I want us to take a glimpse, just a glimpse, within the holy place. Without the evil of vain curiosity or speculation, but with the eye of faith, in hope and expectation, I want us to look into some of those things, which concern our eternal estate of glory in heaven.
I realize that we know very little about heaven and the eternal bliss of god's elect there. We know that there is a place of eternal bliss in the presence of God and the holy angels, where the people of God shall dwell when time is no more. We know that heaven is a place of happiness, bliss and glory, a place of peace and love, a place of righteousness and truth, where neither sin nor sinners can enter. But, beyond these things, we know little. The Holy Spirit has saved up the details of the next world, refusing to reveal them until we get there. "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." (I Cor. 2:9).
But we do know much about what will not be in heaven. There will be no sickness, no sorrow, no sin. There will be no darkness, no disappointment, no death. There will be no corruption, no care, no crying. There will be no trials, no temptations, no tears. Yet, we know very little about what will be there. For the present, ignorance is best. If we knew more about our heavenly inheritance, we would probably neglect our earthly responsibilities. If all the glory of heaven were revealed, our feeble hearts and minds could not contain it in our present condition. If we knew more of the future, we would neglect the present; and that must not be.
However, there are some things plainly revealed about the believer's eternal inheritance in heaven. And those things that are revealed are revealed for our present instruction, encouragement, and comfort. Here, in Revelation 4, we see the people of God before the throne, in the presence of our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. The "four and twenty elders" represent the whole company of the redeemed in heaven. They symbolically represent the whole church of Christ, the whole company of God's elect. They represent all those who were chosen of God, redeemed by the blood of Christ, regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and glorified in the resurrection. These twenty-four elders bear the characteristics of all the saints in their glorified state. And they reveal seven things about the eternal bliss of God's elect in heaven. They tell us seven things, which are true of all the people of God in the eternal glory!
1. They are all clothed with white raiment – The righteousness of Christ.
In that great, eternal day, it shall come to pass as we have so often sung –
4. They are all around the throne, each one equally near, equally exalted, equally glorious.
5. They are all kings and priests unto God. (5:10).
6. They all shall reign with Christ on the earth. (5:10).
7. And they all shall have "on their heads crowns of gold." (4:4).
Tonight, I want us to give our attention to these crowns. I want, by the grace of God the Holy Spirit to give you some plain, sensible instruction about Believers And Their Crowns.
Proposition:According to our text, all the people of God shall have crowns of gold on their heads in the beginning of heaven's glory.
Divisions:Reading through the New Testament, I find that there are five separate and distinct crowns promised to believers, which God shall give them.
A. There is An Incorruptible Crown, which is the reward of perseverance – (I Cor. 9:24-27).
Like runners in a race, believers must press on persevering unto the end. He that finishes the race wins the prize. In this spiritual race, all who finish the race are first place winners. But there is no reward for those who quit and fall by the wayside (Phil. 3:13-14; Heb. 12:13).
B. There is A Crown of Life, which is the reward of faithfulness (Rev. 2:10; James 1:12).
Those whose trials destroy their faith never really had any true faith. They shall perish. But those who are faithful, enduring their trials, prove that their faith is genuine. And they shall have the crown of life.
C. There is A Crown of Righteousness promised to all who love Christ at his appearing – (II Tim. 4:6-8).
All who love Christ and love his appearing shall receive this crown of righteousness. And all believers do! If a man does not love Christ, he does not know Christ (I Cor. 16:22).
D. There is A Crown of Rejoicing, which shall be bestowed upon those who seek the salvation of God's elect (I Thess. 2:19-20).
"Children's children are the crown of old men" (Pro. 17:6). When our Lord Jesus Christ comes in his glory, to gather his elect from the four corners of the earth, and he presents them all to his Father, saying, "Behold, I and the children which God hath given me" (Heb. 2:13), as he rejoices in the salvation of his elect and the fulness of his body, so will we.
In I Thessalonians 2:19-20, Paul is not saying, "I glory and rejoice in the fact that I was the instrument of your conversion." A faithful servant of God does not swell with pride because of his service (I Cor. 3:7). Paul was saying, "I glory and rejoice in the salvation of God's elect, because the salvation of God's elect is the glory and joy of Christ." (Phil. 4:1).
E. There is A Crown of Glory promised to all who are in vital union with Christ (I Pet. 5:1, 4).
When Christ comes, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. (I John 3:2). He said, "The glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one." (John 17:22).
There is the incorruptible crown, the crown of life, the crown of righteousness, the crown of rejoicing, and the crown of glory. What are these crowns? The answer to that question is given most clearly in Isaiah 28:5. All of these crowns are one crown, and that one crown is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. It is written, "In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people."
Christ is the prize we seek. Christ is the crown we shall wear. Christ is the reward of his people. What more could we need or desire? Christ is heaven. If I have Christ, I have all. I want no more! He is my glory. He is my joy. He is my righteousness. He is my life. He is my Incorruptible Crown!
II. Who Shall Wear These Crowns?According to the text, all the saints of God in heaven are kings and priests, and they are all crowned as such. And all their crowns are the same. They all have "on their heads crowns of gold."
We do not believe that form of doctrine that says, "There are degrees of reward in heaven, degrees of glory, and degrees of happiness among the redeemed." Such doctrine has no foundation whatsoever in Holy Scripture. Upon the very surface, it is apparent, to those who are taught of God, that such doctrine is false. It promises a reward of debt. It promotes pride and self-righteousness. It says that some of the happiness, glory, and reward of heaven is earned by human works and are wages which God pays to those who merit them. Such doctrine makes our acceptance and joy in heaven dependent upon our own works, and not upon God's free grace in Christ. It gives man praise, honor, and glory. Let this heresy be rooted out and dashed to pieces once and for all!
A. The notion that there will be degrees of reward in heaven Runs Contrary to Everything that is Most Plainly Revealed in the Gospel (I Cor. 4:7).
1. Our salvation and acceptance before God is a matter of pure, free grace (Eph. 2:8-9).
2. All the blessings of God's grace were given to all of God's elect in Christ before the world began (Eph. 1:3; II Tim. 1:9).
3. God never accepts, much less rewards, anything but perfection (Lev. 22:21).
Our perfection is in Christ. Perfection requires a perfect reward. And in Christ we are perfect (Col. 2:10). We must be rewarded for his righteousness which is imputed to us, just as he was rewarded for our sin which was imputed to him.
4. Our Lord plainly states that our reward shall not be based upon the merits of our service, but upon the purpose of his grace (Matt. 20:1-16). (Illus: I Sam 30:19-25).
5. The Lord God alone shall have the praise of heaven.
When we have done the very best that we could do, it is infinitely less than we should have done. We are all unprofitable servants. Thank God, he does not reward us according to our personal merit! If he did none of us could stand before him (Ps. 24:3-4). We are accepted in the Beloved! God deals with us and rewards us according to the merits of our Substitute!
B. We do not serve our God, being Motivated by a Desire for Gain – We serve the Lord our God, being Motivated by Love and Gratitude (II Cor. 5:14).
God will never reward greed, pride, and ambition. Yet, preachers everywhere use man's natural, depraved inclination toward these things to motivate tithing, devotion, and religious activity. Slaves are motivated by fear, Thieves are motivated by greed. But sons are motivated by love. If I can be persuaded to do any work or motivated to make any sacrifice, by the fear of punishment or promise of reward, which I will not do purely because I love Christ, then I do not know Christ. God's people are not mercenaries!
C. The bliss, glory, happiness, and reward of God's elect in heaven Shall Be Equally And Fully Bestowed Upon And Enjoyed By All Who Believe.
Who shall wear these crowns of gold? All true believers shall wear them. Not one of God's elect shall be robbed of any heavenly blessing or privilege.
III. How Do We Obtain These Crowns?We see the twenty-four elders round about the throne, with crowns of gold on their heads. Those elect of God, redeemed by the blood of Christ out of every tribe and tongue and nation in the world, are wearing crowns of pure gold. But how did they get these beautiful crowns of glory?
A. They got their crowns By The Grace of God.There are none in heaven but the sons of God. And all the sons of God shall have their rightful inheritance.
C. They got their crowns By Sovereign Predestination (Eph. 1:11-12).All who are seated around the throne in the end were predestinated to the glorious inheritance from the beginning.
D. They got their crowns By Rightful Claim.
1. These crowns were purchased by the blood of Christ.
2. These crowns were earned by the righteousness of Christ.
3. Christ has already laid claim to these crowns in our name (Heb. 6:20).
4. And in Christ Jesus, by the imputation of his righteousness, all believers have been made worthy to receive these crowns of glory (Col. 1:12; Eph. 5:15-17).
Child of God, rejoice! Laugh in the face of all your trials and troubles here. Soon you shall wear a crown. Your aching head shall be crowned with glory. God will see to it!
IV. What Shall We Do With These Crowns?No sooner shall we have the crowns placed on our heads than we shall willingly, gladly take them off, bow before the feet of our God and Savior, and cast them down at the foot of the throne of his sovereign majesty and grace (Rev. 4:10-11). Saying, "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy and for thy truth's sake." (Ps. 115:1). Why? Why will we cast our crowns down at his feet?
A. Christ Alone Is Worthy Of All Honor, Praise, And Glory.He is the King. We are his subjects. And we fully realize that we live only by our great King's goodness.
B. We will cast our crowns before his throne, because We Will Have A solemn Reverence For Him.
We shall see him as he is, and say "that no flesh should glory in his presence…He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."
C. We will gladly cast our crowns before his throne, because We Will Be Filled With A Deep Sense Of Sincere Humility.
D. We will cast our crowns before the throne of our God, because We Will Have A Deep Sense Of Gratitude To Him.
"By the grace of God, I am what I am." (I Cor. 15:10).
E. We will cast our crowns before his throne, because We Will Love God Our Savior Intensely.
1. Do you have such a hope and expectation as this?
Do you expect to enter heaven by the grace of God through the blood of Christ, and be crowned with everlasting glory? Are you anxious to cast your crown at the feet of Christ? – Begin to do so now.
2. Would you wish to be among the twenty-four elders, the church of God's elect, worshipping Christ in eternal glory? – Bow before his throne of sovereign mercy now.
If we never meet again upon this earth, I will meet you, children of God, around the throne of our Redeemer, where we shall cast our crowns at his feet and say, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and blessing." Amen!
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