Sermon for 8/7/2005
The Book of Life
Revelation 20:11-15
Introduction:
A. “That will go into your permanent record,” -Teachers are fond of saying this.
B. Those aren’t the only records: There’s also one being kept by the all-knowing, everywhere-present God. A time is coming when all the dead will stand before the Creator-Judge. His books will be opened, and those assembled in His presence will be “judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”
C. (Dan 7:9 NIV) "As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. (Dan 7:10 NIV) A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.
D. What kinds of books are being talked about? (Psa 56:8 NIV) Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll -- are they not in your record?
E. God knows everything about our lives. A few years before the time of the New Testament, some rabbis came up with the concept that God has a scroll written on every life. At the final judgment, they said that God would take each person’s scroll and read it aloud and call us to account for every good thing and every bad thing. Our whole life will be on display. This goes along with the words of (Mal 3:16 NIV) Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name.
F. These rabbis just simply broadened this concept to include not only those who feared the Lord, but also those who did not fear the Lord. The Lord is keeping a scroll of remembrance on every individual life.
G. Rather humbling isn’t it, to think that everything will be out in the open one day. This idea should help us to live good and righteous lives.
H. Fictional writers have written parables about this concept and we will find it in some movies and books. Magically, someone stumbles into a large bookstore and each book has the name of a person on the cover. As she looks into these books, she finds the details of every person’s life. When she gets to the end of each book she sees that there are still many chapters that are yet unwritten. She sees sentences and lines being filled in. They are still living their lives and as they live the books are being written. The story goes from their.
I. If God literally keeps books to be read on each life, no one has access to these scrolls but God alone.
J. Revelation 20:11-15 really mentions two types of books. There is another book that really is the most important one and that is the Book of Life. There’s not another place more important to have our name placed than in the Book of Life. On Judgment Day, the books will be opened but only One Book will really matter. Yes, as Christians we will receive rewards or lack of rewards based on our works but the only way to get into heaven at all is to have your name on the Book of Life.
Thesis: This morning I want to make some observations about the Book of Life.
For instances:
I. Men Do Not Control Whose Name Is In the Book of Life
A. Praise be to God this is true. If they did, some people might not want us there.
B. Consider Psalm 69.
1. Here David is talking about his enemies and how they need to be destroyed.
2. Listen to what he says in Vs. 27 and 28- (Psa 69:27 NIV) Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation. (Psa 69:28 NIV) May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous.
C. God was the one to determine who was in the book of life and who was not. David was not the one who controlled this.
D. In Exodus 32 we have Moses and the Lord talking with each other right after the Israelites made the golden calf. The Lord desired to destroy the Israelites but Moses intercedes for the people. (Exo 32:31 NIV) So Moses went back to the LORD and said, "Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. (Exo 32:32 NIV) But now, please forgive their sin--but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written."(Exo 32:33 NIV) The LORD replied to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.
E. Moses wanted his name removed so that the Israelites names could stay. But God said No, whoever has sinned against me; I will blot him out of my book.
F. Moses could not determine whose name stayed and whose name didn’t. Only God can control this!
II. No One Remains on its pages by accident.
A. If our name is on the Book of Life when it is opened on Judgment Day, it is because we took God’s Word to heart and decided to live according to it.
B. We believed in the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, we repented of our sins (and keep on repenting), we confessed Jesus before others (and we keep on confessing), we were baptized into Jesus Christ, and we lived the Christian life the rest of our days.
C. (Phil 4:2 NIV) I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. (Phil 4:3 NIV) Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
1. These names stayed on the book of Life because they worked for the cause of the gospel.
2. They contended with the world, the flesh and the devil.
3. They were workers, loyal yokefellows.
4. They overcame through the blood of the Lamb.
D. They overcame there sins because it is said of heaven in (Rev 21:27 NIV) Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
E. (1 John 3:9 NIV) No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
F. Remember Exodus 32:33- Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.
III. If our name is there, it is a cause for rejoicing.
A. Man loves to have his name in the spotlight. My name in Sermon Central.
B. What is greater than seeing our name in the book of life?
C. Philippians- whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
D. In Luke 10 we have the account of Jesus sending out 70 of his disciples to minister. These disciples rejoiced that they were able to perform miracles, heal the sick, cast out demons, and even raise the dead. (Luke 10:18 NIV) When they came back Jesus replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (Luke 10:19 NIV) I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. (Luke 10:20 NIV) However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
E. Forget about this other stuff; rejoice that your names are in heaven.
IV. Those who Overcome will not be blotted out
A. Remember those who sin will be blotted out- Exodus 32:33
B. Eddy Beasley said some things that caused me to think about the Book of Life.
C. I used to always think that when one became a Christian, then their name was added to the Book of Life. “There is a new name written down in glory, and it’s mine.” Those who did not respond to Jesus, there name was never on the Book of Life. Revelation 20:15 supports this.
D. After studying this topic, not all the verses that talk about the book of Life support this idea. Jesus said to the church at Sardis in (Rev 3:5 NIV) He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. This indicates that those who are Christians until the end will not be blotted out of the book. 2 questions after studying all of the verses:
1. Is our name added to the Book of Life when we become Christians?
2. Is our name on the Book of Life from creation (Revelation 17:8- whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world) and then blotted out when we refuse to accept Jesus?
E. Two extreme’s that need to be avoided when looking at these questions:
1. From those who believe that God controls everything and we have no free will. They believe that God has some names written on the Book of Life and others whose names are not written on the Book of Life. Those whose names are written on the Book of Life are going to heaven and there is nothing we can do to change that. Those whose names are not written on the Book of Life are going to hell and there is nothing we can do to change that. It is all in the hands of God. This is terrible!
2. There are some who believe that your name is written on the Lamb’s Book of Life when you become a Christian. Every time we willfully sin and “fall away” then our name is taken off of the Book, but when we repent and come back to Christ, then our name is added again. At the end, God will look on this scroll and look at our place, and in all of this adding and subtracting, if our name has erased at the last, then we go to hell, but if our name has been added back, then we are going to heaven. This makes for one sloppy scroll. Many of us would have our name added and then blotted out time and again. However, if God has upgraded like many of us to a computer, then all he has to do is delete the name and then can insert it again later. This would save on a lot of ink. Really, this idea of a book is for our benefit. God knows it all and he doesn’t need to keep a record book.
F. These are all deep thoughts where we might drown, but what are the answers to our questions. My study gave some interesting light on the subject. What would the people of the New Testament understand about this topic?
G. Hebrews 12:22-23 in the New Revised Standard Version says, But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven. Enrolled in heaven?
H. Here is what the people of the New Testament would have understood. In every city and town, the local officials would keep a registry of law abiding citizens. One was enrolled, or written in, on the day of his birth. When one was on the registry of a town, that individual was entitled to public services, protection by the town officials, and enrolled for any taxation. Much like how the IRS keeps track of us. When one died, he was blotted out of the registry.
I. Also, they would have understood the concept (especially the Jews) of having one’s name placed in a genealogy. One was placed on the family tree, or written in, on the day of his birth. When one was on the family tree, that individual was entitled to any inheritances, rights, and prestige that name gave.
J. Many times the Jewish people would be enrolled on a registry in a town where they had long left. It was the ancestral home of their family and they wanted to keep it intact and so they keep their name on that town’s registry until they died. However, one’s name was never taken off of the family tree. This is probably why Joseph had to go to Bethlehem even though he lived in Galilee. He was on the Bethlehem town registry and he had to go there for the census to be taxed. Since Joseph was in the line of David, he had to go to Bethlehem because that was his ancestral home and that is where he was registered. However, Joseph would never come off of the family tree.
K. Here is where the rubber meets the road. Everyone is placed on God’s registry. However, the penalty for our sins is death. When someone dies, his name is taken off of the registry. His name is blotted out at death and he forever faces an eternity in hell, what is called the second death in Revelation 20. Remember in Exodus 32 God said, whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.
L. But for the Christian, through Christ we never die. (John 11:25 NIV) Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies ;( John 11:26 NIV) and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. We will never die; our names will never be taken off of the registry.
M. Why? Because our sins have been taken away. (Acts 3:19 NIV) Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out. (2 Cor. 5:19) God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.
N. We do not suffer the penalty for our sins through Christ and so we do not experience eternal death. Our name is kept on the registry in heaven but it is not just a registry, it is a record of the names of the children of God. (Rom 8:17 NIV) Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
O. We share in the glory of the family name.
P. Here is the picture for unbelievers. Everyone who sins against God at their death, they will be removed from the registry.
Q. Here is the picture for Christians: Everyone who has their sins removed through Christ will stay on the registry and share in the inheritance of God as a child of the King.
R. Harriet Buell, A Child of the King-
My Father is rich in houses and land; He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands! Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold, His coffers are full, He has riches untold. I’m a child of the King, A child of the King: With Jesus my Savior, I’m a child of the King.
I once was an outcast stranger on earth, a sinner by choice, an alien by birth, but I’ve been adopted, my name’s written down, an heir to a mansion, a robe and a crown. I’m a child of the King, A child of the King: With Jesus my Savior, I’m a child of the King.
A tent or a cottage, why should I care? They’re building a palace for me over there; Though exiled from home, yet still may I sing; All glory to God, I’m a child of the King.
G. Invitation thought: Exodus 32:33- Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.
