A. INTRODUCTION: 7 FUTURE WORDS
? Rapture – Jesus comes.
? Crowns – Jesus rewards.
? Tribulation – Evil has its day.
? Glorious appearing – Jesus wraps all things.
? Millennium/1,000 years – God restores the earth.
? Judgment/hell – God punishes.
? Heaven – God’s reward.
B. REWARDS
1. Who, all believers. “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body” (2 Cor. 5:10, NLT).
2. What, our works. “Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames” (1 Cor. 3:12-15, NLT).
3. This is not for sins, but for works. “Our sins are remembered no longer” (Heb. 10:17).
4. We will be rewarded based on faithfulness and usefulness.
5. Our rewards are called crowns.
C. CROWNS
1. Incorruptible Crowns. “They do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible” (1 Cor. 9:25). Illustration of Olympic crowns. The examination – self-discipline.
2. Crown of Righteousness. “Hence forth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness . . . the Lord, the righteous judge will give . . .to all who love His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8). The examination – faithfulness.
3. Crown of Life. “Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). The examination – called martyrs crown, or those who endured persecution or trials (James 1:12).
4. Crown of Glory. “And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Peter 5:4). The examination – those who serve fulltime.
5. Crown of Rejoicing. “What is our . . . crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming . . . For ye are our glory and joy” (1 Thess. 2:19-20). The examination – those who are faithful in witnessing to the lost and leading them to salvation.
D. WRAP UP
1. Self-examination. “If we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God” (1 Cor. 11:31, NLT).
2. God judges us but does not condemn. “When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned along with the world” (1 Cor. 11:32, NLT)
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
Dr. Towns’ email is eltowns@liberty.edu.
Video presentations of the PBC are available online at trbc.org/pbc
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