These are my raw notes again. I’m weeks behind, but hopefully they will be useful.
Purpose:
We are all equal in our walk with Christ. Wealth or poverty are irrelevant.
What are the comparisons being made in verse 9 and how do these relate to the world today?
Lowly brother contrasted with the rich and exaltation contrasted with humiliation. Also though lowly the low are exalted and although rich the wealthy are humiliated.
These are opposite to the way the world tends to consider these positions. Typically the lowly is regarded lowly and the wealthy is exalted in the eyes of man. The opinion of the rich is the opinion that counts (in spite of democracy’s attempts to change this. In the western world today the opinion and place of the wealthy is not enforced via government policy as it once was, rather it is enforced virally through the media.
What does Paul mean when he says the the lowly can rejoice in his exaltation?
The attitude of lowliness
Matt 5:3 – blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Matt 5:5 – blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth
Luke 18:9-14 – the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector – the attitude of the tax collector
The exaltation of the saved
Rom 2:4 – the riches of His kindness
Eph 1:7-10 – the riches of his grace
Col 1:27 – the riches of the glory of the mystery of Christ in you
Rom 9:23 – he has chosen to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy.
Eph 2:4-7 – He has raised us up… so that … he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
The goal is for us to not look to our own sufficiency, but to the grace of God.
What challenges are there that are unique to the rich?
1 Tim 6:17 – Those with wealth are often tempted to trust their wealth
Jer 9:23-24 – let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord
How should we regard wealth?
Wealth is worthless in the big picture. It offers no guarantees of anything either now or in the future. In the world it is often a means to an end, however it is often mistaken as the end itself.
The value of wealth should be regarded within the perspective of who Jesus is.
Phil 3:8-11 – I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith – that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his suffereings becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead
Humiliation is a state – not a process. Noun, not adjective
Why do you think the rich is humiliated and how can he rejoice or boast in it?
The rich is humiliated as while they seem to have all that they need, they have found they have nothing. The truth is that the rich will fade and perish. Christ brings a person face to face with this reality before the end of their lives, which is cause for great rejoicing.
Job 14:1-2 – the life of man is fleeting, one who has been saved has faced this reality and understood his purpose
Isa 40:6-8 – the grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. What we do, say, think and have is irrelevant before a holy righteous, absolute God.
1 Cor 7:39-31 – we should live as if we had nothing to lose.
What does pursuits mean?
The word means course of life.
Verse 12 – what is the outcome of Steadfastness?
Steadfastness is the requirement to receive the crown of life.
This crown is reserved for those who love Christ – what conclusion can we draw about trials from this?
Because the crown of life is reserved for those who love Christ, standing firm is the way to demonstrate that love. Love that is less than a commitment to follow Christ regardless of personal cost is not love. Just as a marriage cannot survive unless a raw determination to stay committed regardless of personal cost exists, so a commitment to Christ is worthless and will not survive unless it is made regardless of personal cost.
What are the possible response we can have toward trials? What do these responses tell us about these trials?
There are several responses that we can have to trials in our lives. Some of these include:
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run away,
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Wriggle out,
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Get angry
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Bitterness
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Harden up,
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Fall apart or
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give up.
What is the outcome the Lord wants and how should we respond to trials?
We should endure, persevering through the hardship growing our dependence on God through prayer as we do.
We cannot just “give up” in trials – for the love of Christ we must dig deep and endure in order to obtain character. Failure to do this means we sacrifice character to gain comfort which is not what the believer says they value.
Also – blessed means happy – we were made to make much of Christ – this is how we are made happy.
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