There was a day in the history of our nation when a measly 20 million dollars could make
you the richest man in America. This was the case with John Jacob Astor, who came to this
land with only five pounds sterling and seven flutes that he got from his brother who sold
music instruments in London. Then you had Cornelius Vanderbilt who gained that title with
105 million. Then came Andrew Carnegie with his 175 million, followed by John D.
Rockefeller with 250 million. All of this was like petty cash to the wealthy of our day. Bill
Gates, for example, is not just the richest man in America, but the richest man in the world.
His wealth soared over 100 billion at one time. Recently it has fallen to 55 billion and less,
but he is still the richest man in the world. He started Microsoft in 1975 and has made on
average since then about one million dollars per hour if you figure 14 hours for every
working day since that beginning. That is wealth beyond our imagination.
CIn His divine glory for all eternity He was the Lord of the Universe, for He created it
and guided its formation. But it is as the Son of Man that Jesus died for the sins of the world
and then ascended to heaven where God placed him at His right hand on the throne next to
Him. The whole point of the book of Hebrews is that it is the man Christ Jesus who is on the
throne of the universe. The phrase that we want to focus on in this message is that in verse 2
which says of the Son, “..whom he appointed heir of all things.” The implications of this are
even more staggering than the riches of Gates and all of the other over 500 billionaires in the
world today. In essence this phrase is saying that the lowly carpenter of Nazareth, who died
with nothing but the clothes on his back, and who did not even have a place to be buried, is
now the richest person in the universe. He is heir of all things, and this is not an isolated idea,
but is supported by many Scriptures.
“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever!
Amen.” Romans 11:36
“To be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things
in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.” Ephesians 1:10
”And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for
the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”
Ephesians 1:22-23
”He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill
the whole universe.” Ephesians 4:10
”..and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in
heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Colossians 1:20
Jesus spoke on this subject, and He made it clear that God had full confidence in Him, and
that He had given Him all authority. "All things have been handed over to me by my Father . .
. " (Matt 11:27a, NRSV). "The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands"
(John 3:35, NRSV). "The Father loves the Son and shows Him all that He Himself is doing . . .
" (John 5:20, NRSV). "The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son . . . "
(John 5:22). "For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to
have life in Himself . . . " (John 5:26, NRSV). " . . . the Son of Man will give you. For it is on
Him that God the Father has set His seal" (John 6:27, NRSV). " . . . the one whom the Father
has sanctified and sent into the world . . . " (John 10:36, NRSV).
And the next best thing to being rich is being related to one
who is, and so all who are in Christ will be wealthy forever. Paul writes in II Cor. 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.” It is clearly stated that
one of the goals of God for all his children is that they be rich. His only begotten Son became
poor that he might become a perfect sacrifice for our sins, and make it possible for us to
become partners in the eternal riches he would inherit from the Father. The dream of every
human being is to be so wealthy that they can enjoy all the wonders of what God has made
possible for man to enjoy. This goal will be achieved, and we will be joint heirs with Jesus,
the richest man in the universe.
We want to look at three aspects of these riches of Jesus that he inherits from the Father.
First we want to look at the fact that they are
SUPERIOR RICHES
The richest person in the world has to be wealthy in more than physical and material
possessions or it is irrelevant, for once one has millions and billions it is superfluous to have
more. It is a meaningless title to be the riches person in the universe if there is nothing you
have that is not also possessed by the millions of millionaires of the world, and even by those
with much less. Jesus inherits all things, but if we read the whole chapter we see that his
wealth includes far more. Jesus is superior to all other beings that God has made. Verse 9
says that because he loved righteousness and hated wickedness God has set him above his
companions by anointing him with the oil of joy. This means Jesus is rich in the love of the
Father, and this makes him the happiest person in the universe.
It is possible to be very rich in material things and be unhappy, and so the greatest riches
are in having a joyful spirit along with the wealth of things. When one combines the riches of
the inner life with the riches of all that gives external pleasure, then one has the superior
riches beyond which none can go. You cannot be any happier than Jesus, for he is the
happiest person in the universe. He is rich in glory so that all the angels worship him, and
rich in love, for he is loved by God, the angels, and man. He is rich in joy because his
kingdom will be eternal and all his enemies will one day be defeated, and all who love him will
reign with him and inherit the salvation he purchased for them on the cross. There can be no
one in the same category with Jesus when it comes to riches. He is the riches person in the
universe in every way that one can be rich.
This phrase, however, does focus on things, and so we need to see that Jesus will be the
richest person in the universe in terms of material possessions. It has been the dream of
powerful rulers all through history to rule the whole world. Some have come close to ruling
the known world of their day, but none have come close to having possession of power over
the whole planet. This is the kind of riches we see that Jesus will have. Psalm 2, which is
quoted in verse 5, states it forcefully in 2:7-8, “I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He
said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make
the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.” In other words, Jesus
will be the first and only person to ever be King and ruler over all the nations of the world.
He will be rich in power far superior to all the emperors and kings of history. Even before
Jesus ascended to the throne he said, “All power in heaven and on earth is given unto me.”
On that basis he sent his church into all the world to take it over for the kingdom of God.
There is more to the universe than the visible and the material, and so the riches of Christ
go beyond just possessing the nations of the world. His riches include the ownership and
Lordship over the entire universe of beings that we know so little about. Paul gave us some
insight into this vast mystery when he wrote,
"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created
through Him and for Him. And he is before all things and in Him all things consist. And He
is the head of the body, the ecclesia, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in
all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness
should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him whether things on earth
or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross." (Colossians 1:16-
20) Such words make it clear beyond dispute that the riches of Jesus are superior to all other
being who are and who will ever be. Secondly we see they are
SOVEREIGN RICHES.
This richest man in the universe will be sitting on the throne of God as the sovereign of
the universe. His riches will be the wealth of the eternal King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Under His reign we will have universal wealth. Paul makes it clear in Phil. 2:9-11 that Jesus
is sovereign over all the universe. He writes, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him
and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Never have people had such a powerful and rich King. The book of Hebrews is above all
Christ-centered. He is the center and the circumference. He is the alpha and omega, the
beginning and the end. The goal of studying this book is that we will often fall at the feet of
Jesus and say with Thomas when he saw the risen Christ, “My Lord and My God.” John
20:28. Many acknowledge Jesus as a great man, and there are masses who will admit he was
the greatest teacher that ever lived. Jesus is rich in honors bestowed upon him from every
source imaginable. But all of these fall short of seeing who Jesus really is. He is God. He is
sovereign over all the universe. We do not grasp who he is until we worship him as our Lord
and King.
You can find quotes from great minds all through history who exalt Jesus as the greatest
man who ever lived. It is so obvious that he was the greatest teacher to ever live that today
we have Atheists For Jesus. Here is the testimony of the founder of this group: “My name is
Ken Schei, I'm the founder and President of "Atheists for Jesus". And yes, as the name
implies, I am an atheist for Jesus.
“Now, I'm sure that at least some of you (perhaps it would be more accurate to say all of
you) are asking: "Just what in the heck is an Atheist for Jesus?" Fair enough! I realize that
this may well appear to be a contradiction of terms, so I'd best start out with an explanation
of just what I mean by my use of the terms.
“First of all, what I mean by the term "Atheist", is that I do not believe that any deity is
probable, nor do I believe that any deity that I have ever heard of is possible. While I do not
claim omniscience--and can, therefore, not absolutely rule out the existence of some sort of
deity--I feel confident that my definition will identify me as an atheist to the vast majority of
the populace (and thus avoid the confusion which often results from the use of term
Agnostic.
“Secondly, when I say that I am "for Jesus", I do not mean to imply in any way that I have
converted to Christianity or that I now believe Jesus to be a god. What I do mean is that I
have come to have a great deal of respect for the teachings of Jesus. My respect for Jesus is
not based on the Cross, but rather on the Mount--not on His death and supposed
resurrection, but on His teachings as exemplified by the Sermon on the Mount.” This is the
end of his testimony.
I share this because it is the ultimate in praise to Jesus from a humanist viewpoint.
Volumes could be filled with such testimony from all over the world. This makes Jesus the
greatest man who ever lived, but it falls so far short of who he really is. This book of
Hebrews starts off by making it clear that Jesus is superior to all that has ever been, or that
will ever be. He is superior as God’s final revelation; He is superior as heir of all things; He
is superior as the Creator of all the universe; He is the radiance of God’s glory, and the
exact representation of his being. He is seated at God’s right hand as the ultimate in Royalty.
He is the King over all. All praises of Jesus that do not make him the Royal King of the
universe fall so far short of who he is that they are false. He is the greatest man who ever
lived, and the greatest teacher who ever was, but to stop there is to deny the revelation of
God as to who he really is. He is the richest person in the universe because he made it all,
redeemed it all, inherits in all, and reigns over it all as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He
is the richest of all royalty that has ever been, or who could ever be, for there is nowhere to
go beyond owning all that is. Thirdly we see they are
SHARED RICHES.
Jesus does not keep all of this enormous wealth to himself, but he shares it with all who
become a part of the family of God. There is no poverty in the family of God in eternity. The
poor you always have with you in time, but in eternity all will be rich, for He who owns all
will share it abundantly with the whole family. Jesus will ultimately solve the poverty
problem of the world.
Once when Caesar Augustus had bestowed a princely gift upon one whom he wished
especially to honor, the recipient was so overcome with the gift’s magnitude that he
exclaimed, “This is too great a gift for me to receive.” “But it is not too great a gift for me to
give,” Caesar replied, pleased with his own bounty. Christ will have an even greater bounty,
and an even greater generosity. “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches
in Glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19.
The purpose of Jesus coming into the world was to make as many people rich as possible
by means of his atonement for sin. This sacrifice made it possible for sinners to come to God,
be forgiven, and be reconciled to God as His children. Jesus was no Prodigal Son who took
his inheritance and squandered it in folly. He left his inheritance at home with the Father
and entered into poverty on earth. He lived the perfect life of love and laid down his life for
us so that we could join him in heaven where he could share his inheritance with us. His joy
is in giving and sharing just as it was in his earthly life. Jesus was always giving of himself,
and all of his miracles were for the meeting of the needs of others. He will be a sharer of
wealth unlimited for all eternity. He is heir of all, and he will share all of which he is heir.
Arthur Pink writing of Isaac says, “As we have seen in our previous studies Isaac,
typically, represents sonship. In perfect consonance with this we may note how he was
appointed heir of all things. Said Eliazer to Bethuel, "And Sarah my master’s wife bare a son
to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath" (Gen. 24:36).
Observe how this is repeated for sake of emphasis in Genesis 25:5-"And Abraham gave all
that he had unto Isaac." In the type this pointed first to Abraham’s greater Son, "Whom He
(God) hath appointed Heir of all things" (Heb. 1:2). But it is equally true of all those who are
through faith the children of Abraham and the children of God-"And if children, then heirs:
heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17). As with Isaac, so with us: all the
wealth of the Father’s house is ours!”
The riches we have in Christ are to eventually include material wealth, for we will be in a
new heaven and earth that will be ours to have and enjoy as we have eternal pleasures at
God’s right hand. We will reign with Christ over this new creation and all we ever dreamed
of concerning unlimited resources will be ours. But right now we have the greatest wealth in
the realm of the non-material treasures that God has for us. We are rich in all the fruits of
the Spirit, and in all of the spiritual values that we see in the life of our Lord. These are
superior right now in this fallen world where there are so many problems connected with
physical wealth.
Many who are rich try to hide the fact because of the problems connected with it. The
wealthy are plagued by those who try to take advantage of them. There is the constant threat
of their children being kidnapped. People pretend to care about them, and seek to marry
them for their money. They are resented and envied for their money. Sarah Stein gives us
some insight into how some of the rich act to keep their wealth hidden. She said, "The
hardest thing for me is being truthful about my wealth. I feel like, if someone knows I'm
wealthy, I'll be in a lions' den. I lie a lot. I lie a lot! Like, 'Oh God, I want to buy this Lexus,
but I can't afford it.' " She lives in a state of ambivalence because, as she says, “I know
people like me for my money, and I know they don’t like me for my money.”
The shared riches of Christ with all who love him does not lead to such problems as does
material wealth. We are joint heirs with Christ of a whole new universe where there will be
no envy and jealousy, and no one is going to take advantage of anyone in that universe, for it
is free of all the consequences of sin. We still live in a fallen world now, and even as the
children of God we have to suffer many of the consequences of sin. But the fact is, we are
even now the richest people in the world because we have received the love of Jesus our
King. Someone has written this prayer that conveys the riches of what we have in Him.
“Lord Jesus, Your magnificent power and wisdom are so far beyond our minds that we
stagger under the thought of them. And yet, in all this might and knowing, You care for
each of us. It is Your will, your desire, that no one would perish. Your hand is reaching out
to everyone. You know our names, our cares, our likes, our heart's desires and our days.
Such intimate care seems to contradict the limitless strength. But it is all used to Your glory
and our benefit . Thank you for that love and care. Keep us mindful of it. Teach us to love
You and each other better as the days pass, even though we can never expect to return
the smallest fraction to You by comparison. Amen.”
Jesus does not expect us to return anything but our thanks and love, for he already has
everything. What do you give to the man who has everything, and to the man who is the
richest person in the universe? You give him praise and worship, for he is worthy of
worship, and the only one who is so worthy as he reigns alongside his Father in heaven. He
does ask, however, that we share with one another all the love and values he has shared with
us. John Hendrick Bangs tells a story that illustrates the point.
“One night a little boy cried for the moon. So his father, who was a kind
and generous, as well as a wise man, gave it to him. “You may have the
moon,” said the father, “Only you must not be selfish about it. The very best
place to keep the moon is up there in the heaven where it will give you light
by night, and of course you want it to give light to me and your mother and
other people also. You may have the moon just as long a you are unselfish,
but when you grow greedy then the moon will belong to someone else who
will make better use of it.” And one day when the lad wanted the ocean his
father gave him that also on a similar condition. “You must not carry it away
and bottle it up,” he said. “It is yours, but you must not be selfish. Let other
people bather in your ocean and sail boats on your ocean. Indeed, it is very
much better for you to have others using your ocean, for it would not be
nearly so interesting without ships sailing up and down to all parts of the
world to bring you and me and your mother tea and coffee and bananas,
and other fishing boats going out to catch our fish for us.” So when the lad
wanted a great forest the father gave it to him, and when he asked for the
mountains the father gave him the mountains also. Until by and by he owned
the whole universe. But always on condition that he would not be selfish but
would let other people enjoy his moon, and his ocean, and his forest, and his
mountains with him.”
God has given all the universe to His Son, but the Son does not hoard it as His own. He
shares it with all, and he expects us to share with others the blessings that are ours in Him.
“Those who become children of God through the operation of faith are called, “Heirs of God
and JOINT HEIRS with Christ.” Rom. 8:17. This heirship suggests partnership. If you have
a joint account at the bank with your wife or business partner it simply means that both
parties can draw on the account. As joint heirs it means that God’s believing child can draw
upon the Divine resources for all his needs.” Someone has put together a partial list of what
riches we have in Jesus.
“What We Have In Christ:
A love that can never be fathomed;
A life that can never die;
A righteousness that can never be tarnished;
A peace that can never be understood;
A rest that can never be disturbed;
A joy that can never be diminished;
A hope that can never be disappointed;
A glory that can never be clouded;
A light that can never be darkened;
A happiness that can never be interrupted;
A strength that can never be enfeebled;
A purity that can never be defiled;
A beauty that can never be marred;
A wisdom that can never be baffled;
Resources that can never be exhausted.”
When we love Jesus as our Lord and King we are heirs of all the riches that he
received from the Father, and this makes us the riches people in the world. Paul
writes in Galatians 4:7 "Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a
son, then an heir of God through Christ."
“In his splendid book of anecdotes entitled Bible Windows, Ivor Powell tells the story of a
rich man who died and left no heirs. When his household goods were auctioned off, an
elderly lady dressed in shabby garments was the only one to bid on the picture of the dead
man’s son. It had been greatly cherished by the wealthy father because his only child had
died at an early age. But the crowd that had gathered for the sale showed no interest in it.
When the woman who bought the portrait was asked why she wanted it, she said she had
been the boy’s nurse many years before, and had loved him dearly.
Later she examined the picture closely and noticed a bulge in the heavy paper on the
back. Making a small cut, she removed an envelope, which turned out to be the man’s
missing will. The document very clearly stated that he wanted to leave his property to the
person who still held dear the memory of his beloved son.” That is how every person can
become rich forever. It is by loving the Son whom the Father sent to save men from the
consequences of sin.
We are rich because we are brothers and sisters to the richest person in the universe. We
may not yet have material wealth, but we all have riches that are beyond measure in the
realm of wisdom and truth in Christ. It is our obligation to share this with those who are
poor because they do not have these riches. Jesus sent his church into all the world to share
these riches. He has made us all rich enough to have plenty to spare that we can share. We
will do so more freely and more often if we keep reminding ourselves that we are part of the
family of the richest person in the universe.
Harriett Buell wrote the words for A Child of the King one Sunday morning while
walking home from her Methodist church service. She sent her text to the Northern
Christian Advocate, and it was printed in the February 1, 1877 issue. It is a song that every
person can sing with meaning when they have trusted Jesus as their Savior.
(1) My Father is rich in houses and lands,
He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!
Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,
His coffers are full,-He has riches untold.
Chorus: I’m a child of the King,
A child of the King!
With Jesus, my Savior,
I’m a child of the King.
(2) My Father’s own Son, the Savior of men,
Once wandered o’er earth as the poorest of them;
But now He is reigning in glory on high,
Preparing a place for the sweet by and by.
(3) A tent or a cottage, why should I care?
They’re building a palace for me over there!
Though here I’m a stranger yet still I may sing;
All glory to God, I’m a child of the King!
If we have trusted in Jesus as our Savior we are rich now and will be rich forever.
Man had the richest life possible in Eden, but he lost it by disobedience. Jesus won in
all back for us by becoming a man, and by living in full obedience to the Father’s will.
To as many as receive Him God will make His children, and so we will be rich forever,
for we will be related by blood to the richest person in the universe.
