THE CROWNS OF HEAVEN – PART I
Please open your Bible to Revelation 3, as we continue our series on eternal rewards, with today message, “The Crowns of Heaven – Part I.”
This message is the first of at least two dynamic sermons on the crowns of heaven which I believe are among the greatest rewards of heaven. These crowns are so significant in eternity that it is impossible to describe their worth. These crowns are so profound that Jesus said…
Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. NKJV
Don’t let anyone or anything prevent you from gaining the great crowns of heaven. I hope the details of what you hear today will not weary you or bore you but will thrill your soul and inspire you to live for Jesus Christ and pursue His gift of the eternal crowns of heaven.
Revelation 3:11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. NKJV
THE CROWNS OF HEAVEN
The crowns of heaven are eternal crowns that represent what I believe are the greatest and the most cherished rewards in heaven. There is nothing greater than for the eternal King of the Ages to crown you with a crown of everlasting splendor that is so great, that those who wear them will be forever known as the greatest of heaven who faithfully loved Jesus.
Everything I have preached in this series has been to prepare you for this moment, because how you live your life now, will ultimately determine your greatness in eternity. It is God’s desire to reward you with great rewards, and to crown you with the crowns of heaven that will shine brighter than the brightest stars in the universe.
The significance of these crowns is far greater than you can imagine. They represent your standing and authority in heaven and your right to rule and reign with Christ forever. Not for a moment, or a day, but forever. Those who receive these crowns will leap with great joy, but those who lose their crowns will weep with great sorrow at their terrible loss.
Those who wear these crowns will be known by all the host of heaven that you are one of Lord’s most trusted friends and faithful servants. That’s what I want not only for me, but also for everyone in this church. These crowns represent such great honor and glory that Jesus said in Revelation 3:11… Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
Knowing the great eternal value of these crowns, Jesus gives us a stern warning, that just as it is possible to gain these magnificent crowns, it is also possible to lose them, which is why we must hold onto them through righteous and godly living. But why? Why should we care about receiving a crown?
I believe we can see a picture of this in Revelation 21:23.
Revelation 21:23 The city (New Jerusalem) had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. 24 And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. NKJV
A king is a ruler who holds the highest position of authority, but who are these kings who enter the city of the New Jerusalem and bring their glory and honor? I personally believe these kings are those who have been rewarded with the crowns of heaven and have been given the authority to rule and reign with Jesus. Jesus said…
Revelation 2:26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over
the nations—27 'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'-
- just as I have received authority from my Father. NIV
In this incredible picture, the Lord Jesus, the eternal King of all kings, who holds all authority in heaven and earth will transfer His authority to those who have proven to be trustworthy in their faithfulness and obedience to Jesus. These crowns are not handed out like candy, they are given only to those who have proven themselves worthy in their faithfulness to Jesus. I believe there are some of you in this room who will be one of these Kings, who will rule and reign with Jesus with glory and honor. Glory to God, what a great day that will be!
I know some of you are thinking there is no way I will ever be one of those who will rule with Jesus. Before you dismiss that idea, let me remind you that God does not see things the way the world sees things.
There will be Christians in heaven whom the world hated and despised. There will be Christians in heaven who overcome temptations and trials. And because of their faithfulness to the Lord, they will receive great rewards and a high position of authority. Jesus said the last will be first, and those who are servants and slaves of Christ now, will be called great in His kingdom. He said those were faithful in a few things, will be rewarded with great authority and put in charge of many things.
OUR CROWNS
Sometime after the rapture, and before the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, every Christian will experience the Judgment Seat of Christ where we receive heavenly rewards for the life we lived in the honor of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The Bible speaks of great rewards, indescribable treasures and magnificent crowns of glory.
The Bible speaks of at least 5 crowns. Because of what they represent, I believe these crowns are among the greatest of all the rewards of heaven. There are some who will receive all 5 crowns. There are some who will receive one or two crowns, and then sadly, there are some who will not receive any crowns… and that is something you don’t want happening to you. That’s why faithful living for Jesus Christ is so vitally important. As I have said many times, the most important thing you will ever do in your life is to discover what it is that matters most to God and do it with all of your heart.
THE CROWN OF FAITHFULNESS
Let’s begin by looking at what I call the Crown of Faithfulness.
1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. (That’s our goal) 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have
preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. NIV
This crown of faithfulness is one of the greatest crowns of heaven, and to gain this crown should be the goal of every believer. Knowing the greatness of this crown, Paul reveals four things that you absolutely must know in order to receive this crown.
First, Paul compares the pursuit of this crown to an athlete in a race. For the believer our race is not a road race, or a rat race. Our race is a spiritual race, and it is the most important race of your life. The
goal of our spiritual race is not to just run and or to just hopefully finish; No… our goal is to win, and
to do whatever it takes to win.
Just as an athlete gives their very best in training and dedication to win a medal that has no eternal value, even so, as believers in Christ, our ultimate goal is not to just run in the race, or to just finish the race, but to win the race, and win this unbelievable eternal crown of heaven.
Hebrews 12 reveals how we are to run this race so that we can win this crown.
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. NKJV That’s how you run to win!
The drive and passion to win this crown was so important to Paul that he said…
Philippians 3:14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul’s desire for heavenly rewards gave him a passion in his soul to constantly press onward and upward to reach the goal of receiving the great and glorious crowns of heaven.
To press on is to never give up. To press on is to never stop. It is to always give God your very best. To press on is to live a disciplined life of faithfulness that honors and glorifies God.
Second, Paul desperately wanted to win this magnificent crown, and knowing its eternal importance, Paul said… Run in such a way as to get the prize……
Paul knew that the glory of this crown is so great, that it’s value is far beyond earthly measure.
The reward of this crown is so great that it is worth our every effort to pursue it like a runner who trains and runs with all of his strength to win a gold medal. The reward of this crown is so magnificent and so indescribable that all the hosts of heaven are cheering us on to win this great eternal crown of heaven. The goal of every believer must be to win the prize.
I want to make it very clear that this magnificent crown is not a crown of fake gold. This crown is not like a certificate that you hang on the wall, or gets tossed in a closet. This crown is an eternal crown that you will wear for all eternity. Its glory and significance will never wear out. Ten billion years into eternity, it’s light and value will not have diminished. It can never be lost or stolen. The mind-bending wonder of this crown is that all who wear it, will represent the great authority of Jesus Christ the eternal King of the Ages.
Third, how do we win this race? 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly…
To run aimlessly is to run without direction and purpose. Far too many Christians are going through life without godly direction and training. Far too many Christians do not understand their God given purpose to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness. To win this great crown, you must have a godly purpose to train yourself to be godly like an Olympic athlete who trains and does whatever it takes to win a gold medal.
Godly training requires persistent and diligence. It requires patience and faith. Stopping in this race is not acceptable. Walking when you should be running, is not acceptable. Getting out of the race is not acceptable. To be inactive in doing the will of God is not acceptable.
To win this race that brings great rewards, we must train ourselves to be fully focused on the will of God that is in Jesus Christ the author and finisher of our faith.
Fourth, Paul said…27I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others,
I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
There is a powerful sermon in those words that I don’t have time for this morning. However, Paul desperately wanted to win this crown and he understood the danger of being disqualified. Paul stated if he did not live what he preached, he could be disqualified from receiving this awesome reward. Now, if Paul was concerned about being disqualified, how much more should you and I? This is a warning to every believer of how we must live for Christ.
Paul says that if he preached the truth, but did not live by the truth, he would be disqualified from receiving this crown. This is exactly why I tremble in godly fear at how I live my life.
No matter how hard I preach the truth, it means nothing if I myself do not live by it.
This is exactly what Paul meant. There are many Christians who say one thing and are critical and judgmental of others, and yet they don’t live by what they know is truth.
What did Paul preach, and did he live by what he preached?
He preached salvation through the grace and blood of Jesus Christ. Did he live by this? Yes…
He preached the glory of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
He preached righteous and godly living according to the truth of God’s word.
He preached we are to glorify God in all that we do.
He preached we are to put on Jesus Christ, and take off our sinful fleshly desires.
He preached we are to always be watching and waiting for the blessed hope of Christ’s return.
These are the great truths that we must all live by if we are to win the race for this great crown.
Paul lived what he preached and that is exactly what we are called to do. If we know the truth, we are to live by the truth as a witness and testimony to unbelievers. But if we say we know the truth, and yet, we knowingly live an ungodly life, we will be disqualified and lose this great reward. It’s not worth it! That’s why faithful and godly living is so important.
This crown is one of the greatest crowns of heaven, and when you stand before Jesus at His judgment seat, and He places this crown upon you, you will know then, that the pursuit of this great crown was worth your every effort to obtain it.
Billy Mills – winner of the 1960 Olympic ten-thousand-meter event… (use this illustration of how he overcame obstacles including of being knocked down in final race to win the Gold Medal.)
In the mighty name of Jesus our Savior and King, I encourage you, to run this race. and to press onward with the ultimate goal to win this great eternal crown of heaven.
IN CLOSING… WE LAY DOWN OUR CROWNS
The eternal significance of our crowns is found in Revelation 4:10.
Revelation 4:10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne… NKJV
The crowns we receive are not just for our honor, but in honor of the one who gives them, the Lord Jesus Christ. The twenty-four elders glorify and worship Christ by casting their crowns before His glorious throne, which I believe is a picture of what we will also do with our crowns. How wonderful it will be to have a crown to lay before the throne of our Savior and King. How sad it will be for those who have no crowns to lay at the feet of their Savior.
Now, here’s the point. The greater the reward we receive, the greater will be our ability to honor and
worship the one who died to give us eternal life.
However, if you have never surrendered your life to Christ, now is the time to make that decision. It the greatest decision your will ever make. Without this decision, you can never have eternal life or any of the great and wonderful rewards the Lord has in store for us. To reap the glorious rewards of heaven, you must first be a believer who believes in Jesus for salvation.
If you desire eternal life in Jesus Christ, then believe in your heart and confess these words.
Romans 10:9 if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. NKJV
