So That You Might Become Rich
Merry Christmas! I hope you are enjoying time with family, celebrating the birth of God Incarnate, the little baby born to set His people free from sin, from death, and from the chains of darkness to walk in newness of Life!
Yesterday morning, we heard a sermon about the God who, though He was rich in all ways and in all things, became poor for us, that we, through His poverty, might also be rich. (II Corinthians 8:9)
By nature, Jesus’ very essence was rich because He is God, and the fullness of all that God is dwells within Him. He possesses all of the divine attributes of God—all of God’s perfect holiness, righteousness, love, and mercy. Everything that exists and is created, Jesus owns. It is His, and by His power He holds it all together. “He was rich beyond imagination’s utmost stretch.”
Yet, Jesus became poor. He became poor "by addition, not by subtraction." He became poor by taking on a cursed body. He became a refugee who had no place to lay His head. Yet He did not cease to be rich, but laid aside His riches for a time to take on the poverty of the people whom He would ransom for Himself, whom He had chosen before the creation of the world.
Celebrate today that you are rich, not because of the material gifts you received this morning and not even because you have family and friends nearby. You are rich because Christ is Lord. He has been exalted to the Highest Place. He died, yet by His death and resurrection, we live! Praise Jesus!
"So sing out with joy for the brave little boy who was God but made Himself nothing. Well, He gave up His pride, and He came here to die like a man. Therefore, God exalted Him to the place of Highest praises, and He gave Him a name above every name, the very name of Jesus! Son of God! So in Heaven and Earth and below, every knee would bow in worship. Every tongue would proclaim that Jesus, He reigns with the angels!"
--Andrew Peterson (Listen here)
Yesterday morning, we heard a sermon about the God who, though He was rich in all ways and in all things, became poor for us, that we, through His poverty, might also be rich. (II Corinthians 8:9)
By nature, Jesus’ very essence was rich because He is God, and the fullness of all that God is dwells within Him. He possesses all of the divine attributes of God—all of God’s perfect holiness, righteousness, love, and mercy. Everything that exists and is created, Jesus owns. It is His, and by His power He holds it all together. “He was rich beyond imagination’s utmost stretch.”
Yet, Jesus became poor. He became poor "by addition, not by subtraction." He became poor by taking on a cursed body. He became a refugee who had no place to lay His head. Yet He did not cease to be rich, but laid aside His riches for a time to take on the poverty of the people whom He would ransom for Himself, whom He had chosen before the creation of the world.
Celebrate today that you are rich, not because of the material gifts you received this morning and not even because you have family and friends nearby. You are rich because Christ is Lord. He has been exalted to the Highest Place. He died, yet by His death and resurrection, we live! Praise Jesus!
"So sing out with joy for the brave little boy who was God but made Himself nothing. Well, He gave up His pride, and He came here to die like a man. Therefore, God exalted Him to the place of Highest praises, and He gave Him a name above every name, the very name of Jesus! Son of God! So in Heaven and Earth and below, every knee would bow in worship. Every tongue would proclaim that Jesus, He reigns with the angels!"
--Andrew Peterson (Listen here)
posted by Ashley Sarratt @ 10:24 AM
1 Comments:
At 10:02 PM,
Eowyn's Heir said…
by addition, not subtraction... I'd never thought of that before! I like it! It's good food for thought... thank you!
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