This morning, from the Scriptures,
I want to read two accounts of the same story. The first account
is found in Mark chapter 12, if you'd turn there with me.
Mark chapter 12, and I'll begin in verse 41. Mark chapter 12, verse 41. And Jesus sat over against the
treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury,
and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain
poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he, the Lord Jesus, said
unto his disciples, and saith unto them, he called unto his
disciples, excuse me, and saith unto them, barely I say unto
you that this poor widow hath cast more in than all they which
have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their
abundance, but she of her want, her need, did cast in all that
she had. even all her living. Now, the second account is found
in Luke chapter 21. Turn there with me if you would.
Luke 21, we'll begin reading in verse 1. Same story, just from the account
of Luke. Luke 21, verse 1. And he, Christ, looked up and
he saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And
he saw also a certain poor widow. I love that word certain. Especially in the Scriptures.
Whenever we see that word certain in the Scriptures with reference
to a person, it means a determined, particular specific person and
in this instance it's a determined particular specific poor widow
and she's casting in thither two mites And he said, Christ
said, of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast
in more than they all. For all these have of their abundance
cast in unto the offerings of God, but she of her penury, poverty
is what that means, has cast in all the living that she had. Now in reading these two accounts,
I want to point out a few things in the beginning. It seems from
Mark's account that the Lord placed Himself over against the
treasury here on purpose. And that's a good assumption
because everything that our Lord did was on purpose. Everything
He did. God is a God of purpose. And
secondly, from Luke's account, Christ placed himself there on
purpose for the purpose of seeing some things. He saw rich men
cast in their gifts. He saw them cast in much, it
says. Then he saw a poor widow cast
in a little, two mites, less than a penny. But it was all
that she had. Did you hear me? It was all that
she had. And our Lord said it was even
all her living. She didn't have anything else.
That's all she had to live on. That's all that she had, what
she cast in. Now, when it says that the rich
men cast in much, the Lord said that what they gave was out of
their abundance. That means that they gave what
they could spare. They gave out of their excess
to someone poor. It may have seemed like a lot
of money, but to them, it really wasn't much. You know, you hear
about these billionaires giving $100,000. Well, that's like me
giving $10,000. It's all relative. But so to
them, it wasn't much. It was what they had over and
above. It didn't hurt them to give that
in the least. I think about what David said.
David said, I will not offer to God which doth cost me nothing. And let me also say in the beginning
that my message this morning is not about giving. Not at all
about giving. It's not a message on tithing
and offerings. That's what modern day religion
always harps on. About giving. But this is a message
about faith. This is a message about trusting
God for everything. This is not a story about giving.
This is a story about attitude. This is a story about dependence
on Christ. Now did you notice in Mark's
account, I won't turn you back there, but it said the Lord said
over against the treasury and beheld. How? beheld how the people
cast money into the treasure. The Lord was not looking at how
much they gave. He was looking at how they gave. Big difference. He was observing
with what motive they gave. He was observing, witnessing
with what attitude they gave. The scripture says that God loves
a cheerful giver. Were they cheerfully giving?
I don't know, it doesn't say. Now the Bible not only warns
us to take heed as to what we hear, Mark 4, 24, but the Bible
also warns us to take heed as to how we hear. Do we hear God's word rejoicing? Or do we hear it with sadness
and with despair? Now the rich men gave out of
their abundance. They gave out of their excess. They could spare it. They had
plenty. But this poor widow gave all. all that she had. Mark said she threw in two mites. I just kind of picture her walking
by the treasury and very nonchalantly just throwing those little two
mites, whatever they may have looked like, in the treasury.
She seemed to have hurriedly put it in, not wanting to be
seen. She was ashamed to what she gave. But our Lord said she gave all
her living. She gave it all. She had nothing
left, and the Lord said, she cast in more than all. All of
them put together, she cast in more. Isn't that just like God?
Isn't that just like God's kingdom and His kingdom? Those who think
that they are rich are poor, and those who think that they
are poor are really rich. Revelation 3.17, Because thou
sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing. And knowest not that you are
wretched, You're miserable and poor and blind and naked. You
know, Paul instructed Timothy, he said, charge them that are
rich in this world that they be not high-minded, nor trust
in uncertain riches, but in the living God. That's truly where
a man or a woman is rich, in Christ. It says, have them not
to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God who giveth
us richly all things to enjoy. that they do good, that they
be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate. But here we have a poor widow. What is a poor widow? Well, you
know, a poor widow is a woman whose husband has died and left
her destitute. Her husband left her with nothing.
Remember, there was no social services then. She didn't receive
any help from the Roman government, that's for sure. And that word
poor, it's used 205 times in the scriptures in the Bible,
but here in Luke chapter 21, verse two, it's translated into
English this way only one time in all the Bible. And do you
know what it means? The word poor here means necessitous. Necessities. It means to have
nothing, to be in desperate, desperate need. In other places
in the scriptures, poor means depressed in mind, weak, beggarly,
impoverished, bankrupt, to be without. But in our text, it
means much, much more than that. The word poor in verse two, Not
only means to be without, but it means to be without the means
and ability to get. She was not only without, but
she didn't have any means or ability to get. More than weak, more than destitute,
more than beggarly, more than impoverished. And there are many
who are all these things. and yet never see their necessity
of Christ, who's the one being needful, I might add. What was this poor widow left
with? She's left with nothing. She gave it all. What ability
did this poor widow have to get more? She had no ability, none. I want to drive that point home.
She gave all her living. She gave all that she had. She
gave knowing that there was nothing left to give. None stuck back
for a rainy day. The rich men who gave out of
their abundance, there was no real sacrifice made by them.
But this poor woman sacrificed all that she had, and all she
had left was complete dependence on God. Did you hear me? All she had left was total and
complete dependence on God. She trusted Him for everything,
and that always proves to be enough. It always does. Now let me ask you, if we can
trust the Lord to save our souls, can we not trust Him for everything
else we need? I mean, really. If we trust Him with the saving
of our souls, can we not trust Him for clothing and food? While the lilies, they work and
spin not, but the Lord raised them more beautifully than He
did the rich man Solomon. The ravens. They fly to and fro,
not one falls to the ground that the Lord don't know, but He feeds
them. Shall He not feed you? Child of God. You know, I was
thinking, as a child, and I really thought about this, as a young
man, a child, I never worried about being fed. I just never
did. Not one time. Now, I know there's
some folks that probably have, but I can't honestly say that
I ever worried about being fed. Not one time did I fret over
not eating, not once. I trusted my father to provide
the meal, and I trusted my mother to prepare the meal. And it was
always good, always good, always abundant. How much more so, dear friend,
should we trust our Heavenly Father to provide all our needs
for us? I mean, really. It's called faith. Trusting God to provide all our
need. Paul wrote, but my God shall
supply all your needs, singular, according to His riches in glory
by Christ Jesus. Christ is our singular need. And in Him, every other need
is provided. Every other need is found in
Him. God the Father has blessed us with all spiritual blessings
and heavenly places in Christ. What can we learn from this poor
widow? That's what I want us to consider for just a few minutes.
When we truly see her condition, we should see something of our
own condition. What was her condition? She was poor and needy. She had nothing. She had no ability
to provide anything. Is that your condition? Do you
see yourself that way before God Almighty? David referred
to himself that way over and over and over again. This study
of Psalms that we're doing on Sunday mornings, we've already,
through the 13th Psalm, we've already seen that several times.
David says, I am poor and needy. And when David claimed to be
poor and needy, friends, he was a very wealthy man. So I know
he's not talking about you know, natural riches or monetary riches. He talking about spiritual need,
being spiritually poor, poor in spirit. To be poor in spirit
means that we have no spiritual assets. We don't have any resources
to come up with any. We have nothing to offer God,
nothing. Not a mite's worth of merit. not a farthing worth of righteousness. And that's a good place to be.
How so, you might ask. You'll see. That's who Christ
came to save. You and I have a need of need. You think about that. We have
a need of need. Luke 9, 11 tells us just that. It said that the Lord healed
them that had need of healing. Those who are well have no need
of a physician. But those that are sick most
certainly do. We say that all the time. But we don't go to
the doctor when we're not sick, do we? No, we go to the doctor
when we have a need, when we need help. Lord, I'm sick. I've got a deadly disease. Like that leper was full of leprosy,
I am full of sin. And so are you. And I know that it's not my will
that saves me. Lord, if thou wilt, the leper
said, you can make me clean. I know you can, but will you?
You see, I can't make myself clean and I can't will myself
to be clean. Now there are folks that claim
that they can, but they can't. If you will. Lord, if you will,
you can make me clean. And the Lord said, I will. He
always says, I will. If you have a need, And you ask
him if he will, he always will. Do you see him by the highway
side begging? Bartimaeus was blind. Bartimaeus
was a beggar. He was poor and needy. He cried
after Christ. He cried because his great need
caused him to. So will yours if you ever see
that you have one at will. If you ever see your great need,
you'll cry. The Lord asked Bartimaeus. He said, what will ye that I
should do unto you? And Bartimaeus replied, that
I might receive my sight. I've got a great need. I'm blind. I would love to see. And I'm
sure he's thinking, well, if I could see, I could work, and
I could give up this begging business. And that's exactly
what he did. You remember when the Lord called
him, he threw his coat or whatever it was aside. They called that
a begging garment. It was something that the beggars
carried with them. He threw it away. He didn't need
it anymore. Why? Because he'd soon see. He'd
soon see. And the Lord Jesus said, go thy
way, thy faith that may be whole. And immediately he received his
sight and followed Jesus in the way. Can you see that poor impotent
man laying there at the pool of Bethesda? It's called the
house of mercy, Bethesda. There's a multitude of impotent
folk. Impotent means unable to take
effective action. impotent, unable to take effective
action, helpless and powerless, poor and needy. That's what impotent
means. That's the condition of all of
us by nature, every single one of us. And what a picture we
have of religion in that story. Men and women are waiting for
something to happen. You remember? Men and women are
waiting for God to do something. Men and women are waiting for
a heavenly experience. Why? When God's already done
something. Why He sent His Son into the
world to save poor and needy sinners. What are these impotent
folks doing? Nothing. They're unable to take
effective action. They're sitting there waiting
for an angel to stir the waters. And Christ, who is the living
water, is standing right in front of them. Christ asked that impotent
man, he said, will you be made whole? And you remember what
his reply was? He said, I had no man to put
me in the water. Listen, if Christ the living
water, it's Christ the living water that's speaking to him.
He's the only man you need. He's the God-man. Rise, take
up your bed and walk. Christ is not impotent, though
that's how most people preach Him. His command is always effectual. His Word is always effective.
And that was the case here. Immediately the man was made
whole. The man who was just a moment
ago impotent by the command of the omnipotent, took up his bed
and walked. I'm pretty sure in that passage
it said that he leaped for joy. He not only walked, but he jumping
up and down. Christ came in the world to save
sinners. Christ came to save the impotent.
Christ came to save the poor and needy. Are you poor and needy?
Then I have a gospel for you. Can you see her on her hands
and knees? Having an issue of blood for 12 years rendered helpless,
poor, and needy. She spent all she had on doctors.
She didn't have a penny left. Like the poor widow in our story,
she didn't have anything left. Spent all that she had. She has
nothing. Nothing. But she went from a nobody to
a somebody. How so? By touching the hem of
Christ's garment. Now we're not told her name in
that story, but Christ gives her one. He said, somebody touch
me. A nobody who by touching Christ
has now become somebody. And the Lord healed her. He said,
virtue's gone out of me. Somebody touch me. And she was
healed from that moment on. But she was poor and needy. At the city gate of Nain, a dead
man is carried out. It's a funeral procession. And
this man that was dead was the only son of a widowed mother.
Was there one in more need than her? Her husband has died and
now her son, who undoubtedly provided a living for her, is
now dead. Was there any more needy than
him? He's dead. The Lord said to the woman, weep
not. He came to help the poor and
needy. And he spoke to that dead man and he said, I say unto thee,
see it all matters on who says it. He said, I say unto thee,
arise. And he that was dead said up.
He that was dead began to speak. You know why? Because he's alive.
He that was dead was alive. Lazarus, come forth. And he that
was dead came forth. God's Word, Christ's Word is
effectual, friends. And the Lord had compassion on
both the mother and her son. They were both poor and needy. I am poor and needy, and my heart
is wounded within me, David said. I am poor and needy, yet the
Lord thinketh upon me, and He does. There's help and hope for
the poor and needy. I need Christ to put my sin away. That's my problem. See it. He appeared to put my sin away
by the sacrifice of Himself, Hebrews 9.26. I need for Christ
to give me His perfect righteousness. And the good news is that He
was made sin for me, and at the same time gave me His perfect
righteousness. I need for Christ to justify
me. He died, the just for the unjust,
that He might bring His people to God. What a gospel. I need Christ to redeem me, but
blessed by the Lord God of Israel, for He hath visited and redeemed
His people. Luke 1, 68. I need Christ to
give me spiritual life. I'm dead in trespasses and sin.
I need to be born again, born from above. I need to be made
a new creature, a new creation. I need to be kept by the power
of God. Because, as you said in your
prayer, I'm prone to wander. prone to leave the God that I
love. I need to be kept. I need to be preserved. I must
endure to the end in order to be saved. I can't keep myself. My only hope is that Christ love
me to the end and keep me into the end. And that's what he does
for the poor and the needy. Now the story of this poor widow
woman, it's a story of faith. It's a story of dependence on
Christ. And how did this poor widow display
faith? By casting all that she had into
the treasury. Have you cast all you have to
Christ? She put all her faith and dependence
in Christ. She had nothing to offer. She
had nothing to give. She was persuaded that God would
take care of her. Are you persuaded? Abraham, the father of the faith,
was persuaded. Turn with me. You can let your
place go. Turn with me to Romans chapter
four. Look at verse 16. Romans 4, verse 16. Talking about faith, dependence
on Christ. Having nothing to offer or give. Romans chapter 4, verse 16 says,
Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace To the end,
the promise might be sure to all the seed, not to the whole
world and everyone in it, but to the seed, those born of God. That's who this is talking to.
Not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which
is of the faith of Abraham, who's the father of us all. Verse 17,
as it is written, I have made thee, speaking of Abraham, a
father of many nations, before him whom he believed, even God,
who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be
not as though they were." You know, God can do that. I can look in the mirror and
say I'm good looking all I want to, but that's not going to change
anything. But God talks about those things that are not as
though they are. Verse 18, "...who against hope
believed in hope." that he might become the father of many nations
according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. Now look
at this. And being not weak in faith,
he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about a
hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb,
who by the way is ninety. He staggered not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory
to God, and being fully, what, persuaded that what He had promised,
what God had promised, He, God, was able to perform. God promised
Abraham a son when he was 100 years old, and Sarah, his wife,
was 90. Well, if you told me at 66 that Trixie
and I were going to have a child, I'd laugh like Sarah did. This takes faith to believe.
Abraham was persuaded that it was so. Anything and everything
that God promises is so. He calls things which are not
as though they were. Abraham believed God and it was
imputed. That word means it was counted.
It was charged to him for righteousness. Verse 22, And therefore it was
imputed to him for righteousness, Now it was not written for his
sake alone. Oh, you got my interest. Not
written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but for
us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised
up Jesus, our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses
and was raised again for our justification. Friends, faith
is to believe what others think to be impossible. We against
hope believe in hope. We consider not the deadness
of our flesh. We stagger not at the promise
of God. What's the promise of God? Verse
24 said that God raised Christ from the dead. I believe that
with all my heart. You can't talk me out of that.
What's the promise of God? Verse 25, that Christ was delivered
for our offenses. He was delivered for our sin
and our iniquity. You can't talk me out of that. That Christ was raised for our
justification. I believe that with my whole
heart. Meaning that we were made perfectly righteous in Jesus
Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us. Turn over a few
pages to Romans chapter 8. Look at verse 33. Romans 8, verse 33. Here Paul asked this
question. We're so familiar with these.
We've looked at them so many times. Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? And then he said, it's kind of
like he says, I'm going to give you a hint. It's God that justifies. We just read in Romans chapter
4 that Christ was raised for our justification to make us
perfectly righteous. Then he asked, who is he that
condemneth? Who can charge one with sin that
Christ has died for? Verse 34, who is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather,
that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. Hey, if it's Christ that
died and risen again, who's at the right hand of God making
intercession for us, who in the world is going to condemn us? Who can condemn a sinner that
Christ has died and been raised for? Who can judge or condemn one
that Christ makes intercession for at the right hand of God?
Nothing and no one, as we'll see. Verse 35. Who shall separate
us from the love of Christ? Who's going to divide a chosen
sinner who's been made in union one with their Savior? Who's
going to do it? Who can do it? Verse 37. Nay, in all things we are what? More More than conquerors, how
so? Through Him, Christ, that loved
us. And then Paul says in verse 38,
For I am persuaded. I'm convinced. I'm divinely influenced. I'm sovereignly swayed. Call
it what you want to. I'm certain, assured, my mind
is put to rest that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, any other creature shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. That's where
it's at. In Christ Jesus. God's love For
the poor and the needy is in Christ. Nowhere else. In 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse
11, Paul told Timothy, he said, I'm appointed a preacher, an
apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles, for the which cause
I also suffer these things. Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed,
for I know whom I have believed in. I know Jesus Christ. He's who I believe in. And I
am persuaded. What are you persuaded of, Paul?
That he's able. Able to do what? Anything and
everything. Whatever he determines, he's
able to do. And Paul says that he's able
to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. What
did Paul commit to Christ? The same thing that every believer
does. They commit to Him their righteousness. They commit to Him their forgiveness. They commit to Him their justification.
They commit to Him their salvation. Lord, I commit everything to
You. I throw it all in the treasury. And friends, we preach to persuade
men to have faith and trust in God. Turn with me to one last
passage, 2 Corinthians 5, and I'll finish it up. 2 Corinthians 5, and look at
verse 11. 2 Corinthians 5, verse 11. Knowing, therefore, the terror
of the Lord, we persuade men. What is it that we persuade sinners
to believe? Look down at verse 17. We persuade
sinners that, therefore, if any man, if any sinner be in Christ,
he's a new creature. Old things, all their old sins,
every one they've ever committed, are passed away, and behold,
all things are become new. Preacher, I need a new start.
You can have it. You can have it. Old things pass
away, behold, all things are become new. I need to start over
in life. You can. In Christ. Verse 18, and all things are
of God who hath reconciled, brought us back together and restored
us, is what the word means, to himself, how? By Jesus Christ,
and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. And that's
what we do in preaching. We persuade sinners to be reconciled
to God in Christ. We point sinners to Christ and
say, be you reconciled in Him. Be you reconciled to God in Him. We persuade men. That's how they're
reconciled and brought back together. By persuading them that it's
so. Verse 19, to wit, that God was
in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing, not
charging their trespasses unto them. How is that possible? Verse 21, for He, God, hath made
Him, Christ, to be sin for us, who knew no sin. Christ knew
no sin, and now we know no sin in Him, that we might be made
what? The righteousness of God in Him. Now listen to me, and I'll finish.
Poor and needy sinner. Is that who you are? Cast all
you have into the treasury of God. Jesus Christ is the treasury
of God. Cast all upon Him because He
careth for you. For you have need of nothing
that this world or this flesh has to offer. Now you can throw
in a big amount of it, It's nothing to you, it's just
access. But if you throw in all, throw in all, and put all your
confidence, all your trust, all your salvation, all your comfort,
all your rest in Christ, who loved you and gave himself for
you, everything is gonna be better than all right. He's worthy to
be trusted. He's worthy to be dependent upon. May God enable you to do so for
His glory, your good, and for Christ's sake. Amen.