[0:00] Alright, here we go. If you have your Bible, then let's get started and go to the place we were at Sunday morning in 2 Corinthians chapter 8. And I decided to kind of conclude something that really wasn't at all part of the sermon Sunday, but it's just something that was almost, in my opinion, just left hanging a little bit.
[0:26] And so we'll do something, and I think we'll get through it tonight. I wasn't sure if we'd get through all of it, but I think we will with the extra few minutes. And what we're going to do tonight is kind of a study of sorts, but it's going to start off simple, and then get a little bit more intense toward the end.
[0:45] In 2 Corinthians 8, and let's read again verse number 9, For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became rich, that ye through His poverty might be rich.
[1:01] And so Sunday morning we studied the humility of Christ, that is the six voluntary steps downward from heaven all the way to hell, and how Jesus Christ did it for your sakes.
[1:14] And the study left us, in my opinion, left me longing for the Lord's Supper, and to remember His sufferings and His death.
[1:26] And so I enjoyed Sunday's, just the study and the whole elements of that day. It was good to me anyway. And the verse says in verse 9, that though He was rich, though He was rich, and then it ends by saying, that ye through His poverty might be rich.
[1:47] That ye, dirty, rotten, scoundrel, scumbag sinners, that for your sakes He left heaven, He became poor.
[1:58] The terminology is rich and poor and poverty. And as we mentioned Sunday, the context of these two chapters, eight and nine, is about giving money, and that's probably why the language is there.
[2:10] But we're going to look at the terminology and know that within the word rich is a whole lot more than just talking about a church coughing up some money for another church.
[2:22] When it describes Jesus Christ saying, though He was rich, referring to His glorified, exalted place in heaven, yet for your sakes He became poor and wasn't just walking earth as a poor man without just money flowing from His hands writing checks to everybody.
[2:41] The poverty it describes, we studied, is Him giving of Himself, even making His soul an offering for sin. And so don't be distracted by the terminology of thinking wealth and money.
[2:52] It's referring to something far deeper. Yet for your sakes He became poor that ye through His poverty, remember ye being these lost, ungodly, Gentile sinners, slaves to sin, through His poverty might be rich.
[3:10] Now we're going to come back to that, all of that. This is a verse I have to say right at the beginning. This is a verse that the prosperity gospel people love.
[3:20] They love any verse that says it so blatantly that He did all that so we could be rich. And then off they go into their health and wealth, gospel and prosperity and money and just so blindly do that.
[3:35] Now this has nothing to do, as I said, with money, with what the Bible calls mammon. The Bible calls it filthy lucre. And that's just temporary. And so it's obviously not a statement that God wants you to be temporarily rich in this life because that has nothing to do with eternity.
[3:55] And Christ didn't die so that you could live comfortable and so that you could have things, live with no earthly want. As a matter of fact, it warns against somebody who wants to be rich. When Paul said in 1 Timothy 6, they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and hurtful lusts.
[4:13] Now come to Revelation chapter 3. And you can lose your place there in 2 Corinthians for now. I may refer back to it, but I hope I got it in your head a little bit.
[4:24] Revelation 3. And let's just start with the understanding or get a little insight, a little biblical insight to riches and to what God says about them or to just to be certain that we know what God's not talking about in that passage.
[4:48] Revelation 3. And here's this Laodicean church in verse 14. And the Bible reads, Under the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.
[5:03] I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou art cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Now let's pay close attention to their profession of this church in verse 17.
[5:18] Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. Now that's the problem God has with them, is their profession, what they believe or what they're deceived about.
[5:31] You say this, and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. So they're completely opposite in God's eyes of what they seem to think of themselves.
[5:44] What they're seeing is riches. I am rich. So they think. What are they rich in? Well, in earthly goods. I am rich and increased in goods and have need of nothing.
[5:57] So therefore, this church that has no physical needs, they have wealth, they have homes, they have cars and 401ks and they have it all laid out and figured out.
[6:12] I want you to notice that this church is deceived about riches and about themselves. They don't even know that what God says is you're poor.
[6:23] You're poor. But we have everything. No, you have nothing. God looked at them and said you're naked. And so there's a, what I want you to consider just to begin here is that this church is deceived about their blessings, about the things, the financial things they have and possess and their goods.
[6:45] Come to 1 Timothy chapter 6. We're going to move around a little bit so be ready. 1 Timothy 6. They're deceived about materialism.
[6:58] And here's a phrase that I want to put on top of that. I think you'll recognize it right away. 1 Timothy 6 and verse 5. Picking this up right in the middle of the statement. He says, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness.
[7:18] So there's the problem. They think material gain is a reflection of God's blessing and their spirituality. And I can't help but just side note say, if this doesn't sound like the life that I've grown up in, the United States of America and the physical blessings of the land and how Christianity and the typical American Christian has always just put that to the Lord and said, God has blessed us.
[7:44] God has blessed us. God has blessed us. And I don't want to upset anybody but I challenge you to take me through the scriptures and show me where that's God's blessings. Show me from the Bible that the physical, material blessings are God's blessings because you've heard that all your life probably as well as I have.
[8:02] This American Christianity of we're so rich and blessed in this land and I love it. I mean, I'm happy, happy, happy to be here. Believe me. And I don't want to experience not having the leisures and the luxuries that I enjoy.
[8:16] I love it. And I'm thankful to be living in this free land as free as it is still. But here's the thought. These are supposing that gain is godliness.
[8:26] They think that and they're wrong and Paul's admonition to Timothy is get away from those people. They're destitute of the truth. They're deceived like we read in Revelation 3.
[8:37] They don't know. Thou knowest not that you're miserable. Christ told his disciples not to lay up for themselves treasures upon earth. That is not God's way of blessing.
[8:48] Now come to Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter 12. Just kind of laying some groundwork here to move into something completely different and a lot more involved.
[9:05] Luke chapter 12. And you know in Matthew 6 where he told them about laying up for themselves treasures upon earth or treasures in heaven.
[9:18] This is the comparable passage and in this passage he gives, in Luke, he gives a parable. In verse number 16 through 21. Luke 12, 16.
[9:29] He spake a parable unto them saying, the ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully. And he thought within himself saying, what shall I do because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
[9:40] And he said, this will I do. I will pull down my barns and build greater and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods and I will say to my soul, soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years.
[9:52] Sounds like that church in Revelation 3. Increased with goods. Take thy knees, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.
[10:06] Then who shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he, this is the teaching, the application, so is he that layeth up treasure for himself. And is not rich toward God.
[10:17] Those are two different things. Laying up material treasures on earth and thinking I'm rich. I'm increased with goods. And not being, as Christ said, rich toward God.
[10:28] Rich in other ways. Now, Ephesians chapter 1. And we're going to start to transition here. Ephesians chapter 1. Now all of this is kind of bumping off of Christ saying, or Paul saying, about Christ that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
[10:53] Now just stay with me and keep following along. Here comes, we're transitioning into something. A little bit away from the material blessings and that mindset and supposing that that is godliness and God's blessings and spirituality and the way God rewards a spiritual man.
[11:09] It's not. Ephesians chapter 1. How do I know that? Because my Bible tells me how God rewards a spiritual man. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God to the saints which are at Ephesus and the faithful in Christ Jesus.
[11:27] These are born again believers. Grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
[11:47] Spiritual blessings as opposed to material blessings. He doesn't bless us with material blessings in heavenly places as opposed to in earthly places down here.
[12:00] What God does with the born again believer is blesses us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places. Not earthly, not houses and lands and treasures and bank accounts and cryptocurrencies of this age.
[12:15] What we have and we don't have time to really delve into this chapter but it goes through this chapter I'll just point out a few in verse 7 in whom we have what do we have?
[12:28] Redemption. Is that material or is that spiritual? We have redemption through His blood the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. Is that spiritual or physical?
[12:41] That's spiritual. Absolutely. What else do we have besides redemption and forgiveness? We have acceptance in verse 6 to the praise of His glory of His grace wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved.
[12:55] That's Jesus Christ. In Christ we're accepted of God whereas we were enemies. We were aliens and outcasts. Now we're accepted. Praise the Lord. That's a spiritual blessing that we have in Christ Jesus.
[13:10] There's so much more but here's another one. Look at verse 11. In whom also we have what do we have? We have obtained an inheritance.
[13:23] We have obtained an inheritance. What in the world? We get an inheritance? Keep your... We're going to go to a couple places here. 1 Peter 1 and Romans 8 because God blesses us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places and it's not to say that a man can't make money in this earth and give God the glory for it.
[13:50] A lost man can make money in this earth as well and he may not know God to give him the glory for it. And it's right to give God the glory for all things of course.
[14:00] And I'll give God the glory for the good things. I wonder will you give Him glory for the bad things? Because that's a different story. We think God just blesses us. It's hard to break yourself from some of these things.
[14:12] Alright, 1 Peter 1 first. We have an inheritance. Here's something on that. Verse number 3. 1 Peter 1 verse 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away not down here.
[14:39] Reserved in heaven for you. The inheritance in heavenly places this one's called it's incorruptible like what Matthew 6 describes where moth and rust doth not corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal.
[14:55] This one's incorruptible and undefiled and it fadeth not away it's eternal reserved in heaven for you. Now Romans chapter 8. So when Christ talks or Paul talks about spiritual blessings being reserved for us and he's not telling you God's going to give you big time bucks and give you houses and lands he talks about spiritual blessings and he talks about an inheritance that if you could look at all this what this world offers you and what God offers you to live through Him you'd spit on the world's treasures.
[15:35] Romans chapter 8. Now it's going to start moving a little bit further a little bit deeper. Romans chapter 8 and let's start in verse 16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.
[15:49] Praise the Lord. So we have God as our Father we are the children of God and I hope and trust you know that witness that bear the Spirit of God inside of your heart and soul bears witness to that.
[16:02] And verse 17 and if children then heirs what's an heir get? He gets an inheritance. What are you going to inherit? Heirs of God.
[16:13] Does that mean you're going to inherit God? No. We're heirs of God just like in this life you're the heir of your father should he choose to put all of his possessions in your name. So if children as we are we are the children of God and if children then we're heirs of God we're his heirs.
[16:33] If so oh I missed it and joint heirs with Christ. That is such an interesting phrase to me. Joint heirs with Christ. I can't I can't say this purely and doctrinally so to speak but if my parents gave I have two sisters if my parents decide that we're going to split it between those three kids evenly then we are joint heirs together of our parents and we get it equally as they prescribe.
[17:01] I don't know that that's what that means that we all believers are joint heirs with Christ like splitting it evenly. We are in Christ and we inherit what he inherits though.
[17:14] We're heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Let's give you a few scriptures here on what Christ has. Come back to John chapter 3. It's all going to tie back to that verse we read in 2nd Corinthians 8 John chapter 3 and I'm also after that going to hit John 16 and now we're going to start pulling out a little phrase here that's going to be worth studying.
[17:47] So if we're heirs of God does that mean maybe God's just going to give you a little portion of something as an inheritance but when he says we're joint heirs with Christ what is Christ going to get?
[18:06] And we're part of the body of Christ. Alright John chapter 3 and verse 35 the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into his hand the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into whose hand?
[18:30] The Son's hands all things to the Son now just plug that away we're going to see it again John 16 this time and look at verse number 15 Christ is speaking to his disciples and he said all things that the Father hath are mine how much is yours?
[18:52] all things Christ said now that little those two words just put them together leave them together because this Bible starts to throw those up at you a lot all things belong to Christ of the Father and we are joint heirs with Christ it says now going back to the verse we started with just for a moment what does it mean that ye through his poverty might be rich I want you to remember if you can think back to 2 Corinthians 8 verse 9 it starts by saying that though he was rich it uses the same word rich for what Jesus Christ had or possessed before he left before he condescended and left that position and as we studied those six steps from heaven to hell and it describes that we through his poverty that whole sufferings of Christ death burial hell all of it might be rich might be made rich it uses the same word for us as it started with him now that's your Bible don't just take for granted when it uses the same word and don't just think oh it's just you study that what does that mean why does the Holy
[20:07] Spirit put the same word describing the eternal glory of Christ before the world was saying he was rich and then say that you and I can be made rich through his poverty we read that I read these verses to you on Sunday I'll just remind you of them that the Christ's exalted position when it describes that though he was rich it's a description that Bible says in Philippians 2 that he thought it not robbery to be equal with God that's how rich he was the word was God remember in John chapter 1 that's how rich he was the glory I had with thee before the world was Christ referred in John 17 to his original glory in verse number 5 his eternal exalted position his power and his authority when it says though he was rich just a big statement about all of that yet for your sakes he became poor that ye through his poverty might be made rich why is he giving us that same word so now let's go back and remember what we just read that in
[21:14] John 16 15 all things that the father hath are mine all right go to Colossians chapter 1 we are flying through this I thought this was going to take a lot longer but we are I'm not really maybe I can pick up another verse or two too Colossians chapter 1 and all right watch this passage this is a starting in verse 15 where it says who is a reference to Jesus Christ who is the image of the invisible God the firstborn of every creature for by him were notice the next two words all things created now remember he said that that's what's his that's what the father's given him all things by him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth that's two different places visible and invisible that's two different realms whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created by him and notice this and for him that's big that's that's big stuff right there he's the creator of all of it but understand it's created for him now he doesn't yet
[22:35] I wouldn't say that it's yet to be realized and we'll well we'll get there let me remember to get this reference first corinthians 15 it's not yet realized that it's in the sense of he hasn't received it we're not all subject to him keep your place here but flip over to first corinthians 15 and we'll come back to colossians all things were created by him and for him I guess I don't need to keep it in colossians it just continues by saying he is before all things and by him all things consist and I wanted to point out that those the words all things continue showing up all the way into verse 18 that in all things he might have the preeminence now first corinthians 15 he created all things they're created for him but that's not yet been realized yet it will shortly look at verse verse 24 first corinthians 15 verse 24 then cometh the end when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to god even the father when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power that's
[23:52] Jesus Christ doing that for he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death now notice verse 27 for he hath put all things under his feet he being the father put all things under the son's feet but when he saith all things are put under him it is manifest that he is accepted which did put all things under him and when all things shall be subdued unto him that's future when all things shall be subdued unto him then shall the son also himself be subject things under him that God may be all in all so the it has not yet been realized in the sense that Jesus Christ is not getting the praise he is not getting every knee bowing to him declaring him to be Lord he is not having everybody subject unto him and being subdued unto him but he will he'll get his it's coming now let's keep moving through this first Corinthians all things visible and invisible all of it is determined from the father to give to the son as in he inherits it first
[25:15] Corinthians three let's start in verse twenty and again the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they are vain therefore let no man glory in men for all things are yours what do you mean all things are yours what's he talking about am I pulling this out of context or something what about it verse twenty two whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come all are yours and ye are Christ and Christ is God's just like back in chapter fifteen that's a strange thing if we don't understand our Bible very well he's talking about all things are yours what death things present things to come life all are yours this is confusing stuff but we're putting it together now come to second Corinthians chapter six second
[26:26] Corinthians chapter six and while we're so close let's go back and reread the first verse we started with in chapter eight and verse number nine and we're highlighting that word rich realizing that it carries a bit of weight to it verse number nine again in second Corinthians eight says for you 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 now because of Jesus Christ you you know underlying all of that because we understand more Bible doctrine than just those that sentence we understand that his poverty is a reference to what he left we understand hope and were by his grace saved and forgiven of our sins and redeemed from all iniquity and were placed in the body of Christ and now it says that ye through his poverty might be rich what we have in
[27:31] Christ is so much more than anybody in this room or even in this county has an understanding of at all not even close what we have in Christ those spiritual riches yet but the words all things kind of cover a lot of ground now come back to chapter six where I wanted you and we read this passage recently in noticing the working together in verse one and being ministers of the new testament from the previous chapter and approving ourselves as ministers of God in verse four and we came all the way down in verse ten let's just read verse ten chapter yet always rejoicing as poor yet making many rich now what is that talking about well I think you might know based on that thought from chapter eight that we're ministers of
[28:31] Christ of the new testament and ministers of God and we're living lives that it describes afflictions and distresses and it describes things through this chapter of being of love unfeigned and getting dishonor and seeming like deceivers in verse eight but we're telling the truth unknown yet well known as dying and behold we live and it just seems like such an opposite life of the bad to the good and in verse ten as poor yet making many rich as having nothing and look at that clothes and yet possessing all things does the Corinthian church really understand what Paul said there just in that statement I don't know that I do so I surely doubt they do as well even having more revelation and more scripture to put together many rich turning many to
[30:03] Christ getting many into the body of Christ to receiving and realizing one day not even close to it now but one day receiving the inheritance that's incorruptible one day being that joint heir with Jesus Christ he says as having nothing yet possessing all things in chapter three it was all things are yours all are yours why does Paul say that statement what does it possibly mean anything that makes sense to me is putting these things together is that this term all things that he created all things and they're for him and the father is giving him authority over all things and when Paul says that we're joint heirs with Christ we're children of God and heirs with Christ he's going to allow us through Jesus Christ to inherit all things and I can't put a I can't paint a picture of this and put it into words
[31:05] I can just say all things but God's going to do something with the body of Christ that is beyond this planet this dirt where the Jew is told they're going to inherit the earth the body of Christ is said it seems is given an opening to something far beyond the earth something where it includes the principalities and powers and things that have already been in existence since the beginning that we're going to well I can't even speak directly to what we're going to be doing but there's a few thoughts that even go a little more speculating than anything what I can get excited about and what I can turn my focus toward in this life is that what's on anything in this life away forever 1st Corinthians chapter 2 and I'll just notice verse number 9 and 10 but as it is written
[32:15] I have not seen nor your heard neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him but God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit for the spirit searcheth all things look at that yea the deep things of God and he continues on to talk about how how we can discern some things they're spiritually given to us and you can't do it if you're not first of all saved if you're just the natural man it's foolishness unto you and even for some of the saved it's foolishness unto them unless they have the spirit of God reveal them through the word of God like in verse 13 through words if you study that verse 13 which the holy ghost teacheth comparing spiritual things with spiritual as you dive deeper into this book and believe the words of this book you can start putting together a string of thoughts that beyond this life for us now it's just it's just some it's a little bit of light
[33:21] I think it's there's it's just enough to make you say what is going to be like beyond this life I don't know but when we read in 1st Corinthians 2nd Corinthians chapter 8 that ye through his poverty might be rich I found it interesting that he's using the identical word for Jesus Christ condition before he left heaven that exalted position we understand that Bible says that we're predestined to be conformed to the image of his son to his very image we're going to be made like unto him John says we shall be like him and so I'm not trying to put us as deity like the Mormons do because it's all it's him we're in him and there's some things about that that the study Sunday with the humility of Christ the focus was on Jesus Christ and what he did but there was that little glimpse at the end of that verse that it described us and some positive thing we get out of it and it's not money it's not silver and gold those are called corruptible things it's something far better than that back in the old test back in the
[34:34] Psalms I think it's Psalm 84 it says that no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly and so whatever God's got planned for us it looks like it's his creation that he created all things for Jesus Christ and we get in Jesus Christ we're accepted in the beloved therefore we're joint heirs with him and it's as if we'll have the mind of Christ the Bible describes nothing withheld because we're going to have the right motives we'll have the right person that we're connected to and then it just is a mystery beyond that to me so I know this is kind of a heavier thought and a train of thought and it's maybe not all in that verse but it is something in there and it says you might be rich describing using the word that he used to describe himself all I can say is I'm looking forward to it I guess leave it at that there's so much more than just talking about getting some rewards at the judgment seat of
[35:41] Christ because God's will for this thing is about his son and we by his grace get to be connected to his son and it's that's good enough all right so we'll quit there and Lord willing come back Sunday and have something a little more practical Father please bless