House of Hope Online

May 19, 2024

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There are some simple truths in the Bible that are worth contemplating because they represent blessings of the Lord that we qualify for by virtue of receiving Jesus into our hearts.  Think of them as fringe benefits of your association with the King of kings and Lord of lords, the One who suffered and died so that your sins are forgiven, so that your ticket is punched for eternal salvation.  It is like buying a new house and then realizing after you move in that it is even better than you thought, and the neighborhood is more than you expected.  When you realize that Christ is more than you thought, it fills your heart with a joy inexpressible.

Today’s word is one of those simple truths about our Lord.  The word is we have been “enriched by the grace of Jesus.”   The Apostle Paul teaches us this simple truth in the salutation of his first letter to the church of God at Corinth.

1^st Corinthians 1:

 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 4 I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,

 5 that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge,

 6 even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you,

 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

 8 who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (NASB)

A simple truth:  the grace of God, which was given us through Jesus, has enriched us in everything, in all speech and knowledge, so that we are not lacking in any gift while we await eagerly the revelation of Jesus (i.e., the Second Coming), on which day we shall be confirmed as blameless in the day of Our Lord.

My late brother Nick had a saying when he heard or saw something he liked.  He would say: “Get a load of that!”

Well, Christians, get a load of 1^st Corinthians 1.  We have been enriched in everything.  The word “enriched” means “to make rich or richer by the addition or increase of some desirable quality, attribute, or ingredient.”  For example, in natural resources, you can enrich the quality of the energy by processing the material and removing impurities.  When we receive Jesus, He begins a process to remove our impurities and therefore He enriches us in all things by increasing desirable attributes in us.

Enriched in Everything

Paul says that in everything we were enriched in Him.  Think about that: in everything we are enriched.  When you contemplate this awesome truth, do not limit your thinking to finances.  This is much greater than finances.  In fact, our lives are enriched even in the absence of material wealth.  Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11-13 “…for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.  I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

Paul says he is “content in whatever circumstances I am.”  Contentment in every circumstance is an enriched life. My son Jon recently reminded me of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in Daniel 3.  While under threat from King Nebuchadnezzar to either worship false gods and images or be cast into the fiery furnace, they told the King they trusted God to deliver them.  But they said in Daniel 3:18: “But [even] if [He does] not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”  They were ready to be content in “whatever circumstance” their faith put them in.  Of course, we know the end of that story: God delivered them unharmed from the fiery furnace and the King became a believer and caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.

All of this means that Jesus removes our impurities, and we are therefore better able to enjoy our lives.  He enriches our peace of mind, our joy, our relationships, our ability to love and be loved, and, yes, our ability to create wealth.

Enriched in Speech and Knowledge.

How do we become so enriched by the grace of our Lord?  Paul writes in 1^st Corinthians1:5 that being enriched in everything means being enriched in all speech and all knowledge.  The Greek word for “speech” is “logos,” which means the spoken word of God, or a Divine Expression, which brings us thought, reasoning, mental faculties, or motives.  Therefore, as we face the challenges and struggles of our lives, we should do so as Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego did, with full faith that God will deliver us, and even if He does not, we will be content in that circumstance, knowing we are enriched in everything.

Not Lacking Any Gift

Paul writes in 1^st Corinthians1:7 that being enriched in everything also means not lacking in any gift, as we await eagerly the revelation of Jesus.  The Greek word for “gift” is “charisma,” which means a divine gratuity, a deliverance from danger or passion, a spiritual endowment, or a free miraculous faculty.  A spiritual endowment is a Gift of the Holy Spirit.  And so, we have discussed the evil in this day and the onset of the end times prophecies, and some may be anxious about getting along in these times.  But the word of the Lord is we will not lack any gift.  He will deliver us from danger or passion.  He will endow us spiritually and miraculously as we await eagerly His revelation, i.e., His second coming.

Note the word “eagerly” in verse 7.  We are to await His coming eagerly.  Look forward to the great day of our Lord when He comes again because we shall be…

Confirmed Blameless in the End

In verse 8, Paul writes that Jesus will confirm us to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ!  Being enriched in everything means being considered blameless in the end.  This does not mean we never sinned, but rather it means we did not lack any gift and the Spirit of God delivered us from danger, drew us to repentance, and His Spirit of forgiveness never failed us.  It means by the grace of Jesus we never backed off the faith of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.  We never stopped trusting Him.  We never stopped eagerly awaiting His coming.

Closing

Let me close with a few other scriptures that reinforce what Paul wrote in 1^st Corinthians 1.

John 7:

 37 ¶ Now on the last day, the great [day] of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.

 38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’”

 39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet [given,] because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Philippians 4:

 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

 5 Let your forbearing [spirit] be known to all men. The Lord is near.

 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

1^st Corinthians 1:

30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

 31 that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.”

1^st Corinthians 4:

 5 Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, [but wait] until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of [men’s] hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.

Let us pray.

Father God, thank You for enriching us in all things and in all speech and knowledge through the grace of Jesus Christ.  Thank You that we can be content in all circumstances, just as Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego were.  Thank You for logos, the Divine Expression, which improves our thought, reasoning, and motives.  Thank You that we do not lack any gifts, that we are delivered from the coming evil, and that You have promised to endow us spiritually in Jesus.  And finally, Father, thank You for removing our impurities, increasing desirable attributes in us, and confirming us blameless in the end, as we await eagerly the coming of our Lord Jesus, in whose name we pray.  Amen.