WHAT CROWNS WILL YOU HAVE IN HEAVEN?

 Revelation 2: 10c – “Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

 

Crowns. The Bible speaks about Crowns that you and I can gain. Crowns of Reward given by God.

 

Now I know someone is going to say, “Doc, we should never serve God looking to earn rewards. We should only serve because we love Him.” Now, in one sense I totally agree with you, however, I firmly believe that God created us, He designed us, and that He knows exactly what He has programmed in our DNA so to speak as we live. And, one thing I know, people like to be acknowledged for things they have done.

 

I believe that God programmed us that way. It is not a part of our “fallen nature,” but a desire to seek to do better in all that we do. (I’m not talking about a lack of contentment that Paul speaks about.) God will reward us as we accomplish the desires that HE places in our hearts.

 

The Bible speaks that there are five crowns that believers can earn. Now the Greek word for crown used in this verse and in the four other places is  – stephanos. It is a Victor’s crown. In the Ancient Greek games (the Olympics) - a garland of leaves placed on the winner’s head. We give Gold, silver, and bronze medals today. In that time only the winner of the event received from the Judge (our referee) this award.

 

In Revelation 4:10–11, part of the vision of heaven given to John, the phrase appears: "the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 'Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will, they existed and were created.'"

 
These elders model for us our own response when we encounter Jesus in heaven: our gratitude and desire to worship will cause us to give to Him any honors, titles, possessions, or prizes we may have accumulated. England's Queen Victoria famously wished for Jesus' second coming during her reign so she could literally remove her crown and lay it at His feet. As the heavenly elders and the worldly queen exemplified, we give Jesus our best possessions, those things that give us identity—our everything. We can begin to do this even now as we worship Him and live for Him.

Whether with literal garlands of leaves, or merely His stated approval, God will reward us for our service, and we will return those honors to Christ.  It would make sense for us to immediately offer back to Christ every bit of glory we receive, understanding that such a gift is nothing compared with His great gift of salvation and His absolute worthiness of all praise.

 

So, for the next five days, let us consider the five crowns that the Bible says believers can achieve and receive from Jesus.