I want to invite you to go ahead and open up to James chapter 1. Be looking at verses 9 through 11. Behold the wondrous mystery. It’s such a beautiful song. That was one I think I was first introduced to in our church in Louisville. And I’ve just really come to love it. The mystery of Christ and what he did for us. James chapter 1 verses 9 through 11. Obviously we’ll be continuing the series in James.

So James chapter one, starting in verse nine. James, as inspired by the Holy Spirit, writes. But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position, and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass, and its flower falls off, and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed. So too the rich man, in the midst of his pursuits, will fade away.

Let’s pray. Heavenly Father, I wanna thank you again for this evening. I wanna thank you for your word, the book of James and where we can learn how to live godly Christian lives. And I pray that you bless the preaching of the word tonight and that the Holy Spirit speaks through me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

I’m sure many of us are familiar with the famous literature novel, Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen in the 1800s. I’ve never actually read the book, I’ve only seen the movie, but it’s a great story. But it’s, you know, you have the titular characters of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, and she represents the prejudice and he represents the pride. And they’re the two main characters of the story, and it’s, you know, like many other love stories, there’s disagreements, arguments in the beginning, but in the end they fall in love and they live happily ever after. But, one of the key things that Jane Austen hits on in the book, and one of the key things in most of her books, is sort of the social hierarchy of England in the early 1800s, where you had those who came from money and they were of a higher society, and those who didn’t come from money and were of a lower society. And Elizabeth Bennet did not come from money, and her and her family were considered sort of a lower part of society, whereas Mr. Darcy was extremely wealthy, and he was high society.

And like I said, Mr. Darcy has a higher position, and Elizabeth Bennet has a lower position. Darcy has a higher status, Elizabeth has a lower status. However, despite their differing statuses or positions, they fall madly in love with one another. And what’s discovered is that despite Elizabeth’s lack of money and Mr. Darcy’s overabundance of money, they’re unified in their love for each other and that their social status at the end of the day did not matter. It’s their love for each other that did. No matter how high of a position he had or how low of a position she had, their love is what mattered. And their love for each other, they were humbled and became equals.

And when we come to this passage today, James 1-9-11, we see that the poor and the rich share the same status in Christ, equal in Christ. Now 9-11 seems to be concluding what some, and what appears to be the first unit of James. And like I said, and what I’ve said over and over again is James in this first chapter seems to really be introducing his themes that he will continue to talk about later on in the book. And verses 1-11 are the first unit And in this first 11 verses, he does seem to be addressing different themes, but the overarching theme does seem to be centered on trials, and that’s really talked about in verses two through four.

We talked about in my last sermon that when trials are, or two sermons ago, trials are cause for great joy, and that when you are going through trials, you should ask for wisdom, and ask for wisdom in faith. And in 9 through 11, James is shifting to a discussion concerning the poor and the rich. And this is a discussion he will come back to several other times. He’ll come back to it in chapter 2, he’ll even come back to it in chapter 5. And it seems to indicate the amount of times he talks about this discussion is that economic deprivation seems to be one of the trials facing these Christians. There were some Christians who obviously were experiencing probably severe poverty.

But I do want to note before we get into the heart of the passage, like I said, James is introducing this topic of the rich and the poor, one he’ll come back to several more times. But when we come to this topic in this passage, and even when we come to the topic of wealth and the rich and the poor and how they’re contrasted throughout scripture, we need to remember that James and even scripture as a whole is not presenting these two as one is good and one is bad. So James is not portraying the rich and the poor as the rich is really bad and the poor is really good. And I think sometimes in our society, especially in kind of current society, sometimes rich people are often viewed as like the bad guys and the poor is always viewed as the good guy. But that’s not what James is doing. And in these first just few verses where he introduces the topic, he’s really focusing on the heart of the matter, the hearts of the poor and the heart of the rich man.

So I just want to say that before moving forward is he’s not trying to create friction between these two. He is contrasting them, but he’s more so focused on where their status should be and the transitory nature of wealth. Wealth is transitory. It eventually goes away. And we will be looking at this idea of the poor and the rich having the same status in Christ in two ways. And the first way is the boasting of the poor, and that covers verse nine. I’m gonna read that again very briefly. Verse nine, but the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position.

So we see James contrasting the poor and the rich. And like I said, though he is talking about, and I do wanna clarify my verse, but the brother of humble circumstances Some translations maybe say the brother of poor circumstances. My version says the brother of humble circumstances. Either of those words can be used interchangeably. James does seem to be writing to individuals when he uses the word humble and poor, people of a low circumstance, sort of low on the social status, those without not as much money. So like I said, we’re talking about the poor and the rich, but the focus of these verses is more on their status.

Like I said, he’s dealing with the heart. And this helps us see that James is focusing on what these two different individuals that he’s contrasting, he’s focusing on what they should value and where their identity and security should be. And in verse 9 we see, as we’ve seen already throughout this first chapter, another imperative. What does he say? But the brother of humble circumstances is to glory, or some versions may say, to boast. And as I said in the introduction, James seems to be writing to poverty stricken Christians.

Now obviously, he’s not writing to only those who are poor because he mentions the rich. So he’s writing to Christians of various, not just social statuses, but Christians with various amounts of money, those with a lot and those with less. And some scholars and historians seem to think that there was a famine in this region around the time which would have caused some of these Christians to be affected by it and it would have had negative consequences on them.

So these were real people in a real period of history facing real struggles, real trials, real difficulties. And it’s interesting when you read verse nine, and just the strangeness of what he says, but the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position. So he’s talking about, he says, he’s writing to these poor Christians and says, you’re poor, you’re of humble circumstances, and he says, you’re to glory in your high position. Which when you read that verse, you think, that doesn’t make sense, James, what are you talking about? And like I said, we’ve already talked about in James, James is writing to these Christians to tell them how to live in a godless changing world. And how to live as a Christian is antithetical to that of the world. And they’re not easy words to digest.

James is not trying to take away the pain of what they’re facing. He’s not ignoring the difficulty of what they’re facing. He’s saying this is what you’re facing and this is how you are to deal with it. He’s telling them they need to glory and boast in their lowly state. And the world does not preach a message of this. Now, the world may give good financial advice, but when it comes to those who are poverty-stricken, the focus for them is on getting more money.

Now, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, and James isn’t either. It’s not a bad thing, it’s not a sin to acquire more money. It’s not a sin to try to get your family out of debt or try to get out of poverty. But remember, James is focusing on the heart. He’s focusing on the heart of the matter, where their focus and their value should be. And boast slash glory does not refer to sinful arrogance. So that’s another thing that kind of makes your eyebrows go up when you read this verse. He says boast, or he says glory, which oftentimes when we see the word boast, it’s in a negative connotation. It’s used to think of an arrogant man, a boastful man, a prideful man. But it’s better to think of the word boast slash glory as take pride in, which is actually how the NIV translates it. So take pride in. And Doug Moo, a New Testament scholar, describes the word boast as a joyous pride possessed by the person who values what God values.

So we boast in things of God, we’re taking joy in the things of God. So, verse nine, but the brother of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position, or to boast slash glory in his high position. He’s boasting in what God values. He’s glorifying what God loves. So he’s not focused on what he desires, he’s not focused on his circumstances, he’s focused on what God wants. He’s focused on God. But it does beg the question, what are they boasting in? He says they’re exaltation or high position. My translation says to glory in his high position. Some translations may say exaltation. And they’re boasting in their position as members of the body of Christ. They should be joyful over their status of slaves of Christ. And remember how that goes back to verse one, James, a bond servant or a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So he’s telling them, hey, you’re not to boast or glorify in whatever the amount of money you have or the amount of money you don’t have. You’re to boast or glorify in your status in Christ, who you are in Christ, your identity, your security is in Christ. boasting in what Christ has done in their lives and the results of it. They’re boasting in the wondrous mystery that we just sang about. These Christians are in Christ, and that is great cause for boasting. It’s the ultimate cause for boasting. The word used for exaltation or high position is the same word that’s used in Ephesians 4, 8, when Jesus ascended. It says, when he ascended on high.

So they’re to glory and boast in their position in Christ, but this word also makes us think of our eternal home in the inheritance. Glory in their high position. He’s reminding them and thinking and having them think of their inheritance that awaits for them, their heavenly inheritance, the ultimate inheritance. Many people around the world, when their father or family member dies, are left in inheritance. Some are left a lot, others are not left as much. But our inheritance, as members of the body of Christ, is a great one, and far exceeds any amount of money that someone can be left here on earth. They are citizens of heaven, they are citizens of the kingdom of God. And the poor slash lowly brothers are in Christ, and this is great cause for boasting. And we would look at this verse, the boasting of the poor, and see how it can be applied to our lives.

The first thing to recognize is that poverty slash seasons of less are something that many people face. I’m sure most people in here, many of us in here, can look back on times where they have had less. I know my grandfather, he was him and my grandmother married in 1969, and they were missionaries in the West Indies. So he actually likes to joke. He says, our honeymoon was candidating. but they were missionaries in the West Indies, and they got married, and they went down there. And he tells me, I can’t remember the exact amount of money he said, but he would tell me the amount of support they had monthly, and then he would look at me and say, and even for 1969, that wasn’t a lot. But they still went, and they can tell you countless stories of how God provided, because their boasting, their glory was not in how much money they were getting monthly, their boasting was in Christ, and who they were in Christ, and how they had been called to further the message of Christ.

And part of living in a sin-filled world is economic troubles. But what’s worse than having economic troubles is having your identity completely in money and not in Christ. And the high position that James is talking about only comes from putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ and following him all our days. That status in Christ only comes by being a Christian and giving your life to him fully. And remember that in the midst of hard times, we were to boast about our high position. We have a heavenly inheritance. We are citizens of the kingdom of God. I wanted to read a little bit of John MacArthur this week. in light of his recent passing, and he has this quote about this idea of where poor Christians, humble Christians are to glory or exalt or boast in their high position.

And that idea of high position, and listen to what he says. He says, the believer who is deprived in this life can accept that temporary and insignificant deprivation because he has a future divine inheritance that is both eternal and secure. John MacArthur is experiencing that, a divine inheritance that is both eternal and secure. And that’s what we need to remember as well. When we are in the midst of those difficulties, we have a divine inheritance that pales in comparison. I mean, the financial difficulties we’re facing pales in comparison to the divine inheritance we will receive. A heavenly future, and though that’s hard in the midst of a trial to remember that, we are called to remember it.

And we have much, if you are in Christ, if your status is in Christ, you have much to boast about. And it is also important to remember how the world pays attention to us and how we deal with money. When you’re around your coworkers or individuals who are not saved, do they constantly see us worrying about money? Do they see us fretting about money? When they ask us, tell me about Stephen, tell me about this person, is the first thing that pops in their mind is, well, he’s always worried about money. Or is their first thought, he boasts about Christ a lot, he’s always talking about Christ. He is satisfied in his position in Christ. The world pays attention to how we do things. Like I said, James talks about in this book how we’re so different than the world, and because we’re so different, we stick out, we do. And the people are gonna watch us, the world observes us. So are we gonna honor Christ’s name? Are we still joyful and glorifying Christ through everything? Are we considering it all joy? Our contentment must be in Christ.

Now, I just want to mention, and I said it earlier, I’m not saying, and James is not saying that those in financial difficulties are not supposed to get out of a financial difficulty. That’s not what he’s saying. He’s not saying you have to stay where you are. If you’re poor, you have to stay poor. If you’re in debt, you have to stay in debt. That would be a misinterpretation of the passage. What he’s saying is, what do you value? Where is your heart focused on? What is your spirit focused on? Pastor Ryan talked about this morning, worshiping in spirit. When he talked about it’s the heart. Are you worshiping money? Or are you worshiping God? Are you worshiping Christ? We are content in the season of life God has us. That’s what James is talking about. We’re resting upon him and who we are in him. The poor are to boast, but so are the rich. The rich are to boast as well, which brings us to the second way we’re looking at this passage today, the boast of the rich, and that covers verses 10 through 11. I’m gonna read those.

Verse 10, and the rich man is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed. So too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. Now, it’s important to remember, like verse 9, James is talking to Christians. Remember, he seems to be writing to a group of Christians. And though verse 10 does not say the rich brother, it seems to be linked directly to verse 9, which indicates that he is also talking to Christians. Scholars will debate on this, but it does seem that he’s still talking to Christians, Christians who have more wealth. And the word boast slash glory can be inserted into verse 10 as well. So it’s that the rich brother is to glory in his humiliation. So he’s contrasting the poor and the rich.

In the ESV, I like the way the ESV translate verses nine into verse 10. It says this, let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation and the rich in his humiliation. So the way it kind of transitions into verse 10 shows the lowly brother and the rich brother. So we’re still talking about Christians. Wealthy Christians are to boast glory in Christ and not their wealth and once again We come to verse 10 and we see another verse that kind of makes our eyebrows go up and saying what are you talking? About James. He says in the rich man is to glory in his humiliation It’s like in his humiliation, what does that mean?

That’s the opposite of the way we understand wealth and riches. We understand the wealth and the rich man is not one who is humiliated, but is of a higher position, a higher status, has no cause for humiliation because he’s wealthy, he has everything he needs. But James says he’s to glory or boast in his humiliation. And it’s important to think of this word as humiliate as being brought low.

Oftentimes, we think of the word humiliate in the sense of when we’re humiliated. We say something maybe silly that doesn’t make sense, or someone mocks us or makes fun of us. That’s how we think of the word humiliate, which it does coincide with what I’m trying to say here, which is meaning brought low. But it’s more than just our concept of humiliated. It’s being humbled in Christ. These rich, just like the poor, are slaves of Christ, and this should be cause for great joy. They’re brought low in Christ, though in the world’s eyes, They are wealthy, they are of a high status, they’re a high position, they have everything put together in Christ, they are lowly. They are humbled. And it’s important to know, in fact, the rich and the poor are both exalted and both humiliated.

The rich are humiliated in Christ and they have a high position. And it’s the same with the poor. So he’s contrasting them, but we also have to understand That there’s equality there too, and there’s similar things. Wealth cannot save the rich or make their life meaningful. Only Christ can. And like the poor, it is only by being in Christ that true meaning is found. Proverbs 11, 28 says this. One who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf. That’s what James is talking about. You’re humiliated. Your status is in Christ. Your position’s in Christ. That’s the man of righteousness. That’s what the man of righteousness should look like. His status is in Christ and not in his wealth. And remember, he’s not condemning wealth. If he was gonna condemn wealth, he could say that. You can have wealth, but what’s most important is who you are in Christ. If you are in Christ, if your status is in Christ, if you value Christ. All I have is Christ. That is the cry of the poor and the rich. And that’s what matters.

Craig Blomberg, another New Testament scholar, points out the rich are to boast in their dependency upon God. They’re not to depend on just their wealth. Ultimately, at the end of the day, just like the poor are not to depend on whatever money they have. The poor may think, I need this amount of money to get me in a better position, to be better in life. The rich says, I have this money in this position. I have all I need. But no, they’re to depend on God. That is what matters. Their identity and their security is in Christ.

We live in a day and age where people talk about how we have an identity crisis. We have the transgender movement. We have people with severe depression, severe anxiety. But let’s not forget that people can still have their identity as things and money. And we often think that only the rich are the ones who can have their identity and money, but poor people can too. Money can be an idol for anybody, no matter where you live, no matter how old you are. no matter how little or how much you have. I’ll never forget, since being married, and you’re married, you do finances together, and you do a budget together, and I always thought that the person who had made an idol of money, or put more value in money than they should, was the one who was always buying things, or was always wanting more money, was trying to get rich quick, But I realize it’s not necessarily always like that.

And I realize in my own life that the idea of saving and having enough in this month fund or enough in the nest egg or you have to have this much in the emergency fund and oh, we can’t touch that because we have to have this. And God has revealed to me that that can be an idol too. I’m valuing that more than I should. My identity and security at times is in it. but it’s not where it’s supposed to be. Our status is in Christ, we’re to boast in Christ.

If you’re a Christian, your status has changed. I’ll never forget, and actually this Wednesday, three years ago from this coming Wednesday, Carrie and I stood on this stage, probably, I don’t know, right about here, I’d say. Daniel Cummings was, well, I don’t know where we were, but we were right here, Daniel Cummings was there, and we said our vows, and before we were married, we were both single. That was our status. That was what we are. But then we set our vows and we made that covenant, not just before man, but before God. And when we walked off the stage and Dan Comings said, I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Rodney Kretzer. And our status had changed. We were married and it was cause for great boasting. I was really, really happy that day. It was awesome. But our status in Christ is even greater cause for boasting.

And that’s what James is talking about, the idea of being humbled in Christ, though that idea in our mind of humiliation of being humbled is so foreign to us, that being humbled in Christ is something to rejoice about, to have joy about. The rich and the poor both have their status in Christ. And then we get to the second part of verse 10. And this is where James really starts hitting on sort of the transitory nature of wealth. Wealth changes, wealth eventually passes away, goes the way of all things. So he’s told the rich, you know, your status is in Christ as well, you’re humbled in Christ. But he also gives in 10b and going on to 11, a warning of sorts to show, hey, remember, value Christ. Value Christ more than your wealth.

And I wanna read 10b and into 11. Because like flowering grass he will pass away, the rich man will pass away. 11, for the sun rises with a scorching wind and withers the grass and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed. So too the rich man in the midst of his pursuits will fade away. He is showing that they are not to seek to hang on to their riches for they will go away. What they own, what they possess will go. It will leave and it will be gone at some point and he will be gone. And the use of examples from nature shows the natural cycles of things. It’s normal for riches to pass away like the flower of the field. He talks about the flowering grass will pass away. That’s a natural cycle of things. The sun rises with the scorching wind and withers the grass. These are all things that happen on a regular basis. They’re inevitable.

So the rich man, it is inevitable that he will die. It is inevitable that what he has, the possessions he has, will pass away, will go away. And he cannot take them with him. They will stay here. It’s the way of all things.

Many of us, I’m sure, have had pets. And one of the things when you have a pet is you learn, because usually their lifespans are not as long as humans, is that the pet eventually dies. And it does help teach individuals, especially kids, the natural cycle of things, that death is a reality, it’s real. And I, as many young kids did, had a betta fish when I was young, which have a lifespan like of two days. But, you know, everyone gets a betta fish. And one day, and I did not find this out until I was an adult, actually, One day, you know, my parents came home and looked at my…The betta fish’s name was Gene, based off…He was named after Gene Autry, the old famous cowboy singer.

But one day my parents came home and Gene was upside down. He was gone. His days of swimming were done. And instead of, you know, telling me and showing me the reality of death, they did what every good parent does. They went and bought me another one before I got home. So then when I got home, Gene was still swimming, except that it was Gene 2.0. And then when gene 2.0 died, I buried him, thinking that it was gene number one. And it was not until I was an older adult that I realized it was, in fact, two genes. Now, I say that in jest. My parents are wonderful. But the betta fish died. It’s the natural cycle of things. They cease to exist. Nothing stays forever.

Even this world will be restored, will be destroyed when Christ returns. And James is saying, hey, you will not have it forever. It will go away. You will die. James is showing that their status should not be in wealth, but in Christ. And these two verses, 10 being 11, bring to mind Isaiah chapter 40, verses six through eight. Isaiah writes, a voice says, call out. Then he answered, what shall I call out? All flesh is like grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass wither, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it. The people are indeed grass, the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Things cease to exist. They go away when the breath of the Lord blows upon it. God is sovereign. He controls everything. He knows their cycles. He knows when they will come to existence. He knows when they will die.

People like grass, grass, and flowers will fade away. We die. It doesn’t matter how spiritual you are. It doesn’t matter how righteous you are. We will die. Which is why our status must be in Christ. However, God’s word does not change, and I love that at the end of verse eight, Isaiah 40, but the word of our God stands forever. God does not change, and this means that our relationship with him will never change. If we are in Christ, if your status is in Christ, and he has saved you, that will never end. It will not change. Our status is in Christ. and it will be like that forever. God does not change, and that’s such a beautiful, beautiful doctrine and teaching that we must always remember, and it’s great comforting that our God does not change, because we do change. We sin, we rebel, but despite our sinfulness, He does not. He keeps us in His Son.

1 Corinthians 7, verses 22 through 24, able to turn there, invite you to. These few verses help us understand this passage in James a little better. Paul in 1 Corinthians 7, 22 through 24 isn’t talking about the rich and the poor, but he’s talking about the freedmen and the slave. And as we read through these verses, we’ll see there’s similarities to our own passage. So 1 Corinthians 7, verses 22 through 24, Paul writes, For the one who was called in the Lord as a slave is the Lord’s freed person. Likewise, the one who was called as free is Christ’s slave. You were bought for a price. You do not become slaves of people. Brothers and sisters, each one is to remain with God in that condition in which he was called. The slave and the free man are both unified in Christ. And they are contrasted just like the rich and the poor of our passage here in James 1, 9 through 11.

Tom Schreiner, another New Testament scholar, helpfully points out that the slave is free because he is liberated from sin and the free man belongs to Christ. So the slave is liberated from his sin and brought to Christ. So he’s free. But he also, just like the rich man, belongs to Christ. He’s a slave of Christ. is liberated from sin as well, but he belongs to Christ. So we see Paul, like James, contrasting these two different figures, but also showing they’re unified in Christ. It doesn’t matter what their status is in the world, they’re the same in Christ. And that’s what matters most. At the end of the verse it says, brothers and sisters, each one is to remain with God in that condition, which he was called. They are continue to serve God wherever he has them.

Remember, sometimes God has us in positions that are difficult. But we are to be content where God has us and continue to be faithful where he has us to continue to boast in him where he has us. Whether freed or slave, rich or poor, Christ is the great equalizer. And in him we can place our security and our dependence, the great equalizer. And as we think about verses 10 through 11 and our own lives, money is not evil, but it is not where our status should be. And it’s easy. Like I was talking about earlier, I think it’s easy for a lot of us to say, oh, well, money never, I’m not attracted to money. I don’t care about money, but oh, I wanna buy this thing. Or how often do we say, especially as kids, mom, dad, I need this, or I need this book, I need this toy, whatever it is.

You know, for my wonderful wife, Carrie, when for me it’s, you know, I need books, you know, or I need pizza, or I need fried chicken. My stomach doesn’t need it, but you know. But we say we need things, but we don’t. And we should catch ourselves. If we’re saying that word need, need, need over again, why are we saying it? What is our value in? Even with jobs, it’s okay to move to different jobs. It’s okay to move up the ladder at where your job is. But if your motivation is only money, that’s all you care about, then that’s a problem. Christ is what we should care about. We should boast in Christ. And just because you have been blessed financially doesn’t mean you get to stop depending on God. The rich man doesn’t get to say, I have everything I need. I’m good. I don’t need God anymore. I have my money in my bank. I have this and that. I don’t need God. No.

The rich man needs God just as much as the poor man, or the middle class man, or wherever you are. He needs God. Solomon was a very, very, very wealthy man, was a very wise man. We read about his wisdom, we read how he asked God for wisdom, and he asked in faith. He was an extremely wise man, extremely wealthy man. And we look at his life, and we see what happens. He accumulates vast amounts of wealth, accumulates vast amounts of women, too. And with these women came idols of different nations. And as we study his life, we see that he eventually got to the point where he depended on God less and less. Because when you shift your focus from God, it means you are depending less upon God. And his reign after him ended tragically. After his death, the kingdom was split. His sin, his lack of dependency on God, had drastic and grave consequences for Israel. The rich and the poor alike must depend on God.

We must go to him in prayer. We must go to him in his word. This book is sufficient. We need it. Pastor Ryan talked about this morning. Do you believe this book truly and wholly and completely? We do here. We stand upon it. People mock us for it. People make fun of us for it. But it’s still true. No matter what others say, we depend on it. The poor and the rich are to always remember who they are in Christ. We all must remember who we are in Christ. Their value is found not in money, but in their Savior. And let us not forget that because our status is in Christ, we have an eternal inheritance awaiting us. And that should give great comfort to us. An eternal home. We will one day live in a new heaven and a new earth. It’s exciting to read about those chapters at the end of Revelation. A new heaven and a new earth, where there will be no sin.

I was talking with Carrie just recently, we were talking about different individuals, and I was thinking, Imagine what it would be like in heaven to know different people, but know them in a perfect, sinless state. To know people without their diseases, without their disorders, without being sinless. It’ll be amazing. The conversations we’ll have with people. Perfect and complete. And that’s our divine inheritance. That is the ultimate inheritance. The words of C.S. Lewis that he wrote to a young, well, I don’t know if she was a young woman, but he wrote to a woman once whose family member, it may have been her husband, was dying. She was having some anxiety and worry over it. And he wrote these famous words.

And actually, if you walk into my office and look to the left, you’ll see this on a canvas. Because this passage is so, this quote is so encouraging to me. He wrote, there are better things ahead than any we leave behind. better things ahead than any we leave behind. No matter how much money you have, no matter how much money you want, what is coming, if you are in Christ, is better. Imagine the greatest joy you have here on earth, whatever that joy is, what’s coming is better, and we need to remember that.

Let’s pray, and we’ll close in prayer. Heavenly Father, I thank you for sending your son to die for us so that we can put our faith and trust in him and that we can be saved and that our position can be in him and that our status can be in him. And I pray that if anyone is here this evening that doesn’t know you, they will come to know you so that their status can be in you. And we thank you that we are children of the kingdom of God and that we have a divine inheritance awaiting us. And bless us all as we leave this evening. In Jesus’ name, amen.