INTRODUCTION

1. In 2Corinthians 8, Paul encouraged the church at Corinth to finish the gracious work of benevolence they had started.

   1. Paul introduced the topic by describing the liberality of the churches in Macedonia (vv. 1-5).  Notice that the work under consideration is specified in verse 4 as "the support of the saints."

   2. The church at Corinth had also resolved to participate in the support of the saints, but a year had passed without the work's completion (vv. 10-11).

2. For motivation, Paul held up the example of Jesus as a model of grace and self-sacrificing generosity.

   1. Paul did not command the Corinthians to give of their means, but rather he sought to motivate them (vv. 7-8).  Indeed, genuine generosity cannot be compelled, but rather it must come from a sincere heart (2Cor. 9:7).

   2. To this end, Paul reminded them of the wonderful grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who saved us at a tremendous personal expense.  Consider 2Corinthians 8:9:

      For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

3. For our motivation, let us consider how much Jesus gave for us and how much we have gained because of His sacrifice.

    

JESUS FROM RICH TO POOR

1. Before the Son of God descended to earth, His wealth was immeasurable.

   1. To say that the Son of God was rich is an understatement. Many men on earth are rich, but the wealth of Christ in heaven exceeds anything man can know.

   2. Notice a few of the ways in which He was rich.

      1. Jesus was rich in glory.  He acknowledged this when He prayed on the night of His betrayal in John 17:5:

         "Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."

      2. Jesus was rich in power.  As the Son of God, He had the full power of God.  The Scripture says that "although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped" (Phil. 2:6).

      3. Jesus was rich in material possessions.  By virtue of being the Creator of all things, He was also owner of all creation.  Notice Colossians 1:16:

         For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things have been created through Him and for Him.

2. When the Son of God assumed the form of a man, He became utterly impoverished.

   1. Christ gave up the vast wealth of His place in heaven in order to come into the world and become our Savior.  The divesture of His riches is described in Philippians 2:7-8, which says that He...

      ⁷...emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  ⁸Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

   2. The worldly poverty of the Son of Man is astounding.

      1. His earthly existence is a sharp contrast to His heavenly glory.  Isaiah prophesied that "He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him" (Isa. 53:2).

      2. Rather than coming as a mighty king or warrior, Jesus came as poor carpenter's Son from the despised province of Galilee.  As He conducted His ministry, He was so poor that He had nothing other than the clothes He wore.  He said, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head" (Matt. 8:20).

      3. Moreover, He took the form of a bond-servant by submitting Himself to the needs of others.  In Mark 10:45, He said,

         "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

      4. Jesus was so impoverished that He even gave up His life by crucifixion, a death that was reserved for the worst criminals.  Indeed, He gave all that He had to give.

YOU FROM POOR TO RICH

1. Sin has left every person spiritually bankrupt and in abject poverty.

   1. "The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23), which means that sin costs us everything we have.  Those who are spiritually dead for eternity will have nothing and will do nothing.

   2. Sin causes a spiritual separation between man and God (Isa. 59:2).  This means that sinners are spiritually separated from the Source of every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift" (Jas. 1:17).

   3. Because of this, sinners are poor in the worst way. Regardless of how much material wealth a sinner accumulates, he has lost the title to his most valuable asset, which is his own soul.

   4. No amount of earthly wealth can substitute for a lost soul. Consider Matthew 16:26:

      "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

   5. Those questions are rhetorical, for there is nothing a man can give in exchange for his soul.  Notice Psalm 49:8-9, which addresses a rich man's attempt to redeem himself with money:

      ⁸For the redemption of his soul is costly, and he should cease trying forever -- ⁹that he should live on eternally, that he should not undergo decay.

   6. That impoverished condition becomes permanent when a sinner dies in his sin, for he faces eternity "away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power" (2Thess. 1:9).

   7. For this reason, the rich man in Christ's parable was called a fool by God, and spiritual bankruptcy is the status of every unrepentant sinner according to Luke 12:21:

      So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

2. By the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, every soul has an opportunity to become rich beyond imagination.

   1. Jesus gave up everything for your sake.  The fact that the Father gave His Son is proof that God will not withhold anything from you.  Notice Romans 8:32:

      He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

   2. Because Jesus died for you, you are no longer locked in extreme spiritual poverty.  Through faith in Jesus Christ, you can escape from paying the wages of death.  Notice Hebrews 2:14-15:

      ¹⁴Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, ¹⁵and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

   3. Through Christ, there are both temporal and eternal benefits for you.  Consider these passages:

      1. Mark 10:29-30 -- ²⁹Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, ³⁰but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.

      2. 1Timothy 4:7-8 -- ⁷But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; ⁸for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

   4. Concerning the temporal blessings, this is not a "prosperity gospel" promise of fabulous riches in this life, but rather it is providential promise of blessings through clean living and the fellowship of your Christian brothers and sisters.

   5. Of course, the greatest riches through Christ are spiritual, and they are to be fully realized at the Judgment.

      1. Through Christ, you may have glory, honor, peace, immortality, and eternal life in the presence and everlasting service of the Lord (Rom. 2:7, 10; Rev. 22:1-5).

      2. Jesus will award to you a crown of righteousness and life "on that day" (2Tim. 4:8; Rev. 2:10). How rich you will be!

          

CONCLUSION

1. The great riches that have been afforded to you have come at a tremendous expense to our Lord Jesus.

2. The only response that is appropriate is eternal gratitude to God in both words and deeds. Praise Jesus who "was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich."