Experience TRUTH - #28

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This is the Truth Network. The one with the smallest gift had the greatest heart, and it was the greatest gift in the eyes of God. Who was this widow, and what was her might?

I'm Stu Epperson, and welcome to Experience Truth. We're in Luke chapter 21. I'm going to read the passage, and we're going to wrap up our study on the widow's might.

You're going to hear four powerful truths that come out of this account. And also, you're going to hear the reaction from everybody, and most importantly, what's Jesus' reaction to this widow's gift as she gave it all sacrificially to God? Here we go.

Ready? Luke 21 1-6, and he looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and he saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So he said, Truly I say to you that 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. Then as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations, he said, verse 6, These things which you see, the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.

This is the word of our God. So the widow's might, the questions we asked last time, are how do we see the beware of the scribes and Pharisees and the devouring widow's warnings on display here, as Christ has just come at those guys big time? The scribes, the Pharisees, the Herodians, remember they said, Hey, Jesus, is it lawful to pay our tax to Caesar? I mean, the Roman leader, I mean, is this okay to do? Remember what Christ said? He said, Hand me a coin. What do you see on this coin? Render unto Caesar the things that are at Caesar.

Just a masterful answer. All these questions, one after another, on divorce and remarriage, on the resurrection, and all these things on his authority, because he did turn the tables over, and he cost them a lot. Speaking of money and gifts in the treasury, Jesus cost them a lot of money by turning their tables over in that rough scene we have, you know, back in chapter 19 of Luke. So here he is, sitting with his disciples, he looks up and he sees all these people putting their gifts in the treasury. We talked about the receptacles, the 13 trumpet-shaped receptacles, and as it were the rich, the religious guys were trumpeting their gifts for everyone to hear, dropping those coins in, and this sweet little certain poor widow put in two mites, which we learned last time. This is one-eighth of a penny. This is very, very little, a little bit of money. Maybe these two mites could have purchased a half a piece of bread that would have been her, potentially her last meal, and here she gives it all to God. So we're gonna pick up in the middle with this question. Why is God more concerned with the heart than with the amount of the gift?

How cool is that question? And there's another question for you. Does God need anything? The money we give God, the check you just wrote to a missionary or to God or the church, does he really need that? Because really you are giving to him. Fundamentally, you're giving to him.

Does he need it? Well, you know the answer to that. God is all-sufficient. God owns everything, the cattle and a thousand hills, but he loves the heart. And here are four important truths that come out of this story. God values things differently than we do. That's the first truth. It's all his anyway.

It's not just 10% his, it's all his. Number two, giving sacrificially reflects the heart of God. Jesus is the greatest giver, sacrifice of all. Every time we give, guess what we're doing?

We're pointing to him. It's a reflection of what his sacrifice was. He's the first true sacrifice for us. John 3.16, For God so loved the world he gave. What did God do? In Christ, God gave us his best. God demonstrates his love toward us. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. It's the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast. God didn't give us his leftovers.

He didn't say, well, let me see how much money's at the end of my month, and I'm gonna give that to these guys. It's a good thing God didn't give you half a salvation or a third of a salvation. When you receive Christ, you got all things, all things related to life and godliness through the knowledge of him.

2 Peter chapter 1. So we are blessed beyond measure. We are trillionaires because of Jesus, because of his infinite gift to us. Thank God for his wonderful gift, Paul says in 1 Corinthians.

So, that's the second point. First thing, God values things a lot different than we do. Secondly, giving sacrificially reflects the heart of God. Thirdly, it's not the amount given, but the motive of the giver that's important. Fourthly, it's not what's given, but what's held back that so often indicates what's in the heart as well.

It's an interesting way that Warren Wiersbe says. He says, God sees more than the portion. He sees the proportion. Men see what is given, but God sees what is left. And by that, he measures the gifts and the conditions of our hearts. I love what Winston Churchill said.

It's a famous quote. We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. This woman was a serious giver. Jesus said, for all of these, the wealthy, are giving out of their abundance, but this woman, out of her poverty, she put in all the livelihood that she had.

So here's another question. How does the poor widow's sacrifice contrast with the opulence of the temple? Which is really interesting in this text. There's a bridge in these verses that really will take us into the next portion of Luke 21, which I'm excited to jump into next week. But verse 5, then as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and donations.

He's sitting there with his disciples. He observes this amazing, sacrificial, gracious gift of this sweet widow. But then, they're all looking and talking at this amazing, ornately beautiful temple. Now let's donate, you know, how it's just full of stones and and just lovely look at.

Jesus said, these things which you see, the days will come in which not one stone shall be left upon another, and that shall not be thrown down. So the widow's sacrificial gift shows a great contrast with the opulence of the temple, because she didn't have that opulence. She didn't have the wealth and the bling-bling and all the gold and the silver. What she did have is a heart that said, you know, I may only have two mites, and I may be broke as dirt, and I may have no husband to win me anything else, and that this may be my last gift to God, then I'm gonna go die. She walked into that temple. She put her offering in the treasury as a sacrifice, not to the priest, not to the corrupt Sadducees, or the corrupt Sanhedrin, or the corrupt system that was using that money for immoral purposes, using that money to set up improper exchange rates to hose people that came from all over the world to worship God. No, she wasn't giving to that. She was giving to Almighty God, and Almighty God was there, the one that made her Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ, observed very closely her gift and used that as a way to teach us. And this woman will forever go down in history, will always be remembered. We don't remember those other guys' gifts. We remember her gift because we remember her heart in the nature of giving.

Final questions as we wrap up. And I tell you what, when you travel Europe, you see the great cathedrals. But it's interesting, one pastor observed that he noticed that every time he travels, all these cathedrals are always under construction. Religion raises a lot of money, friends, in the name of buildings. But how are we giving, and how are we excited about giving, to build souls for the kingdom? Not that buildings are bad, but what's the endgame?

Where is it all going? And so you have this poor, ignominious widow with nothing, and this awe-inspiring temple, which would be destroyed, by the way. Oh man, 30 or 40 years hence by the Roman conqueror Titus. But that temple would be gone, but this gift would ring out for eternity as just a powerful picture of sacrificial giving. Wow.

So, this is really wrapping up the final question. What does Jesus observe about my heart in giving? How's your heart in giving?

What does God see when he sees your heart? When you give, remember, you're not giving to that pastor. You're giving to the Lord. How did Jesus give everything for me?

Wow. What about his sacrificial gift? How has the power of the gospel changed my life to be a life of giving away, rather than a life of hoarding? Boy, there's TV shows about hoarding. We're all hoarders. We like to cake, cake, cake, cake, cake, gimme, gimme, gimme. We like to tuck it away, sock it away.

We got crevices that we didn't even know we had stuff in. We tend to be like the Luke chapter 12 wealthy man of the parable who kept building more barns, more barns, more barns. Then one day it says, literally, his soul was required of him. So, how are we giving? How is God giving to us in order to give through us?

What a beautiful thing. She gave out of her poverty and she put in, this is verse 4, literally, she put in all the livelihood that she had. Now, how would Jesus know that?

Because he knows all. And he knew, and it's in the scripture right here, for those of you like, well, what if it wasn't it? Well, it was all she had. It was a very, very large amount to her. It's everything she had. She gave it to God. We sing this song, I surrender all, all to Jesus I surrender, all to him I freely give.

Is that true? Does he have, does he own everything in your life? Does he own you and your resources?

Who really is in control of what you have? Is it yours? Do you find yourself saying, that's mine, that's mine, that's mine. Or, is it all on the altar? Take my silver and my gold, not a might will I withhold.

Is that your heart? Can you say that with the hymnist? What a deal. Thank God for his gift to us. And now, thank God that we can give to others. We can give the gospel. We can give of our time, our talent, and our treasure. How does God want you to give? Be a giver and watch God bless you. Why? Because you will be doing exactly what God made you to do, shining his light, pouring out his grace and love everywhere you go.

And it could be material. Quit being so selfish with your money. Support ministries that are on this place you're listening to right now. This station or wherever you're hearing me speak right now, give to them, support them, support businesses that sponsor here, support, support missionaries. There are people that need your help to get the gospel. You can't go all the way over there, maybe to the Middle East, but you can give a check to someone and send them. Be a part of that and just watch what God does.

Hey, this is all time we have today on the widow's mite. Next week, we pick up in verse 7 of Luke chapter 21, getting closer and closer to the cross and our journey through the book of Luke. Study the Word, read the Word, meditate on it, memorize it, and share the Word of God with your family everywhere you go, and watch what God does through his powerful Word. And be in a church where the pastor preaches not just about the Word, but preaches the Word verse by verse, because that's exactly what our soul is hungry for, and that's exactly what we need to feed on so that we can leave that place, be built up in the faith, and go out and share the Word, the living Word, with our lost world. This is the Truth Network.