"POOR ALWAYS" (Mt 26:11)

May 27th, 2009

Prayer Meeting Devotional

Int. This evening, we shall consider that little word "poor" It is found 205 times in Scripture.

Int. (John 12:8) "For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always."

1. "Poor people have been voting for Democrats for the last 50 years ... And they are still poor."

2. Sir Winston Churchill: "You don't make the poor richer by making the rich poorer."

3. Walter Williams: Black Columnist: "Here's my question for you: What are we to make of people who preach pessimism and doom to people -- telling them that they're poor because others are rich or telling blacks that they'll never make it because of societal racism? What are we to make of politicians, media pundits and college professors who preach the politics of envy -- telling people lies that the rich became rich off the backs of the poor? I grew up poor in a housing project in North Philadelphia, and those weren't the lessons prevalent a half-century ago. My mother used to preach that 'We have a beer pocketbook but champagne tastes.' And my stepfather used to admonish, 'If you want to make it in this world, you have to come early and stay late.' Those messages are far more beneficial to a poor person than those of victimhood and pity. Personally, I like evangelical minister Reverend Ike's response when asked what should we do about the poor. He said, 'The best thing you can do for the poor is not become one'."

4. John Angel James on "Poor Christians", said: "Contentment with such things as they have, and an un-murmuring submission to the appointment of Providence, are most obviously their duty, and should be conspicuously manifested in all their deportment.

5. Thomas Watson said: "How poor are they that think themselves rich! How rich are they that see themselves poor!"

6. (Prov 31:27) "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."

7. (2 Th 3:10) "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat."

8. (Ezek 16:49) "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy."

9. Benjamin Franklin: "I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I traveled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer."

10. The poorest of our Lord's hearers were frequently the most accessible to the truth; and from the poor he chose his chief followers and apostles.

11. The poorest Churches yielded most fruit.

A. Paul had most success, not in literary Athens, nor in luxurious Corinth, but in the poorer Churches of Macedonia, Philippi, Thessalonica,

12. Jesus called the poor flock at Smyrna rich and those who were rich at Laodicea, He called poor.

A. (Rev 2:9) "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."

B. (Rev 3:17) "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:"

C. The Church at Laodicea was rich in the world’s eyes and her own, but poor before God's eyes.

13. Calvin Coolidge, our 30th President: (The only one born on July 4th) (1923-1929) "Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong."

14. (1 Sam 2:7) "The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up."

A. (Prov 22:2) "The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all."

15. (1 Sam 2:8) "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them."

a. This was a prayer of Hannah...

"He from the dust doth raise the poor

That very low doth lie;

And from the dunghill lifts the man

Oppressed with poverty;

That he may highly him advance,

And with the princes set;

With those that of his people are

The chief, ev'n princes great."

b. James Meikle, 1730-1799 "On a blind beggar" "Poor man! you walk in darkness, though presented on every side with noon-day beams. You must commit yourself to your fellow-creatures, and by them be led from door to door. Who can but sympathize with your condition, and pity you? Poison unknown to you may be poured into your cup. You may fall into the fire or the water, or a ditch. You may dash your foot against every stone, and have the naked sword brandished at your bosom, while ignorant of your danger.

How melancholy, then, the case of those people who are spiritually blind—who drink the cruel "poison of asps;" who fall into every ditch of sin; who run into every danger; and oppose their hardened bosom against the naked point of justice's flaming sword! And how sad that the people in this condition, ignorant of their danger—should sport with wrath, and make a mock at sin!.."

16. C. H. S. Vol 53 #3059 has a sermon on Christ, "The Poor Man's Friend."

17. J. C . Philpot: "A man may be poor without being needy, without having any desire for what he does not possess; he may be content with his poverty. But the needy are they who are not content, who feel and utter their need. This is true of spiritual things. He is full of needs. He wants more and more of the grace of Jesus."

18. (Psa 40:17) "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God."

a. "But I am poor and needy." J. C. Philpot: "What an honest confession! How suitable to the experience of every God-taught soul! Let us contrast this humble confession with the boast that fell from the lips of the Laodicean church, "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing." Mark the contrast! The dead, carnal, lifeless professor, boasting, "I am rich!" and the exercised, tried, tempted child of God, confessing, "I am poor!" The one, full of pride, and glorying in self—the other, broken, humble, contrite, and laid low at the footstool of mercy!.."

19. (Psa 72:12) "For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper."

a. Spurgeon said: "His pity shall be manifested to them; he will not allow their trials to overwhelm them; his rod of correction shall fall lightly; he will be sparing of his rebukes, and not sparing in his consolations."

20. (Prov 19:1) "Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool."

a. John Gill: "A man may be a poor man with respect to worldly things, and yet be rich towards God; may be a truly gracious good man, honest, sincere, and upright in heart and life: and such an one is better."

"There is a certainty of love

That sets my heart at rest, —

A calm assurance for today

That to be poor is best."

21. (Prov 28:27) "He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse."

a. An alert preacher once spotted the noted English satirist, Jonathan Swift, seated in his church. He persuaded him to make the plea for helping the impoverished of the church. Swift entered the pulpit purposefully and declared, "I shall be brief." My text is: "HE THAT GIVETH unto THE POOR LENDETH UNTO THE LORD."

Brethren, you have heard the terms of the loan. If you are satisfied with the security, put down your cash. That was it. The collection broke all records"

b. (Rom 15:26) "For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem."

c. UNDER THE LAW, God's tender care and regard for the poor was well set forth, as in the less costly offerings they were allowed to bring,

d. (Lev 1:14-17) "And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the LORD be of fowls, then he shall bring his offering of turtledoves, or of young pigeons. {15} And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, and burn it on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar: {16} And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes: {17} And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD."

e. (Lev 5:11-12) "But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering. {12} Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, even a memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the LORD: it is a sin offering."

1. This was the only sin offering we know of without blood. (See Heb 9:22)

d. The half-shekel atonement money was a sum appointed to be alike for all, whether rich or poor, (Ex. 30:12-16 (see Job 34:19.)

1. (Exo 30:12-16) "When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel after their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul unto the LORD, when thou numberest them; that there be no plague among them, when thou numberest them. {13} This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel is twenty gerahs:) an half shekel shall be the offering of the LORD. {14} Every one that passeth among them that are numbered, from twenty years old and above, shall give an offering unto the LORD. {15} The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls. {16} And thou shalt take the atonement money of the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tabernacle of the congregation; that it may be a memorial unto the children of Israel before the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls."

2. (Job 34:19) "How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? for they all are the work of his hands."

22. (Mark 12:42) "And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing."

a. "The widow's two mites were welcomed into His treasury, because her heart was full, though her purse was empty."

"THE POOR WIDOW’S OFFERING"

By Georgia B. Adams

The poor widow of the scriptures

Took the Savior's eye one day,

When she gave all of her living

In the temple's offering tray.

Just a mite was all she placed there,

Hardly worth a second thought

When compared with all the riches

That the wealthy members brought.

But when Christ, the Savior, saw her,

He looked far beyond the mite,

For her sacrificing love-gift

Was most precious in His sight.

Little wonder that the Savior

Recognized her gift so free,

She had given all her living

And no bank account had she.

Yes, it's not what we have given,

But how much we've kept for self;

It's our sacrificing love-gift,

Not the hoarding up of wealth.

Surely this poor widow teaches

One great truth we all should know,

Time and talents, gifts and offerings,

Everything to God we owe.

####

23. (2 Cor 8:9) "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."

a. G. C. Morgan says: "This is the only time this word for "poor" in the Greek occurs in the N. T. It means "pauperism" He became a pauper on this earth, that we might become rich, that we might be made rich in Him and in His grace. Remember that. If you do, your love, your giving will be of the nature of His."

b. It is to be remembered that the happiest mother and the holiest son were among the poorest of our race.

24. (Gal 2:10) "Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do."

a. C. H. S. M & E pg. 154 March 17th. Morning. "Why does God allow so many of his children to be poor? He could make them all rich if he pleased; he could lay bags of gold at their doors; he could send them a large annual income; or he could scatter round their houses abundance of provisions, as once he made the quails lie in heaps round the camp of Israel, and rained bread out of heaven to feed them. There is no necessity that they should be poor, except that he sees it to be best. "The cattle upon a thousand hills are his"—he could supply them; he could make the richest, the greatest, and the mightiest bring all their power and riches to the feet of his children, for the hearts of all men are in his control. But he does not choose to do so; he allows them to suffer want, he allows them to pine in penury and obscurity. Why is this? There are many reasons: one is, to give us, who are favoured with enough, an opportunity of showing our love to Jesus. We show our love to Christ when we sing of him and when we pray to him; but if there were no sons of need in the world we should lose the sweet privilege of evidencing our love, by ministering in alms-giving to his poorer brethren; he has ordained that thus we should prove that our love standeth not in word only, but in deed and in truth. If we truly love Christ, we shall care for those who are loved by him. Those who are dear to him will be dear to us. Let us then look upon it not as a duty but as a privilege to relieve the poor of the Lord’s flock—remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Surely this assurance is sweet enough, and this motive strong enough to lead us to help others with a willing hand and a loving heart—recollecting that all we do for his people is graciously accepted by Christ as done to himself."

b. The poorest Churches yielded most faith. Paul had most success, not in literary Athens, nor in luxurious Corinth, but in the poorer Churches of Macedonia, Philippi, Thessalonica.

25. POWERFUL MEN FROM THE RANKS OF THE POOR.

1. Moses was the son of a poor Levite.

2. Gideon was a thresher;

3. David was a shepherd-boy;

4 . Amos was a herdsman;

5. The Apostles were "ignorant and unlearned."

6 The reformer Zwingle emerged from a shepherd's hut among the Alps. 7. Melancthon, the great theologian of the Reformation, was a workman in an armourer's shop.

8. Martin Luther was the child of a poor miner.

9. Carey, who originated the plan of translating the Bible into the language of the millions of Hindostan, was a shoemaker in Northampton.

10. Dr. Morrison, who translated the Bible into the Chinese language, was a last-maker in Newcastle.

11. Dr. Milne was a herd-boy in Aberdeenshire.

12. Dr. Adam Clark was a child of Irish cottars.

13. John Foster was a weaver.

14. Andrew Fuller was a farm-servant.

15. William Jay of Bath was a stonemason.

Conclusion: The Lord Jesus himself was born of poor parents.

1. Jesus had no home where to lay His head," (Mt 8: 20).

2. Jesus had no money to pay the tribute tax. (Mt 17:27).

3. Jesus preached to the poor. (Mt 11:5)

4. Jesus was received gladly by the poor, (Mk 12:37)