Rev. 14:12-13 THE CHRISTIAN'S TAIL
Intro: This passage of Scripture refers to people who
come to know Jesus as their Savior during the
Tribulation Period. These are the Tribulation Saints.
We are told that their labors for the Lord are not in vain,
but that their works will follow them to glory. While this
passage has little to do with you or me this evening,
there are still some applications that we can make to
our own lives and work for the Lord. For instance,
notice that the phrase "their works do follow them",
literally means "their works are following them." That
is, their works follow them all through live, they follow
them on into glory and they continue to follow up that
life here on the earth in the presence of those who have
been left behind. It brings to mind a continuous
procession that will continue on into the future.
I don't know if you have ever tied a bunch of tin can
to a dog's tail, but it sure does tear them up, so I've
heard. Try as he might, running this way and that, the
dog just can't get rid of those cans. They are attached
to him and they follow him on and on, until someone
releases him from them. Much like that bunch of tin
cans, you cannot get away from your works. Whether
they are good or evil, they will follow you always and
they will live longer than you do! Just like a dog's tail,
the things you do follow you forever.
It is that phrase, "their works do follow them" that I
would like to park on for a while this evening. I want to
talk about our works and how they follow us through life,
into Heaven and even continue after we are gone. I
want to talk to you this evening about The Christian's
Tail.
Our works follow us:
I. THROUGH ALL OF OUR LIVES
A. They Declare Our Spiritual Conversion - James
2:18; Eph. 2:10.
(Ill. We can say anything we please, but the things
we do always tell the truth about our salvation
experience!)
B. They Demonstrate Our Spiritual Compassion -
Matt. 22:37-39; Jude 22-23
(Ill. When we are active in the service of the Lord,
it proves that we love Him and that we have a
heart for the lost. Our work for Jesus indicates
that we do not want to see our fellow man die and
go to Hell. Therefore, we work so that the Lord's
Kingdom might grow through souls being saved.)
C. They Define Our Spiritual Condition-John 14:15
(Ill. There is a special promise to those who keep
His Word - John 14:21)
Our condition is revealed by:
1. Our Priorities - Luke 14:26-33 (What comes
first: God's will or your's?)
2. Our Praying - The Bible has much to say
about prayer. It seems to indicate that "a
holy heart is a praying heart!"
3. Our Practices - The things we do, or do not
do, reveal the condition of out heart before the
Lord. Things like:
a. Our church attendance - (Heb. 10:25)
b. Our attitudes - (1 Cor. 13:4-8)
c. Our actions - (Ill. The proof, as they say,
is in the pudding! They also say, "Actions
speak louder than words!")
d. Our likes and dislikes - (What we listen
to, what we watch, what we read, what we
spend our time doing is an indicator of our
spiritual condition.)
e. The things to which we give our time -
(Ill. We are told to be "redeeming the
time."; Eph. 5:16)
f. The people with whom we spend our
time - (Ill. 1 Cor. 15:33 - This verse tells us
that we should watch the company we
keep. Those with whom we surround
ourselves can have an adverse effect on
our walk with the Lord!)
g. Our attitude toward the Bible - (Ill. 1 Pet.
2:2)
h. Our attitude toward the lost - (If we really
care, we are engaged in telling them!
Remember the message of the Great
Commission - "Go!" Literally, "As you go
tell them about Jesus.")
i. Our attitude toward the Lord - (Ill. Is He
really in control of every area of our lives?
Fact is, He is either Lord of all, or not Lord
at all! Acts 10:36.)
j. Our attitudes toward those who may
have wronged us - (Ill. We are to offer
forgiveness just like Jesus offered
forgiveness to us - Eph. 4:32; Matt. 18:21-22; Luke 1:3-5)
k. Our responsiveness to the Holy Spirit -
(Ill. It is possible to hurt the Holy Spirit.
We are told not to "quench" (Ill. Literally
"Do not stifle His divine influence in
your life!") Him, 1 Thes. 5:19; and we are
told not to "grieve" (Ill. Literally to "Do not
offend Him or make Him feel
uncomfortable") Him, Eph. 4:30.
I. Our Works Follow Us Through All Of Our Lives
II. UNTIL WE MEET THE LORD
(Our works will follow us all the way to the Judgment
Seat of Jesus Christ. Our sins will not be mentioned
there, they were taken care of at Calvary. However, the
works done in these bodies, whether good or evil, will
be addressed on that day!)
A. All Will Be Presented - Rom. 14:12; 2 Cor. 5:10
(Ill. Every work done in the body since the day of
conversion will be brought to light at the
Judgment Seat of Christ! Friend, that ought to be
a sobering thought for each of us this evening!)
(Ill. He will miss nothing!)
B. Some Will Be Praiseworthy - 1 Cor. 3:10-14
Among the rewards the believer can obtain, are
five crowns. They are:
1. The Incorruptible Crown - 1 Cor. 9:25 - This
crown is awarded to those who are able to live
a consistent, Spirit controlled life.
2. The Crown of Righteousness - 2 Tim. 4:8 -
This crown is given to those who love the
appearing of the Lord. How does one love the
Lord's appearing? By living a clean life - 1
John 3:3.
3. The Crown of Life - James 1:12 - Given to
those saints who successfully endure
temptations.
4. The Crown of Glory - 1 Peter 5:4 - This crown
is awarded to those pastors who love the flock
and serve them faithfully.
5. The Crown of Rejoicing - 1 Thes. 2:19 - This
is the soul winner's crown. There is no
greater work than that of sharing the Gospel
of the Lord Jesus Christ - Dan. 12:3.
6. We are told of the crowns, but we are
guaranteed none of them. It would seem from
the Scriptures that they can be lost - Rev.
3:11.
7. What is the purpose in these rewards?
Their purpose is the same as everything else
that has ever been created. They will be
given so that we might cast them down at Jesus' feet and honor Him for what He did
for us - Rev. 4:9-11.
C. Some Will Be Painful - 1 Cor. 3:15 (Note: The
issue here will not be for salvation. No one will be
forced to leave, nor will they be able to leave.
The issue here is purely rewards, or the loss
thereof!)
I. Our Works Follow Us Through All Of Our Lives
II. Our Works Follow Us Until We Meet The Lord
III. TO THE LIVING
(My whole point this evening is to remind you that your
influence in the world does not have to end when your
life here does! Jesus has fixed this thing so that our
works can continue after we are already home with
Him!) (Ill. To the "fourth" generation)
A. Our Works Will Continue -Those things the Lord
has used our life to accomplish will live on after
we depart.
(Ill. Camp Zion in Myrtle Mississippi. Camp Zion
was the dream of Dr. Percy Ray. He founded
that camp meeting to foster a better
understanding of the Word of God and to
encourage God's children to a deeper spiritual
experience. Brother Ray is in Heaven this
evening, but Camp Zion is still touching lives for
the glory of the Lord!)
B. Our Walk Will Continue - That changed life that
Jesus Christ produces in each of His children will
continue to bear fruit long after the person who
lived it has gone on to glory.
(Ill. Nearly every one in this room can remember
some special person who lived a godly live in
front of you and who made a lasting impression
on your life. I, for instance, will never forget the
nights I heard my grandmother praying for my
soul. Our godly walk will continue to bear fruit for
the Lord even after we have departed for glory!)
C. Our Words Can Continue - Those we witness to
and have a part in their conversion will live on
after we have perished! When we win a soul to
Jesus, it is like throwing a pebble in a pond. It
creates a ripple effect that can literally touch
generations for Jesus.
(Ill. I think of a pastor who labored for years in a
small country church. He never saw many results
in his lifetime and he died defeated, discouraged
and exhausted. He had literally poured our his
life in his love for and ministry to the people of
that little church. Yet, before he died, he stated
that he felt his work to have been wasted and his
labor in vain. Few souls had been saved. Few
people had ever encouraged the preacher. Few
had even taken an interest in his needs as he
struggled to get by on the small salary he
received. However, he served on and eventually
Jesus called him home to Heaven. After he died,
a new pastor came to the little country church and
began to preach the same Gospel that the old
preacher had proclaimed for years. Amazingly,
souls began to get saved. Dozens in fact!
People from the community that the old pastor
has witnessed to for years began to come to the
church and get saved. Was it the ministry of the
new Pastor? No! Was it the fact that he was a
better preacher, better prayer or better worker
than the old Pastor? No! Without exception,
each new convert stood to testify that one of the
primary reasons they responded the Lord for
salvation was the tireless work, prayers and godly
life of the old preacher. What you do matters! It
will live long after you have left this world!)
Conc: "The muffled, distant sound had broken the quiet
reverie of his walk across the meadow. The sharp
barking of a dog almost irritated him. It was abrasive in
that tranquil setting. As the barking grew louder, his
eyes scanned the meadow, looking for the culprit.
"Suddenly a small doe broke through the edge of the
woods. Now he understood. Leaning against the fence
post, the man watched with compassion as the doe cut
across the broad expanse of meadow. She was running
straight toward him. He stood motionless, not wanting
to add the fear of man to the animal's frustration. As
the frightened deer leaped the fence, she staggered.
The chase had taken its toll. Her wet coat gleaming in
the sun, the doe stopped, took a few steps in one
direction, then, ears held high, looked back toward the
sound of the barking.
"The dog had broken through the woods. Eyes wide
with fright, seemingly confused and worn out, the doe
surveyed her surroundings until she discovered the man
standing beside the fence. Looking back again at the
dog in hot pursuit, then at the expanse of open field
before her, she turned weakly and walked straight
toward the man and buried her head in his jacket.
Compassion filled his eyes. She had found a protector.
Like that little doe, sometimes we feel hounded by
our works. The sad fact is, we have failed the Lord, we
will fail Him again, and many may be in that shape this
evening. Our greatest need is to stop running from
those things and to turn to Jesus for the help we need.
He will help us to develop a lifestyle of godly works that
we won't have to run from and that will live on, long
after we ourselves are gone. He will help us learn to do
the things that please Him and serve to glorify His great
Name! Since our works reveal so much about our lives,
and since they say so much about our Lord, I think we
need to take an inventory this evening and see how
our works stack up to the Lord's will. Has He revealed
an area of your life that needs His touch this evening?
If He has, then the time to do something about it is
right now. I don't know what you need to do, but I
know that each of us needs to do something. Let's
respond as the Lord leads this evening.
