First Presbyterian Church of
Telephone numbers: (310) 677-5133 Fax (310) 330-8342
Electronic mail: PRESBYTS@SBCGLOBAL.NET
Memorial Day Sunday, May 24, 2009
Rev. Dr. Harold E. Kidd
1 Peter 4: 12 – 19; 5:4
WE SHALL WEAR A CROWN
“And when
the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never
fade away.” 1 Peter 5:4
1 Peter,
written by the Apostle Peter, was written to encourage believers who were
living through difficult times. For
their faith, the followers of Jesus were being persecuted in Rome and
throughout the empire. Peter himself, as history tells it, would be crucified
and, at his request, upside down, for he deemed himself unworthy to be
crucified in the same manner as his Lord.
Beaten and
jailed, Peter had been threatened often. He had seen fellow Christians die and
the church scattered. But he knew Christ, and nothing could shake his
confidence in his risen Lord. We too, as present-day believers, have our own
views on suffering.
Some of us
have had to watch and pray as we’ve ministered to loved ones and friends during
their final months and weeks of suffering with long-term illness. Some have
sought to find words offering comfort in times of tragic loss to ease the
burden of another’s suffering.
Some are
overwhelmed by senseless violence that takes precious, innocent lives -- a
shooting in downtown Los Angeles, a terrorist bombing in a market square in
Iraq, the physical abuse endured by innocent children and/or spouses in a bad
family setting, the physical or emotional pain that will not go away in the
body of one who must live with a debilitating disease. Some suffer because they
are victims of corrupt and inhumane government policies, which neglect the
rights and needs of the powerless and the poor.
Suffering
wears many different faces. Suffering causes us to examine our faith in context
of the goodness of God. Why do bad things happen to good people? Suffering
produces a greater appreciation for what is most important in this life.
Peter wrote
this letter to comfort and encourage believers to continue living holy lives
for Jesus in the confidence that the Lord had reserved for them great reward in
heaven. The Lord was not ignorant of their sufferings. The fact that we will
one day live eternally with Christ should give us confidence, patience, and
hope to stand firm in the midst of the trials and tribulations we go through in
this life. Amen.
And what is
the conduct of the believer when we go through suffering? We’ll never know until we are tested. “Jesus,” says Peter, “suffered, yet he never
said a mumbling word.” When they hurled
insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no
threats. Instead, He entrusted himself
to Him who judges justly, meaning God.
He, Jesus, bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die
to sins and live for righteousness, but with His wounds you have, says Peter,
“been healed.” (2:23,24)
In our
suffering the Christian has been called to bear witness that God is! When people see us going through pain and yet
we still express hope, when people see us having problems and yet we still are
found giving praises to God, it gives God the glory. When people know that we have had our own
setbacks, yet they see us still pressing on, because of our faith in God, it
bears witness to Jesus. When they see us
pressing on hopefully, in spite of our losses, we give a living testimony that
in all things God is working for our good. Hallelujah!
You’ll take
note that in His suffering they platted a crown of thorns and pressed it into
the brow of Jesus. The thorns pierced His skin producing great drops of blood.
The thorn-pierced brow of the Lord has become a memorial for all who would
endure their lot of suffering in witness to Christ. In other words, when we
suffer, when we must go through our hardships, when we must face our seasons in
the garden of Gethsemane, how will our conduct bear witness to Jesus? What
witness will one give to the Lord in their seasons of grief and despair?
Like the
Lord, we too must wear our crown of thorns. Your crown may be somewhat
different than another’s, but everyone will have their share of suffering,
their trials and tribulations in this life. The crown of thorns is in witness
to the life we live for God. Sickness is not of God, disease is not of God,
poverty is not of God, tragedy is not of God, prejudice and hate are not of
God, death by violence and war is not of God.
So if you ever find yourself wearing a crown with one of these thorns in
it, know that it is of the Lord.
For we must
all bear witness to our faith. And we
can’t bear true witness without a crown of thorns. The crown of thorns on this
side of glory is the very thing that bears witness to God’s Grace and God’s
Glory. Well, those whom we honor this morning, our deceased loved ones would
never have known God’s perseverance, God’s character, God’s hope, without a
thorn. The thorns in our lives refine the witness of our faith.
Peter says
to the church in chapter 4:12 – 13: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the
painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to
you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you
may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.”
When His Glory is revealed. What do you mean Peter, when His Glory is
revealed?”
When the
Lord returns for His Church, when we are reunited with the Lord and our loved
ones in heaven, he will distribute to the believer a crown worthy of the life
they have lived in the earth. Amen. The Bible speaks about the crown in several
places.
In the
ancient world the crown was symbol of the king’s authority and His glory. The
crown was the mark of royalty. The crown of laurel leaves was the victor’s
crown in the games, the prize which the athlete coveted above all others, much
like an NBA Championship Ring. There is Carmelo, Dwight, LeBron, and
They
platted Jesus a crown of thorns to mock Him as king of the Jews. But God used
His crown of suffering for our redemption.
Amen. God placed on Him the
iniquity of us all. Because Jesus was victorious, God has given Him a Crown of
eternal glory. He is the King of Glory.
1 Peter 5:4
says, “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory
that will never fade away.” God has great reward prepared for those who love
Him, which cannot be received in this life. “Eye has not seen, ears have not
heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for
those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
James, the
brother of our Lord, also writing to believers to encourage them in the midst
of their suffering, said, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial,
because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God
has promised to those who love Him.”
In this
life we must wear a crown of thorns, because we participate in the sufferings
of our Lord. In the life which is to come, we shall all wear a crown of glory,
because we shall reign with Him forever and ever. In this life they platted Him
a crown of many thorns. But in the world which is to come, Jesus wears upon His
head a Golden Crown (Revelation 14:14).
The Golden Crown is the crown of His eternal glory.
God’s crown
of life is not given to us in this life, but in the life which is to come. It
is the crown indicative of our love and faithfulness to God, while we lived in
this earth. I believe it is a crown bedecked with many jewels, in reward to
what we have endured and done in this life. The more faithful the life, the
brighter the crown. You can’t buy this crown at Saks Fifth Avenue. But God
gives the crown of eternal life!
Like many
of our loved ones, Paul endured a lot in his life, but he pressed on, believing
that with every earthly thorn, God had reserved a heavenly blessing. When we
think about many of the lives of those who have gone on, like Paul, to be with
God, they weren’t complaining, but they were rejoicing. They weren’t holding
back, but many of them were ready.
Ready to be
with God. Ready to meet loved ones. Ready to receive their just reward. Ready
to wear a crown of everlasting life. Ready to walk around heaven all day.
Can’t you
hear them this morning in that great cloud of witnesses, “We fought a good
fight, we finished the race, we kept the faith, and there is laid up for us
crowns of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to us
on that Day, and not only to us, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
I wouldn’t
want to change any of the trouble in my life, because it is the crown of thorns
which God is using to fashion my crown in glory. When you have done the very
best that you can, when the sunset of your life begins to draw near, you rest
in the sweet consolation that when the battle is over, you shall wear a
crown. Hallelujah! We shall wear a
crown. Hallelujah!