayers.

Jesus today is not interested

in how long you pray for.

He's not interested really

in what kind of clothes you wear.

It's what's in your heart

and what's in my heart.

The thoughts of your mind,

the attitude,

the motives you have,

the unseen things of the soul.

That's what Jesus really is measuring

most of all,

more so than the outside

and the externals.

You have the same

in chapter 7,

a famous passage

you find in the Gospels here,

Matthew and Mark and Luke.

You find

chapter 7 there.

I don't want to go through it

just now.

It took time.

But it's to do with

traditions and commandments

which the Pharisees especially

were laying such great store by.

And of course,

Jesus went on to say,

well, this is what defiles a person

not to eat with hands

that are unwashed,

but what defiles them

is what actually comes

from inside

and then is seen outwardly.

Evil thoughts,

sexual immorality,

theft,

murder,

adultery,

coveting,

wickedness,

deceit,

sensuality,

envy,

slander,

pride,

foolishness.

All these evil things

come from within

and they defile the person.

That's what defilement is,

Jesus.

It's rooted in the heart.

It emerges from the soul.

And that's especially

what his mind was set upon,

what his teaching really set forth

as important.

So you see,

we don't measure things

by outward things,

outward show.

We actually measure

as far as we're able to

by genuinely seeing

what is it that comes out

of people's hearts.

Are they kind

or are they not?

Are they loving

or are they not?

And so on,

as Jesus himself

sets before us.

Well,

the Lord's observance

of the offerings.

But secondly,

let's look at

the Lord's verdict

of the offerings.

And you know the phrase

nowadays that's often mentioned,

less is more.

Well,

you could apply that

in some sense

to what you find here

in the difference

between the widow

and these rich people.

How is it that he says

she has put in

more than

all of those rich people

put in?

Now,

obviously,

literally,

she had these two pennies,

two copper coins

amounted to a penny,

it says here.

It's really

a very small item

of money in those days.

We're told,

in fact,

that it was about

one hundredth

of a day's wage,

an average wage

for a day.

This is one hundredth.

This is what she had

to live upon,

one hundredth

of a day's wage.

What did she do with it?

She put it all

into the treasury.

She gave it to the temple.

She gave it to the Lord.

She gave it to God.

But you see,

the difference is

the reason that he can say

she put more in

than all these other ones,

the difference really

is summed up,

if you like,

by these words,

out of.

You see,

as you go through it,

she gave out

of her poverty.

They gave out

of their abundance.

That's what makes

the difference.

That's what Jesus measured.

They gave out

of their abundance.

She was poor.

She was very poor,

but she gave all

that she had there to God.

This was all she had

to live on.

That's how Mark puts it.

She has put everything in.

This is what Jesus said.

All that she had

to live on.

And yet she put it all

into the treasury

because she said

that really rightly

belongs to God.

I owe it to Him.

I love Him.

Therefore,

that's where the money

is going.

And the rich,

well,

after they had put in

whatever money

they put in,

it was an abundance.

Out of their abundance

they put in

whatever it was,

but it was out

of their abundance,

not out of their poverty.

And they would have

much left.

Whatever sums

they put in,

Jesus knew,

they would have

much left over

after that.

And so you see,

when the Lord

measures our contributions,

as we said earlier,

He actually weighs

these contributions

in His own mind,

morally,

spiritually,

He weighs them.

Not just talking about

the money we put

on the plate,

or that's not

left out of it.

It's not how we,

the only thing

that we apply this to.

It's the measure

of our time.

How much time

do we give

to the Lord?

How much time

do we give to prayer?

How much time

do we give

to reading a Bible?

How much time

do we give

to speaking about

the Lord to others?

I'm just guilty

of this as anybody else

in measuring

the time that I give

to all of these things

because I find so often

that all too easily

I'm distracted

and I've given

so much time,

whether it's

emails or my phone

or whatever else it is,

social media.

It's a huge

eater up of our time,

especially social media,

isn't it?

Huge amounts

of our time

if we're not

very controlled

about it.

And when the Lord

measures our time

and our money

and our use

of our facilities,

our use of our resources

as we have

talking about

personally here

as well as

congregationally,

well,

he's weighing that up

and he's studying it

and he's asking,

how does that compare

with the time

that you're giving

to me?

How does it compare

to the time

you're giving

to just sitting down

with your Bible

and praying

and asking me

to bless that?

Well,

there's the weighing up

by Jesus

of the issues

of life

and he doesn't

measure

your contribution

or mine,

whether it's financial

or in terms of time

or service

or whatever else,

he doesn't measure

our contribution

by comparing it

with what others do.

As I know,

he's comparing here

the poor widow

with those who put

of their abundance

these rich people

into the treasury.

But when he comes

to you

and to me

and asks ourselves

how we are

in relation to

supporting his cause,

giving of our time

and so on,

he doesn't say,

well,

consider so and so

and see what

they're doing.

He's just saying,

how much of your time,

how much of your finance,

how much of your resources

out of the total

are you giving to me?

And it's important as well,

isn't it,

that we see this widow,

you see,

we could say

that she might have decided

when she came

to put her offering

in the treasury,

she might have decided,

well,

I've only got

those two tiny coins left,

it's hardly worth much at all.

I'll put one

into the treasury

and at least

I'll have the other one

left for myself.

She didn't do that.

She put both

into the treasury,

leaving herself

without any.

Why was that?

Because her mindset was

that she valued God.

She valued God

and loved God.

Obviously,

she wouldn't have done it otherwise.

And she said to herself,

well,

I'll give these to God

and God will give me back

as he sees fit.

I'm sure that would be

her way of looking at it.

And isn't that how it is

really with ourselves as well?

Because ultimately,

we're not actually

in the ultimate sense

giving of our time

or of our money

to the church.

Yes,

I know it's perfectly proper

to think of

the money that you put

in the collection plate

or that you put in the envelope

or that you offer

by standing order

or whatever.

Of course,

that's given to the church

in that sense of it.

It's given to the church

so that it's looked after

by those who are

in charge of these things

and used and allocated,

given to central funds

or distributed locally

or whatever it is.

Of course,

it is given to the church,

but not in the ultimate sense.

Because when you do that,

organizing your funds online

by standing order

or putting your envelope

on the plate,

what you're really saying

in your mind is,

Lord,

this is for you.

This is for you.

It is you who deserves this.

You are the one

that I have in mind

as I give this.

As I give of my time

to prayer,

to bind with study,

to attending church,

to putting my money

in the plate.

Lord,

this is for you.

You are the one

who deserves it.

You are the one

I acknowledge

has been so good to me.

It's the least

I can do in return

to give you of my time,

of my resources,

accordingly.

And that's because

you want his cause

to grow,

isn't it?

You want him

to be glorified.

You want him

to be praised.

You want his cause

in a wider sense

as well as

in the congregation sense

to grow

and to flourish.

And what you give

by way of your time

or by way of your finance

is designed

in your heart

and your mindset

to contribute

towards that increase.

You know,

that's the basis

for voluntary service.

Not everybody

who serves

in this congregation

by any means

is paid for it.

It's a privilege

for us

as ministers

of the gospel

to be paid

centrally by the church

through the funds

that you put

into the collection plate

or in your standing order

or whatever

and that comes

by way of our stipend

or a proportion

of it at least.

There goes to mission

and other works as well

that the church

is involved with.

But voluntary service

is such a blessed thing,

isn't it?

Because this congregation,

for example,

as you think of,

as you look at

that bulletin sheet today

and you think of

all of those meetings

that are involved

in this coming week,

God willing,

you think of

the number of hours

of voluntary service

that go towards

the upholding

of these meetings,

of these services,

of these activities.

You're a blessed congregation.

You're a privileged congregation

to have people

giving of their time

so willingly,

whether it's

looking after tweenies

or teaching in Sunday school

or Bible class

or whatever other activities

require voluntary service

and there are many others.

You can see them listed

as I've said.

But what a privileged congregation

you are

to have people

who are willing

to give of their time

to the cause of the Lord,

not for what they can

get out of it themselves,

but what they hope

will contribute towards

an increase

in the followers

of the Lord,

in those who serve the Lord,

in those who love the Lord.

And if you can,

if you're not presently involved

voluntarily in some of the things

that are going on,

whether it's Fridays at the Free

or any of these more practical

type meetings,

just please consider,

can I actually contribute

more to this?

Or can I do something

more than I'm doing?

Can I actually offer myself

for this other activity

that I see are in need

of volunteers?

Because all of that

really is part of

a contribution

to the Lord.

All of that belongs

to a willing service

for the Lord.

All of that should be

based on the pattern

of this poor widow

who had all too little.

And maybe you're saying

of yourself,

and I'm saying

of myself today,

well, all that I can contribute

to the Lord

is not very much, really.

Perhaps I can make

a cup of tea

during some of the fellowships

or whatever,

or perhaps I can be involved

in a practical sense

with WFM meetings

or whatever.

It all counts.

It's all weighed

by the Lord.

It's all observed

by Him.

For all of that,

we're thankful

and He takes note,

friends,

of all that you're doing.

And He takes note

in a way that commends

for it,

as He did this poor widow.

And that brings us finally,

the final point is

the Bible's own

or God's definition

of what it is

to be rich.

Here are all these

rich people

and they're putting

all of this

into the treasury,

whatever amount they had

and they still had

much left over.

Who in this passage

is truly rich?

Who is rich

in the highest sense?

It's not these people.

It's this poor widow.

She's put in everything

she's got.

But is she rich

in her soul?

Is she rich

in her thinking?

Is she rich

in her mindset?

Is she rich

in her relationship

of God?

Yes, she is.

She's not doing it

for show.

She's doing it

because she loves

the Lord.

She's doing it

because she values

what she has

in the temple

by way of God's

ordinances.

And how much

that's part

of the teaching

of Jesus elsewhere

is obvious

when you go through

the Gospels,

when you follow through

into the Epistles

as well,

and indeed when you go

to the Old Testament

as well.

Think, for example,

of Matthew

in the Sermon

on the Mount,

Matthew chapter 6,

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

you have verses 19

to 21.

We often read these.

Verses 19 to 21,

Do not lay up

for yourselves

treasures on earth

where moth

and rust destroy

and where thieves

break in and steal,

but lay up

for yourselves

treasures in heaven

where neither moth

nor rust destroys,

where thieves

do not break in

and steal.

Not any punches

home these points

by saying,

For where your

treasure is,

there your heart

will be also.

If we're set

on the things

of this world,

that's where

your heart's going

to be.

If your mindset

is gaining

how much we can

from the things

of this life,

that's where

our heart's going

to be.

If our mind

is set on the Lord,

on the praises

of God,

on the worship

of God,

on the service

of God,

on the things

of heaven,

that's where

our heart is.

And serving

the Lord

is really

the same

as laying

up for ourselves

treasures in heaven.

That's the way

the Lord

actually presents

it to us.

You could go

to Luke chapter 12,

Luke 12 · chapter mention

that passage

where,

weird of the person

who had so much

in the produce

of his land,

the man,

parable of the rich

fool,

it's usually called,

and he says,

take,

Jesus said,

take care,

be on your guard

against covetousness,

all covetousness,

but one's life

does not consist

in the abundance

of one's possession.

Then he told them

a parable saying,

the land of a rich man

produced plentifully.

And he thought to himself,

what shall I do?

I have nowhere

to store my crops.

He said,

I will do this.

I will tear down

my barns

and build larger ones.

And there I will store

all my grains

and my goods

and my goods.

And I will say

to my soul,

soul,

you have ample goods

laid up for many years.

Relax,

eat,

drink,

be merry.

God said to him,

fool,

this night your soul

is required of you.

And the things

you have prepared,

whose will they be?

So is the one

who lays up treasure

for himself

and is not rich

towards God.

Rich

towards

God.

That's the key

to a happy life.

Rich

towards

God.

You see that passage,

this man who had

this land

was just

planning for himself

how to increase,

how to grow richer,

how to get more.

And all the time

the Lord was measuring

his life and saying,

he doesn't realize

tonight he's going to die.

And all the things

he's promised himself,

they'll be gone.

They won't be in his grasp

anymore.

Whose will they be?

Well,

what does it matter?

If we're no longer

here in this world,

does it matter really

whose they will be?

What matters is

where we end up,

isn't it?

And then 1 Timothy,

just to show that

the apostles built

on the teaching

of the Lord as well.

1 Timothy chapter 6

1 Timothy 6 · chapter mention

and verses 6 to 10.

This is Timothy

being advised

by Paul

with regard

to his ministry.

And Paul regarding

Timothy's ministry,

giving all this advice

to him.

Teach,

he says,

and urge

these things.

Amongst them,

he says in verse 6,

Now there is great gain

and godliness

with contentment,

for we brought nothing

into the world

and we cannot take

anything out of it.

But if we have food

and clothing,

and with these

we will be content.

But those who desire

to be rich

fall into temptation,

into a snare,

into many senseless

and harmful desires

that plunge people

into ruin

and destruction.

for the love

of money

is the root

of all kinds

of evils.

It is through

this craving

that some have

wandered away

from the faith

and pierced

themselves

with many pangs.

You see,

that was a problem

that the apostles

and Timothy

had to deal with.

People who had

been part of the church

or were part

of the church

and were under

the teaching

of the gospel,

but had given

more time

and more concern

for how much money

they would build up,

how much they would have

of material things,

and so they wandered

away from the faith.

That's what it's saying.

That's why it's saying,

beware of these things.

And that passage

goes on in verse 17.

As for the rich

in this present age,

now just listen

to the number of times

the word riches

or treasure

is used by Paul

in these few verses.

As for the rich

in this present age,

charge them

not to be haughty

nor to set their hopes

on uncertain riches,

but on God

who richly provides us

with everything to enjoy.

They are to do good,

to be rich