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Mark 12:41-44 ESV

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.”

I. THE MYTH OF TITHING
A. Tithing is not a command. Giving God your best is though. (Genesis 4, 14)
B. Tithing creates a false standard of best for some and a standard of shame of not good enough for others.

II. COUPONS IN THE OFFERING PLATE
A. Jesus is disheartened by loud but empty gifts to the Temple.
B. Jesus is more impressed with the gift of a single coupon by a widow than the many coins of the religious.

III. PURPOSE OVER PERCENTAGE
A. The purpose behind the gift matters more to Jesus than the percentage.
B. Money reveals the truth about our heats so money matters to Jesus.(Matthew 6:21)
C. God wants our best, not our leftovers.
D. Personal sacrifice is what makes a gift valuable not how much it cost.

IV. GETTING GOD’S BEST
A. In Jesus, God has given us His best. (2 Corinthians 8:9)
B. We owed God an infinite debt because of our sin that could only be paid off with righteousness.
C. We could not pay our debt so Jesus buys our debt in exchange for His righteousness.
D. Our generosity is intended to reflect the generosity of God to us in the Gospel.

NEXT STEP:
1. Say No to something good so you can say Yes to what is best.