Sunday Sermon
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Sunday morning 30th July
“2
Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your
sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty
might become rich.”
In this verse we have a summary of the Good News and
its consequences.
We are told what the Lord has given, and what we
have received.
In the original context the Corinthians are being
encouraged to give generously to those who need.
They are shown the example of the Macedonians who
gave generously out of their poverty v2.
And then in our text they are shown the extreme
generosity of our God.
These two examples were meant to spur the
Corinthians into giving generously.
So Paul is talking about a
very practical matter. The act
of giving to those in need.
Yet, he can never talk about such practical matters
without placing them in the context of salvation.
Everything that we do “in practice” as believers
is because of who Jesus is and what he has done
for us.
When we come to such things as giving there is a
real danger that we become legalistic. We give
purely as an outward act, a religious act, rather
than as an act that flows from the heart. Rather
than as an act of worship and thankfulness.
The way to defeat legalism is to focus on Jesus
and what he has done for us.
When we remember that salvation is a free gift, and
that God loves us freely all the time then we will
lose the need to be legalistic, we will forget about
trying to earn our salvation. Instead we will enjoy
the salvation we have already been given.
So to the text:
1) Knowledge:
Paul says “you
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ”
“you know” - this was something that they knew
about.
The grace of the Lord was not something the
Corinthians still had to learn.
They knew it!
How important it is for us to be grounded in the
knowledge of the truth. To know what God has
done for us is eternal life! “John 17:3
3
Now this is eternal life:
that they may know you, the only true God, and
Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
So what is this grace of our Lord?
Well it is what the verse explains to us - it is his
generous giving.
That is what grace means in this context - the
generous self giving of the Lord Jesus.
2) Incarnation.
“though he was rich…he became
poor.”
These few words are putting in a nutshell the whole
astonishing act of the Incarnation.
God becoming Man! See phil2 v6-11
Jesus was rich - symbolic for his pre-incarnate
state in the Godhead.
He was the eternal Word who was with God, and who
was God.
Yet he “became poor” - he left all the glory of
being with God behind!
He did not hold onto his equality with God -
phil2v6.
He made himself nothing - phil2v7. The Word became
flesh John1v14.
What are we to do with these great facts? We are
to remember why Jesus did what he did. We are to
“know” it. Believe it. Live in its truth.
3) What has the Incarnation Accomplished?
“so that you through his
poverty might become rich.”
Jesus sacrificed in order that we
might become rich.
You get nothing for free in this life we are
told! And it is quite true.
Wherever someone has become wealthy someone has paid
for it along the line.
If you win the lottery you become wealthy - but at
the sacrifice of millions of other who have only
lost money.
Workaholics may become wealthy but to the sacrifice
of their health or those round about them who never
see them!
There is always a price to be paid!
The price for out eternal life, which is our
Richness, is the sacrifice the Lord made for us!
He became poor, so that through his poverty we might
become rich!
The means by which we become rich is the poverty of
Jesus.
His sacrifice has made us rich. He has paid for our
wealth!
4) Application of the Incarnation: Who is it for?
“for your sake”
Jesus did not do what he did for no reason.
He made himself nothing, he took on flesh, he became
poor, Why? For you!
Paul is reminding us, through the Corinthians that
God has done this for you.
The Good News always has this particular
application. When we read about what Jesus
has done we are to remember that he has done
this “for your sake”. Jesus always had you in
mind! It was for you! The gospel is for you!
This grace is for you! This generous self giving
is for you!
Finally then how are we to live?
We are to live knowing
what the Lord has done for us!
We are to live from the inside out!
When we really know what God has done for us then it
will change us inside.
Our practice will overflow from our hearts.
We will be generous, compassionate, sacrificial in
our giving!