THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD

 

It’s not Elon Musk, the world’s first trillionaire. It’s not even the top ten wealthiest people combined. It’s the most humble believer in Christ. It always has been. Listen to the description of their net worth.

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.^, He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One. (Eph 1:3–6)

The eight-year-old or eighty-year-old believer, whether they live in a hut or a mansion is an heir to incomparable riches. They have “every spiritual blessing in the heavens.” Think of this. There’s not one spiritual blessing that is not theirs. They may not realize what they have, but they have it all through Christ.

Paul goes on in Ephesians 1 (in one, long 14-verse sentence) to describe just a bit of these blessings. If we are in Christ …

·      We are holy and blameless in love

·      Adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for God Himself

·      We have redemption through His blood

·      We have forgiveness of our trespasses

·      We can understand the mystery of the will of God

·      We have been forever sealed by the promised Holy Spirit

·      The Holy Spirit has been given to us—placed in us as a “downpayment” of our future inheritance.

·      and on and on!

All of this is ours because of one thing: it is in Christ, by Christ, through Christ, and therefore, for Christ.

THE PRICE

I was talking with my dear 87-year old friend, Dr. Hoyte Pyle, about the ease with which he now enters the throne room of heaven. “It takes me just a few minutes,” he said, “to walk into His presence and be instantly aware of Him.” He has learned how to experience this over the past two years … the secret of the Presence-Centered life, of abiding in Christ’s presence. He told me, “I don’t really have to walk through the exercise of entering in, because when I get there, I realize I am already there. I never left.”

Every true believer has been introduced by Christ through faith into this "grace in which we now stand" (see Romans 5:1-2). We are there whether we realize it or not and all the riches of heaven are at our disposal.

How can you measure this treasure? How do you weigh these riches?

As I was thinking about this in my prayertime this morning and thanking God for the ease in which I can enter His presence, the Lord reminded me of something humbling and important. I can enter His presence with ease, because Jesus Christ bought this for me with agony. He came, suffered, agonized, died and rose again, taking all of my sins upon Himself so that I could now effortlessly enter free, forgiven, and blameless. His agony purchased my entrance. His pain gave me my pardon. His temporary loss bought my eternal gain.

I’m the richest man in the world.