Keep Your Crown

I am going to, at this time, we're going to invite

you to join me just for one scripture that I'm

going to read. Found in Revelation chapter 3.

Revelation 3 · chapter mention

Amen. In verse 11. And then we'll be able to

sit. I know we've been standing worshiping for

almost, what is it, 40, 45 minutes now. Hallelujah.

Or even longer. But you'll get to relax in just

a moment. The word of God reads, Revelation 3

.11. Behold, I am coming quickly. Hold fast,

someone say hold fast, what you have that no

one may take your crown. And with God's help,

I'm going to speak for a few moments today on

the thought, keep your crown. Keep your crown.

Amen. You may be seated in the presence of God.

Amen. Keep your crown. That is the message. Now,

when we think of crowns, church, we usually think

of those worn by kings and royalty. We think

of crowns that are made of gold and precious

stones and gems, such as the famous crown jewels

of the British monarch. I was fortunate enough

to view those a few years ago upon. visiting

there in england and i was amazed by all of the

elaborate jewels and and and gold uh in those

crowns and and they're deemed priceless you can't

sell them because there is no uh monetary value

you can place i don't know if anybody here has

ever worn a crown of some sort uh if everybody

put a crown on your head or maybe sisters a tiara

huh hopefully not the man praise god hallelujah

uh but I think the only crown I've ever worn

was at Burger King. How many ever wanted one

of those crowns? Hey, man. I wore a Burger King

crown. But, you know, it was made of very thin

cardboard. It didn't last very long, right? By

the time you left the place, it was already falling

apart and just peeling. And I think that's the

only crown physically that I've ever worn. But,

you know, we understand the... concept and the

idea of a crown. And throughout the Bible, there's

different kinds of crowns. And I won't talk about

all of the various crowns that we see in Scripture.

There were different crowns, literal crowns that

were made of gold and precious metals. But there

is a certain type of crown that I want to focus

on in the New Testament that is sometimes called

the victor's crown. And it is a crown that is

awarded to champions. It is a special crown.

It is not one like we are used to seeing in our

mind, like the ones I've described. But this

is a different type of crown. The Greek word

for this type of crown is Stephanos, Stephanos.

And in Roman Greco times, runners or Olympians

were awarded Stephanos, a crown made of leaves.

or branches, or out of a wreath. And this was

the type of crown. So you see, it was not gold

and precious metals and gems. This was a rather

humble thing, but it signified something victorious.

It signified a great victory or the accomplishment

of an athlete or of a runner. an Olympian. They

were crowned with the Stephanos. And the Lord,

when he writes to one of the churches, the seven

churches in Asia Minor, in the book of Revelations,

to the book of Philadelphia, he writes to them.

He says to make sure that no one take your Stephanos,

your crown. He's not talking about a royal crown

like a diadem, such as one that you might crown

or coronate a king or a queen. He is talking

about the victor's crown. He is talking about

the reward that one believer receives when we

enter into glory one day. So it's the believer's

Stephanos, that crown of reward that we ought

to live our lives for. It is a reward for your

obedience, for your endurance and your faithfulness

unto the end. Somebody say amen today. But according

to the word. The word of God, it is possible

to lose your Stephanos. It is possible to lose

your crown. You can potentially lose your victory.

You can lose your reward. You can miss your reward.

Your crown can even be stolen. by the enemy.

It could be stolen by the traumas of life, by

people, by problems and types of pain and plights.

The crown, it can fall from where it belongs.

And so the warning in the verse today that God

had, that the Spirit of the Lord had for the

church is as relevant today as it was then, that

we must hold fast. Amen. Our reward. So that

no one or no man or no thing can cheat us out

of our Stephanos. That can cheat us out of our

crown. And we ought to make sure that nothing

in this life, be it spiritual, be it emotional

or financial, relational, otherwise, will rob

us of that great reward that is promised to those

who... endure to the very end. How many of you

want to make it to the end? Amen. That's my plan.

But there is a crown, and I don't just want to

make it to heaven. I don't know about you, but

I don't just want to slide in like a runner rounding

third base coming home, you know, by the skin

of my teeth, you know. I don't want to make it

on a pinky, you know. They got to zoom in the

camera. Did his pinky touch the base? Okay, he's

in. He said, I don't want to just barely make

it to heaven. Amen. I want to get there and hear

those words, well done, my good and faithful

servant. I want to hear those words. I want to

be crowned, not with the king's crown, that's

his, but with my Stephanos, with my reward, with

my prize. And so how is it then that the believer

today can keep your crown? How can we hold fast

to that? Let me give you a few things to consider

here this afternoon to keep your crown. Number

one, to keep your crown, you have to first keep

your eye on the prize. Keep your eye on the prize.

You need to know why you're running. You need

to know why. You need to know why you're running.

Not just that you're running. That's not good

enough. Hey, look at me. I'm running. Don't pat

yourself on the back just because you're running.

The question is, why are you running? Why are

you running? We're not as believers just running

for exercise. Is that correct? We're not just

running for exercise. We're not just running

just to run. We're not just running on a treadmill

or running just to make a few laps around the

block. There is a prize at the end of the run.

There is a reward. There is something that awaits

us both in this life, because God is that good,

and in the life to come, the promise of our reward.

Paul writes about this in 1 Corinthians chapter

1 Corinthians 9 · chapter mention

9. He said, do you not know that those who run

in a race all run, but one receives the prize?

Everybody's running, but only such will receive

the prize. He said run in, someone say run. Come

on, say it again. Run. Run in such a way that

you may obtain it. He said, you've got to run.

You've got to run your life in such a way that

you can eventually obtain that reward. And anyone

who competes for the prize is temperate or self

-controlled in all things. Now they. do obtain

a perishable crown, but for we, an imperishable

crown. So we are running for a crown that will

not diminish or will not perish or lack over

time, but we are running for an imperishable

reward, a heavenly, divine, sacred, and everlasting

reward. We are running this race, this Christian

race, and we are running with the calling of

God upon our lives so that eventually, We will

be crowned. But if you lose sight of the fact

that that is our reward, that is our goal, that

is the point of it all, then you could allow

petty and terrestrial and earthly and material

and worldly things to keep you and to distract

you from that ultimate prize that God has. If

you take your eyes off the prize, you will find

yourself running for all kinds of reasons. reasons.

You may find yourself running, but you're running

from things. God did not call us to simply run

away from things. He didn't call us simply to

run from our past, from people, from situations,

from the devil. The Christian life isn't simply

about running away from things. It's about running

towards something. Amen, somebody. I have come

the day to encourage Courage to motivate, to

edify somebody's heart and spirit today. If you

ever feel like perhaps you're getting distracted

or you're losing sight of what it's all about,

let me remind you here this afternoon that we

are running a race and we're running to finish

this race. We are running to receive that prize

that God has prepared for his people. Hallelujah.

I'm not running from the world. not running from

the devil. In fact, the devil is supposed to

be running from me. That's why the Bible says

resist the devil and he will flee. I'm not fleeing

from anybody. I'm not fleeing from anything,

but I am running towards my calling in Christ.

Amen. Somebody clap your hands. Let's give God

some praise here today. That's why Paul said,

I press toward the goal for the prize. Of the

upward call of God in Christ Jesus. I'm running

towards it. I've got my eyes on the prize. I

cannot afford myself. I cannot afford to miss

my divine moment in God. I've got to keep focused

on him. I can't be like Peter who's stepping

out on the water and allowing the wind and the

waves to distract him from his eyes being fixed

on Jesus. I've got to fix my eyes on the prize.

Lord. I've got to remember what it's all about.

I've got to remember that this running that I'm

doing is for a prize. So in order to hear those

words, well done, my good and faithful servant.

I don't know about you, but in my faith, I don't

want to come in second place. I don't want to

have just a consolation. I don't want to have

a participation trophy. You know, trophies don't

mean a whole lot anymore because everyone gets

one. You know what I'm saying? I mean, back in

the days, you had to earn it. Right? But because

we live in a time and an age where, you know,

we don't want to offend anybody or hurt anybody's

feelings. Everybody gets a trophy. And you know

what that does? In the process of rewarding everybody,

you cheat those who actually put in the preparation

and endured and came out on top or were victorious.

And it devalues the whole concept of a reward.

I don't know about you, but when I get to heaven,

I don't just want a participation trophy. I don't

just want a good attitude trophy, if that's all.

I don't just want what I want. I want the Stephanos.

Hallelujah. I want that crown upon my head that

said you endured to the end. You overcame your

trial. You could have given up. You could have

thrown in the towel. You could have said forget

all of this. But you kept fighting. And you kept

running. And you kept remembering that there

was a prize at the end of it. And you rose above

your problems. And you kept on worshiping. Come

on somebody. You kept on praying. You kept on

worshiping. You kept on dancing. You kept on,

oh, I wish there was somebody in this house today

that was running. Anybody want to run? I've got

to run. Second thing we've got to do is you've

got to hold to what you have. You need to know

not only why you're running, brother, sister,

friend. You need to know what you're running

on. What you're running with. The Lord told his

church, in verse 8, the same church of Philadelphia,

he told them, he said, you have a little strength.

He says, I see all your works, and I have set

before you an open door. In other words, I'm

blessing you. How many of you know God's got

an open door for you? Amen. I'm putting before

you an open door, and guess what? Nobody, not

even the devil himself, can shut it. So all these

things are going to happen for you because I've

already ordained it. I've already ordered your

steps. It's going to happen. Just keep running.

But then he tells him, but for you have little

strength. So on the one hand, God's saying, I'm

about to open up some massive doors for you that

no devil can shut, no man can shut. Well, at

the same time, you need to recognize you're working

with a little strength. And a little strength

doesn't sound very promising, folks. It doesn't

sound like a whole lot. I want God to give me

a lot of strength. I want God to give me a lot

of resources. I want God to give me a lot of

stuff. Because that's how the human mind thinks.

We think we need a lot in order to accomplish

a lot. But we serve a God that's in the little

things. Oh, I wish I had a believer here today.

Hallelujah. I said we serve a God of the little

things. And that's why in verse 11, as we read

earlier, the Lord said, hold fast to what you

have. Hold fast to that. I want you to understand

today, church, that God doesn't need a lot in

order to do a lot. He said, I've got doors I'm

going to open in your life. And all you've got

is a little strength. But all that strength is

all that you need in order for you to make it.

You may be looking at your life today. I feel

like I'm talking to somebody right now. And you

may be thinking, I don't have a lot. I don't

have a lot of contacts. I don't have a lot of

friends. I don't have a lot. of money. I don't

have a lot of people. I don't have a lot of strength.

But let me tell you something, that God can do

more with the little than he can do when you

have a lot. Oh, I wish I had a witness in this

house today. Whatever you do, don't count yourself

out. Don't count yourself out because of how

little you have. That's where God specializes

in taking the little strength that we have and

stretching it beyond. What we thought was humanly

possible. This is how God works. And you know

why he does it? So he gets the glory. Because

if you have a lot and you accomplish a lot, you

can say, look at what we did. But God takes the

little stuff. Somebody say little strength. Come

on, say it again. Little strength. I don't know.

I feel like there's somebody here today. You

feel like you got little strength. You know,

I just got a little strength. Pastor, you know,

it's been one of those years. It's been one of

those days. It's been one of those months. I

just got a little bit of strength, you know.

Man, after that big bill I just paid, I just

got a little bit left in my account. Man, after

what I've been, I just got a little bit of hope.

I'm just dreaming. I don't dream as big as I

do. I just got a few. I got one more dream left.

I just got a little bit of things that I'm still

working on and still waiting on. I just got a

little bit of this and a little bit of that.

Let me tell you, don't look. Look at what you

don't have because that's not where revival is

coming from. Somebody needs to help me here today.

Your miracle is in what you already have. I said

your miracle is in what you already have. That's

where God's going to move. Elisha told the widow

who was about to see her sons taken by the creditors

in 2 Kings 4, verse 2. He asked her this important

2 Kings 4:2

question. What do you have in your house? What

do you have in your house? Tell me, what is it

that you've got? What can we work with? And she

replied and said, your maid service has nothing

in the house but this jar of oil. And she was

probably thinking, man, I'm embarrassed to admit,

I'm ashamed to admit that this is all I've got

in my house. I just got this little jar of oil.

But a little jar of oil is greater than an ocean

of water. Because God can take that little jar

and multiply it and stretch it. And so that's

exactly what the Lord did. He said, go and borrow

just as many vessels as you can. Bring all the

emptiness that you can. Collect all the jars

that you can. And then watch how I'll take that

little bit of strength, that little bit of oil,

and watch me multiply. I don't know if there's

somebody in this place today that's waiting on

God to multiply some stuff. And I preach like

I want to here this afternoon. Somebody say preach.

Hallelujah. If God, if you've got some little

things that you want, God, if you're waiting

on a multiplication miracle, you're in the right

place with the right God. Because I don't know

who I'm talking to right now, but God says I'm

about to take that little strength that you've

got and do a miracle in your life. Somebody ought

to praise God. Somebody ought to celebrate. Somebody

ought to worship. Come on, right there, somebody.

You got to grab a hold of this word. Come on,

why don't you take a moment right now. Grab a

hold of this word. Everything you need is in

the house, he says, to fulfill your calling,

to finish your race. A little with God is greater

than a lot without him. And so he tells the runners

in the church of Philadelphia, he said, I'm about

to I'm about to blow your mind. I'm about I've

already said that there's doors that are coming.

You haven't even seen them yet. But just know

this. You have a little strength. But that little

strength is all you need. That's all you need

is a little strength. Hallelujah. Someone say,

that's all I need. All right. I want to give

you the third thing, and that is don't stop running.

Turn to somebody and tell them, don't stop running.

Don't stop running. Don't stop running. Can I

get into the meat and potatoes of this message

now? Anybody hungry for the word today? Hallelujah.

Amen. So far we've just been eating salad and

breadsticks and stuff. That's some good stuff

right there. I like that. Maybe you consider

that meat. Amen. But let's get into some meat

and potatoes right here because not only do you

need to know why you're running and what you're

running on, but you need to know how to run.

Someone say, you got to know how. You got to

know how to run. So let me, give me a few moments.

To talk about how to run. It's not enough to

know why. It's not enough to know what you're

running on. But the word of God tells us how

to run. In Hebrews 12 .1, the writer says, therefore,

we also, since we are surrounded by so great

a cloud of witnesses. In other words, we've got

an audience. Do you know you've got an audience?

Don't look around in here. I'm not talking about

the church. Someone's like, ooh, I better pose.

I didn't know I had an audience. Is this going

on Instagram or what is this, you know? Get my

good side if you're going to, you know. Not here.

We got an audience, you know where? In heaven.

There's a great cloud of witnesses. You know

who are? All the saints down the ages. All the

other ones who made it over and lived to tell

the story. Oh, my God. I'm not just talking about

the saints in this Bible church. I'm talking

about the brethren in our lifetime that have

already made it over. A great cloud of witnesses,

he tells them, they're all waiting. They're standing

in the bleachers. And they're watching us run

our race. Hallelujah. I'm getting excited about

that. Amen. And he said. We are surrounded by

a cloud of great witnesses. And then he says,

let us lay aside every way and the sin which

so easily ensnares us. And let us run our race

and let us run with endurance the race that is

set before us. He said, we've got a great cloud

of witnesses. They're all cheering us on. Amen.

They want us to win. But in order to run and

to achieve this crown, this Stephanos, to be

crowned with the Stephanos, the victor's crown,

we've got to run, but we've got to do so wisely.

And he said, if you're not careful as you're

running, there are some things that can get in

your way. And so if I can for a few moments deduce

some of these powerful applications from this

one verse. He says you've got to run the race

that is set before us. So the first thing I just

want to just deduce from here is that you've

got to run your own race. Amen. Amen. Amen, somebody.

God didn't call you to run somebody else's race.

Hello. He called you to run your own race. Can

I make this plain? Somebody say, make it plain.

God's not going to receive you in heaven one

day and say, you did a good job running your

brother's race. He's not going to look at you.

He's going to say, what did you do with the race

I set before you? And so I believe that in this

last hour, because the Lord said, behold, I've

come quickly. This word is a word, it is a prophetic

word. It is a word of the end time. Because all

of this is about how quick and how soon the Lord

is coming. He said, but you've got to run your

own race. Do not be tempted to step out of your

lane and get into someone else's race. We need

every man in here, you need to run your own race.

Every woman, you've got to run your own race.

My race is my race. I've got to stay in the lane

that God put before me. He said this, for the

race set before us. So what race is God calling

me to run? Don't worry about what anybody else

is doing. Stay in your own lane. Don't worry.

Well, I don't know. I see that brother over there,

man. He's getting all the opportunities. No,

you run your race. I don't know about that, sister.

Man, if they only knew the stuff I knew about

her, well, just keep it to yourself then. Run

your own race. I got another way of saying that.

Mind your own business. Mind your own business.

Someone just say, mind your own. Mind your own.

Everybody's got their own race to run. But what

we need in this last hour are not people who

are going to be swayed by the populace. Not people

who are just going to go with the crowd and go

with the flow and go. God's not looking for you

to build a consensus with anybody. What he wants

for you, what is the race I set before you and

are you running in it? Because when you stand

before heaven, God's not going to put you in

a big group of other people and say, how'd you

all do? He's going to say, did you run your race?

The kids that God has given me, it's going to

look different. The way I live my life, I might

even rule my household a little differently.

I might have a higher standard in my house than

you. I might have a different standard than you.

But we don't have to compare each other with

the races that we're running. Why? Because God

has set before me a race. Hello, somebody. I

hope I'm helping you. The next thing I need to

tell you about, we introduce from here, is that

you don't need speed. You need stamina. No. Run

with endurance. Stamina. That's what is needed.

Church, hear me today. In this hour, especially

among the younger generation, which you're all

the younger generation today, praise God. That's

right. I'm young. Put me in. But the Bible teaches

us that the race is not to the swift. Or the

battle to the strong. The Bible teaches it's

given to the one that endures. This is not a

race to see who gets there the quickest and the

fastest. This is not a numbers race. This is

not a foot race. In fact, oh my Lord, I'm not

even racing against you. It's a race against

time. Because time is running out. But here's

the thing. going to cut any corners on the way

to the prize. I'm not going to take an alternate

route. I'm going to endure to the very end. The

crown doesn't go to the fastest. It goes to the

one who patient, patient, patient, patient. I'm

running patiently. And eventually, you know what

God's going to do? God's going to reward us with

Let's lay aside every weight, every heaviness,

every burden. If you don't lay aside the weight.

Now, I want to just. Well, maybe I will break

it down just a little bit. I want to say break

it down just a little bit. Okay. Just so you

understand that there are. to things that can

hold us back. Some of it is sin, right? Of course,

if you're living in sin, immorality and sin,

unconfessed, that will absolutely sideline you

from making progress. I think we all understand

that. At least we should. But the other things

that we don't talk enough about is every weight.

He makes a distinction. If all he was talking

about, if a weight was sin, then he wouldn't

have said weight. All he would say is lay aside

the sin. But he said lay aside every weight.

The weight are not necessarily sins. The weight

are simply things that we have not... offloaded

off of our lives. The weights are simply the

burdens, the cares, the hurts, the pains, the

frustrations, the disappointments that have been

placed on our life through one means or another

that through a process of time we never got rid

of and eventually it either slowed us down or

it took us off of our race. And he said, disappointment,

my shattered dream. I wish somebody would hear

what I'm saying today. You got to unload those

things in the name of Jesus because I didn't

start this race just to quit. I didn't start

this race just to take that easy or the off ramp,

the next off ramp. Hallelujah. And so if I got

to let go of some things, let somebody say, let

it go. you know