A Crown of Glory

Q: What does the Bible say about God's grace and glory?

The Bible promises that God's grace reveals His glory through the redemption of His people, making them a crown of glory in His hand (Isaiah 62:3). The scripture illustrates that God's grace is not only a promise but the means by which His glory is manifested in the lives of those He saves. In Isaiah 62:3, we see a profound truth that the redeemed people of God are described as a crown of glory in His hand. This means that as believers, we are a display of God's glory, showcasing His loving kindness and tender mercies. God, in His sovereignty, redeemed us not because He lacked glory, but to demonstrate His immeasurable grace and to shine forth His character through us.

Q: How do we know that believers are God's crown of glory?

Believers are God's crown of glory as they reflect His glory and purposes through their redemption (Isaiah 62:3). In Isaiah 62:3, we learn that believers are referred to as a crown of glory, portraying the unique relationship between God and His people. This metaphor emphasizes that we, through salvation, become an expression of God’s glory and grace. Our lives reflect His attributes and character, showcasing why He has redeemed us. The Apostle Paul reinforces this in Ephesians 1, explaining that our election and salvation serve to proclaim God’s glory, as He delights in demonstrating His grace through His people. Thus, we are not merely passive recipients of grace but active displays of divine glory.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to understand their identity in Christ?

Understanding our identity as God's crown of glory empowers Christians to live for His glory and represent Him well in the world. Recognizing our identity as God's crown of glory is essential for Christians because it shapes our purpose and how we live our lives daily. In Philippians 2:14, believers are called to shine as lights in a dark world, reflecting the glory and character of God. By remembering that we are treasured by God, we are encouraged to live blamelessly and faithfully as representatives of His glory. This understanding equips us to fulfill the calling of promoting His kingdom and bringing others to Him, highlighting our role in the greater narrative of God’s redemptive plan.

Q: How do God's attributes showcase His glory in our salvation?

God's attributes, such as His mercy and justice, showcase His glory during our salvation through the redemptive work of Christ. In our salvation, God's attributes are magnificently displayed, showcasing His sovereign power, mercy, and justice. As outlined in Psalm 85:10, when Christ died, mercy and truth met, illustrating how God's justice required payment for sin while His mercy provided a means of redemption. This duality reflects His glory—the perfect balance and demonstration of who He is. Through our salvation, we see God's attributes work in harmony, and this serves to magnify His glory in the lives of His people, confirming that believers are saved for the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:6).

Q: What does Isaiah 62:3 teach us about our relationship with God?

Isaiah 62:3 teaches that believers are treasured by God, symbolized as His crown of glory, emphasizing our value to Him. Isaiah 62:3 states, 'Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord,' highlighting the precious reality that believers are greatly valued by God. This imagery illustrates how we are seen as a cherished possession, affirming that God’s love and grace transform us into a beautiful diadem in His hands. Understanding this relationship is vital for encouraging a faithful Christian life, as it instills a sense of dignity and purpose that comes from being seen as God's declared treasure and reflectors of His glory. The security and significance found in this relationship motivate us to live for God’s glory and to aspire toward holiness in our daily lives.

Let's begin this evening in Isaiah chapter 28. Isaiah chapter 28. My text will be found in chapter 62, but I want you to read a similar passage in Isaiah 28 and verse 5. Here the prophet of God declares, In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory and for a diadem of beauty unto the residue of the people.

What a wondrous promise that is! Absolutely inconceivable by nature, and yet, understanding something of the character of God, it is conceivable that the Lord our God shall in the person of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, be an everlasting crown and a diadem of beauty to his people. He will add to us an infinite, indescribable glory and beauty, crowning us with loving kindness and tender mercies forever.

Now that's a marvelous, marvelous promise of grace. And yet it is a promise that I can conceive. I can, I can begin to grasp something of the reality of it. But over in our text this evening, Isaiah 62 and verse 3, there's another promise. A promise that simply is altogether inconceivable. A promise that reaches beyond the scope of my mind and my understanding.

And yet a promise that is altogether to be understood and believed by us as coming from God to his people. In this text the prophet is not describing what God shall be to his church. but rather he is describing what we shall be to our God. Listen carefully. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a diadem, a royal diadem, in the hand of thy God. What a word! This promise declares that in eternity the church and kingdom of God shall be to the triune God a crown of glory and a royal diadem, or a diadem of beauty. Now, that's simply amazing. That's simply amazing.

When God has finished his work for us and he has finished his work in us, when time shall be no more and eternal glory has commenced, you and I shall be a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty in the hands of the eternal God. Now, while I recognize the subject is far beyond my ability to preach and your ability to comprehend, it is a subject that I believe will do our hearts good to meditate upon it.

So let me make two or three statements with regard to this passage of scripture. First, understand this. as a crown is the display of glory for the king. Our text declares that every saved sinner is a display of the glory of God. Notice that this crown in the picture is portrayed not as being upon the head of the Lord, but in the hand of the Lord.

I mentioned this to you last week, but I want you to be sure you grasp this and understand It is written like this for a specific reason, because you and I add nothing to the glory of God. That is, we do not somehow make up a deficiency in glory. We don't add something or contribute something to the being of God to make him more glorious than he already is. Don't ever imagine, don't ever allow the heresy of our day to so infiltrate your mind that you think somehow that God needs something from us to make himself happy or to make himself glorious or to make himself satisfying. God is totally sovereignly independent of his creatures. God does not need you and he does not need me.

God is perfectly glorious in his own being. And yet the text does declare that as being a crown of glory in his hand, we are that which God has in his hand for his own glory as a display, that is, to show forth his glory in us. Same sinners, then, are the crown of glory to the triune God in the sense that God shows forth his glory. He shows forth the character of his being in you and me, the purposes of God. in saving us, the very ultimate purpose of God in showing grace in us, the reason why God has been pleased to call you and me, the reason he's been pleased to redeem you and me, the reason he's been pleased to save you and me, is that we might be ourselves that in which he shows forth his glory and the glory of his being. Let me show you that. Turn to Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1. The Apostle Paul is here telling us of God's eternal purpose.

He's talking about the covenant of grace and the plan of redemption. And he tells us what God the Father did, what God the Son has done, and what God the Holy Spirit does for us. And he tells us that in all three instances, in the work of the Father in planning our In the work of the Son, in purchasing our redemption, and in the work of the Holy Spirit, in applying the work of God's grace effectually in our hearts, it is that we should be to the praise of his glory. Look at it now, in verse 6, he talks about election and predestination and adoption, and he says that we should be to the praise of his, or to the praise of the glory of his grace. Then in verse 12, he's described our redemption by Christ, and how God has made known the mystery of his will to us in Christ, and how he works everything together according to his will in Christ. Verse 12, that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ. And then in verse 14, he has described how the Holy Spirit takes the word of salvation and brings it to our hearts, calls us, and seals us, giving us faith in Christ. And he says it's for this purpose. That we should be unto the praise of His glory, down in verse 14.

So that God's purpose in saving us, the reason He has mercy on us, is to show forth His glory. You remember in Psalm 106 verse 8, the psalmist said, He saved them for His namesake. That's the reason God saves us. That's the reason God has been gracious to us, to show forth the praise and the glory of his own being, so that God's glory is seen in all his works of grace toward his people. We are to him a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty, a royal diadem. In our election, God shows forth the glorious sovereignty and grace that's in him.

He is gracious to whom he will be gracious, but he is gracious. He says, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. He declares plainly that he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy. And so he declares both his glorious sovereignty, he does what he will, and his glorious goodness, he will have mercy. He will have mercy on whom he will, but he will have mercy. He will be gracious to whom He will, but He will be gracious. He will have compassion on whom He will, but He will have compassion. In our redemption, the Lord God shows forth His mercy and His truth. Look in Psalm 85. Come back to Psalm 85. Here the psalmist gives a beautiful, beautiful description of what happened when Christ died for us.

We talk about the cross and sing about the cross, but I'm afraid this generation understands very little about the doctrine of the cross. The cross was made necessary because God Almighty is just. The cross was a necessity because God must show forth his justice as well as his mercy. He must show forth his truth as well as his grace.

Now look what he says here in Psalm 85. He's talking about God's salvation. The psalmist is crying for mercy. And it says in verse 10, mercy and truth are met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Do you see that? When Jesus Christ died in Calvary, here's the mercy of God. He says, I will be merciful. And here's the truth and justice of God. The soul that sinned, it shall die. When Christ Jesus died for us, mercy and truth met together. Righteousness and peace kiss each other. By mercy and by truth, iniquity is purged.

And so God, in redeeming sinners, shows us all the glorious attributes of his being, making known himself in the glory of his being by saving our souls, putting away our sins, through the sacrifice of his Son. In the preservation of his elect, under the time of calling, God shows forth his wisdom and his good or how wise and how good. How wise and how good is God's prevenient grace. That grace that goes before grace and prepares the way for grace. The study of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15 is a picture of wisdom and grace. Oh, what wisdom and grace.

That boy takes his father's goods and runs off to another land, and he wastes his substance and life just living. And the father, in wisdom, in wisdom, waits and waits and waits to be gracious until the appointed time. But in grace and mercy, he spends one of his own servants to watch over that boy in all of his rebellion, so he preserves and keeps him even in the midst of corruption. the particle has wasted all the substance. When he has come to the end of himself, he says, I will arise and go to my father. And the father has everything prepared for him, waiting for him.

That's a picture of God's prevenient grace. Hosea and Gomer. You remember how that Gomer forsook her husband, and she slept with other men. And while she was in the arms of her lovers, Hosea came and brought her her wool, and her plaques, and her oil, and her wine, which she prepared to bail. But in his grace and wisdom, he was providing for her, protecting her, and keeping her, until he should bring her down to see her utter corruption and her desperate need of him.

And then he would save her by his maximus grace. And so it has been with you and me in all the days of our rebellion. God in his wisdom preserved and kept and ordered our steps and held us in the way of life and would not let us die and in his goodness brought us at last to faith in Jesus Christ at the appointed time of love. In regeneration he shows forth his power and his grace to us. Oh what power is wrought in the souls of men by God's almighty hand who erases sinners from death to life.

Turn to Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians chapter 1. There is no way to read in English the statement here given of infinite power exercised in the saving of sinners. And to read it as clearly and as dogmatically and affirmatively as the apostle states it. But listen carefully as we read. Ephesians 1 verse 18.

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his cause, what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power. You see how the Apostle Paul, by inspiration, is stretching for words. the exceeding greatness of his power, power beyond description, power that we simply have no ability to comprehend or to illustrate, power to usward who believe according to the working of his mighty power. It's almost as though he said, according to the working of his powerful power.

Back in the office when Larry read scripture a little bit ago in Medicine Prayer, he mentioned the fact that if salvation depended upon us or upon the sinners, we would have no hope. We would have no hope. But faith doesn't come by us, and faith doesn't come by you. Faith comes by the power of God. Look at verse 20.

This same power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him down at his own right hand in heavenly places. You see, when a sinner is born of God, he is raised from death to life. Just as the Lord Jesus Christ in his resurrection, his body was raised from death to life, so we are raised from death to life by the power of God in each generation. He stretches forth his mighty hand and causes the dead to live.

Oh, God do that. God do that, and sinners will live. As you hear this word, oh, may God cause you to hear, and to live, and to believe. And if he does, it's by the greatness of his in our perseverance, that is, in our continuing in faith, God shows forth his immutability and his love. His grace is unchanging, immutable grace. He says, I am the Lord, I change not, therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed.

And one of these days, the hour is coming when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of Man, and those who sleep in the graves shall be raised up in the resurrection of life. We shall be raised and transformed into the image of God's Son by His power, by His grace, for His glory. And we shall at last be brought into glorification. Not only restored to what manhood should have been from the beginning. But restored to more than that. Restored to the very character and the very likeness and image of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the God-man, in everlasting glory.

And so God shows forth his glory in us. We are in his hand, a crown of glory and a royal diadem in the hand of the Lord. Now notice again, this crown of glory and this diadem of beauty is in his hand. He holds it in his hand as a rich and valuable possession. It's his crown. It's his diadem. And he will allow nothing to happen to it. He will allow none to tear it from his hand. He will allow no one to trample upon it. He holds us in his hand as that which is rich and valuable in his sight.

And he holds it in his hand as that which is the work of his hand. As an artist who has and taken a piece of clay and molded it and shaped it into a lovely piece of pottery. He holds it up in his hand and says, look at what I've done. And listen to what the scripture says. We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. You know what that word is, Bob? God's masterpieces. the work of God's hand. He holds us in his hand and says, this is what I do. This is what I do. And so we are to him a crown of glory and a diadem, a royal diadem of beauty. Secondly, this prophetic promise of grace is given to show us God's high estimation of his church and people.

Now, I don't know how to express myself as I want to. particularly in light of the fact that in our day and in our society, we don't really know anything about kings. We don't really have any way to conceive of what a sovereign monarch is. And we have no idea how monarchs lived upon their monarchy, except that we read it in history books and have some idea of it passed along to us by tradition. But the monarch of the universe like the kings who used to sit on their thrones, the kings who used to sit in their royal apparel with their crowns upon their heads.

So the monarch of the universe, the holy sovereign Lord God, looks upon his church and every individual believer in his church as his crown. His crown. Now what is that? His crown is the king's emblem of divine right. That's what a crown represents. In those days when kings sat upon thrones, they looked upon their throne as being theirs by divine right, because they recognized that providence had put them there. Even among the heathen in their heathen religions, they recognized something with regard to providence in establishing kings upon their throne. I dare say, should you go and ask Jordan's king, Hussein, where and how he got his kingdom, he would tell you he is king by divine right, even though he is Muslim in his theology and in his religion. He recognizes that providence has established him as king.

Now understand this, when the king has been established upon his throne, providentially by divine right, he is but a picture. of this great king, king of kings and lord of lords, who rules and reigns everywhere and everybody by divine right. Jesus Christ is king not because Prophetess has made him king, but because he's the god of prophetess. He is king because he is God himself. He is the creator of all things, the ruler of all things, the owner of all things, and the disposer of all things. He's king.

And all true believers, like the king's crown, gladly acknowledge that it is his right to be king. Those who oppose the teaching of scripture, that Jesus Christ is absolute, sovereign God and King. Those who oppose the teaching of scripture, that Jesus Christ the Lord rules everywhere by absolute divine right, oppose that Jesus Christ should do such because they are opposed to the King. Those who believe him gladly acknowledge that he's king and rejoice in the fact that he's king.

Why, nothing more cheers our hearts than to know that he sits upon the throne and he rules everywhere. Crown him, crown him, crown the savior king of kings! That's the cry of our hearts. But in the case of our savior, not only is he king by divine right as God, but as man he earned his crown, and consequently the king's crown. represents a mighty conquest.

Turn to Isaiah 53. Isaiah chapter 53. There are many, many passages of scripture I could turn to in reference to this. Our Lord is prophesied in Psalm 2 and verse 8 as being backbone who should rule. The Lord has sent his king upon his holy hill of Zion. And he says to the king, ask of me, and I will give you the heathen for your inheritance. Here in Isaiah 53, we read, it pleased the Lord, verse 10, to bruise him. He hath put him to grief. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed."

That is, he'll see them saved, justified, and glorified. He shall prolong his days, that's talking about his resurrection. He'll live again. And living again in the resurrection, the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. That means, Ron, he's going to rule everywhere, and he's going to accomplish God's purpose sitting on his throne.

He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied. The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. And by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great. and he shall be like the spoil which is strong, because the Lord hath poured out, because he hath poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sins of many, and he made intercession for the transgressors."

The prophet is here telling us that God promised his son, when he had satisfied justice as our substitute, he would see his seed He would sit upon his throne, and he would reign gloriously. And so when our Lord Jesus had finished his work, he said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee. He said, I finished the work which you gave me. He said, you've given me power over all flesh, that I should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given me.

Then the king's crown is also the representation of his power. It is a declaration of divine right. It is an emblem of mighty conquest. He, having achieved redemption for us, wears his crown. And it is a representation of his power. Every saved sinner is a monument to the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. A monument to the power of his blood.

Let us talk as little as we can about our sins. I fear sometimes our own carnal nature likes to wallow in the remembrance of iniquity. Talk as little as you can about your sin. But understand this. There is no power in heaven, earth, or hell that could put away my sins. but the blood of Jesus Christ. And his blood has thoroughly, completely, permanently put away my sin. Understand that?

When you think about salvation, regeneration, Understand that nothing but divine power can cause the dead to hear the voice of the Son of God. Only when God speaks with divine power and says, let us come forth, will that dead man come forth out of the grave. Only the power of his grace, only the power of his grace can make us new creatures in Christ Jesus. And the power of his grace has. I'm standing here now, a man who acknowledges his sin. I know of no one anywhere so vile and so corrupt as I know myself to be.

That's my nature. I don't say that lightly. God, I don't say that lightly. And I don't say that merely to make a point in a message. I say it because it's so. I want you to hear me. I know of no one anywhere so vile, so wretched as the man who speaks to you. But God's made me a new creature. He put in me something I didn't have by nature. He's done for me something I could not have done for myself.

He has called me not only to believe His Son, but to love Him. He's called me not only to believe His Son, but to pursue righteousness. He's called me not only to cease from being under the curse of the law, but to cease from being under the dominion of sin, a new creature in Christ. So that the believer's life has been transformed from then by the power of God's free grace.

And he's made us to be kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth. We shall reign on the earth. A fellow asked me the other day, he said, what about this matter of being under the dominion of Satan? And I said plainly, the scriptures declare, we're no longer ruled by sin.

Not believers. Not believers. Now that doesn't mean the sin's gone out of our nature. That doesn't mean the sin's been eradicated. Oh no, a thousand times no. What it does mean is that sin no longer rules. Sin is no longer the dominant force of the believer's life. But the believer, in the tenor of his life, pursues and walks in righteousness. That's the nature of grace.

The king's crown is also a monument of his love. The monarch looks upon nothing with such devotion, such delight, such complacency, and such satisfaction as his crown. Nothing. He looks on his crown and he'll sacrifice anything for his crown. He won't give up anything for his crown. He will defend his crown with the utmost of his power and strength and ability. Now, we who believe are described by God as being his peculiar treasure. His selected jewels. He says, they shall be mine, says the Lord, when I make up my jewels. And we are his special delight. Turn to Zephaniah. The little book of Zephaniah. Chapter 3. I'll give you a minute to get there. Zephaniah chapter 3 and verse 17. Back up to verse 14.

The prophet is giving us reason to sing and give praise to God, to be glad and rejoice in all our hearts. He says in verse 15, the Lord hath taken away thy judgment. He hath cast out thine enemy. The King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee. Thou shalt not see evil any more. Verse 17. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty.

He will save. He will rejoice over thee with joy. You mean God? God Himself? will rejoice over me. That's what he said right there. He will rejoice over thee with joy. He will rest in his love. He will find complacency, satisfaction, and rest in the object of his love. Read on. He will joy over thee with singing.

We are the monument of his love, for we are his crown. We are his royal diadem. And the king's crown is the object of his peculiar care. He cares for his crown as he cares for nothing else. He will defend his crown with his utmost power. Now, try to get a hold of this. We are his crown. God Almighty holds each of us in his hand as his crown, as his peculiar care.

Turn to the number of passages we can read. If you have difficulty finding these, just listen carefully. Amos 9, and verse 9. For lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, as corn is sifted in a sea. I'm going to sift you. I'm going to run you through the sieve of divine providence and chastening yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth. I'm going to run you through the seal of providence, I'm going to run you through the seal of time, expansion, trouble, chastening in this world, but not the least grain will fall to the earth, for you're precious in my sight.

Turn to Jeremiah chapter 41, chapter 32 rather, and verse 41. I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good. I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuringly with my whole heart and with my whole soul." Now listen to this.

The Lord God speaks again to the Prophet Jeremiah, and he says, As the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave to me the whole house of Israel, the whole church of God, the whole body of mine elect, the whole house of Judah, saith the Lord, that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a crown, for glory. I call you to plead to me, and you will be to me for praise, and for glory, and for a crown. Now then, if the Lord God has such great care for his church and kingdom, we must not neglect Our Savior teaches us that His kingdom should be the dominant concern of our hearts, second only to the glory of God. Do you remember how He taught us to pray?

He said, when you pray, say this. That is, make this the object of your petitions. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Let that be your number one concern. Let that be your number one concern. Thy kingdom come, number two. Now, that doesn't simply mean when you pray you ought to desire that God's name be hallowed and that God's kingdom should come, but rather it means when you pray you ought to make this the earnest determination of your soul, laboring with all your heart and being to promote the glory of God and the establishing of His kingdom, the saving of His elect. Let me say three things in this regard in our message.

Don't neglect the public worship of God's church. Don't neglect the assembly of God's saints for worship. There, when God's saints come together, when we are gathered here in the house of God, we come for worship, for instruction, and mutual edification. Those are our objects, those are the purposes. And these three things cannot be accomplished apart from the public assembly of God's saints. Can't be done.

You cannot consistently worship God in private if you don't worship God in public, in the assembly of his saints, under the ministry of the word. That's the reason God gave preachers. That's the reason God established pastors and teachers in his kingdom, to direct you in his word and worship. You cannot be taught properly in the Word of God apart from the ministry of this Word in the public assembly of God's saints. You can't do it.

Now, you may think, well, I don't need this, I don't need that, I've got lots of opportunities to go to church, and I just need a little instruction here and there. No, no, you need the consistent ministry of the Word to understand the Word of God, to understand the teaching of scriptures. I frequently, frequently have folks say to me, I don't understand this, I don't understand the other, and I want to just kind of hold them down and say, if you'd just come listen, you'd understand. If you'd just come pay attention, you might possibly understand. So don't neglect the ministry of the word.

You're not going to understand this book apart from God teaching you through appointed teachers. It's not going to happen. And you can't enjoy the blessed benefit of mutual edification if you neglect the assembly of the saints. Can't be done. In the building of the temple, which was a picture of the building of God's church, you remember that God did not allow for the sound of a hammer to be heard in the temple. He didn't allow for it. The stones were hewn and then brought to their place, and the stones were placed one between another so that they had to fit being rubbed together. And you take the stone and just rub them, and rub them, and rub them, and rub them.

And after a while, they just kind of fit. They just kind of fit. And in the Church of God, that's how the stones are put in the house of our God. He brings us together And we have the blessed effect on one another of making one another fit in the kingdom. You understand that? We just kind of fit.

Just kind of fit. Somebody asked me, I'm asked frequently, you know, are you happy where you are? Yeah, I'm where I fit. I'm where I fit. Aren't you? We've been fitting together. And we are made useful to one another as we have the benefit of just kind of rubbing shoulders with each other continually. We, like iron sharpening iron, sharpen one another. Like companions, we have a way of just comforting one another. Like family, we walk together, and just being in the presence of the family kind of molds you to the family. It just kind of molds you to the family. If you neglect it, you can't be. Secondly, I'm calling on you and me.

Let us devote ourselves to the building of Christ's kingdom, to the gathering of jewels for his crown. I know that we sometimes get a little weary because we see so little response from men when we witness to them. We carry tapes to them, we carry tracts to them, we send letters or bulletins to them, we encourage folks to come hear the gospel, and folks just kind of chuckle up their sleeves and say, no, I'm not interested. And we get a little distraught. We get a little downcast.

Dare we count any cost to bread, or any labor to a demanding, if we might be used of God as instruments in his hands to pluck brains out of the burning, and gather from the clutches of Satan jewels for a diadem, a royal diadem of beauty, in the crown of our Savior. I believe I'll give one more test of the day. one more shot at the same.

This is my solemn, earnest, earnest thoughts in this regard. If in the whole course of my life I should be allowed of God to be instrumental in the gathering of one sinner from the sewer of humanity, to be a crown jewel in the crown of Christ's I will consider my life to have been well spent, no matter how it was spent or where it was spent. Let's devote ourselves, for his sake, to the building of his kingdom. Devote yourself to the increase of Christ's kingdom for the glory of his name. Now, if we are a crown of glory and a royal diadem of beauty to our God, Let us take care to represent him well in this world.

Look at one more text of scripture with me in Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2. You fellows are going to take off in the morning early and head over to Lexington or head to your places of employment. You ladies will go about your business of the day, the affairs of life. as you do, don't forget who you are and whose.

You are in the hands of God, the crown of his glory, the diadem of his beauty in his hands. And so in Philippians 2 verse 14, the apostle says, without murmuring and disputings, that you may be, that is, let this be the controlling principle of your life, that you may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. holding forth the word of life. You are, right now, in this world, in God's hand, the crown of His glory. Seek to it that you show forth the light of His glory in this crooked and perverse generation.

And soon, When this world is done, we will stand before our God and before wandering worlds as the crown of His glory and the royal diadem of beauty in His crown. That's because He saved us by His free grace. He has washed us from all our sins. He has imputed to us the perfect righteousness of His dear Son. Amen.

A Crown of Glory

What does the Bible say about God's grace and glory?

How do we know that believers are God's crown of glory?

Why is it important for Christians to understand their identity in Christ?

How do God's attributes showcase His glory in our salvation?

What does Isaiah 62:3 teach us about our relationship with God?

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A Crown of Glory

What does the Bible say about God's grace and glory?

How do we know that believers are God's crown of glory?

Why is it important for Christians to understand their identity in Christ?

How do God's attributes showcase His glory in our salvation?

What does Isaiah 62:3 teach us about our relationship with God?

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