Luke 21, Sunday morning 9-5-21

If I could play a theme song for this morning it would be Money Money, Money by Abba…

It’s a rich mans world… and it is in fact a rich man’s world if you live primarily for the things of this world.. Christ had a lot to say about money throughout the New Testament….

The wonderful thing about a Bible Study is that this Book, the Bible, is not just another book.

These words aren't like words we may have read in the newspaper, or online today, or like a novel we picked up last evening.

"Because the Word of God is alive, it is powerful, it's sharper than any two-edged sword, it pierces to the division of soul and spirit; it is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart," and so says the writer of Hebrews.

Father, and we believe that to be true.

And we ask that you would bless this group, this gathering, as we look at this next chapter in the gospel of Luke, chapter 21.

We pray also, Father, for those who will be enjoying this online ,and others wherever they might be this morning, move their hearts and guide them along the pathway…..

We consider them also a part of us and pray that you would extend your blessing of understanding

to them as well, in Jesus' name,

amen.

     At this point in our story Jesus Christ has forty-eight hours to live.

It's daunting when you think of it in those terms.

He has forty-eight hours to live and he knows it, and he is very, very focused.

In these very hours he is marching toward the hour of his death.

"My hour is not yet come," Jesus said to his mother three years earlier.

"Father, the hour has come; Glorify your Son, that your Son would glorify you," Jesus prayed just days earlier, or he will pray that a couple days later when he is arrested in the garden of Gethsemane and

marches to be tried before his execution. His whole life is aiming toward and focused on that hour.

So in these last two days of his life, he's training his disciples, his followers, not only his men, but the greater crowd that is following him and will follow him later. And he is also responding to accusations brought against him by the enemies.

Because at this point our Lord is in the temple.

He has been teaching in the temple. He has been in the courts of the temple.

Now remember when I tell you this, because I'm going to circle back to another thought

Now he will be in the temple treasury.

So we know that he is in the court of the women.

For some context the temple had a few different courts: a huge outer court where anybody could

go, whether you were Jewish or not, the court of the Gentiles.

Then there was a balustrade, a wall with a sign that said, "If you're a Gentile, you can't go any further.

And if you do, when you die, it will be your fault." That's what the sign said. According to Jewish history…

So the only people that could get into the next court were Jewish men and women, and

that was the court of the women, and that's where Jesus is.

It is said that To get to the court of the women, you went through a gate.

Now, when name the gate you may remember--.

You go through a gate called the Gate Beautiful, the Beautiful Gate.

You can find reference in the book of Acts where a man is at the gate called Beautiful, and Peter is walking in and sees that man, and that man gets healed by Peter and John.

So you go into the Gate Beautiful, now you're in the powerful court called the court of the women.

Jewish men and Jewish women could congregate there. The next court where the temple proper stood was the court of the men or the court of Israel.

Now, to get to that court, you'd have to climb steps.

We have, I believe, seven steps that lead to the upper part of this stage; there were fifteen pretty steep and semi-circular steps that would take you all the way up from the court of the women to that upper court of Israel where the temple proper stood.

And probably Jesus had been teaching standing on one of those steps, speaking to the great crowd that have gathered before him in the court of the women. They're gathered there.

After the sacrifice had ended some people lingered in the temple.

And they lingered there simply to worship privately, sort of like having devotions.

They lingered there and some of them would make special offerings.

You see, in the court of the women there were thirteen--- boxes. And each of those thirteen boxes was marked with a special function.

In other words, if you want to give to this cause, or to that cause, or to that cause, each one was individually marked.

There is a reason that I am covering this and I’ll get there in just a moment..

There was also in the court of the women two special rooms, two special chambers known

as the chambers of the silent, where the children of the pious poor were taken care of with some of the offerings that were placed into those receptacles.

Got the picture?

Probably Jesus has ascended up the steps. He had been teaching. That's in the previous chapter.

But he's going to notice something that is taking place after the sacrifice has occurred.

It says :

"And he looked up and he saw the rich putting gifts into the treasury, and he saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites." Small amount, two mites.

Two mites equals one sixty-fourth (1/64), of a denarius---That's a day's wage for a working man or a soldier. One sixty-fourth of that equals two mites.

This woman put in two mites,, we would say pocket change. Seeing this…

"Jesus said, 'Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all.'

"Now, this is quite a statement, because the rich are giving what rich people give.

You would think, presumably, a lot more of a portion than what she is giving, just pocket change.

"But truly I say to you this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had."

An incredible statement---an incredible statement that gives us a very interesting perspective on how Jesus sees giving. She's, in other words, giving probably all that she could live on in a single day.

She's putting in and she's giving more than those rich people.

Now, here's the principle, it's pretty obvious: when God measures gifts given, he doesn't measure it according to the portion, but according to the proportion.

Proportionately she gave way more.

You know, some people, most people, it's impossible to give a million dollars. If I were to say, "Give the Lord a million dollars," you'd say, "It's an impossibility for me.

I can't do it. But for others it's not impossible. It's doable.

For others a million dollars it's expendable.

It's like, no problem.I've got another hundred million where that comes from. "But God doesn't measure the gift on portion but proportion.

She gave her life, her livelihood.

I believe that whenever and whatever you give to God, that's between you and God. But we need to be following the commandments as we do.. Such as love thy neighbour.. Who is our neighbour ? Anyone in need…

What is your motivation. Is it in line with God’s purpose?

When we do this God will view our gifts to others proportionately . He does not balance what we do against what others do. If we have only the equivalent of 2 mites and we choose to give it to deprived children that will be a blessing to us and to the children.. Remember the loaves and fishes? They fed 5000 that day.. I am quite sure that the Lord would use your 2 mites and find a way to feed 30 or 40….

David, when he wanted to make an offering to the Lord, he offered to buy the threshing floor of Ornan, which, by the way, is where the temple was eventually placed.

He wanted to buy that because he wanted to build a temple for the Lord.

And the owner said, " if you're going to build something for God, then you can have it.

It's free."

David says, "Oh, no, no, no.

I'm willing to pay full price for it."

"Oh, no.

David, you're going to do a good deed for the Lord.

I just want to donate it to you."

And David said, "No.

I'm not going to give to God something that costs me nothing."

I have to count the cost ..

Now, here's what's interesting about Jesus: Did you know that of all of the parables that

Jesus gave, that he taught, at least half or more of the words spoken by Jesus recorded in the gospels, s deal with money.

So he had a lot to say about it. It's estimated in the New Testament that every one out of seven verses speak about the issue of the relationship of the believer to finances.

There are five hundred verses that speak about prayer, less than five hundred that speak

about faith, and around two thousand that speak about money.

So just looking at this and hearing what I just said, we want to ask the question: How should I give to the Lord?

Here's the answer: Give simply, give proportionately, and give joyfully.

That's what the New Testament teaches. Give simply, give proportionately, and give joyfully.

Give simply.

Back in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught these words.

This is Matthew 6, "Take heed that you do not do [your alms, giving of alms or] your charitable deeds," as this translation puts it, "before men, to be seen by them.

Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"Therefore, when you do a charitable deed [or you give alms], don't sound a trumpet

before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men.

Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand

is doing," and that's how simple it ought to be, "that your charitable deed [or your giving of alms] may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will himself reward you openly."

You remember, do you not, what it says in Second Corinthians, chapter 9, about giving?

"Let each one give as he purposes in his heart."

So whatever you purpose in your heart, that's-- between you and God. Jesus said the same thing about prayer. Do not do it for show to impress others or use vain repetitions which is not a genuine prayer to the father….

"Let him give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver."

So give quietly, simply.

I love Jesus for this ..It is requiring honesty when we seek to fulfil God’s word…

We can quietly go about the Lord’s business each day and it is all between you and God.. Imagine that.. Its awesome when you think about it…I am grateful for Luke’s account which stimulated my mind and heart this morning. If we apply these principles as we go forth each day, in the broadest sense of the word then we will be carrying the light of Jesus inside of us, wherever we go and whatever we do… We compete for eternal life not with others but based upon our capabilities against our willingness to standby God’s word and live our lives accordingly..

Closing prayer

Lord, thank you for this gathering of souls this morning. Thank you for the fellowship that we have together…. We pray for all those within out little group who are struggling for a multitude of reason and we ask that doors be open and that your mercy be given… Continue to open our eyes as we press on in this great study. Bless all of our endeavours like the Feeding program, That the sisters have begun… Help meet their needs to serve the children who need our help…

We ask these things in Jesus’ name..

Amen