Charity - part II

When it comes to the topic of how we spend our money, we need to be precise because of how wide such a teaching can reach. It is a vast topic; woven through not only our day-to- day life, but through our thoughts of the future as well. We could speak about trusting our wealth more than we trust God; what role a civic government has when it comes to money; and the reality of how many lives are built or broken when it is used wisely or foolishly. How true is that “...the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (1st Tim. 6:10)

The focus for this morning, however, is to pick up where we left off last week.

When, not if you give; why are you? Is it nothing more than you acting towards others the same way that God acted towards you? Do you accept that you were once an impoverished orphan headed to Hell? And for no reason found within you, the God of the Universe acted charitably towards you by giving you the very righteousness that He demanded?

If so…then act upon it, by being merciful towards the poor and needy. If you have this world's goods, and see a neighbor in need (1 Jn. 3:17), then open your heart towards them by opening your wallet. To do so, Prov. 19:17 tells us, is to “lend to the Lord.” When you see someone hungry and naked, let your living faith give them what is needed, Ja. 2:15-17 tells us, because that is what enduring righteousness looks like (Ps. 112:9). And do it all for no other reason apart from a love for the God who did the same to you.

For that is the foundation of our entire life.

We treat others in ways Scripture tells us, not to earn or boast in our salvation; but simply because we love God. Period. He is the aim of every behavior, hobby, family, vote, and penny, regardless of the outcome.

Opening: Read → Matthew 6:1-4 and Opening Prayer

Last Sunday we concluded with a large section, Matthew 25:31-46, and saw that when the end of all time arrives and the righteous sheep are separated from the wicked goats; Jesus will be speaking to us about the way we spent our money. One thing we might not have noticed however, is something we have talked about since we first opened Ch. 6. Look at what it says in v.34-37 → “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we…”

When Christ is speaking to His children in these verses; calling them “blessed of the Father” for the way they spent their money and lived their life…they were surprised. They even asked Him about His claims! Meaning; their right hand didn't know what their left hand was doing. They had spent their lives keeping their righteous acts a secret from themselves. 

“What are you talking about God! When did I ever see you naked and clothe you; or see you hungry and feed you? That is something I would have remembered! I would have set my table with the finest dishes, silverware shining in the soft light of my home that was prepared to host my King! I would have clothed you in the finest linens, and fed you the choicest of meats and delicacies! Surely I would have remembered such a thing.”

Nevertheless, our King stands His ground; “digs His heels in” as it were; and explains that when we cared for the less fortunate; the poor and needy; the naked; the sick; the prisoner even!; we had been unknowingly ministering to Him. Let this truth sink as deep into your hearts as it does into your wallets my friends:

To minister and serve the less fortunate,

is to minister and serve Christ Himself.

When you give of yourself to help those in need; by any of the means God has ordained to be a reality in your life; be it financial, time, or giftings; you are serving the God of the entire Universe. When you intentionally go out of your way to help the poor and broken, those actions are towards Christ. You are giving a drink to, and clothing Him; by giving a drink to and clothing them. How? Because He Himself said “I thirst” (Jn. 19:28) as He hung naked, clothed in nothing but blood and thorns. He was cast aside, looked down upon, betrayed and broken; so when we, simply because we love Him, serve and lift up the weak from the pits of poverty that providence has placed them within, we are serving Christ.

We will expand more upon this in just a moment, but think again about the surprise felt by the righteous sheep in Matt. 25. 

How easy will it be to call to mind those actions in our life that we performed specifically for God? When we speak this or that truth to someone in our life that is hurting; wayward; or living in blatant sin. When we say our private or public prayers of thanksgiving for the life God has given us. When we worshiped here together this morning, singing wonderful songs about the beauty of God; it was all pointed upwards.

Such instances are easy to remember. They are there, at the surface of our hearts. We don’t need to dig very far to find them. Yes, over decades of faithful living it may be hard to remember them all, yet the principle holds true.

But Christ doesn't bring those examples up! Instead, He says that when we serve the poor and needy, we are serving Him.

Why? Because He “goes toward” the humble and broken. Those who know; with no shade or shadow of doubt; that there is nothing in this world they can rely upon or take hope in; those who have given up on having a life worth living, and who admit their own actions are the reason why, thereby giving up on themselves; these, the broken, are those whom Christ went toward, while everyone else would rather cross the street to stay away from. 

Is it any wonder that He begins the Sermon on the Mount with The Beatitudes? Look at the descriptions of those whom Christ calls blessed, and weigh them against the standard of the World. Blessed are the poor in spirit; the mournful meek; and those who hunger for righteousness. Blessed are the merciful; the peacemaker; and those who are persecuted because of their purity of heart. 

Without making any theological claims about the nature of God; we can rightly say that He has “a special place in His heart” for those whom our world has cast aside. We went through a number of Scriptures together last week showing this, but the examples are many. Look at what Jer.22:16 says about king Josiah → “He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Was not this knowing Me?” says the Lord.” Josiah rightly judged the cause of the poor and needy, which is to say: he was knowing God.

When we look at the life of Christ, the examples are as clear as they are numerous. It is something that even the atheist or pagan will say is true about Jesus; He showed a special love towards the poor. We see The Good Samaritan (Lk. 10); or the woman at the well (Jn. 4); both showing God’s special attention towards the broken poor. We can read the story of the widow and the penny she gave, far more than the wealthy around her (Lk. 21); or the woman with the issue of blood, whose disease only got worse with every attempt at healing it (Mt. 9).

Were these not enough, we read this in Lk. 4:17-21 → “And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: [18] “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; [19] To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” [20] Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. [21] And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Scripture is crystal clear my friends, God’s ‘going towards’ the poor is unavoidable.

But take heed! Be warned! Forget not how clever hypocrisy is. It hides behind the truth with such precision you may mistake one for the other. And it is devilish; “Did God really say…?”

Can we agree with Scripture when it says that God goes toward the poor? That Christ was sent to the poor? That God chooses the weak of this world? (1 Cor. 1:27). Yes. So long as we agree with the rest of Scripture that says “none are righteous, no not one.” (Rom. 3:10); and that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”(Rom. 3:23).

Therefore, to think that the poor have a headstart into eternity over the wicked-wealthy (sarcasm!), while simultaneously saying that all of humanity is headed to Hell outside of the saving power of Christ, is to play the hypocrite. To speak of the horrors of Hell and the blinding forgiveness of Christ able to save you from them all…to everyone but the poor; not only makes you a hypocrite, it makes you mean. Because none are righteous, not even the poor.

Well then…what are we to think?

If feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and giving of yourself to relieve the burden of the broken poor, is actually ministering to Christ because of the special attention that He gave towards the hungry, naked, and poor; how can we then say they don’t have a “head-start”? 

We can say this by understanding that every time God speaks or acts, He is revealing something about Himself. Be it when He spoke aloud His laws to Moses (Ex. 20:1-7); led His people by fire and cloud (Ex. 13:21&22); pronounced and enacted judgement against them (Ps. 135:14); brought them back from exile (Jer. 29:14); gave eyes to the blind (Jn. 9), or ears to the deaf (Mk. 7); or when He promised to finally cast death itself into the lake of eternal flame (Rev. 21:4); everything He has said or done is a “pulling back” of the veil that long separated us from Him. With the ultimate revelation of His character and nature in the person and work of Jesus Christ, tearing the veil asunder (Mt. 27:51).

So when we see God showing a “special interest” toward the poor and broken, even to the point of saying that's why He came to Earth; while simultaneously telling us that those poor and broken are headed to Hell alongside the wealthy should they not repent; it tells us something about His character and nature. And for our sermon this morning, God has repeated Himself over and over again:

Jer. 9:23 & 24 → “Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.”

Ps. 62:10 → “Do not trust in oppression, nor vainly hope in robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.”

Prov. 11:28→“He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage.”

Prov. 23:4 & 5 → “Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease! [5] Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.”

Luk. 12:15 → “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

Matt. 6:19-21 → “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; [20] but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. [21] For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

There are countless other examples, but I'm sure the picture is crystal clear.

God repeatedly tells us to not trust in our wealth.

That when riches increase, to not place our hope upon them.

That our life consists of so much more than stuff.

And wealth does nothing when the eyes of divine judgement are looking our way.

Why does He repeat these instructions? Because that’s what people do. We are fully and completely merit-based creatures, who look at everything in our own heart and mind, or the work of our hands, assign value to it, and then depend upon it to live, and move, and have our being. We examine behaviors, actions, or certain ways to live; then put them through the checks and balances of our own thoughts to see if there is any beneficial outcome.

If we don't see any, we reject it.

The only reason I am working is to get paid. The only reason I am exercising is to get healthy. The only reason I am giving to the poor is to make God happy. How is it adding to my life? Making my life better? Is it a guaranteed outcome? Is there a more effective way to accomplish it with the same outcome?

Is there some truth to these examples? Perhaps. But nevertheless; on and on we treat the life given us as a giant ledger, ensuring we never move into the negative, for that is when life will grow hard and uncomfortable. Woe to that culture, to that family, who believes that nothing has value lest it improve your own life. Because

some things are worth doing simply

for the act of doing them…no matter the outcome. 

Imagine the kind of culture where the artists only pick up their brushes; the authors only pick up their pens; or the musicians only pick up their instruments; should a paycheck be guaranteed to them. Imagine the child taught that nothing matters but financial or societal success, or the Church who cares only for the offering and nothing of doctrine. What a sad, bleak, and hopeless culture such people would make.

Nevertheless, we continually see this merit-based mentality all around us; from the Old Testament until today; and believe that having as much wealth as possible will somehow equal a stress-free life. We refuse to admit how weak we actually are, and double-down on every effort to show our strength, power, intellect, and determination. And when any manner of results do come about, instead of thanking God for it all, we see the numbers in our bank account begin to climb and think: “No matter what tomorrow may hold, I am well prepared for it all.”

Such a mentality Jesus confronts directly in Lk. 12:16-21 → “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

To add in a little grace and understanding; some of this makes sense, right? If I have been wise in saving my money, if my furnace doesn't turn on, I don't need to panic. What matters is if you are thankful to God for making you the way He did; with all of the strengths that allow you to work the job He gave you; and thankful that He ordained for the current culture you live within, that allows such a job to exist. We do this, thanking God for it all, because gratitude is not only an admittance of a lack; it shows what you value.

Prov. 30:7 - 9  → “Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: [8] Remove far from me falsehood and lying;give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, [9] lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.”

Now to bring all of these things together.

Scripture teaches us that serving the poor is actually serving Christ, because God has a “special place in His heart” for the poor. And when we take that into account with the numerous warnings about trusting in riches, along with the truth that everything God says and does reveals something about His character and nature; we can rightly understand that God goes toward the poor…to prove that He bears nothing of our systems of value and worth. To prove that He is God, we are not, and that He can do anything He wants, for any reason He wants, and will never have to answer to anyone for any of it. 

When we read about God going towards the poor and needy, the weak, lost, broken and hopeless; while mankind sets its sight and favor upon the healthy, wealthy, and powerful; it is simply God proving with action, what He has long said with words. When we see Christ eating with prostitutes and thieves, or healing the Leper by touching him, it is example after example of the kind of God who rules the entire Universe: 

“For thus says the High and Lofty One,

Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:

“I dwell in the high and holy place,

With him who has a contrite and humble spirit,

To revive the spirit of the humble,

And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.”

Isaiah 57:15

Him whose glory kills the unworthy by mere proximity; Him whose very name is “Holy”; lives in the unapproachable light of a thousand explodings suns and with those empty of any hope. The contrite ones. The broken. The tempest tossed ship with neither sail nor captain, lost forever adrift upon an uncaring sea. The helpless poor; you are the ones to whom the God of all creation goes towards.

You with no hope of anything in this life; no government program can help you; no family member who loves you, (if indeed you have such a one), can bring peace to a heart as troubled as yours.

You are truly poor.

There is no counselor who can fix your brokenness; and no habit you have fought to instill or fought against has improved your life, so you’ve stopped trying.

You are truly poor.

No church can provide the spiritual food that can save your soul from the Hell you know you have earned…for you see your sins, as clear as day. You have nothing to hope for. You have no one in the world that can ease your burden.

You are, truly, fully, in every sense of the definition, completely poor.

Face your poverty my friends! With eyes filled with unfallen tears, and a body that fails what you demand of it everyday…take hope! Not because you are strong, but because you are weak. And when you do, have hope in overwhelming measure beyond what you can ever ask or even think…for you are precisely the kind of person that God goes toward. “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” (Is.55:6&7)

ut how! How can a wicked man be pardoned! Nothing in this world can fix me, help me or guide me! How can a perfect God not only pardon…but abundantly pardon someone with nothing to offer back to Him but the filthy rags of my own sin and shame?

Because He is not like us, deciding what to do based on merit or value. If He was, none would be saved. He is not like us at all. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Is. 55:8&9)

But…with utmost sorrow and terrifying despair for your future, I must say…if that is not you; if you are hurt, sure, but still strong. So strong, in fact, that you can face any storm that comes your way. You have been put through the wringer of life and have learned enough lessons to stand back up, brush yourself off, and keep moving…then you don't need God.

Right?

If you are poor…but you're doing just fine thank you very much. Well then…God didn't die for you. Why would He? You don’t need help, and are well able to rise above your circumstances after-all. You’ve got this.

He came not for the healthy, but for the dying. The sick. The poor. He came for those with no hope. None. Nothing. They are those who God came to Earth to save. Furthermore, those are the only ones God came down to save. Only the thirsty will drink from the fountain of life, not those whose bellies and hearts are as full as they could ever desire.

So…are you thirsty? Have you worked your fingers raw as your heart, and found nothing beneath the sun but vanity after vanity? Are you hopeless this morning? Then cry out in anguish for your eternal soul, repent, and see the riches of God flow to you through the open wounds on the back of Christ. Admit your sin, admit your shame, admit you have no strength, intellect, or determination left at all; because you, like the woman with the issue of blood before you, have spent it all on things that only made your condition worse. And reach out your weak and frail arm to grasp the hem of His clothing, by repenting of your sins and believing in Him who can save you.

And now that you have, you are among the richest class in human history. So rich, that you will be inheriting the entire earth. For the very righteousness of Christ has been given to you, changing everything about you. 

So what are we to do, we the poor who have been given the unending riches of eternal life? We do everything we can to improve the lives of those around us. Because we were poor, helpless, alone and afraid; and for no reason within us, God saved us. We went to the Cross with hands that would be empty were we not carrying our sin every step of the way.

We had nothing to offer Him in return or pay Him back. So give of yourself to alleviate the burden of the poor. Not because they have earned it. Not because it will make your life better, it very well may not. But do so for no other reason than a love for God, knowing they can never pay you back.

Luke 14:12-14 → “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

For when you do such a thing, you are serving God.

Matthew 6:3&4 → “When you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”

And reward you He shall. When everything that has ever drawn breath; the totality of creation; stands before the throne, He who lives forever and ever will place His pierced palm upon your tired back as He presents you to His Father; sinless and spotless. And there, upon a sea of crystal glass, with a voice of many rushing waters He will look directly at you as He announces to the entire Universe: “Well done my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” (Matt. 25:23). Go towards the poor, my friends, like God did for you. 

Nov. 1st 2026

Rev. Jacob Marchitell

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Extra Material for Sunday School

We can rightly agree that the truly poor; those with no hope, at all, in anything; are an endangered species. We have countless government funded programs to alleviate the burden of poverty, all to the shame of the Church universal. From the food necessary to stay alive, to the houses you eat the food they gave you within. From educating your children, to providing daycare to them, and ensuring they are the ones who are the final say over both their physical and mental health. We have an entertainment industry producing enough garbage to keep your eyes glued to a screen so you can avoid facing your situation; and a medical industrial complex to pump you with enough mood-altering medicines should the feelings of despair be too much for you to handle. We have grants and discounts and enough loopholes to encourage every manner of business; and sex available at the swipe of a finger. 

And added atop such a complicated pile, where advantages and opportunities can be found for the wise, but laziness and sin for the fool; we have the modern American mentality of “If you work hard enough, you can change your life, no matter what.” Which is in direct opposition to the words of Christ in confronting the hypocrite Judas: “The poor you will always have with you.” (Matt. 26:11)

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There is still much much more that can be said. Not simply about wealth, but about hypocrisy in terms of our wealth. I have merely scratched the surface of such a teaching, and I pray that you continue in your own private time to search the Scriptures. Nevertheless, the truth of God going towards the poor is proof positive that His measure of success has nothing to do with earthly wealth.