The Greatest Wealth

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