Brother Nelson Cooke, would you quote a little
word of prayer?
We won't be able to take much time
tonight to review.
We've been studying about the crowns of scriptures,
the crowns in the scriptures, and we have
thus far considered the incorruptible crown, the crown
of rejoicing, and the crown of righteousness.
We'd like to have before us tonight the
crown of glory and the crown of life.
We're going to try to budget our time
a little better than we did last night,
so we won't have that feeling of utter
futility in touching so lightly upon the subject
before us.
We have much ground to cover, and in
these crowns we have been seeking to show
not only the crown, but how we may
win them.
These are crowns, these are distinguishing glories that
the Lord is going to heap upon us,
that the Lord is going to accord to
us in His grace and in His mercy
in the coming days.
The crowns are compensatory.
They are a reward for the things which
we have endured down here.
The Lord is going to compensate us by
means of these crowns.
We'd like to consider tonight, with the help
of the Lord, the crown of glory.
I want to refer you to the 5th
chapter of 1 Peter, the only mention of
this crown in the scriptures.
Last night we considered the warrior's crown.
Tonight we will consider the shepherd's crown.
This is a crown for shepherds only.
Last night we saw that the Christian, every
Christian, can be a warrior, and the reward
for the warrior, the warrior's crown, is the
crown of righteousness.
And we noticed that righteousness, practical righteousness in
our lives, will result from loving the Lord,
and in a special way, from loving His
return, loving the appearing of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
And then to active resistance against our enemies,
who would seek to destroy our personal righteousness,
and thus discredit Christianity in general, and our
Lord in particular.
And for those who will twice as good
fight as Satan, resist this enemy, and who
out of love for the Lord Jesus, and
adoration for Him, will live a life of
piety, a life of righteousness, the Lord has
for them the crown of righteousness.
But tonight this crown is a very specific
crown, limited to a smaller group of God's
people.
However, I think it will do us all
well to consider it.
And then lastly, the crown of life, which
I think is the martyr's crown.
But in a sense, we can all win
that crown, because it's more than the martyr's
crown.
Now in 1 Peter 5, the elders which
are among you, I exhort, who am also
an elder, and a witness of the sufferings
of Christ, and also a partaker of the
glory that shall be revealed.
Heed the flock of God which is among
you, and taking the oversight thereof, not by
constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but
of a ready mind.
Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but
being ensamples to the flock.
And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye
shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth
not away.
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.
Yea, all of you be subject one to
another, and be clothed with humility, for God
resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the
humble.
Now we have seen already the Christian as
a runner.
We have seen him as a messenger, as
an ambassador.
We have seen him as a warrior.
And now we want to look at a
certain group of Christians as shepherds.
Now Peter himself is the one who is
giving the counsel, and well qualified he was
to be a shepherd.
He was given his commission by our Lord
Jesus Christ himself.
Now, let's notice that please, in John chapter
21.
Because Peter is speaking out of the depths
of his heart to those he wanted to
see shepherd the people of God.
He's not alone in this.
You will recall that Moses, when he was
told that he had to die, he pled
with the Lord.
Lord, he said, set a man over the
children of Israel, lest they be as sheep
scattered, not having a shepherd.
And at the same time, the Lord told
Moses to appoint Joshua to be a leader
over his people.
Moses wanted to see, his shepherd heart led
him to see that there was a shepherd
over the people of God.
Here, in this epistle of Peter, Peter knows
that his time is at hand.
And he wants God to indeed set shepherds
over the flock.
He knows that he has much longer to
go, and he is concerned with the flock
of God.
The apostle Paul knew that he was going
to die, and he wanted indeed Timothy and
others to shepherd the flock of God.
And he called the elders of Ephesus to
him and told them, warned them, of the
dangers that would come upon the people of
God.
He had a concern for the sheep.
And so Peter tells us, as a true
shepherd he was, he tells of dangers ahead.
And he wants them, after his decease, to
have these things always in remembrance.
So there is much instruction in this portion
of scripture, for you and for me, whether
we are younger, or whether we are the
ones being directly addressed as the shepherds.
In John chapter 21, our Lord Jesus gives
Peter his commission as a shepherd.
Verse 15 of that chapter, So when they
had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon
son of Jonas, Lovest thou me more than
these?
He said unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest
that I love thee.
He said unto him, Feed my lambs.
He said unto him again, the second time,
Simon son of Jonas, Lovest thou me?
He said unto him, Yea, Lord, thou knowest
that I love thee.
He said unto him, Feed my sheep.
He said unto him the third time, Simon
son of Jonas, Lovest thou me?
Peter was grieved because he said unto him
the third time, Lovest thou me?
He was grieved because the Lord stooped to
use the same word that Peter was using.
And the Lord asked him the first two
times if he loved him, if Peter loved
the Lord.
He said, Do you deeply love me?
The same kind of love that God has
for this world.
And Peter answered back, He couldn't boast of
his love, not after denying his Lord.
And he said something to the effect, Yes,
Lord, I'm fond of you.
Now the Lord stoops down and uses Peter's
word.
Peter, are you fond of me?
And Peter was grieved that the Lord would
lower that standard in condescension to meet his
standard.
And he says, Yes, Lord, thou knowest that
I love thee.
Jesus said unto him, Feed my sheep.
Here is another shepherd that is going away.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, that great shepherd of
the sheep.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, the good shepherd, the
great shepherd, and as we notice tonight, the
chief shepherd.
Yes, he's thinking of the sheep.
Peter, do you really love me?
Peter, do you love me now?
Peter says, Yes, Lord.
Feed my sheep.
Peter, if you love me, take care of
my sheep.
I love my sheep.
I want my sheep cared for.
And he gives Peter this tender commission.
Another shepherd is going away.
Now there is a sense, of course, in
which the Lord Jesus is never separated from
you and me.
He is, in that sense, the great shepherd
of the sheep.
But you know there is a lot of
shepherding to be done that the Lord Jesus
leaves to us.
Now Peter fulfills, indeed, his commission.
And if you want some precious reading, read
the epistle of Peter to those scattered abroad.
And you will find some of the best
feeding in all the scriptures.
It lacks, perhaps, some of the analysis, the
judicious structure of Paul's writings, and the sheer
force of spiritual logic.
But I'll tell you, if your soul wants
to be fed, if you want your soul
really fed, if your soul is languishing for
food, read the epistles of Peter, and your
soul will be fed.
He was a true shepherd, and he fed
the people of God.
And just as our blessed Lord provided for
the sheep after his departure, and Moses and
Paul as well, so Peter, after his decease,
he says, I want you to have these
things in remembrance.
So it's Peter that counsels the shepherds.
Peter himself a shepherd, and he is so
interested in those who will be left behind
when he is with the Lord and beyond
the need of shepherding.
Now, the word shepherd is an interesting word,
and incidentally may I say that I believe
that the Lord himself is still commissioning shepherds.
I believe that the Lord himself is still
giving the gifts of the shepherds.
Let's notice that in Ephesians chapter 4.
Ephesians chapter 4, well,
let's begin in verse 7.
But unto every one of us is given
grace according to the measure of the gift
of Christ.
Each of us has been given something to
do for the Lord, and he gives us
the power to do it.
He imparts that power to us, the gift
and the power to perform it.
Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on
high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts
unto men.
Now that he ascended, what is it but
that he also descended first into the lower
parts of the earth?
He that descended is the same also that
ascended up far above all heaven, that he
might steal all things.
And he gave some apostles, and some prophets,
and some evangelists, and some pastors, and teachers.
Now, the word pastors here is the same
word in the Greek that is translated shepherd
elsewhere.
I don't know why it was translated pastor
here and shepherd elsewhere.
As a matter of fact, it's a part
of the compound word that in our text
in Peter 5 is translated the chief shepherd.
It's one word in the Greek, but it
means shepherd.
It's the archshepherd, it's the chief shepherd, but
it's the same word in the Greek.
And our Lord Jesus himself is the one
who gives the shepherds for his people.
Only the Lord can make a shepherd.
Only the Lord and the Spirit of God,
who of course is sovereign.
Let's notice in Acts chapter 20.
Acts chapter 20, verse 28.
Now, who takes heed of the flock?
Well, I think we will admit it is
the shepherds over which the Holy Ghost hath
made you overseers, to feed the church of
God which ye have purchased with his own
blood.
Now, he's still furthering the thought of the
flock in the next verse.
For I know this, that after my departing
shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not
fearing the flock.
Only God can make a shepherd.
The Holy Ghost makes overseers over the flock
of God.
Now, the Lord Jesus has given up the
commission.
He has put that care for the people
of God naturally in our hearts.
Now, the amazing thing is that Peter should
have to exhort shepherds at all.
And this is the thought that we want
to explore.
Why does Peter have to exhort certain men
to indeed fulfill their commission as shepherds?
Why does he have to do that?
The Holy Ghost makes overseers for the flock
of God, that they might feed the flock
of God.
Now, why does Peter have to exhort such
men as this?
To fulfill their duty.
Well, I think the reason for it is,
is because that calling of a shepherd is
so difficult.
You know, we live in a day of
fierce independence.
We value our independence in this country.
Our liberty is an obsession to us.
And it may be carried in Christian circles
to the point of antinomianism.
I mean absolute rebellion against any restriction whatsoever.
This personal, this business of personal liberty.
And we live in an age when people
insist on their own personal liberty.
We have a kind of an unwritten law
that goes something like this.
Now, you stay out of my private life,
and I'll stay out of your private life.
And that fierce independence of spirit, that craving
for liberty, makes it very, very difficult for
a shepherd to carry on his work.
Many, many times, young Christians especially, who need
shepherd care.
Those that are away from the Lord.
A shepherd will come along, and he'll try
to help.
And he's probably told, mind your own business.
Tend to your own business.
And it's quite unfortunate that sometimes that the
devil sees to it that the shepherd may
have enough in his own hunts to quiet
him.
I've seen that happen so many, many times.
So many times.
David was a shepherd, and he had sons
that didn't do so well either.
Adonijah.
As a matter of fact, there was Samuel,
and Adonijah, and Eli.
All of them failed in the raising of
their sons.
Ah, how the devil is attacking the shepherd.
I heard a dear old woman say once,
in almost approaching 90, a spiritual school.
And she says, Pray for the elders.
Pray for the shepherds among God's people.
Pray for them.
They need our prayers.
Why should a shepherd, a man of this
caliber, have to be urged and exhorted indeed
to feed the flock of God, taking the
oversight thereof, not by constraint, not having to
be forced to do it, but willingly.
Not for filthy lucre, but of a ready
mind.
A readiness to obey.
Strange, isn't it?
But I tell you, you only have to
be rebuffed about once or twice by the
people of God until you do kind of
retreat from your shepherd duties.
But if there ever was a time in
all the history of the Church of God
where shepherding was needed and desperately needed, it's
right now.
Right now, among the people of God, a
need for shepherding.
They need to be fed.
They need to be taught.
They need to be warned of the pitfall
that can come to the Christian.
Now, the shepherd's duty seems to be threefold,
as outlined here by Peter.
First of all, he says, feed the flock.
In verse 2 of 1 Peter 5, feed
the flock of God which is among you,
taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but
willingly.
The shepherd feeds.
The pastor feeds.
Somebody has asked me the question, are you
against the local pastor?
A local pastor?
I say, of course I'm not against a
local pastor.
What I'm against is this, limiting that local
pastor to one person.
This is a gift that God gives, and
it's not limited to one man.
In many instances in prison and today, the
pastor of a church, if I may refer
to him that way, he takes that position,
the pastor of a church may not have
the gift of a shepherd at all.
He goes into it with a thought of
a profession to follow.
Now, I know that even in the circles
of the assemblies as we know them, there
is a dearth of pastoring, and possibly even
there is some benefit, some benefit by a
man acting in that direction.
And acting in that capacity, even though he
may not be gifted particularly to do it,
yet some benefit will result from it.
I think of those who really have the
gift, and yet less business, and family responsibilities,
and many other responsibilities that interfere from performing
their duty, their God-given duty.
Now, it's a matter of feeding the flock
of God.
The shepherd must be able to feed.
We need to be fed.
Now, we don't all, all the food that
we take is not from the shepherd.
There are teachers, there are shepherds, there are
pastors for God's people.
Some of the things that we get, we
get directly from the Lord.
They're very good.
But you know, we need to be guided
and directed.
Now, let's don't lean over backwards against this
thought.
Now, we say that there's no such thing
as clergy and laity.
There isn't.
But there is such a thing as shepherds
and sheep.
That's scriptural.
And sheep need to be fed.
Now, Christ is the food for the soul,
and Christ needs to be ministered.
He is pictured in the mammon.
He is pictured in the old corn of
the land.
He is pictured in the milk.
He is pictured in the meat of the
scriptures.
He's the food for the soul.
And what is needed is the ministering of
Christ himself.
He is food for the soul.
May God help us to have an exercise
in regard to feeding the sheep of God,
to be sure that the glories of our
Lord Jesus, his power to keep, to satisfy
us, is kept before the people of God.
And you out there who, in this audience,
who minister the word of God, oh, that
our hearts might be fed upon Christ.
Now, I'm not saying that there isn't that
kind of ministry in scripture that is not
practical.
There is ministry that's practical.
And there is ministry in which the word
don't is used.
I say don't.
Do not, perhaps, is a better way of
putting it.
There is negative ministry.
There is such a thing in the scriptures.
And there is positive ministry.
And there is the ministry that feeds us
upon our Lord Jesus Christ.
The sheep of God need to be fed.
I heard of an old man say years
ago, he says, what the people of God
want, want, really want, really want, is, is,
is, is cake.
But when the Lord fed the multitude, he
fed them with bread.
He, indeed, is the bread of life.
He says, I am the bread of life.
Let's notice that in John chapter 6, in
this matter of feeding.
Verse 31 of John chapter 6.
Our fathers did eat manna in the wilderness,
as it is written.
He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
Then said Jesus unto them, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Moses gave you not that
bread from heaven, but my Father giveth you
the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is he which
cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto
the world.
Then said they unto him, Lord evermore give
us this bread.
Jesus said unto them, I am the bread
of life.
He that cometh to me shall never hunger,
and he that believeth on me shall never
thirst.
But I say unto you that ye also
have seen me, and believe not.
All that the Father giveth me shall come
to me, and him that cometh to me
I will in no wise cast out.
He says in verse 48, I am that
bread of life.
Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness
and are dead.
This is the bread which cometh down from
heaven that a man may eat thereof and
not die.
I am the living bread which came down
from heaven.
If any man eat of this bread, he
shall live forever.
Feeding is a very, very important thing.
I recall Mr. Ian O'Brien telling a
story a number of years ago, and I
think I heard him tell it right here
in this chapter.
And he could tell stories so that you
didn't forget them.
A certain true shepherd, who was more or
less isolated and seeking to feed the people
of God where he was, was having difficulty,
and there was a good deal of quarreling
among the people of God in this place.
And he sent a letter to another man
of God.
I don't know whether that man of God
was Mr. O'Brien or not.
I don't believe it was.
I believe he was telling a story about
other people, other persons involved.
And he sent a letter.
He says, These Christians are fighting among themselves.
What shall I do?
This man of God sent back the instruction,
Hungry children will fight over a straw.
Feed them!
And those were his instructions.
Feed them!
Oh, we need to be fed.
And the assembly that is fed from the
word of God will be a healthy assembly.
I think that this is a very, very
important duty of the shepherd, to feed the
flock of God.
Oh, how we need to be fed.
Now there, we talk about being spoon-fed.
Now this doesn't militate against that at all.
God wants you and me, as sheep, to
go into these green pastures and find food
for ourselves.
But then he gives us teachers as well.
We can't learn everything out of this book.
I owe so much to the men that
I have heard minister the word of God.
I can't tell you how much I owe
to them.
I can't even identify all my supposedly original
thoughts.
I wonder how much of them are original.
I wonder sometimes.
We owe much to these men.
God gives you and me a little.
And just to keep us from getting conceited,
you know, we have to take from others
as well.
And shepherds can feed shepherds, believe me.
They can feed shepherds.
And you know, sometimes he'll give you things
from a man whom you may not accept
entirely.
Perhaps he will resolve a question that has
risen in your heart about the scriptures over
which you have prayed and which you have
sought to search out and you could not
derive any satisfaction from your searching at all.
God may send along another shepherd and he
may resolve that question for you out of
the scriptures just told that you will thank
God, acknowledge his omniscience, learn his ways, and
be reconciled to a brother who can feed
your soul.
Now, there's another duty, too.
There's the exercise of oversight.
Feed the flock of God which is among
you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint
but willingly, not for filthy looker, but of
a readiness of mind.
Taking the oversight.
You know, those who are along the pathway
of faith a little longer than the youngest
Christian, that is, the younger Christian, he knows
a little bit more about the pitfalls of
this life.
He knows a little bit more about God's
given antidotes for the evils and the ills
of this world.
And he can help, we can help each
other.
Now, we're all helpers together, but there needs
to be an oversight among God's people.
And the Spirit of God, the Lord Jesus,
gives the gifts.
And the Spirit of God impresses those gifts
upon the oversight among his people.
And they are responsible to God.
Let's turn to Peter chapter 13, if you
please.
What did I say?
Oh, I'm sorry.
Hebrews.
You won't find Peter 13.
Hebrews 13.
Thank you, Willie.
Hebrews.
Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 17.
Obey them that have the rule over you,
and submit yourselves, for they watch for your
souls, as they that must give account, that
they may do it with joy, and not
with grief, for that is impossible for you.
Obey them that have the rule over you,
and submit yourselves, for they watch for your
souls, as they that must give account.
To whom must they give account?
To the one who commissioned them, to the
one who gifted them.
They must give account.
There is such a thing as godly rule
in an assembly.
I know most people think that that's archaic
and outdated, but it isn't.
A man once came into an assembly of
God's people, and he says, my, oh, he
felt the liberty, and he says, my, I'm
glad to be in a place where I
can do anything I want to do.
Just about that time, a brother tapped him
on his shoulder, and he says, brother, he
says, here, you don't do anything that you
just want to do.
He'd run up against a shepherd.
He'd run up against one who felt a
responsibility for the people of God.
There is such a thing as oversight in
an assembly.
And that's why at the end of this
portion in 1 Peter 5, that he says,
likewise ye younger, that's verse 5 of chapter
5, likewise ye younger, submit yourselves unto the
elder, yea, all of you be subject one
to another, and be clothed with humility.
Now, the third duty of a shepherd that
Peter mentions here is that of being an
example, leading by example among the people of
God.
He says in verse 3 of 1 Peter
5, neither is being lord over God's heritage,
but being in sample to the flock.
The shepherd can be and should be an
example.
He leads.
He does not drive.
You don't drive sheep.
Not in the eastern countries where our Lord
is using these figures.
We could turn to the 10th chapter of
John.
We won't do it.
But the shepherd goes before his sheep, and
he calls them by name, and they follow
him.
Now, we need to be leaders by way
of an example.
And I'm including myself in this.
We need to be in sample to the
flock.
We could say a lot about the power
of example.
It's the greatest power in all the world,
just to be an example.
I think I have learned more by following
the example of men that perhaps I have
the words of the men themselves.
But he is to be an example.
He is to make straight paths for his
sheep, lest that which is lame be turned
out of the way.
He is to be careful what he does.
Oh, the shepherd has such an important position.
He must not lord it over God's people.
Peter is very, very plain about that.
He must not lord it over God's people.
I have seen instances, and I'm thinking of
a particular assembly hundreds of miles from here,
where a very godly man could not accept
the fact that younger brethren in the assembly
had grown up into a sphere of responsibility
and had any right to say anything at
all.
And he treated them as children all their
spiritual lives.
That condition didn't prevail too long until those
younger brethren showed that they had a sense
of responsibility, and they manifested it to the
sorrow of this man.
He had become a lord over God's heritage.
Peter forbids it.
He warns against it.
Neither of being lords over God's heritage, but
being ensampled to the flock.
Now, I think sometimes that this is not
altogether the fault of the man involved.
Many, many times that man is lionized.
Many, many times he is exalted in the
opinions of people.
I have known instances in the ecclesiastical world
where preachers, and it always happens to those
men, it seems, who were godly men and
who were able to help the people of
God in a wonderful way.
They were so exalted in the minds of
their parishioners, those whom they served, that I
actually think that those ministers received some of
the worship that should have gone directly to
the Lord Jesus Christ.
And the Lord will not permit that.
He is jealous of his glory, and he
is careful to see that we don't take
his glory away.
Now, what has been exaggerated in some ecclesiastical
circles can even obtain in our assembly to
a modified degree, a greater or lesser degree.
We must cease from man whose breath is
in his nostrils.
I feel like telling anybody, I feel like,
and I have told people.
Now, if you get something from me, if
I am able to help anybody, thank the
Lord for it.
But don't say too much to me.
Because I think that we can tell when
the Lord has helped us and when he
hasn't.
I can, anyway.
I can sure tell when he hasn't helped
me.
And I can tell quite plainly.
But I don't mean that we don't appreciate
people.
But there is a snare, and a good
many men of God have been ruined.
And may I warn you, sisters, especially in
this regard.
I know we feel kindly toward those who
can help us in Christ.
But let's be careful, ever and always.
And after all, give the Lord all the
glory that is his due.
And if he gets all the glory that
is his due, all the other problems will
resolve themselves.
Now, about the shepherd's crown.
We talked about the shepherd's counsel from Peter
and the shepherd's care.
Now let's talk about the shepherd's crown.
In verse 4, it's called a crown of
glory.
When the chief shepherds shall appear, the ones
to whom the shepherds are responsible, ye shall
receive a crown of glory, that feedeth not
the weak.
Why is it called a crown of glory?
I think I know why it's called a
crown of glory.
Because many, many times the shepherd who is
godly and seeks to carry out his god
-given charge from the Lord, he's crowned all
right.
But not with glory.
He's crowned with infamy.
And many, many times I have seen campaigns
carried on against a godly man because he
crossed the wrong brother or the wrong sister
in the wrong way.
By their estimates of things.
It's a crown of glory.
It's a thankless task done here, much of
the time.
And a task which is difficult to perform.
But the Lord is going to see to
it that a compensating crown comes to that
shepherd in the coming day.
It's going to be a crown of glory.
And the chief shepherd is the one who
is going to give that crown.
What a crown it will be.
It will distinguish that shepherd.
It will make up to him for all
that he has suffered by taking care of
the people of God.
In many instances the care absolutely unappreciated.
But the Lord is going to see to
it that things are straightened out.
And now perhaps just for a few minutes,
let's consider the crown of life.
I'm sorry if I even have to break
your thoughts off from that, but I just
don't know of any other way of doing
it.
I think maybe we might accomplish this as
much to close now in prayer, but we'll
see.
I'll give you this and you can think
about it.
I don't want to destroy or I don't
want to obliterate from your mind that which
has gone before.
But I would like to notice the crown
of life, just a little.
It's mentioned twice in the scriptures.
Let's notice first of all Revelation chapter 2,
and then we'll notice James chapter 1.
Revelation chapter 2 and verse 8, And now
that the angel of the church in Smyrna
writes, These things saith the first and the
last, which was dead, and is alive, I
know thy works in tribulation and poverty, that
thou art rich.
And I know the blasphemy of them which
say thee are Jews, and are not, but
have the synagogue received.
Fear none of those things which thou shalt
suffer.
Behold, the devil shall cast some of you
into prison, that ye may be tried, and
ye shall have tribulation ten days.
Be thou faithful unto death, and I will
give thee a crown of life.
This is the martyr's crown.
Smyrna was the period, or detects or brings
before us the period of the church's history
from the end of the first century until
about the time that the church was put
in favor, supposedly by Constantine, seeing the sign
of the cross, and installing the church in
favor in the world.
Satan was one of Satan's cleverest devices, I
believe.
He couldn't stamp out the church through the
fierce persecutions that had gone upon the church,
so he wedded the world and the church
together to the destruction of the church.
Now, in Smyrna, they were being terribly persecuted,
and in those perhaps two centuries of time,
there were many, many martyrs among the people
of God.
Smyrna and Philadelphia are two of the seven
churches of Asia against which the Lord has
no word of rebuke.
They were going on for God.
They were sealing their testimony with their blood,
and the Lord tells these dear people, he
says, you'll have tribulation ten days.
Some have thought this to be the ten
distinct periods of tribulation and persecution that came
upon the church of God.
What he says to them is tender admonition.
Be thou faithful unto death, and I will
give thee a crown of life.
Now, this is a compensating crown.
Be thou faithful unto death, and I will
give thee the crown of life.
You know, life is never so sweet as
when we're facing death.
It is never so sweet.
And those who are willing to die for
the Lord are going to enjoy life with
him, I believe, as those who have not
had to seal their testimony with their blood.
There is a special recognition given to martyrs.
In the scripture, those who loved the Lord,
loved him unto death, loved him more than
their own souls, their own lives, those people
are going to be honored in a special
way, and it's the crown of life.
I think all that they had to face
is going to come back by way of
recognition from the Lord, which is called the
crown of life, which indeed will make them
forget all about the death that they ever
had to face.
As a matter of fact, I think that's
true of all the tribulations that we are
facing.
But this in a very, very particular sense.
They're going to receive the crown of life.
But now there's a broader sense that I
would like to apply this in James chapter
1.
James chapter 1, verse 12.
Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for
when he is tried, he shall receive the
crown of life.
Which the Lord hath promised to them that
love him.
Here is the crown of life mentioned again,
to be given to those that endure temptation.
Now the crown of life in Revelation chapter
2 is given to those who are willing
to die entirely.
And the crown of life here is given
to those who are willing to die to
the old man.
It's death in both cases, and sometimes I
think it's just about as hard to die
to the flesh, to die to the old
man, as it is to die entirely, the
entire man.
And thus he says, Blessed is the man
that endures temptation, for when he is tried,
he shall receive the crown of life.
You know it's hard to take the place
of death, but we have actually died.
We died with Christ on the cross.
We talk more about the death of Christ
for us on the cross.
That will save us from the penalty of
sin.
But foundation from the power of sin is
gained through the knowledge of the fact that
we died with Christ on the cross.
Now there is a truth that we may
not appreciate at all, which we may hold
very lightly, of which we may think very,
very little.
Our death with Christ.
Let's turn briefly to Romans chapter 6, verse
5.
For if we have been planted together in
the likeness of his death, we shall be
also in the likeness of his resurrection, knowing
this, that our old man is, better still,
was crucified with him, that the body of
sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should
not serve sin, for he that is dead
is freed from sin as a master.
Now if we be dead with Christ, we
believe that we shall also live with him,
knowing that Christ being raised from the dead
dieth no more, death hath no more dominion
over him.
For in that he died, he died unto
sin once, but in that he liveth, he
liveth unto God.
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead
indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now this death we have to recognize and
accept by faith.
In the mind of God, you and I
died with Christ on the cross.
I know Christ was nailed to the cross,
but we were so associated with Him that
in the mind of God we died.
Our old man was crucified with Christ.
Paul says, I am crucified with Christ.
Nevertheless I live.
Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.
The life that I now live in the
flesh, I live by the faith of the
Son of God, who loved me and gave
himself for me.
Now that old man doesn't die easily, believe
me.
And when he is tempted, he rises to
the occasion.
And we, you and I, have only one
report, and that is to tell him that
he's dead and give him the place of
death.
That is hard to do.
It must be done by faith, and it
is very, very difficult to do.
Simply to turn your back, not argue with
sin, not argue with temptation, simply turn your
back upon it and say with God, as
far as God is concerned, that old man
is dead.
And I say he is dead too.
Now that's a struggle, and we die hard.
Now if we know the resurrection power of
our Lord Jesus Christ in our lives, it's
only in the same measure in which we
can take the place of death.
Now it doesn't seem that that should have
to be stated, but it must be stated,
only in the same measure that we can
take the place and accept the place of
death as regards the flesh, in that same
measure, we know the resurrection power of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Now time forbids me to go into some
scriptures to show that point, but if you
want to check on them, you might check
on Philippians 3 and 10, you might check
on 2 Corinthians 4, 10 and 11, and
you'll see what I mean.
That it's only as we reckon ourselves to
be dead that the resurrection power of Christ
is known in our lives.
Now we die very, very slowly.
We die a slow death.
This is a hard truth to preach, and
it's a harder truth to practice.
It's difficult to get across to us.
We don't want to learn it.
The flesh is of enmity with God, but
it's the truth.
The 6th chapter of Romans.
We could have well spent our entire evening
on the 6th chapter of Romans and know
what it means to be crucified with Christ.
But I think we've already considered enough that
our minds are tired and filled up with
things to consider in times to come.
But James says, Blessed is the man that
endureth temptation, for when he is tried, he
shall receive the crown of life which the
Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Do you notice here that it's to them
that love him?
All the love of the Lord Jesus Christ
in your heart and mind is the seed
and the spring of all our service to
him, of all our piety, of all our
devotion, of all our worship, of all our
service.
Love to the Lord Jesus.
And love to the Lord Jesus will help
us to count that old man dead and
to go on for him in days to
come.
May God give us that grace.
Brother Lyle, would you please close with a
word of prayer?