Sermon on Revelation 2:10 – It’s All About the Crown!
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing.”
“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” ( Revelation 2: 10 – NIV )
Sure, there were other places we could have gone. Places with characters like Ronald McDonald, Grimace, The Hamburgler, and Mayor McCheese. Flame broiling didn’t mean much to us at the time. A cheeseburger, fries, and coke thank you, and don’t forget one thing….the crown! For one shining moment my siblings and I felt like royalty. Ketchup, ketchup, my kingdom for some ketchup! This is Sprite! I ordered Coke! Away with it! I don’t know what it was, but there was something special about that crown. You could say it was all about the crown!
In our text for today Jesus also tells us that, It’s All About the Crown! Jesus isn’t referring to a cheap paper adjustable crown. No, like the Master Card commercials that tell us there are some things you can’t put a price on, this crown is priceless. It’s the crown of eternal life in heaven! The crown Jesus won for you with his holy precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. The crown that will be placed on your head when you finish the race of life and find yourself standing in the winner’s circle of heaven.
Oh what joy awaits us in heaven! Oh the day when Jesus will finally welcome us into our heavenly home and place that crown of victory on our heads! Oh what motivation to remain faithful to our Lord in view of his many promises to be faithful to us! What a shame that for so many living in this world, this crown isn’t seen as very valuable. Like so many other things in the world in which we live, this crown is often crumpled up and tossed aside as though it weren’t all that important. How important is it to you?
One of Burger King’s slogans over the years has been, “Have it your way!” A fitting slogan for the world in which we live. Have it your way when it comes to your life and the way you want to live it! Have it your way when it comes to being happy, who cares what God’s Word says? Have it your way and if you don’t get your way cry, pout, scream, and argue until you do. Dear friends in Christ, those who live and act like this run the risk of ordering up a hot dish of God’s wrath and punishment in hell. And truth be told that’s something we all deserve because of our sins.
But what’s the big deal if I live life my way or God’s way? The deal is huge and it can either make or break a person for all eternity. A deal that can either find them standing in the winner’s circle of heaven and being crowned with eternal life or standing in the loser’s circle of hell and being crowned with eternal punishment. Hell is something God doesn’t want for anyone which is why as Martin Luther so beautiful wrote in one of his hymns, “He spoke to his beloved Son: ‘Tis time to have compassion. Then go, bright Jewel of my crown, and bring mankind salvation. From sin and sorrow set them free; slay bitter death for them that they, may live with you forever.’”
Compassion from a God who so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Sending the brightest jewel from his crown because nothing less would do. Salvation full and free. From sin and sorrow set free. So that we may live with him forever. A crown of life that became ours from a Savior who wore a crown of thorns as he suffered and died for our sins. Our sins of selfishness, laziness, neglect of God’s Word. Forgiveness for the times we’ve had to have it our way, and hurt or offended others in the process. A crown of thorns on Good Friday that would lead to a crown of glory on Easter Sunday. The crown of glory that became ours when the Holy Spirit worked faith in our hearts!
I know it sounds too good to be true! There’s gotta be a catch! No catch. No strings attached. As the apostle Paul writes, “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works so that no one can boast.” The crown of life is yours as a totally free gift. Don’t ever crumple it up and toss it aside as if it weren’t that important. In the book of Revelation, Jesus says, “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown…Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Carry this trust to the grave. I know that sounds kind of morbid for young people who have their whole lives in front of them, yet that’s exactly one of the questions that will be asked of them today. The same question that was asked of the rest of you on the day of your confirmation. “Do you intend to continue steadfast in this teaching and to endure all things, even death, rather than fall away from it?” In other words, if faced with the threat of dying for the sake of Jesus, that we would be willing to die rather than fall away from him. Therefore the conclusion must be drawn, “if I’m willing to die for him, am I willing to live for him?” That’s the point Paul makes in the book of 2 Corinthians when he writes, “Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”
Be faithful even to the point of death and Jesus will give you the crown of life. Be faithful when it comes to being in church. Be faithful when it comes to taking the Lord’s Supper. Be faithful when it comes to growing in God’s Word. Be faithful when it comes to serving your Lord, no matter what that service might be. Be faithful to him always remembering and cherishing his many promises to be faithful to you.
Life is never easy. As the apostle Paul once said, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” But when those hardships come, remind yourself, it’s all about the crown! When those winds of adversity blow, remind yourself, it’s all about the crown! When tempted to cave into peer pressure and do things contrary to God’s Word, remind yourself, it’s all about the crown! When tempted to place the pleasures and treasures of this world in front of the one thing needful we have in God’s Word, remind yourself, it’s all about the crown! When life doesn’t go as planned, remind yourself, it’s all about the crown! The crown of eternal life in heaven that Jesus won for you with his death and resurrection! And the best way to remind yourself is to go to God’s Word where, among other things, you are reminded that, “he who began a good work in you will carry on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Paul saw that day coming and as he neared the end of his race of life, he was able to say, “I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” That same crown of life is yours through faith in Jesus. Treasure it. Hold on to it and don’t ever let it go. As the hymn writer told us, “lay hold on life and it shall be your joy and crown eternally. Amen.”