In this message we want to turn our attention to that part of God’s Word that reminds us we are stewards of our TIME and TALENTS. One of the things the Lord has promised us, if we are faithful stewards of these things He has entrusted to us, is that He will bless us. Look at Rev. 22:12. We read, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” In other words, there are going to be two different groups of Christians that will stand before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
(1) ONE GROUP WILL BE SAD. They will be there because God, by His marvelous grace, saved them, but they will have no eternal rewards. All of their Christian lives, preachers have been preaching from God’s Word that they need to faithfully use their TALENTS and TIME to serve the Lord. As they stand before the Lord it is going to dawn on them how they wasted their lives God had given them.
Illus: They are the ones God speaks of in I Cor. 3:15, “If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” Many Christians are going to be sad on that day as they stand before their blessed Savior Who gave His life for them, and be sorry they gave so little of themselves to Him. They built their lives around themselves and had little or no time for the Lord.
A lot of folks have the false notion that God is going to shower them with eternal rewards even though they have wasted their God-given TIME and TALENTS. They are like the children who are told they will receive very little for Christmas because THEY WERE NOT GOOD, but come Christmas morning, there are more presents for them than they can play with in one day.
Listen, be warned, it is not going to work that way in heaven. God loves us, but He is a JUST God. He will not reward those who waste the TIME and TALENTS He gave them. ONE GROUP WILL BE SAD.
(2) ONE GROUP WILL BE GLAD. While there are many Christians who have little or no time for the Lord, there are others who are using their TIME and TALENTS FOR HIM EVERY DAY THAT GOD GIVES THEM. These will be glad they spent their lives serving the Lord with their TIME and their TALENTS. Look what God has promised them in I Cor. 2:9, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Those who obey His Word, those who go the “second mile,” will be rewarded. God has special rewards that EYES HAVE NOT SEEN, NOR HAVE EARS HEARD for those who faithfully serve Him. Let us look at some of the CROWNS God has promised to those who are faithful in serving Him.
I. THERE IS THE CROWN OF INCORRUPTION.
THE CROWN OF INCORRUPTION will be awarded to good stewards who lived a disciplined life and ran the race as God told them to run.
Illus: There is an ancient story about three demons who were arguing over the best way to keep Christians from receiving eternal rewards.
(1) The first demon said, “Let’s tell all the Christians there is no heaven. Take away the reward incentive and the mission will collapse.”
(2) The second demon said, “Let’s tell all the Christians there is no hell. Take away the fear of punishment and the mission will collapse.”
(3)The third demon said, “There is one better way. Let’s tell all the Christians that they do not need to hurry to use their TIME and TALENTS for the Lord.” All three immediately agreed, “That’s it! All we have to do is convince them there’s no hurry and the whole Christian enterprise will collapse.”
It seems this is what most Christians believe. God’s churches are filled with well-meaning Christians who INTEND one day to use their TIME and TALENTS for the Lord. The only problem is, years are slipping by and all they have are good intentions. We all have the FREEDOM TO SQUANDER our TIME and our TALENTS, or to use them wisely.
WHAT CAN KEEP US FROM WASTING OUR TIME AND TALENTS? We must have the SELF-DISCIPLINE to act now.
One of the reasons the apostle Paul was such an outstanding Christian was because of the way he viewed the Christian life. He saw the Christian life as a race to be run and won. It was his discipline that made him willing to serve. In I Cor. 9:25, he said and we read, “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”
Every man who is a Christian would profit from disciplining himself, as Paul did, in this Christian race. Every man who disciplines himself has realized he has to keep his ambitions, desires, speech, thoughts, etc., all under control.
The man who does not learn to do this need not look for any eternal rewards in heaven!
Illus: There is a legend of a wealthy woman who, when she reached heaven, was shown a very plain mansion. She objected. “Well,” she was told, “that is the house prepared for you.” “Whose is that fine mansion across the way?” she asked. “It belongs to your gardener.” “How is it that he has one so much better than mine?” She was told, “The mansions are prepared from the materials that are sent up. We do not choose them. You do that by your earthly faithfulness.” (This may be just a legend, but it bears a profound truth.)
God could not be a JUST God and reward someone who lived an undisciplined life with the same reward as one who lived a disciplined life. THE CROWN OF INCORRUPTION will be awarded to those good stewards who live disciplines lives and run the race as God’s Word tells us it should be run.
There is another crown that will be given to those who are good stewards of their TIME and TALENTS.
II. THERE IS THE CROWN OF REJOICING.
This is a special crown given to those who faithfully do all they can to win the lost.
Paul had won many to Christ in Thessalonica and he said when he stands before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ that God shall reward him with a CROWN OF REJOICING.
Look at I Thess. 2:19, “For what is our hope, or joy, or CROWN OF REJOICING? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” DID YOU KNOW THAT IT HAS BEEN ESTIMATED THAT 95% OF ALL CHRISTIANS HAVE NEVER WON A SOUL TO CHRIST? All of us are called to be witnesses, no matter what we do to earn money to pay our bills.
Illus: A wealthy man in the midwest was an outstanding Christian layman. People used to ask him what he did. He would reply, “I am a witness for Jesus Christ, but I pack pork to pay expenses.”
That should be the attitude of every Christian. We should recognize our REAL JOB in this life IS TO BE A WITNESS OF THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, but most of us have to do other things to pay the expenses. Listen, the Lord is concerned about the lost. That is why He left heaven, became flesh, died for sinners, rose from the dead, and ascended to the Father. Now He promises a special crown to those who will spend their time trying to win the lost to Him.
Thank the Lord for Christians who see the need to spend their time reaching the lost.
Illus: A few years before the death of Charles Spurgeon, an American lecture bureau tried to hire him to come to America to deliver fifty lectures, speaking in all the large cities of America. As compensation, the bureau offered to pay all expenses for Spurgeon, his wife, and private secretary, and to pay $1,000.00 per night for each of the 50 lectures. But Spurgeon promptly declined that offer. He said, “I can do better. I will stay in London and try to save 50 souls.”
God has a special CROWN OF REJOICING for those who faithfully witness to the lost. Also, for those who use their TIME and TALENTS wisely...
III. THERE IS THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Look at II Tim. 4:8. We read, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
What must a Christian do to win a Crown of Righteousness? He must “contend” for the faith. The devil has always tried to corrupt God’s church with false teaching. He has been successful in moving into some Bible-believing churches and completely destroyed those churches doctrinally. How could he do that? The Christians did not take a stand against the false teachers and false teachings. God has promised a crown to those who will stand on what this Bible teaches.
In Jude 3 we read, “...and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
Look at Rev. 2:18-20. The church at Thyatira did not contend for the faith. We read, “And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.”
God tells us three things in this passage.
A. God sees what is going on in His church. Look at verse 18. We read, “...who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire...”
B. God knows who His prophets are. Look at these words, “...which calleth herself a prophetess...” Notice he says she “...calleth herself...” God did not call her a prophetess. She called herself a prophetess.
C. God knows what the church teaches. Look at verse 20. We read, “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel...to teach and to seduce...” God was very unhappy that the Christians in Thyatira allowed Satan’s preachers to come in and corrupt His church by teaching their damnable religion.
Illus: How do you feel as you find out that our public schools, which are supposed to be teaching our children to read, write, and do arithmetic, are instead teaching our children that homosexuality is an acceptable lifestyle? Those of you who love your children are not willing to tolerate this. Many are rising up against it!
Listen, when a person loves the Lord, he is not going to allow God’s church to be corrupted.
It is shocking today what Christians allow to take place in their churches and be preached in the pulpits. There was a time when godly saints would have risen to their feet and said, “WE ARE NOT GOING TO TOLERATE THIS!” There would have been some changes made.
God was very displeased that the Christians in the church at Thyatira had allowed the church to be corrupted. God is displeased today at those who are allowing the “Jezebel’s” of this world to seduce and corrupt His church.
However, He was pleased that the church in Ephesus refused to allow the Word of God to be corrupted.
Look at Rev. 2:1-2. We read, “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars.”
Listen, many churches all over America have been corrupted. That is, everything they believed and once stood for they no longer stand for.
However, there are also many churches across this land that refuse to compromise what this Bible teaches. God has a special crown for those Christians--THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
IV. THERE IS THE CROWN OF GLORY.
Look at I Peter 5:4. We read, “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”
WHAT IS THE CROWN OF GLORY? This is a crown that is given to pastors who have faithfully used their TIME and TALENTS preaching the unadulterated Word of God. There are three reasons why men preach.
(1) Some enjoy talking. This can be a problem if people do not enjoy listening to them. Seriously, there are some folks who have a lot to say and enjoy saying it.
Illus: The Guinness World Book of Records recognized the longest sermon on record was preached by Rev. Robert Marshall. He was the minister of the Birmingham Unitarian Church in Michigan. He preached for 60 hours and 31 minutes. He broke the record of Robert McKee, who had previously preached for 52 hours.
Yes, some people love to talk and figure since they have the gift of gab they may as well get paid for it. Some preach because they love to talk.
(2) Some preach because they love the money. That is, to them preaching is just a way of making money.
Illus: These are like the man who asked the little boy what he wanted to be when he grew up. The little boy said that he was going to be a preacher. The man asked, “Why did you decide to be a preacher?” The little boy said, “The way I figure it, I am going to have to go to church anyway, so I might as well get paid for it!”
Listen, if any of you are considering going into the ministry for the money, you need to reconsider. There are a lot of false ideas about pastor’s salaries.
Illus: Three small boys were bragging on their dads. The first said, “My dad writes a few short lines on a paper, calls it a poem, sends it away and gets ten dollars for it.”
The second said, “My dad makes dots on paper, calls it a song, sends it away and gets twenty-five dollars for it.”
“That’s nothing,” declared the third boy. “My father writes a sermon on a sheet of paper, gets up in the pulpit and reads it, and it takes four men to bring in the money!”
Illus: The ministry is like sports in some ways. For example, you might hear of a baseball player making five million dollars a year, yet all across this nation most baseball players only make a small salary, or no salary at all.
You may hear of a few television preachers making money hand over fist, but most pastors could make more money doing something else.
(3) Then there are those who recognize it is God’s will for their lives that they should preach the gospel. Across this nation there are preachers who faithfully preach the Word of God at a great sacrifice. That is, if they quit the ministry and went into another profession they could make a lot more money. They study hard and do the best they can. Some pastors remind me of a young dedicated pastor.
Illus: Shortly after this pastor had assumed the pastorate of his first church, he and his wife went to visit his dad and mother one Saturday. The mother sensed that the young preacher’s wife was unhappy. Not wishing to be a meddlesome mother-in-law, she pretended not to notice. But, as they departed she heard her say, “All right, we will go by the church and you can practice baptizing me just one more time, but remember this -- when you have your first funeral, you are not going to practice burying me!”
Illus: A study of 301 clergy revealed:
- 66% feel lonely and isolated.
- 80% sometimes experience feelings of futility.
- 90% suffer stress because of problems with parishioners.
- Many are tired after a 55, or more, hour long work week.
- But, most say they are 95% satisfied with their work.
All across this country we hear about the bad pastors.
Illus: A preacher can make a mistake and it spreads all over the county.
However, what you often never hear is that all over this nation godly pastors faithfully preach God’s Word week after week, lovingly providing for God’s people. God has a special crown for these people. A lot of the top-name preachers you hear about today will have to step back as God rewards, with the CROWN OF GLORY, these faithful pastors across the nation who have preached His Word week after week in their little churches. God could not be a just God and reward compromising preachers who preach whatever is popular with same reward He gives to pastors who have faithfully preached His Word.
Conclusion/Summary: A father and son were building contractors. One day the father told his son, “I am going to build the most luxurious house we ever built.” He continued, “Son, I will be retiring very soon and I want you to take complete control of this project to build this dream house.” The son agreed and was thankful for the opportunity. However, the son was not a very honest individual. As he built the house, he cut every corner he could, but would charge as if he was using the best in materials and labor, and he would pocket the differences. Finally the house was finished and the house looked great, although the son knew he had not built it the best it could be built. He called his dad to come look at it. Every flaw was covered. Outwardly the house looked great. The dad walked through and looked satisfied. He then turned to the son and said, “Son, I did not want to tell you until now because I wanted to surprise you. This dream house you built is your dream house. It is my gift to you.” You can imagine that son was shocked, and also full of regret that he had not done his best!
Is this how it will be when you get to heaven. Have you built your life out of the “wrong materials.” God will reward according to what you deserve. He is a just God. He will bless those who have used their TIME and TALENTS wisely.
In this life we see a great deal of unfairness, but in heaven everything is based on what is RIGHT. The JUST GOD WILL REWARD PEOPLE WHO ARE WORTHY TO BE REWARDED. Each will get his deserts, NO MORE and NO LESS!
I. THERE IS THE CROWN OF INCORRUPTION.
II. THERE IS THE CROWN OF REJOICING.
III. THERE IS THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.
IV. THERE IS THE CROWN OF GLORY.
