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The sermon presents Jesus as eternally divine, possessing immeasurable riches before creation, who willingly became human and embraced poverty, suffering, and the cross for sinners. Through Christ’s poverty, believers receive spiritual riches, an assured inheritance, and salvation grounded in grace rather than human merit. Christ’s present exaltation and intercession secure those whom He has saved. The sermon therefore calls Christians to generous benevolence and calls unbelievers to reject self-righteousness and look by faith to Christ alone.
Theological center: The eternal divine Son voluntarily became poor through incarnation, suffering, and death so that sinners who have nothing of their own might receive salvation and eternal riches.
Applications: Give generously to the poor · Look to Christ for salvation · Risk your all on Christ · Consider Christ’s eternal riches
Primary texts: 2 Corinthians 8:9 · Colossians 1:17 · Luke 9:58
“For ye 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.” 2 Corinthians 8:9 THE apostle, in this chapter, was endeavoring to stir up the Corinthians to liberality. He desired them to contribute something for those who were the poor of the flock, that he might be able to minister to their necessities. He tells them that the churches of Macedonia, though very much poorer than the church at Corinth, had done even beyond their means for the relief of the Lord’s family, and he exhorts the Corinthians to do the same. But suddenly recollecting that examples taken from inferiors seldom have a powerful effect, he lays aside his argument drawn from the church of Macedonia, and he holds before them a reason for liberality which the hardest heart can scarcely resist, if once that reason be applied by the Spirit. “My brethren,” said he, “there is One above, by whom you hope you have been saved, One whom you call Master and Lord. Now if you will but imitate Him, you cannot be ungenerous or illiberal. For, my brethren, I tell you a thing which is an old thing with you and an undisputed truth—‘For ye 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.’ Let this constrain you to benevolence.” O Christian, whenever you are inclined to an avaricious withholding from the church of God, think of your Savior giving up all that He had to serve you, and can you then, when you behold self-denial so noble—can you then be selfish and regard yourself, when the claims of the poor of the flock are pressed upon you. Remember Jesus. Think you see Him look you in the face and say to you, “I gave Myself for you and do you withhold yourself from Me? If you do so, ye know not My love in all its heights and depths and lengths and breadths.” And now, dear friends, the argument of the apostle shall be our subject today. It divides itself in an extremely simple manner. We have, first, the pristine condition of our Savior—“He was rich.” We have next, His condescension—“He became poor.” And then, we have the effect and result of His poverty— “That we might be made rich.” We shall then close by giving you a doctrine, a question, and an exhortation. May God bless all these and help us to tell them aright. I. First, then, our text tells us THAT JESUS CHRIST WAS RICH. Think not that our Savior began to live when He was born of the Virgin Mary. Imagine not that He dates His existence from the manger at Bethlehem.…