The Wedding and the War 5: The Rewards of Crowns and Garments
Sunday, April 7 2019
Pastor Troy Brewer, OpenDoor Church, Burleson, Texas
Revelation 22:12 – “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
Matthew 16:27 – “The Son of Man will come…He will reward each according to his works.”
Hebrews 9:27 – It is appointed to man to die once, then the judgment.
All judgement isn’t negative.
- We all know and recognize judgment where God confronts and punishes evil.
- Eliott Ness has to make a stand against Al Capone.
- Melvin Purvis has to chase down John Dillinger.
- Frank Hammer has to rise up and deal with Bonnie and Clyde.
- Seal Team Six and Robert J. O’Neil have to take out Bin Ladin.
Did you know there is judgment where God evaluates and rewards?
- Romans 14:10-12 – We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ…12 Then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
- 2 Corinthians 5:10 – For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
- Rewards: Rewards express how Jesus feels about our love for Him in this life and about our having worked closely with Him in what He calls precious. They are not about superiority over others.
- Believers differ from one another in the measure of glory expressed in the rewards they receive.
- 1 Corinthians 15:41-42 – …for one star differs from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead.
- Eternal rewards are given in varying measures. Believers will differ from one another in the measure of God’s glory expressed in and through them. Thus, each will have a varying measure of God’s glory in their garments according to how they lived (Rev. 19:8). The realm of “the resurrection” includes more than our body. It includes garments, thrones, crowns, and more.
NOT ALL ARE EQUAL IN HEAVEN
- The lifestyle of some in the kingdom will be called “least,” while some will be called “great” (Mt. 5:19).
- Matthew 5:19 – “Whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments… shall be called least in the kingdom… but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom”
- Eternal rewards are glorious beyond anything that we can imagine.
- 1 Corinthians 2:9 – “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
- We must be careful not to reduce eternal rewards to something that we can easily imagine. They are go along with the glory of the King and the eternal city; they are befitting of royalty and express His beauty. The glory of the daughter in Psalm 45 is symbolic of the Bride of Christ.
GARMENTS OF REWARD
- Jesus imparts beauty to His people in various ways, including heavenly garments (Isa. 61:1-3). Moses prayed for God’s beauty to be seen on God’s people (Ps. 90:17). Isaiah spoke of putting on beautiful garments (Isa. 52:1) and compared them to a bride adorning herself
- There are eight references in Revelation concerning “spiritual garments” (Rev. 3:4-5, 18; 4:4; 6:11; 7:9, 13; 19:8, 14).
- Heavenly garments will be given according to the saints’ obedience and righteous acts (Rev. 19:8). Each believer will receive clothing that expresses the quality of their devotion to Jesus in this life.
- Isaiah 61:10 – He has clothed me with the garments of salvation…as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
- Isaiah 61:1-3 – “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me…to give them beauty for ashes.”
- Psalms 90:17 – Let the beauty of the LORD…be upon us, and establish the work of our hands.
- Isaiah 52:1 – Awake…Put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments.
- Revelation 19:7-8 – …and His wife has made herself ready. 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
- 1 Corinthians 15:41-42 – …for one star differs from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead.
- Note the difference in radiance and brightness.
- You will literally be clothed in how you loved Jesus in this lifetime!!!
CROWNS
- The eternal rewards that Jesus will give will include crowns that believers may obtain. (1 Cor. 9:25; Phil. 4:1; 1 Thess. 2:19; 2 Tim. 4:8; Jas. 1:12; 1 Pet. 5:4; Rev. 2:10; 3:11).
- Revelation 3:11 – Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
- Receiving a heavenly crown is not synonymous with receiving the gift of eternal life that is freely given to all believers by faith, based on what Jesus did for us. Crowns are given in addition to receiving the gift of salvation and are based on how we respond to Jesus’ leadership in this age.
TWO GREEK WORDS FOR CROWNS
- The crown of a ruler – Greed word “diadema”
- This indicates political authority over a region. Our word diadem comes from diadema and speaks of the power to rule. Diadema is the word used for the crown worn by the dragon (Satan; Rev. 12:3), the beast (the Antichrist; Rev. 13:1), and by Christ (Rev. 19:12).
- The crown of a victory – Greek word “stephanos”
- A stephanos was given as a prize in athletic games to honor victorious athletes; it is parallel to receiving a gold, silver, or bronze medal in the Olympic Games today. This crown denotes victory (Mt. 27:29; Mk. 15:17; Jn. 19:2, 5; 1 Cor. 9:25; Phil. 4:1; 2 Tim. 2:5; 4:8; 1 Thes. 2:19; Heb. 2:7, 9; Jas. 1:12; 1 Pet. 5:4; Rev. 2:10; 3:11; 4:4, 10; 12:1; 14:14).
Three different kinds of crowns in Bible
- The Crown of Life: This promise is for any who stay faithful to Jesus in temptation and persecution. Those who refuse to give up in resisting temptation and the fear associated with persecution will receive this crown. It is the only crown that is described twice in Scripture.
- James 1:12 – Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved [found consistent], he will receive the crown of life…promised to those who love Him.
- Revelation 2:10 – “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison. be faithful unto death and I will give you the Crown of life.”
- The Crown of Righteousness:This is about character development and serving God in your character.
- 2 Timothy 4:8 – …there is…for me the crown of righteousness…[and] all who have loved His appearing.
- The Crown of Glory: Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory. This crown is promised to anyone who diligently serves in and cares for the church. It’s also for how you serves the people the lord has assigned to you. Service is to be done “eagerly” in nurturing, serving, caring for, and feeding God’s people. Crowns are given to those who labor with a servant spirit and with eagerness.
- 1 Peter 5:1-4 – I exhort [elders]…shepherd the flock of God…serving…not by compulsion but…eagerly… and when the
Crowns are referred to three times without a descriptive title (1 Cor. 9:5, Rev. 3:11; 4:8).
- The 24 elders in heaven wear victors’ crowns (stephanos), not a king’s crown (diadema), because they were victorious over temptations. The elders cast their crowns before God as their “love gift” to Him. Their crowns express the reward they received for costly obedience in this life.
- Revelation 4:4, 10 – I saw twenty-four elders sitting…and they had crowns of gold on their heads…10 The 24 elders fall down…and cast their crowns before the throne.
- The fact that some cast their crowns at His feet doesn’t mean that the crowns remain on the ground for millions of years. When they see God’s extravagant generosity in giving a crown as a reward for their “weak obedience,” they cast it at His feet, overcome with gratitude, love, and humility.
- We can lose our crown by letting teachers seduce us with deceptive doctrines of grace. When Jesus exhorted us not to let anyone take our crown, He did not mean they could take our salvation.
Keep it positive but keep it accurate.
Revelation 3:11 – Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown [stephanos].