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.
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.
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.
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,
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 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,
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,
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
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
in good works,
to be generous
and ready to share,
thus storing up
treasure,
riches for themselves
as a good foundation
for the future
so that they may
take hold of that
which is truly life.
Let me ask myself today,
what's my most valuable
asset in this life?
Different ways
in which you can reply
to that
for yourselves as well.
What's my most valuable
asset in this life?
You might say,
it's my wife,
my partner,
my loved ones
and of course
that very much
comes into the picture.
But of course
the Bible tells us
what it has to be God,
doesn't it?
It has to be the Lord.
It has to be His salvation.
It has to be eternal life
as He provides that for us.
In Matthew chapter 13,
that chapter that deals
with so many parables
that Jesus actually taught.
Chapter 13 of Matthew,
the kingdom of heaven
is like treasure
hidden in a field
which a man found
and covered up.
Then in his joy
he goes and sells
all that he has
and buys that field.
And then there's the
parable of the pearl following.
Treasure hidden in a field,
buried in a field
which a man found
and covered up.
He discovered it
for himself.
Just read the other day
of a large nugget of gold
found in England.
Shropshire
by a man who was out
along with others
with a metal detector
and the man actually said
that the metal detector
wasn't actually working
properly even.
But it pinged
and as he dug down
about six or so inches
he discovered
this large nugget of gold
about a bit bigger
than a 50 pence piece
which is large
for a nugget of gold.
It's reckoned to be
the largest nugget of gold
ever found in England.
And it's going on the market
it's estimated to be worth
between 30 and 40 thousand pounds.
What's it worth?
It's worth between 30 and 40 thousand.
How much is our soul worth?
How much is Jesus worth?
How much is he valuable to us?
Well surely
in the words of the old
gospel song
it's for us the way it was
for this writer.
I'd rather have Jesus
than silver or gold.
I'd rather be his
than have riches untold.
I'd rather have Jesus
than houses or land.
I'd rather be led
by his nail-pierced hand.
I'd rather have Jesus
than worldly applause.
I'd rather be faithful
to his dear cause.
I'd rather have Jesus
than worldwide fame.
Yes, I'd rather be true
to his holy name
than to be the king
of a vast domain.
And be held in sin's dread sway.
I'd rather have Jesus
than anything
this world affords
today.
May God bless these thoughts
on his word to us.
Let's pray.
Our gracious God,
we thank you
for the riches
of eternal life.
We bless you
that you have brought
these freely to us.
We give thanks, Lord,
that your word
teaches us so often
of the cost
of our redemption
to the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
And therefore, Lord,
as we consider
the kind of death
you died,
that it was
a death
in which the bearing
of the sin
of your people
brought you
such condemnation
and such suffering
and death,
help us, Lord,
we pray,
to value
all that has been
achieved for us by it.
Give us today
to have a mindset
on the riches
that are spiritual
and eternal.
Nevertheless, Lord,
help us not to despise
whatever earthly riches
you give us to enjoy,
but help us
to use them wisely
and to be concerned
that they be used
for your glory
and for your praise.
Receive our thanks,
now we pray,
pardoning our sin
for Jesus' sake.
Amen.
We're going to conclude
our worship this morning
singing in Psalm 62.
That's on page 80
of Psalm 62.
Tune this before the throne
and verses 7 to 12.
My honor and salvation
rest on God,
my rock and mighty fort.
O people,
trust in him always.
To him alone
pour out your heart.
The low-born man
is but a breath.
The high-born man
is but a lie.
Weighed in a balance
side by side,
they come to nothing
but a sigh.
Do not seek after wealth
by force
or triumph in ill-gotten gain.
And even though
your goods increase,
set not your heart
on what is vain.
Verses 7 to 12
of Psalm 62.
My honor and salvation
rest on God,
O people,
my rock and mighty fort.
O people,
trust in him always.
To him alone
pour out your heart.
The low-born man
is but a breath.
The high-born man
is but a lie.
Within a balance
side by side,
they come to nothing
but a sigh.
They come to nothing
but a sigh.
Do not seek after wealth
by force,
for triumph in ill-gotten gain.
And even though
your goods increase,
set not your heart
on what is vain.
My God has spoken,
I have heard,
that you are strong
and loving, Lord,
each one according
to his deeds.
You will assuredly
reward.
You will assuredly
reward.
After the benediction,
please allow me
to get to the main door.
Now may the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God the Father,
and the communion
of the Holy Spirit
be with you now
and evermore.
Amen.