need to continue to pray for Brenda and her family and the passing of her papa, Conrad Flowers. Jamie and I were talking before the service and they said that when, where Brother Conrad was, that no one ever sang a solo because he would sing with them. And probably a pretty good singer that's probably You got your abilities from those flowers, genes, and we're the beneficiary of that. I do appreciate it. She'll be singing that song again next Sunday. Did I tell you you were going to do that? Anyway, so yeah, she volunteered. You just saw her volunteer for that. Anyway, what a wonderful rendition of that. And the Lord's really blessed us with a lot of talent here at Bethlehem. The inside girls playing the piano and the organ for us. We fixed the organ just for Holly. And she's playing that organ. And we actually do have others that can play, but we've not been able to get them up here yet. But maybe one day, We'll see the full display of talent, your musical talent. And then, of course, the other talents that the Lord has gifted us with and here in the teaching, those who are able to teach and preach for us. I am grateful to him for that. We do need to pray for Brenda's mother and also for her grandmother, Miss Flowers, that the Lord would comfort them in this passing of a great man, great in Christ. When the Lord saved him, it was a radical transformation. Some of us, by common grace, never really degradated very far. And so sometimes the transformation is not so blatant and obvious, though it is real. But in some people, because of the lifestyle they lived and the degradation that they went to, when they were saved, a great transformation. And Brother Conrad was one of those great transformations and never got over it. R.F. Gates, my dear friend who's in heaven, He said he was sitting in the end zone of a football stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, Memorial Stadium, and Billy Graham was preaching. And the Lord opened his heart. He said, I was a lost Methodist. But he was there, and he was moved by the gospel. And a lady saw that he was moved and came over to try to comfort him, but he kind of pulled away from her. and said, I'm fine, and left, but he wasn't. He was under conviction. He said, the Lord saved me, and that saved me. He said, I didn't go down, never filled out a card, and none of that, but it was transformed. He said, never got over it. Never got over it. If you can get over it, it's only because it never happened. If you can't get over it, it's because the Lord has done something magnificent in your heart and life. He doesn't claim a little of you, he claims all of you. It's not just, you know, he doesn't just kind of, you know, remodel you a little bit and, you know, and dust you off and clean you up. No, it's a thorough transformation from head to toe, every faculty of your being, and indeed, It keeps you. In fact, I'm going to be preaching at the Deep South Founders Conference about the freedom that we have in Christ, our freedom in Christ. And the line in the paragraph that I'm going to preach is that we are saved, number one, from the guilt of sin, and number two, from the wrath of God, and number three, from the curse of the law. And so it's a transformation, you see. No longer are we guilty. Sin cannot bring its charge against us anymore. Satan cannot point to our sin, for our sin has been forgiven, you see. We are free in Christ from that guilt. And we shouldn't carry that guilt with us, guilt of past sin. You shouldn't carry it with you. You should remember it. because that's what you've been saved and that's your freedom, but you should never carry it with you. And the wrath of God, we don't fear God. We don't have to hide from God. We don't have to be like Adam and run from God and try to cover our nakedness by our efforts. No, the wrath of God has been appeased. The wrath that was building for the day of wrath has no longer been purposed to destroy us. for Christ took our sin and its penalty in his body. He was delivered for our offenses, raised for our justification, and then the curse of the law. The law is no longer a curse, it's like the man who was cleansed of his leprosy, the leprosy because of the law had him alienated from his people, his family, even from hearing the gospel. He couldn't have gone into that crowd. But when Christ came down that mountain, after preaching that great sermon on the mount, he ran to Christ and said, if you will, you can make me clean. You can deliver me from the curse of the law. And Jesus said, I will be thou clean. Now go show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifice that Moses commanded. You see the law that had him in bondage is now the law that set him free. No more curse. We love the law of God. Psalm one, you see, we meditate in it both day and night. And if we do that, if we are of that kind of person, you see, if we have that character, it's not that we're doing this in order to become a child of God. We're doing this because we are a child of God and the law no longer is a curse, but we delight in it. And we shall be as a tree planted by the rivers of water The leaf shall not wither, and the fruit shall come in season. Every time I read that, I think about Mexico. I think about that tank, that irrigation tank we went to to baptize people in. Because the water was precious, so if we were going to baptize them, we had to go to the tank. And in the tank, we baptized them, then preached the gospel, but I remember there is by that tank. It looked like to me it's a sycamore tree, but it's some tree that's kind of like a sycamore tree that's there by that tank, you know, because that tank always spills water over when water comes up. And out of all the places, there's only little mesquite bushes and trees, but this tree, I guarantee you, we couldn't reach around it. It was as big as any tree I've ever seen right there by that tank because it gets water, you see. That's what your Christian life is like. It's in the middle of the desert, but its leaf doesn't fade, and its fruit comes. It doesn't wither, and the fruit comes in due season. That's our life. No longer are we under the curse of the law. Well, that's just an advertisement, a little taste of the message that the Lord will allow me to preach if he is merciful to me. And so we are grateful to the Lord for what he's done. But it's because of Christ. And here's what the apostle wrote to the church at Corinth. In 2 Corinthians chapter 8 and verse 9, he says, for ye know 2 Corinthians 8, 9, for ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you? Do you know that? The apostle is writing to these Christians. He writes to those who have this faith in Christ. If you go back, I always like when I read something like this verse, I always like to go back to the first verses of these letters to see exactly to whom he's writing, Paul, this is 2 Corinthians 1.1, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy, our brother, unto the church of God, which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia, grace be to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort who comforted us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted. So that's who he's writing to. He's writing to these people that understand discomfort. And here's what he says, and, or for ye know the grace. I'm not telling you something new. Just like when John and first John wrote his epistle, he's not writing to them that they might believe. He's writing to them because they do believe. Now John the gospel is written that you might believe, but John the epistle is written that you might know you believe. So you believe these things. I'm not convincing you. And here, as I stand before you, as the people of God, I don't have to convince you of this grace of God. You know the grace of God. We rehearse it over and over and over again, you see. Even as the hymn writer says, sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life. Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life. Every time we hear them preach, we see more of it. We see the wonder of it. It's like looking at a diamond. Every time you look at a diamond, you see more of the glory of that diamond. You think you know what it is until you look at it again, you see. You think you have it. It's like reading the scripture. You think you know the scripture and then you go to it and you read it and you see something more magnificent in it than you've ever seen. And you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, where in is that grace? This grace that you know. This grace that I don't have to convince you of. This grace that abides in your heart and grows for even as we live the Christian life, we grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. The hymn that speaks of the wonder of this gospel stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blessed, finding as he promised, perfect priest and rest, perfect yet it floweth, deeper all the way, perfect yet it floweth, fuller every day, stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blessed, finding as he promised, perfect peace and rest, It's everything. He has given us the whole, as we would say, the whole load of it, and yet every time we see it, imagine it, think upon it, it grows deeper and fuller. Do you think you know the grace of God? You do. But let me tell you this, you don't know it like you will know it. You don't know it like you will know it tomorrow. You'll know it better tomorrow than today, for the Christian life is such a life. And one day we shall see it without jaundice eyes. We shall stand before the Lord and we shall see him. Isn't it amazing? We shall see him as he is. We've seen him in the gospel, but we shall see him with an unjaundiced eyes, jaundiced by sin. that obscures his vision. But one day, what a glorious moment that will be when we open our eyes. And heaven will close them here, but we will open them there. And the first sight we will see is the splendor, the resplendence of this Christ who dwells in light inaccessible that no man can approach. A light that would burn the eyes of a human being. Even as the Apostle Paul, when he looked, the last thing he saw clearly in this earth was this glory of Christ. But it transformed him. It changed him. Indeed, it affected him. It hurt him. That's why E.W. Tozer made this astounding statement. I doubt seriously that God can ever use a man greatly until he hurts him deeply. Coming to Christ is a pain in our soul, for we shall see our sin, not a mistake. Not something excusable. We shall see the inexcusable sin that we committed. And many, I hate to say it, but it's the reality that many relished, relished in their sin. This sin. that nailed Christ to a cross. Oh, what shame is our sin. How shameful do we feel that we have even sinned, but that we would ever relish in our sin. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now grace and mercy sometime is interchangeable in the scripture. but technically grace is the Lord giving you what you do not deserve, making you a child. You didn't deserve that. There is a sense when we come before our Savior, when we come to Him, even in this place, even in this church, even to worship Him, and we desire to be here, we're called to this place. Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as a matter of some is, We don't want to forsake ourselves. We want to come here. How blessed it is to have a church that we can come to. For there are many, even though our confession says that there are those that may not. You see, we should come if we have a place to come. But many can't come, even as I said in my prayer in Somalia. There's Somalian Christians that's never seen another Christian. Imagine that. Even as this woman said, they have to whisper their prayers. They have to speak softly their praises. Because even their family would kill them. Even as Sadaq's own father said, I will drink his blood. When you turn from Christ, there's only one place to turn and that's to the devil. And when you turn away from Christ, you turn away from humanity. To be inhumane, a seminary professor told us one of the best things I've ever heard him say, maybe one of the best things I've ever considered in this regard. He said, when man who is above animal tries to become animal, he becomes sub animal. Even The wild animals will protect their young. But here's one that despises Christ so much that he would kill his own son. What a wonder it is to be in a place like this this morning. The grace of God. To come here and to see it, multiplied grace, growing grace. for us and you know the grace. This wonderful grace, amazing grace. How sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. It was grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed. Do you know anything about this grace? Does this grace move you? Is this grace the motivating factor of your life? For if it's not, you're in your sin. But then mercy comes with grace. Twin blessings. For mercy is God not giving you what you do deserve. Grace. and mercy, for ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And now the apostle, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, is going to point out what this grace is based upon. That though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. Now there's four things we see here. Number one, we see the richness of Christ. Number two, we see the poverty of Christ. Number three, we see our poverty. And number four, we see our riches. How rich was Christ? Well, I don't have time to delve into all of this. In fact, I've got enough sermon here that I'd be able to preach a series on it. But let me just give it to you, and then we'll We'll be going to eat. How rich was Christ? Think of him. Where he was. Who he is. Who is this one with whom we are dealing? Who is this one that we will come to if we are to be converted? Who is this one? That indeed we shall see as He is in heaven. This one. From where did He come? What was He like? Who was He? He was rich. Rich in glory. Rich in power. Rich in status. Rich in privilege. Rich in possession. This rich one. He possessed eternal, divine splendor. He possessed the Father's glory and shared it, John 17, with the glory, he said to his father, remembering back all the way in eternity, remembering that The moment where He and His Father shared the glory. That moment that the Father gave Him a people. And He was worshipped by angels. Even in His humiliation. That is in the lowest point of His existence. Coming as an infant. Can you imagine? Here's God Almighty, Lord of heaven and earth, possessing all the attributes of God. And now he's so humiliated that he has to be tended to by a little virgin girl named Mary. He couldn't walk, she carried him. He couldn't feed himself, she fed him. She clothed him, and this shall be a sign. You shall find him wrapped in swaddling clothes. And she laid him in a manger. How humiliating, this one. And even in this humiliation, God did what he rarely does. He sent his angels to break into this existence. And to sing, glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, goodwill toward men. And literally in the Greek that could be translated, glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those of His goodwill. He was rich in power. He created all things in this very moment. And even in his incarnation, he held all things together by a thought. For he's an infant, unable to speak, but by a thought holds this together. The sustainer of the universe. the sovereign over all creation. He was rich in status. He was equal with God and thought it not something to grasp, but made himself of no reputation. Well, you're getting the point. I don't have time to go through this, but how poor did he become? I've already hinted to it, laid in a manger, not a palace. born to a poor family that couldn't even give the great sacrifice of a lamb because he was the firstborn. They couldn't redeem him with a lamb. But if you're poor, if you didn't have it, you could be redeemed by two pigeons or two turtle dove pigeons, turtle dove. That's the sacrifice. He lived without earthly status. He came into his own. His own knew him not, or received him not. He came into the world and he made the world. The world didn't know him. And that crowded city of Bethlehem that night, unnoticed, was dismayed, except by shepherds because they had it revealed to them from angels. And ultimately, wise men, maybe not that particular night, but surely before he left Bethlehem, who found him? Only those that God revealed his presence and his place. He had no place to lay his head. He experienced fatigue and hunger and thirst and pain. He was despised. He had a poverty of reputation, despised and rejected of men, considered insignificant and dangerous, mocked and betrayed and abandoned and called the devil. by those that's supposed to know religious things, that those that's supposed to know the word of God, by those who claim that they are the children of God. And when God showed up, they said, he's a devil. Poverty of submission, he took upon himself the form of a servant and being found in the fashion as a man. He humbled himself and became obedient to death. What a humiliation. What a submission. He who conquers death, he who is the Lord over death, now must come and submit to death. Oh, how terrible a thing that we know we're right. We know that we are where we should be and yet we must submit ourselves to the enemy? What poverty. He was born a frail human being. A poverty of suffering. He carried our sins and the greatest poverty of all, forsaken of His Father. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? He didn't feel His Father's presence. You realize on that cross that there never was a moment when He didn't feel His Father's pleasure and presence until He became sin in your place. How poor are we? Spiritually bankrupt. morally degraded, alienated from God, condemned, powerless, and hopeless. But now, how rich are we? Complete pardon for all our sin. No more condemnation. Peace with God. This is the wealth that the world cannot buy. It must be given by the grace of God. And we have richness of Christ's righteousness. He gives us His perfect righteousness. We are justified. And His obedience is counted for our obedience. We are rich in legal standing. In fact, we have the richest legal standing possible before Almighty God. Through His poverty, we become rich. The richness of adoption? We're not merely simply forgiven? That'd be one thing just to forgive. I've had people just this week that said, I must be forgiven. Please, can I be forgiven? Because I've done what I shouldn't have done, and I feel the weight of my sin. Can I be forgiven? I can forgive them, but I would not bring that person into my family. But we are forgiven, not merely forgiven, but brought into the family of God by birth and adoption. We are twofold, threefold, fourfold the sons of God. We were created by him, by Christ, therefore he owns us. But he redeemed us by his own blood. We were bought by him. not by corruptible things as silver and gold, but by the incorruptible blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we were born of the Spirit. into the kingdom and adopted as legal heirs of God. And one day he will come and claim every bit of who we have ever been. For when they lay these bodies in the grave, they won't be forgotten. Oh, they might be forgotten by our relatives and by our friends and by our neighbors. Look, about two generations you'll be forgotten. I can't even, I can't even call my I can call my great-grandfather's name, but I can't call my great-great-grandfather's name. He's forgotten, but Christ, who bought him, will never forget him. And one day, at the last trump of God, he will come and he will take to himself the last remains of what we are. How rich are we. We shall be sons and daughters given the spirit of adoption. Beloved children, not distant servants. We don't live in the servant's quarters. We live in the Father's house. I'm going, Christ said, to prepare you a place. For in my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. And if I go to prepare a place, I will come again and receive you to myself. An eternal inheritance because of we're united to Christ. We are heirs of God. We inherit the kingdom. We receive imperishable glory. We have future treasure that cannot fade, cannot spoil or be stolen. And then we have union with Christ. Our wealth is being joined to Christ. His life is our life. His spirit is our spirit dwelling in us. His victory is our victory. Everything that Christ accomplished belongs to you. But not only that, It's not a promise, I should say. It's not a promise that awaits us some glorious day. Oh, they tell me of a home far beyond the sky. They tell me of a home far away where no storm clouds rise. They tell me of a unclouded day, but my friend, we don't have to wait. For all things work together for good. We know, and ye know, even as you know this grace, and ye know that all things work together for good to them that love God, who are the called according to his purpose. We have richness every day. Strength for trials. Grace for obedience. An ability to stand for truth, unafraid of what men can do, or the threatenings of people who would tempt you to evil, lest you offend them. But we're given the ability to offend everyone. But Christ, Should we not offend all who would offend Him? Should we not offend all who would be offended in Him? Who is this Christ to you? Who is He to you? Assurance of salvation. You don't have to be afraid anymore. You don't have to go hide and try to cover your nakedness with inadequate religion and effort. You're a child of God. And this assurance comes to you through your obedience, knowing that you are His child. And not only that, He gives us wisdom. Why are we standing where we should stand? Why can't we say what we can say? Why can't we give others Advice how can we say follow me for I follow Christ because we're given this wisdom And God's presence Every day a Presence before the fall of Adam he ran in the cool of the day to meet his God We have been restored we're greater than Adam Paradise has been restored Because paradise is in his presence. And we have access to his throne. For our Christ sits at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for us. What's that word? Christ speaking into the right ear of God, his prayer for you to be brought to him. And then of course this eternal life, eternal life Knowing God, seeing God, everlasting joy, every tear wiped away, seeing Christ face to face, dwelling there where no sin or sorrow can intrude. This is true life in all of its fullness. Because he that was rich became poor, that we through his poverty might become rich. Do you feel it? Is this the grace you know? Is this worth more than anything? I can tell you in that great and terrible day when we shall stand in heaven, we shall walk on gold and we shall walk past diamonds and rubies and emeralds and all manner of gems to get to Him. Thank you, Father, for sending your Son. And thank you, Christ, for giving up everything to become absolutely impoverished, that we might be absolutely Let's pray.