Give All You Can Mark 12:41-44 Pastor Aaron Brown November 19, 2017 I. Testimony Give All You Can by Chuck Keyworth Luke 12:48, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 Let not any man imagine that he has done anything, by gaining and saving all he can, if he were to stop here. You may as well throw your money into the sea. Add the third rule to the two preceding. Having, first, gained all you can, and secondly saved all you can, then give all you can. II. Tale of Two Giving Widows A. The Poor Widow Deuteronomy 24:19 B. The Rich Widow Proverbs 30:24-25, Proverbs 21:20 She devoted herself, her means, her time, her thoughts, to the cause of Christ. She did not spend her money on herself; she did not allow the homage paid to her rank to remain with herself. John Henry Newman C. Give All You Can is NOT Give All You Have Luke 8:3, Luke 19:8-9, 1 Timothy 6:17-19 Methodists in every place grow diligent and frugal; consequently, they increase in goods....we must exhort all Christians to gain all they can, and to save all they can; that is, in effect, to grow rich. Continued on Other Side
Wesley s rules are not about raising money for the church; they are about becoming more like Jesus. His intention was to guide the early Methodists in the spiritual discipline of generosity so they would become a giving people whose lives were shaped in the likeness of an extravagantly generous God. James Harnish Earn Save Give III. Three Types of Givers Of the three rules which are laid down... you may find many that observe the first rule, namely, Gain all you can.' You may find a few that observe the second, Save all you can.' But, how many have you found that observe the third rule, Give all you can'? Have you reason to believe that 500 of these are to be found among 50,000 Methodists? And yet nothing can be more plain than that all who observe the first rules without the third will be twofold more the children of hell than ever they were before. JW A. Tossers Mark 12:41 B. Tryers Tryers are folks who lay out a plan for a systematic process to move from where they are to where they believe God would like them to be. They grow one step at a time toward the goal of tithing by reducing debt and reorganizing their financial priorities as they go. James Harnish Earn Save Give C. Tithers Leviticus 27:30, Luke 11:42 The tithe, which is a scriptural mandate, was not instituted for God's benefit because He already has all the money He needs. He does not need our money. So why does He ask us to give 10% to Him? Tithing was created for our benefit. It is to teach us how to keep God first in our lives and how to be unselfish people. Dave Ramsey If those who gain all they can,' and save all they can,' will likewise give all they can;' then, the more they gain, the more they will grow in grace, and the more treasure they will lay up in heaven.
Printed Sermon November 19, 2017
Introduction: Imagine taking all your money and throwing it away. Wesley said that is what happens when we heed the first 2 rules and ignore the third. Let not any man imagine that he has done anything, by gaining and saving all he can, if he were to stop here. You may as well throw your money into the sea. Add the third rule to the two preceding. Having, first, gained all you can, and secondly saved all you can, then give all you can. Today is our annual Commitment Sunday. At the end of the service I am going to invite you not to throw your money away but to invest it in the Kingdom. I will invite you to make a pledge to give all you can to allow our church to do ministry in 2018. If you are visiting with us this morning, this invitation is not for you, however, the message I have to share is for all those who want to follow Christ. We will begin with a testimony. I. Testimony of Giving by Chuck, Della Keyworth From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded. Luke 12:48b The point is this, the one who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 II. Tale of Two Giving Widows A. Source of the Gifts But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny....they all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything--all she had to live on. Poor widow: We know nothing about this woman...no name or family history...only that she was poor and a widow. We usually imagine her as an older woman, but nothing in the text suggests that. The loss of a husband in ancient Israel was both a social and economic tragedy. If a woman didn t have children to take care of her, she quickly became an outcast and destitute. That is why God always showed special concern for widows. When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 24:19 This widow must not have had family for Jesus said she gave out of her poverty. She gave all she had to live on. Rich widow: Selina Hastings was born to a well-to-do family in 1707, a contemporary of. When she married the Earl of Huntingdon in 1728, she became even wealthier. Eighteen years later, when she was only 39, she became a widow. Unlike ancient Israel, this widow was able to keep all of her husband s vast wealth. Shortly before her husband died she joined the first Methodist Society and met. She would have heard his rules for money. She saw what and George Whitfield were doing in leading others to Christ and she began to give large amounts of money to fuel the revival in England. B. Size of The Gifts Poor widow: She gave two small coins, probably Greek lepton which according to the Forum on Ancient coins is probably the lowest denomination coin ever struck by any nation in
all of history! They were so small, they would have made very little noise when thrown into the metal containers in the temple courtyard. Because there was no paper money or checks, when the rich gave, everyone knew it because of the sound of the many coins hitting the metal container. Even today, they are not very valuable...you can purchase an authentic 2000 year old coin for just a couple bucks on ebay. Her gift seemed insignificant. Rich widow: Selina Hastings spent the rest of her life giving support to Methodism and revival in general. Her gifts built 64 chapels, sent missionaries to America, and established a college for training ministers. Upon her death in 1791, she was called the patriarchess of the Methodists. It was said: She devoted herself, her means, her time, her thoughts, to the cause of Christ. She did not spend her money on herself; she did not allow the homage paid to her rank to remain with herself. John Henry Newman C. Significance of The Gifts At first look, one would think that rich widow s gift was more significant, however, consider the fruit that has come over the last 2000 years because of the poor widow s offering. Her example has raised untold millions for the kingdom. If you had told this widow leaving the temple that 2000 years from now, people would still be talking about the gift you just gave, she would not have believed it. Google poor widow and there are over 700,000 pages. Most point to her. Her gift was significant! But that doesn t lessen the significance of the rich widow s gifts. To give all you can doesn t mean to give all you have. Jesus is not condemning the rich who gave out of their wealth. He is commending the widow chose to give all she had. There are many people commended for giving some. Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. Luke 8:3 Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house Luke 19:8-9 Neither Wesley not the Bible condemns people for being rich and holding on to some of their wealth. One of the benefits of Wesley s rules was that it allowed the Methodists to move up the social ladder and become rich. Methodists in every place grow diligent and frugal; consequently, they increase in goods....we must exhort all Christians to gain all they can, and to save all they can; that is, in effect, to grow rich. Wesley wanted rich Methodists, but only so they would have the opportunity to be generous. Wesley s rules are not about raising money for the church; they are about becoming more like Jesus. His intention was to guide the early Methodists in the spiritual discipline of generosity so they would become a giving people whose lives were shaped in the likeness of an extravagantly generous God. Harnish Earn Save Give pg 114 This was Paul s attitude as well... Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to
share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 As we learned last week, God is not opposed to using wealth that he provides for our enjoyment. However, like the foolish farmer, if that is all we want to do with our resources, we miss God s best for our lives. Unfortunately, then and now, Methodists were better at the first two rules than the third. Of the three rules which are laid down... you may find many that observe the first rule, namely, Gain all you can.' You may find a few that observe the second, Save all you can.' But, how many have you found that observe the third rule, Give all you can'? Have you reason to believe that 500 of these are to be found among 50,000 Methodists? And yet nothing can be more plain than that all who observe the first rules without the third will be twofold more the children of hell than ever they were before. JW III. Three Types of Givers A. Tossers Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection. Mark 12:41 The Message Tossers give with little thought and rarely miss what is tossed. It is the act of tossing money in the Salvation Army kettle at Christmas time. Tossers give with little sacrifice. B. Tryers Tryers are folks who lay out a plan for a systematic process to move from where they are to where they believe God would like them to be. They grow one step at a time toward the goal of tithing by reducing debt and reorganizing their financial priorities as they go. This reflects my suggestions from last week to: Get out of debt // Step up in your giving // Simplify spending C. Tithers 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. Leviticus 27:30 A tithe literally means A tenth part. Why would God make such a request? The tithe, which is a scriptural mandate, was not instituted for God's benefit because He already has all the money He needs. He does not need our money. So why does He ask us to give 10% to Him? Tithing was created for our benefit. It is to teach us how to keep God first in our lives and how to be unselfish people. Dave Ramsey Jesus affirms the command to give a tenth of what we earn. Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. Luke 11:42 If those who gain all they can,' and save all they can,' will likewise give all they can;' then, the more they gain, the more they will grow in grace, and the more treasure they will lay up in heaven.