NAUGHTY OR NICE: CHRISTMAS 2025
CHOOSE A LIST
REVELATION 12:1-17
#naughtyornice
INTRODUCTION… Origin of N & N List, wiki/Santa_Claus_Is_Comin%27_to_Town
Our Christmas series this year is called “Naughty or Nice.” If I am honest, it is just a gimmick to make a series of sermons. The idea of Santa Claus keeping a “naughty and nice” list developed gradually over centuries, blending Christian theology, folklore, and popular culture rather than coming from a single original source.
The earliest reference that I can tell was in 1934 from the song “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” written by J Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. That song debuted on a radio show in November of 1934. Within 24 hours, 500,000 copies of sheet music and 30,000 records were sold. It has been recorded by over 200 artists since then. The lyrics of this song introduce us to the idea of the “naughty and nice list” as it relates to Christmas and Santa Claus and kids and presents:
You better watch out, you better not cry, Better not pout, I'm telling you why:
Santa Claus is comin' to town.
He's makin' a list, checkin' it twice, Gonna find out who's naughty or nice,
Santa Claus is comin' to town.
He sees you when you're sleepin', He knows when you're awake,
He knows if you've been bad or good, So be good for goodness sake!
Right there in the 1934 instant viral hit song is the formal declaration that Santa Claus has a list of folks who do good or bad all the while judging what kinds of gifts they get. I am not sure if the list was just understood or assumed in previous years given that The Department of Christmas Affairs subcontracts with Krampus to deal with disobedient and terrible individuals. Anyway, there you go, the Naughty and Nice List was declared in a song in 1934 to be a thing.
I’d like to start my sermon this week where Kristian left off last week. Last week Kristian kicked off our Christmas series focus which centers around the idea of “naughty or nice” as he did a great job comparing Zechariah and Mary in Luke 1. At the end of the sermon… and I told him this myself on Monday… Kristian mentioned the “Lamb’s Book of Life” from the Book of Revelation… and it blew my mind.
I’d like to start there this week before we get to Revelation 12 which is where I ended up because Revelation 12 contains a telling of the events of Jesus’ birth as much as Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2. The way Kristian ended his sermon last week really focused my heart for this week.
TRANSITION
Believe it or not, the naughty and nice list DOES exist.
THE NAUGHTY LIST AND NICE LIST EXISTS
The Old Testament and New Testament contain the idea that Almighty God has a register or book or record of those who follow Him and those who do not follow Him. God, being all-knowing and all-powerful does not need a written record, but He communicates to us in ways that we can understand concepts about Him. God communicates in ways that we can understand His nature and His power. You can call it the Naughty List and the Nice List if you want, but the existence of the book indicates two Truths. First, the all-knowing nature of God and secondly, that life is divided between those who follow Him and those who do not follow Him. I know I am starting off with quite an intense thought, but again, it is where Kristian left off last week.
The “naughty and nice” list first appears in Exodus 32 when whole bunches of Israelites force Aaron to make an idol for them to worship. Sin abounded among the people. Notice the words:
READ EXODUS 32:30-33 (ESV)
“The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of Your book that You have written.” 33 But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book.”
The “naughty and nice” list next appears twice in the Book of Psalms where David writes:
READ PSALM 69:28 (ESV)
“Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; let them not be enrolled among the righteous.”
READ PSALM 139:16 (ESV)
“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
The obedient and those who follow God are included in this book. Others are not. The prophet Daniel next speaks of this “naughty and nice list” in the prophetic section of his book. The mention of the book is also connected with those who follow God into everlasting life and those who do not follow are left to everlasting contempt.
READ DANIEL 12:1-2 (ESV)
“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”
Some of you might be saying to yourselves, “that’s all well and good preacher, but that’s the Old Testament… I am a red-letter New Testament believer… if Jesus didn’t say it, perhaps it is just an Old Testament notion!” I am so glad you said that to yourself and I read your mind. Jesus Christ Himself talks about such things with His disciples in Luke 10.
READ LUKE 10:17-20 (ESV)
“The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your Name!” 18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the Enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
This passage is important for two reasons. One, it brings the idea of this written record into the New Testament from the Old Testament showing the eternal principle of it. The record of those who follow God and those who don’t exists. Two, verse 18 Jesus says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” which will come into play in Revelation 12 when we settle focusing on Jesus’ birth in a few minutes. We will get there, I promise.
The place that we are most familiar with this “naughty and nice list” is what Kristian mentioned last week from the Book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation, in communicating about God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, uses the term “Lamb’s Book of Life” or “Book of Life.”
READ REVELATION 13:7b-9 (ESV)
“And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, 8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear…”
READ REVELATION 17:7-9a (ESV)
“But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction. And the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world will marvel to see the beast, because it was and is not and is to come. 9 This calls for a mind with wisdom…”
READ REVELATION 20:12-15 (ESV)
“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
READ REVELATION 21:24-27 (ESV)
“By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.”
SUMMARY / TRANSITION
Believe it or not, the naughty and nice list exists.
The Old Testament and New Testament communicate to us that the holy God Almighty knows who belong to Him and who do not belong to Him. To explain this Truth, the Bible uses the image of a book which contains our lives including who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. There is no middle ground on this choice. You are either in the book or you ain’t.
Since I was in Revelation looking over these passages about the Lamb’s Book of Life, I decided to go ahead and stay in Revelation to focus on Christmas. When we think of Christmas, we picture shepherds, angels, and a manger… rightly so! When we think of Christmas, we picture prophets declaring His identity in the Temple, angry King Herod, and Magi bringing gifts… rightly so!
Revelation 12 talks about that same event. I don’t want to use the word “story” or “character” because those words make the Bible sound like “fiction.” Jesus really was born and He really did live. It’s not a story. It is historical fact. He is historical reality that bears Truth to our souls. Revelation 12 shares the birth event about Jesus, but from a heavenly cosmic perspective.
THE HEAVENLY COSMIC BIRTH OF JESUS
READ REVELATION 12:1-17 (ESV)
“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her Child he might devour it. 5 She gave birth to a Male Child, One Who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her Child was caught up to God and to His throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. 7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15 The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with a flood. 16 But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17 Then the dragon became furious with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.”
You might be saying to yourself, “that is not about the birth of Jesus!”
• It is.
• It is told from the perspective of the spiritual world.
• It is told in images, prophetic symbols, and vivid metaphor from another culture.
• It was told to people who were imprisoned for their faith in Jesus.
• It was told to people who were dying for their faith in Jesus.
• It was told to encourage Christians that even at Jesus’ birth the victory was won.
What does Revelation 12 tell us about the birth of Jesus the Christ?
VERSES 1-2
Revelation 12 (verses 1-2) tells us that the promised Christ came from God’s People just as God promised. The woman in verses 1-2 is at the same time Israel and by specific extension the Virgin Mary. The woman represents God’s covenant people who belonged to Him because of their steadfast believing loyalty to Him. We saw last week from Luke 1 that Mary certainly had faith in God. Jesus of Nazareth’s arrival with angels singing is the Word becoming flesh. The Apostle John says elsewhere:
READ JOHN 1:14 (ESV)
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
VERSES 3-4
Revelation 12:3-4 as well as some other verses in this chapter remind us that the birth of Jesus was not something that went unopposed. God broke into His Creation and did something miraculous that would bring salvation. He needed to bring salvation because a divide exists between humanity and God because of our sin. Satan, the Enemy, was and is opposed to any effort to bridge the gap of the created with the Creator. The image of a dragon is used and clearly is identified later as Satan in verse 9.
Was there danger when Jesus was born? Was there opposition when Jesus was born? Indeed. Matthew 2 records for us the murderous rage of King Herod as he killed a whole generation of baby boys in an area of his kingdom to try and kill Jesus.
READ MATTHEW 2:16 (ESV)
“Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.”
Make no mistake, just like Pharaoh in Exodus 1 was a pawn of Satan (not Santa you dyslexics) so too was King Herod in Matthew 2. The birth of Jesus in the little town of Bethlehem was warfare. Warfare in the heavenly spiritual realm broke out when Jesus was born because verse 7 literally tells us this: “war arose in heaven.” There was war in the heavenlies between the two sides. Good. Evil. God-honoring. Non-God-honoring.
VERSES 5-6
Revelation, being the weird book that it is, jumps from Jesus’ birth to His ascension in less than one verse and then jumps back again without any warning. Tis the zig-zaggy nature of this type of literature. The Child is unmistakably Jesus even as Revelation 12 uses language from Psalm 2 to declare that the Child born is the Son of God. Jesus’ birth looks forward to all He would do. Jesus’ purpose was not just to be born, but to be born, live perfectly, die, and ascend back to Heaven. He did that. Jesus’ life even before He was born had salvific purpose.
Verse 6 describes God’s protection not only of His plan, but I think of Joseph and Mary and the sweet little Jesus boy escaping to Egypt after His birth. God preserves His people and His plan. Evil in any form cannot abort God’s purposes. Ever.
TRANSITION / SUMMARY
Revelation 12 IS a CHRISTMAS PASSAGE. Revelation 12 shows us that the birth of Jesus has impact not only on Earth, but in Heaven. The birth of Christ is the trigger event in the defeat of Satan. The birth of Christ is the trigger event when dunce Satan finally figures out he is doomed to destruction. Jesus the Son of God is born not merely to inspire, but to save and reign. The birth of Jesus marks the moment when the goodness of God (heaven) and the evilness of Satan (earth) formally collide showing that God had already won. These Truths are repeated in the rest of Revelation 12 again so that we don’t miss the different sides struggling against each other.
THE HEAVENLY COSMIC BIRTH OF JESUS CONTINUED
RE-READ REVELATION 12:7-9 (ESV)
“Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.”
The throwing down of Satan here in verses 8-9 is what I believe Jesus was referring to in Luke 10 as He talked with His disciples about the defeat of demons in their ministry. The disciples had declared themselves for Christ meaning they are in the Lamb’s book of life. The demons declared themselves for Satan and are not on the winning side of the good verses evil war. God wins. The struggle of these two sides ramped up during the ministry of Jesus which began at His birth.
Revelation 12 has the message that the birth of Jesus is the announcement that the war has been decided. Salvation has come and been decided. The dragon still rages, but the Child has already been enthroned. Jesus wins. Satan loses. Jesus wins. Satan loses.
APPLICATION
The birth of Jesus was that miraculous event when YHWH God was born as a human being. He did so with great purpose because a divide existed between God and humanity because of sin. The purpose of His birth was and is the salvation of the human soul. You and I, because of Jesus’ arrival, have a decision to make. A decision. A choice. It is the most important choice any soul can make. We have to choose a side. Each and every soul has to choose a side.
Do you accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God? If yes, your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. This is not because of anything you have done, but because the blood of the lamb covers over your sin writing your name in God’s ledger. Those who believe in Him are written down. It is a whole other complicated sermon and a deep Bible study, but most passages in the Bible that contain this book also indicate that our names can be blotted out if we choose. The choice is squarely with us. We have to choose a side. Each and every soul has to choose a side.
The battle and war have been won. We must choose a side.
Do you accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God? If no or you aren’t sure, then your name is not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. This is because of everything you have done. Not choosing Jesus means you choose the losing side in the epic battle of the spiritual realm. Not being sure means no. Saying yes, but just faking it means “no.” Saying yes, but then wishing you had never accepted Jesus means “no.” The blood of Jesus writes our names in God’s ledger and so to put it in Bibley terms, your name isn’t in the book because your blood is still on your own head.
How long do you have to decide? I don’t know.
You are hearing this message today and so the choice is presented to you right here and right now. You will not be able to claim on Judgment Day, when the book is opened, that you didn’t know or you never had the opportunity to choose a side. I am telling you right now you know and you have a choice to make. If you don’t believe in Jesus, that is completely up to you, but know that the paperwork that follows you to judgment day indicates what will happen to your soul.
CONCLUSION
Merry Christmas! You better watch out, you better figure it out,
No need to pout or even have some doubt:
Jesus Christ is comin' back here.
He's made a list, doesn’t need to check it twice,
He already knows for whom He paid the price;
Jesus Christ is comin' back here.
He sees you when you're faithful, He knows when you are not,
He knows if you've chosen Him in your heart, So choose Him for your soul’s sake!
PRAYER
