This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s Word on Bibleline, everywhere, every time. Here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the Internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll-free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Everybody should want to wear a crown. Everybody. I’ll never be king of anything. I was down in Texas one year and we had a little girl, Lee Patton’s little daughter. She became the princess and they said, I’ll be the king. So I was the king. So they had gone to Burger King and got King Ralph and brought it to me and put it on my head and I was King Ralph. Well I I I want another crown. I want one that’s going to last for a while.

Down here, the praise, honor, and glory is very fleeting. It doesn’t last very long. It’s like smoke. And I want to have you in order to save a little time because I want so much to say everything that I got here because it’s so good. You and I know going to heaven is a gift. free. Jesus Christ went to the cross, paid for all the sins of the world and all that we have to do. So the only thing we can do is believe He did it for us.

So when you believe He did it for you, He gives you the free gift of eternal life and you’re going to heaven when you die. But we’re not there yet. We’ve still got a few time, a little time down here to live. And so what should be my motive of why I serve the Lord? Now God wants us to serve him because we love him. But God says that we are a reward motivated people. We always want to know what am I going to get out of this?

And there is something that God is going to give to us. Look at the first verse up there. Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all and followed the what shall we have there for? What are we going to get out of this? And in the very next verse he tells him, he says that you will be setting on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel and the kingdom. So they wanted to know what are we going to get and the Lord says you are going to get something and it’s going to be worth it.

Look at the next verse, 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 9 says, but as it is written, I have not seen, ear hath not heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. Is he going to heaven? You don’t have to love God to go to heaven. You’re going to heaven because God loves you. He paid for your sins. He loves you that much. And he’ll give eternal life and never cash right, never lose you.

Salvation must be kept separate from service. So once you’ve trusted Christ as your Savior, you’re his child, you’re going to heaven when you die. But now God’s talking about the rewards when you get to heaven. I don’t know what all those rewards will be. Only that God says that we will be rewarded when we get to heaven. But rewards in heaven is because we worked. We served the Lord. So we serve Him. We work for Him. Your personal motives should be because I love Him.

And God says, if you love me, Him will my Father honor. And I want you to look at the next statement there in the box area. Psalms 8 and verse 5 says, For thou hath made him a little lower than the angels, and hath crowned him with glory and honor. Then in Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 9, he says, but we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. Get this, crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

This thing about being crowned, when we get to heaven. I often wondered how I’m going to try to wear five crowns. Do they stack them on top of each other? Or is it just one crown for five things? And yet it appears that it’s five different crowns. So, whenever he talks about the Lord and he makes a statement, he was crowned with glory and honor. I believe this in the book of 1 Timothy and chapter 1, he talks about that the trial of your faith been much more precious than of gold and silver, though it would be tried with fire.

He says, might be found on the praise, honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. So that when Jesus Christ, judges us, rewards us. I believe He’s going to crown us with praise and crown you with glory and crown you with the praise, the honor, the glory that you want down here but you gave it all up so that you could have it up there and I believe that there might be a possibility that the crown instead of you wearing the crown could be the praise, the honor, the glory that God bestows upon you in front of everybody because of what you have done for the Lord, the sacrifices made like Eddie was singing in that song.

Thank you Lord, because when you and I get to heaven and we see all those faces, all those faces of all those people that you talked to and those that you forgot all about and the tracks that you left and what happened as a result, all those little things that you have done. One day when you stand before the Lord, God’s going to show you the end result because it says, and their works do follow them and that day will come.

Now look at the next statement there in 1 Corinthians 9 verse 25, every man that strived for the Master is tempered, or self-controlled and all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible crown. Have you noticed that down here, you can accomplish some great things and they’ll give you a little praise, some honor and some glory, and then if you do something wrong, it’s taken all away from you very quickly. Because in the eyes of man, you not only have to attain it, you have to keep it by what you do.

And if you mess up, they take it away. You ever watched a quarterback? Now, I mean, he can get him to the playoffs, but if he don’t win the playoffs, he has to win it all the way. Well, God says, whenever you serve Him, the rewards He gives to you are incorruptible. It means that they’ll never fade away. There’s no end to it. It will be forever. And so you and I are supposed to live now the way we wish we had lived when we get to heaven and it will be worth it all.

Look in James chapter one here in your note, blessed is the man that endure a temptation. No it doesn’t say enjoy temptation but endure temptation because down here you and I are going to have to go through a lot of things, a lot of trials and tribulation and you don’t have to enjoy them but you will have to endure them if you want the reward, if you want to be honored by God when you get to heaven. See, that means that God has to keep the book.

God has to know every temptation that you’re facing, every trial, every tribulation. God must know and he keeps the books. And he says, God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love. So he remembers it all. And he makes a statement in this verse, blessed is a man that endure temptation, but when he has tried he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to them that love him. Now how is he going to do that?

I don’t know. I really don’t care how God does what he does. Only that I believe that he will do what he says he will do. And he says that I have not seen in the ear, have not heard the things which God has prepared for them that love him. I believe that. There’s no way that down here we can ever imagine. There’s a song they sing. I can only imagine. I can you imagine? No you can’t. You can’t even imagine.

You cannot fathom the idea of what it will be like when you and I get to heaven. For the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed. You can’t imagine. Now look at the next verse. Revelation chapter 2 and verse 10 says, fear none of those things which thou shall suffer. I’ll say wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, Lord. What if I don’t want to suffer at all? Why don’t you just take away the suffering and let it go at that?

And if I get to heaven, I won’t have anything, but then I didn’t have to suffer while I was here. You know, you don’t get to make the call. God has a course for every one of us to run, and so we’re to run our race, and there’s obstacles in our race. But God wants us to finish the race with joy. Looking unto Him who went before us, which is the Lord Jesus Christ, because you see, He He didn’t quit.

It didn’t matter what happened. He didn’t quit. He never quit. And you and I are not to quit ever serving the Lord. Just stay at it. You’ll be so glad you did. He said, the devil shall cast some of you into prison that you may be tried. You shall have tribulation ten days, be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee, and you’re the underlying this, a crown of life. God’s going to give this to you. Look down at number three where it has the crown of rejoicing, the crown of rejoicing.

rejoicing. I love this crown of rejoicing because I believe it refers to some of the people that you won the Christ where he says in verse 18, wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul once and again but Satan hindered us. Now listen, as great as the apostle Paul was, further for serving Lord the zeal that he had. Did you know the Bible says that Satan hindered him? Do you believe that just because you love the Lord and you want to serve the Lord that Satan is going to let you alone?

Where would you get that idea from? If I was the devil and I knew you wanted to mount to something for the Lord I’m going to do everything in my power to stop you and it wouldn’t care what I had to do. If I can’t get you I’ll go to your wife can’t get your I go to the house and I can’t get him. I go to the kids. I can’t get them. I go to the in-law. I go somehow, someway, whatever it takes to stop you from serving the Lord.

And you’re not to quit. And here’s the reason. Look at this. For what is our hope or joy, and look at these words, crown of rejoicing? Do you know the crown of rejoicing? He said, are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, at his coming for ye are our glory and our joy. When you and I get to heaven, the greatest joy you’re going to have is seeing the people you influenced on earth. Because you see, it’s not only the ones you win, it’s also the ones you train.

It’s the ones you encouraged and maybe even some of those that you rebuked because you loved them and you cared about them. And when those people get to heaven and something in your life that has affected their decision, not only to trust Christ’s Savior, but to live for the Lord and be all that they can be for the Lord. He are my glory and my joy. And He says here in the last part, He says, for ye are our glory and our joy.

Looking in Philippians chapter 4 verse 1, look at that verse there. Very bottom verse on that page. He says, therefore my brethren, dearly beloved and long for, my joy and my crown. You are my crown, just like when talks about Christ, crowned with glory, crowned with honor. And you see, when the Bible talks about you and I, when we give God praise and honor and glory when we give that to the Lord because of what He’s done. Remember, as you look back over your life, you should understand more and more.

Look what the Lord hath done. And you realize that you’re not much of anything. Now I wrote a little verse in the song. I don’t know where it is now, but… But when I stand upon the mountain peak and I saw a God, so big, but a man so small, I could not see how this mighty God could think of me at all. You know, you’ve got to be impressed with the greatness of God and the love and compassion of God.

When this great big old God, They can make a zillion of you, only made one of you. And you are so different and so unique to God. And so precious to God. What is a man that God would even think about us? And yet He loves you. You are so important in the eyes of God. And God says that whatever you accomplish in your life, God was gracious to you. God was merciful to you. God hath blessed you. You were to take everything God’s done for you, all the praise, the honor and the glory says, God, you deserve every bit of it all.

And you’re so thankful to the Lord for what He hath done. So He says in the last part of that verse, so stand fast. And the Lord might dearly be loved. So there’s times when you and I, as a child of God, were supposed to stand fast. Sometimes there’s a time when we’ve got to run. Sometimes he just wants us to walk. But whether you are standing faster walking or running the race, we’re to wait upon the Lord. And he will renew your strength.

And you shall mount up with wings as an eagle. Because, see, God, did you all the strength in the knee? You don’t have to quit. You don’t have to stop. You don’t have to be down in discourries to all the time. Because you know that whatever you have to face has already passed the desk of God and been approved. And because it’s been approved by God, Everything happens to me today has been approved by my heavenly Father. And He’s going to give me all the strength and all the grace that I need to bear whatever comes my way.

That when every temptation there is made a way of escape that I may be able to bear it. Some things just seem like they’re just totally unbearable. But God says there is always a way. Isn’t it wonderful to know that? But then to apply it to your life. That’s another story. what I want you to do is look on the back page and you’ll notice there the crown of righteousness, the crown of righteousness. Second Timothy chapter 4 verses 5 through 8 says, but watch thou in all things.

You see, this isn’t on how to get to heaven. See, a lot of people take these verses and say, this is what you’ve got to do to go to heaven, so you really better watch it. It’s a straight and narrow way. You better endure to the end. And if you don’t, then you go to hell. No. You see, going to heaven was a gift. It was free. Haven’t you heard that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God?

Well, if it’s a gift, then you don’t earn a gift. You don’t work for a gift. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. So by you trusting Christ as your Savior, you get the free gift of God. For by grace are you saved through faith that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works. I wonder why I had to put that in there. Shouldn’t everybody automatically know if it’s a gift, it’s not of works.

Evidently, God had to put it in there because it’s not only important what the gospel is. It’s what it is not. It’s not of your words. It’s not of yourselves. It is by grace through faith. By you putting your faith in what Christ did, He saved you by grace. It means you didn’t deserve to be saved. You didn’t deserve it. I did not deserve it. So because I’ve trusted Christ as my Savior and you trusted Christ as your Savior, you and I are are trophies of God’s grace.

And one of these days when it’s all over with and you stand before the Lord, you do want to hear the Lord say, well done thou, good and faithful servant. And God to be able to reward you for what you’ve done. And that reward you can never lose. Never lose it. Most important thing to keep in mind. But look what Paul said. He says, endure reflections, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of the ministry, For I am now ready to be offered in the time of my departures at hand.

I have fought a good fight. I finished my course. I have kept the faith. Sounds like you, right? Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. Now, when you trust Christ as your Savior, you’ve already received the righteousness of God. He gave you the righteous robe. And that’s why whenever the Lord sees you, he doesn’t see you in your sense. He sees the righteousness of Christ because it was imputed to you as a gift, totally free.

If I’m going to get rewarded then it has to be according to my righteousness. God says in the book of Rob Revelation in chapter 19 that the wife had made herself ready and she had adorned herself in the righteous acts of the saints. So whenever we leave here and we stand at the judgments of the Christ, God is going to reward us for the things that we’ve done. And our apparel is going to be revealing of the righteous acts of the saints.

What you have done for the Lord, you are right now building and preparing your wedding dress. And that’s what you’re going to have. The glory and the honor that’s going to be bestowed upon you. And then you go to the wedding. We don’t understand all of this stuff, but we’re supposed to believe it because it’s in the Word of God and the Word of God is true. That’s faith in what God says. And you say, well, that’s just blind faith.

It is not blind faith. If God’s Word is the truth, it’s the facts. If it’s the facts, it cannot lie. Faith in that truth is what sustains us because we know it’s true. It’s the Word of God. Now, if I believe what man says without evidence, that’s blind faith. That’s what evolution is, blind faith. There’s no evidence for it. But anyway, as we’re moving right along. He says in verse 8, Hinsforth, they’re related for me, a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day, not to me only, but unto all them that love is appearing.

See, it’s for those who love the Lord. I don’t know what all it’s going to be, but don’t you believe that when you get to heaven, you don’t want the Lord to be ashamed before He met His coming. You want God to bless you. I’ve lived long enough to see that God not only is going to bless us in rewards when you get to heaven, I’ve lived long enough to see God blesses me while I’m living, too. I’ve enjoyed my life.

God been so good to me. I don’t deserve all of that. look at the next place. The crown of glory, the crown of glory. He says, fleece the flock of God which is among you. No, this is to the elders and it doesn’t say fleece the flock, it says feed the flock. There’s two things that we always try to do to the people in the church. Feed the flock and warn the flock. If we only fed the flock, we’d just make you fat for the kill.

And if all we did was just warn the flock and didn’t feed the flock, then we simply have starved you to death. So you got to get a balance between feeding and warning. So we tell you the truth and try to feed you so we can get you strong enough to serve the Lord. And then we want you to know, hey, that’s bad, and that’s bad, and that’s bad. And that’s, see, there’s a verse in the Bible that says, do not make provision for the flesh.

Make no provision for the flesh. You say, what does that mean? don’t make opportunities to get in trouble. Stay back away from the edge for your own sake and for anybody else who watches you and follows you. Look what he says. He makes a statement here in Hebrews chapter 13, verse 17, obey them that have the rule over you and submit yourselves for they watch for your souls as they that must give an account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you.

in my pastor at this church. The last time I checked, I’m still the pastor. If I’m the pastor, I mean you’re the sheep. Did you know according to God’s Word, you’re supposed to obey me? Ooh. What do you want us to do? Well, I want you to give me a pink Cadillac, put a million dollars in my bank account. No. I want you to learn the Word of God so that you can do you, whatever it is you really believe with all your heart is the will of God for you.

I want you to obey the Lord.” Now is that cruel? I don’t think I’d be cruel. Not when I want the best for you, but look what he says here. He says in chapter 3 of verse 3, neither has been Lord over God’s heritage, but be an example to the flop. And when the chief shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of a glory, that fate if not the way. So some say that this is for the preachers, get something special.

This one, y’all can have those, this is mine. So what all is gonna be, I don’t know, but don’t you believe that it will be worth serving the Lord and to be faithful to honor God? And I wanted to know this. They’re in Revelation in chapter 4. It talks about 24 elders. These 24 elders, well, they, I believe, came from the church age. I believe they were redeemed because it says the thou hath redeemed us by thy blood. So it has to be redeemed people.

So it had to be people that were on the earth. It also makes the statement that they took their crowns and cast them at the feet of Jesus. But remember this, they made a statement. It’s what they said that was so important. See their inverse. 10, he says, the four and 20 elders fall down before him that suddenly thrown and worshiped him that live forever and ever and cast their crowns before the throne saying, and when they cast their crowns, this is what they said.

Look what they said. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. Now, wait a minute. The Bible says that Jesus was crowned with glory and honor. Is it possible that one thing that we want more than anything else is for when we say, well done, thou faithful, good and faithful, sort of, did you know that’s a type of praise? That is a type of honor? That is a type of glory in itself. And that whenever you and I, whatever we’ve done for the Lord, and God rewards you for, and God puts you upon the stand and says all these wonderful things about you and bestowed upon you to praise the honor and the glory.

Did you know that there’s a thing that we might do? I can’t say definitely. It’s in the Scriptures. This says what they did, but they said this in verse 11, Thou art worthy, O Lord. of our worthy to receive. So where is he going to get it from? If he’s worthy to receive it, then it has to come from somebody who has it. Is he God going to reward me then he has to have the rewards to give to me?

I can’t receive it from him if he don’t have it. If God’s going to receive this praise, this honor, this glory, then he has to get it from us. Where did we get it? He gave it to us. And we simply are going to be given back to the Lord because of what He’s done. Wouldn’t you like to have something to give to the Lord? To praise the Lord for your life. For the privilege that God gave you to live.

To be able to witness, to share His Word. To love your husband, to love your wife, to love your kids, to love your grandkids, to love one another, to love your church. See, all these things matter. Everything matters. And you and I should remember that. And why Him? For He says, for thou have created all things. And for thy pleasure they are, and were created. You and I were created to please God. So then we ought to learn what please is God.

If my serving the Lord pleases God, then that’s good enough for me. Just do it. Just do it. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you are blessed by today’s message. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bibleline and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing tool free, 1-800-576-3771. That’s 1-800-576-3771.

To listen to today’s message again, or to obtain a free download of any of our Bibleline programs, just go to our home page at BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the radio broadcast link. If you are in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 10.30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by clicking on the Calvary Community Church link at BibleLineMinistries.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bibleline and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound and we will be changed. caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day, believe in that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up.