Jesus Became Poor to Make Us Rich in Spirit

Jesus became poor to make us rich in spirit

Jesus' poverty led to our spiritual wealth

Material wealth is not the focus of this scripture

True wealth is having enough to meet our needs and help others

Music Music The title of this message today is called, The King of Kings Became Poor So You Could Become Rich. We will open this word in Apostle Paul's epistle found in 2 Corinthians 8, verse 9. For you are becoming progressively acquainted with and recognizing more strongly and clearly the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, his kindness, his gracious generosity, his undeserved favor and spiritual blessing, in that though he was so very rich, yet for your sakes he became so very poor in order that by his poverty you might become enriched, abundantly supplied. I must first point out in this scripture the terrible abuse used by the word faith people. Their whole premise with this word is to prove what they love most, and that is mammon, or better called money in our day, which satisfies their greed and sinful pleasures for selfish gain. They say that Jesus came to make people rich so they could live abundantly on this earth. For them, this is all a material and physical quest to make themselves rich in their bank accounts, but also denies the power of the King of Kings who died a physical death on the cross to make all those who choose him as their Savior to become spiritually rich in him. Today, we need to establish that this scripture points out the fact that our precious kingly Savior came to this earth to die a voluntary death upon the cross. And dear listener, Jesus died a horrible death upon that cross over 2,000 years ago. The terrible bodily pain and astounding mysterious mental anguish of our Savior and what he suffered is unbeknownst to us. Can I tell you that his death on the cross was one of infinite love for the souls of mankind? mind. Jesus Christ's kingly office, as it is carried out spiritually in the souls of the redeemed individual, draws all those whomsoever who will bow in obedience to him and worship him and love him with their whole heart. We see the absolute victory that the gospel truth has over sinners. It casts down and overthrows the strongholds in their lives. Jesus Christ plundered and spoiled Satan of his armor in which he trusted by showing the sinner that he can be victorious too because he, Christ, defeated the devil when he went to the cross and the grave and rose up in three days later to claim his kingly position once again beside his heavenly father on his throne. Though the Lord Jesus Christ was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8, verse 9 Jesus Christ became poor for us, that we might become rich in him. Did you hear that? It is only in Christ, it is only in him, that we can become rich. The poverty and wealth spoken of in this verse could be taken spiritually, but the context of the verse appears or indicates that the Holy Spirit is speaking of material poverty and material riches as well. What does the word rich really mean in this passage? You see, before verse 8, which tells us that Christ was rich for our sake and in his poverty, that we might become rich. The scripture was telling of the hardship of the churches of Macedonia. They were having terrible hardships at that time. Let's read that in 2 Corinthians 8, verses 1-7. The word says, Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia, that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the richness of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with a much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of ministering to the saints. Verse 5. And not only that, as we had hoped, But they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. Verse 6. So we urge Titus that as he has begun, so he would also complete the grace in you as well. But as you abound in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us, see that you abound in this grace also. So we see the three characteristics that mark the giving of the Macedonian brethren. First, they gave sacrificially beyond their ability, and they gave more generously than their limit means and their difficult circumstances might have warranted. The Macedonians were poor. Though they were, they had shown a complete disregard of their own requirements, both present and future. and secondly, of their own accord before giving any suggestion or pressure from others that they should give. They wanted to extend the gracious fellowship to the poorer saints. Having received grace from God as needy sinners, they desired to extend grace to their needy brethren by sending them material assistance. They begged Paul for the privilege of helping the poorer brethren. and third they gave as a part of their larger personal dedication primarily to the Lord but also to Paul They gave themselves first to the Lord and to us for any service that he might request of them That's found in verse 5. So when people give themselves totally to the Lord and to his servants, their hearts are already open towards others in need. Meeting the needs of others is really service for Christ. and also in Philippians chapter 4 verses 15 through 19 we see the heart of the Philippian church and their giving and what Paul tells them will be the result of their generous giving. And you Philippians yourselves know well that in the early days of the gospel ministry when I left Macedonia no church assembly entered into partnership with me and opened up a debit and credit account in giving and receiving except you only. Verse 16, for even in Thessalonica, you sent me the contributions for my needs, but not only once but a second time. Not that I seek or am eager for your gift, but I do seek and am eager for the fruit, which increases to your credit, the harvest of blessing that is accumulating to your account. Verse 18, but I have your full payment and more. I have everything I need and I'm amply supplied and I have received from Aphrodite the gifts you sent me. They are a fragrant odor, an offering and sacrifice which God welcomes in which he delights. Verse 19, and my God will liberally supply, fill to the full your every need according to his riches in the glory of Jesus Christ. well it is here that the word faith people abuse and pervert this word what this absolutely does not mean is that we have enough or plenty of money and property and wealth but it does mean we will have enough to meet our needs and some extra to help bless others you see being rich is described in Revelation chapter 3 verse 17 as having a need of nothing. Chapter 3, verse 17. We'll read it. For you say I am rich. I have prospered and grown wealthy. I am in need of nothing. And you do not realize and understand that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. You see, man is confident in his own wealth and his riches and creature comforts. but only God is truly rich and is in need of nothing because all things belong to him. The scripture in Psalms chapter 50, verses 10 through 11 declares, God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, which really boils down to mean that he owns everything. Saying that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills is another way of saying everything belongs to God. And don't forget, dear listener, God Almighty created everything that we see today with our own eyes. The proof of this is written in Genesis 1-1, which says, In the beginning God created. Well, through those scriptures, I don't think we need any more proof that God created everything. Amen. God was reminding the Israelites back then that he didn't need to be offered animals by man as a sacrifice. And God is telling people that he doesn't need their animals. We wonder why. We can see reasons why in Psalms, chapter 50, which explains that. God requires more. When we look at the scripture, we can see that God requires more than external obedience to his commandments. He desires inward, internal righteousness. And even though the people were following the law blamelessly in regards to the sacrifices, they were lacking in true spiritual love and worship and appreciation of God. In Psalms 50, God says to the people, Sacrifice and thank offerings to God. Fill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you and you will honor me. And another thing that we see that God doesn't need sacrifices for food. God doesn't need anything. He is the self-existent one. He is the creator and sustainer. Nothing creates or sustains him. And another thing is God rebukes worship based only on obligation. Thanksgiving is an important part of true worship and another is that God refutes and condemns the idea of what people give to him as theirs they feel that they're being big hearted in parting with their property or whatever they have for God's sake many people today harbor the false idea that what they own and then part with some of it to give to God that he really must be pleased with them. Some people never think to take time to thank God with what he has blessed them with. You see, making it clear, God owns everything that we see before our eyes today. 1 Corinthians 10, verse 26 declares, for the whole earth is the Lord's and everything that is in it belongs to him. Our precious king does not have silver or gold or a big bank account. He has need of nothing. The streets of his kingdom are paved in gold, gold of the richest kind. Jesus was not poor when he was on the earth. He had need of nothing. But listen to this. Jesus even provided food for around 10,000 people according to Matthew chapter 14 verse 21 he lacked nothing Matthew 17 verse 27 declares and tells us that he had enough money to pay his taxes and that he never borrowed money from anyone at any time and according to John chapter 13 verse 29 Jesus even had enough money to give to the poor John 13 verse 29 says some thought that since Judas had a money box the purse Jesus was telling him buy what we need for the festival or that he should give something to the poor Well we see that when Jesus in Matthew 26 verse 11 Jesus said, the poor you have with you always, but you do not have me. So we see that he was most certainly not including himself amongst the poor when we read that scripture. Amen. So it's quite clear that Jesus was rich when he was on the earth because we are told that he lacked nothing. The king of kings was spiritually rich in everything, dear listener. He lacked nothing. But now, wait a minute. Do we see that Jesus did become poor when he hung up on the cross? the poorest beggar we have ever seen usually has at least a torn and raggedy garment around his body but when Jesus did not even have that when he was sacrificed and crucified he was stripped naked and beaten and crucified he really became poor for our sakes when he hung up on the cross and was crucified on our behalf Jesus became poor when he divested himself of his kingly glory and stepped into the world as a little babe who grew up and died on a cross for the sins of mankind. The poverty of our Lord that has made so many rich really is indescribable. Through his poverty, many have become spiritually rich. in Christ's divine heavenly nature. He sat next to his Father's love and acceptance in the midst and adoration of all the holy angels and also in possession of all the beauty and the wealth and the joy of heaven which is unbeknownst to us. Apostle Paul said of his visitation to heaven that he saw wonderful and awesome things that he was not even allowed to speak about or write about. And this was for Paul alone. He was given the encouragement of heaven as he was going to go through great and terrible trials and suffering for the gospel's sake and out of love for his Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus became both God and man. He became a son. He became a servant. And he became homeless. He became poor by choice. He gave up his wealth in heaven. Being born into the earth, his birth was as a poor man's child because he was born in a manger. What amazing love, dear listener. Does his sacrifice for you touch you? For our sake, Jesus became poor so we could become rich in him. in this short statement it says volumes regarding Jesus' work as our representation on the cross and his redemption for true believers you and I are rich through his poverty we are blessed because of his suffering we are accepted by reason of his rejection and we are reconciled through his death It is evident that the riches of our precious Savior obtained for those who believe are not treasures of this world but rather they are the same kind of spiritual riches which our Savior laid aside for a season when he went to the cross on our behalf True believers receive the privilege of sonship with God and also become heirs in all things with our Lord Jesus Christ. The Son of God became man. He became poor in order that we being poor men and women, sinners that we might literally be owned and be possessed as the sons of God. Dear listener, we mere creatures of clay belonging to our Lord Jesus Christ, our master grow from poverty to riches. Our real poverties are the conditions and situations that we have bowed to and suffered because of our own sins. Listen to how much we have lost so that we might become poor. We lost harmony with the world. We lost peace within. We lost brotherhood with the family of God. And at last, we lost fellowship with God. The riches we attain through Jesus Christ are spiritual riches for our souls. These riches include the favor of God and the fact that he keeps us in the view of his vision and the apple of his eye. Hallelujah. We gained also the love of a living and divine friend whose name is Jesus Christ and his precepts and his precious Holy Spirit whom he so generously gives to us to keep and guide us on our Christian journey. Matthew chapter 13 verse 44 declares the kingdom of heaven is like something precious buried in a field which a man found and hid again and then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field praise God but also we include in these riches we have the promise of eternal glory as we remain faithful to Jesus Christ in his biblical commands. And another is that we have divine protection from the evil one and his hordes of hell. Psalms chapter 12, verses 6 through 7 declare, The words and promises of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in an earthen furnace, purified seven times over. Verse 7, You will keep them and preserve them, O Lord, and you will guard and keep us from this evil generation forever. What a promise, hallelujah. You see, dear one, no human words can exhaust our riches in Jesus Christ. Jesus became poor on the cross that we might become rich, or in other words, that we might have need of nothing. our Heavenly Father has not promised to give us all that we want but only all that we need We read in Philippians chapter 4 beginning in verse 16 for even in Thessalonica you sent me contribution for my needs not only once but a second time Not that I seek or am eager for your gift, but I do seek and am eager for the fruit which increases to your credit for the harvest of blessings that is accumulating to your account. Verse 18, but I have your full payment and more. I have everything I need, am amply supplied now that I have received from Aphrodite the gifts you sent me. They are the fragrant odor of an offering and sacrifice which God welcomes and in which he delights. Verse 19, and my God will liberally supply, fill to the full your every need according to his riches in Jesus Christ. So Jesus absolutely chose to be poor so we could become rich in him. Another thing you need to know is that our precious Savior was crucified as a criminal. The soldiers who guarded Jesus divided his garments among themselves and the disciples fled and left him just as he said they would. The Son of the living God exchanged his heavenly rights and glory against the torments of earthly poverty and death to save all those who would choose him rather than choose evil and sin and destruction of the world. Jesus Christ became poor to make you and me rich in him. The Son of God took all the evil that belonged to us so that he could give away everything righteous and beautiful and lovely that belongs to him. The poverty of Jesus goes much deeper than we could ever know. In the greatest torment on the cross, he cried out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? You see, Jesus knew he would be spiritually separated from his heavenly Father. And this is why he said beforehand, Father, if it is possible that this cup could be taken from me, be it not my will, but your will, Holy Father. And this is the very thing that our Lord dreaded the most. It was not that he would suffer pain or knowing that he would go to hell on our behalf and take back the keys from the evil one on our behalf, but it was a spiritual separation from his heavenly father that he dreaded the most. Can you see in this way that God demonstrated his love for a lost world when he gave his son? Jesus humbled himself to come and save us, and that humiliation took him to his death on Calvary. Understand, please, it is through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that we do become rich. The real riches are not just money or earthly possessions that make us feel like we're wealthy, but rather true wealth is found in what is spiritual and eternal. Jesus came in order to give us of his riches, which are eternal riches and will last forever. When we trust in him and are faithful in our obedience to him, we gain heavenly citizenship and inherit eternal life. And this is what Paul teaches us in Ephesians chapter 2, beginning in verse 6, which declares, God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in heavenly realms in Christ Jesus in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus so we're told not to put our hope in wealth which is so uncertain but 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 17 tells us, Hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Hope in God, dear listener. Jesus Christ became poor so you and I could become rich in him and his eternal promises and blessings and gain eternal life. When we come to Jesus in believing trust, we gain riches that are abundant and endure forever. The real riches are spiritual in coming to God and living in him. We gain inheritance that can't be taken from us as we remain faithful to him till the end. But the only true and lasting wealth is the spiritual riches of God's grace. Through this message today, you can see that our precious King and Savior, that he had all the glory of heaven, yet he came down to save sinners. He did not think that his position in heaven as God's son was a thing that he needed to grasp or hang on to. He was eternally the son of God, and he came willingly to the earth to become poor. He and his father were in full agreement in this plan to offer salvation to mankind. Jesus' poverty results in our gain thanks be to God for his indescribable gift dear ones, dwell upon the riches in what we have been gifted with and that is redemption, that is regeneration forgiveness of our sins, justification not guilty, adoption, sanctification comfort in the Holy Spirit and the earnestness of the inheritance now being worked out in each true and genuine believer and lastly the inheritance we gain at Christ's coming soon for us Hallelujah and this is all because Jesus Christ our Savior became poor for yours and my sake what a wonderful and marvelous Savior we have. We serve and worship a loving Savior who became poor so we could become rich. All glory be to God. All glory be to the King of Kings. Amen. .

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