Sunday Sermon
sunday morning service 23rd May 2010
Mark 12v41-44
Context: 4 different questions had been put to the Lord.
Following which no one dared ask him anything else! So he spend the time teaching from his own agenda. He pointed to who the Son of David really was v35-37, delighting the listeners. And he warned about the actions of the scribes v38-40.
Following this he sits back and observes the goings on at the temple.
1) the eyes of the Lord! V41.
Jesus is watching.
Here at the end of a hectic day in Jerusalem, a day that marked his last public teaching, he sits back and watches the crowd.
It was a busy place, the Passover celebration would have brought many more people into Jerusalem than normal.
And Jesus sits and watches “how” people put their money in!
· The giving away of money is a test of our grasp of the Kingdom.
· Are we living freely in the Kingdom or still tied up in money worries?
There were 13 trumpet shaped collection boxes in the temple, all in the court of the women a bit away from the main action but still in the temple itself.
And there is Jesus, on his own at this stage, sitting watching.
App
One of the great phrases in scripture is “the eyes of the Lord”
e.g. Genesis 6:8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD”
Speaking of the promised land: “Deuteronomy 11:12 a land that the LORD your God cares for. The eyes of the LORD your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.”
“Judges 2:11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight/eyes of the LORD and served the Baals”
“1 Kings 15:11 And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as David his father had done”
Then to Asa a king who was commended for doing right in the eyes of the Lord comes the famous verse: “2 Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.”
As we come together for worship on a Sunday morning it is good to remind ourselves that Jesus is watching.
Why is he watching?
To see “how” we are worshipping.
Are we here because we want to be here or out of some sense of duty?
The encouragement is to come seeking the Lord, acknowledging our need of Him and we will be blessed!
He is watching to search for those whom he can strengthen and bless!
2) what does He see?
the many and the one v41-42
There are loads of rich people about and they put in loads of money.
The general mass of people were very committed and put in big sums or so it would seem.
But we know that there would have been those who gave simply for show, simply to be seen, for mans praise!
Then there comes a close focus.
Jesus moves from seeing the crowds to seeing one poor widow.
Who knows why she was poor; can mean pitiful. Perhaps she had been abused by those in positions of power to manipulate such people (v40). Whatever that was the fact.
And she puts into the offering, just in the same way as the rich, but a much lesser amount.
Two literally “thin” coins! The smallest value of coin around.
App
Jesus see’s our whole lives. He knows everything about us.
“Psalm 44:20-21 If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart”
We can put on a show for others but God knows what we are really like.
Therefore we need to come before Jesus honestly, as openly as we can.
Why? It is only as we do that we will grow in our relationship with him.
And we should rejoice in that. To be able to fully disclose ourselves before God!
3) what is the assessment? V43-44
· The teaching of the context was:
The wealthy are the blessed one, they have received Gods approval.
They can give and receive all the praise that man can give!
The poor are the useless ones, without hope, cursed, obviously not the chosen!
· The teaching of the Kingdom:
The good news: repent for the kingdom of heaven is near!
In the kingdom “blessed are the poor” why? “for yours is the kingdom of God” LK7v20
From God perspective the poor widow was the greatest giver.
Why? Because she gave her all to God!
How was she able? Because she was living in the Kingdom!
Giving to God was the only sensible thing to do.
It showed she completely relied upon God to take care of her.
“Deuteronomy 10:17-18 17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”
She believed that, she trusted that!
“1 Timothy 5:5 She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day,”
App:
What does God need from us?
1) Nothing is the first answer to that!
Money or resources are never an issue with God in the ultimate sense.
“Psalm 24:1 The earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein”
2) if God needs nothing, what is the best way to live before God?
By giving our all!
By acknowledging that all we have is Gods. Then living dependently on Him.
sunday evening service 23rd May 2010
Mark 13v32-37
In chp 13 Jesus is approached by a few disciples (v3) who want to know about the future.
Jesus has warned them about the destruction of the temple and they want to know when it will happen.
So Jesus gives them some prophetic insight into when it will happen.
He talks about the destruction of Jerusalem, but also talks about the end of all things.
The End!
1) what do we know? V32
We know that we do not know when it is!
The fact is stressed by the Lord: no one knows! Not even the angels, not even the Son!
We know that the Father knows.
God knows when the end will be, but not as an abstract fact!
He knows when the end will be because he is actively directing the world to that end even now! All the goings on in the world are leading to an end point.
V8 – all the human machinations and the natural events are “birth pangs”.
An new world is being formed!
God is in control and he is leading us all to that end point!
App
Children often want to know what is out of their league!
The knowledge of when the end will be is out of our league!
Children need to learn to trust their parents about certain knowledge.
We need to learn to trust God over this matter.
By trusting we mean that we need to rely on God about this matter:
Practically we can take great comfort in this knowledge - out Father knows all about our lives, the course of the worlds history, the exact date of the end.
God knows, we are to rejoice in that and rest in that!
2) but what are we to do as the end approaches? V33-37
a) be on guard & watch v33
the Greek says “watch” twice, using two different words
the first watch (ble,pete) is calling us to have spiritual sight (“take heed” in KNJV).
So that when we look at the world and all the distressing things that are going on we do not throw our hands up in panic. Rather we remember God. We remember he is in control and that all that happens is for a purpose and will lead to the End!
The second “watch” (avgrupnei/te\) is calling us to look out for each other.
We are to be on the lookout for others!
Why? Because we do not know what time we are at!
And what we do on earth actually has eternal consequences.
Look out and see those who are living without Christ, without thought of eternity.
Look out for them.
How? the NKJV has the word “pray” in the verse although it is not there in the Greek.
But perhaps it is giving the meaning as to how we are to lookout for others: by praying for them.
App:
Watch the world spiritually : watch out for others!
b) work responsibly v34
Jesus has returned to heaven for a time. But he has left his followers on earth.
As we wait for his return we have work to do!
We are “servants” (slaves) and we have “authority”.
Paul uses the term Ambassadors! (2Cor5v20) Representatives of Jesus.
That is what we are! Servants of God called to represent his Kingdom on earth.
Which for the most part means that we are to do all we can to encourage others to emigrate to Gods Kingdom!!
Again the door keeper is to watch – lookout for the lost!
App
Watching means practically fulfilling these servant duties!
c) stay awake v35-37
the worst thing that we could do would be so stop! Fall asleep!
“grhgorei/te”
This is the third “watch” word that is used!
Previously the watch was: watching with spiritual insight at the world
And watching for each other and for the lost especially.
The idea here is about staying awake, by watching with expectation!!
Jesus has not yet come, even in the early church people were losing patience (2pet3v4).
2000 years later we still wait!
How do we wait? We wait with expectation.
He is coming, the owner of the house will return! We watch expectantly.
App
watch, watch, watch!
Spiritually watch the goings on in the world
Compassionately watch out for the lost
Expectantly watch for his return.
