Sermon

Today's sermon was entitled; "Written Down in the Lamb's Book of Life: The Real Reason to Rejoice."
It was a continuation on Revelation 3:1-6.

Here are some very thought provoking points that stood out to me:

1. In what do you take deepest delight? What is it that brings the greatest and most intense joy and happiness to your heart?

2. In Luke 10:17, the 72 disciples, who Jesus sent out, exclaimed with joy, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!"
Jesus responds in Luke 10:20, "Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this,that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Jesus isn't saying that it is wrong to rejoice that we have authority over demons. His point is that compared with having your name written down in heaven exercising authority over demons is next to nothing.

3. The promise in Revelation 3:5 is, "The one who conquers will be clothed in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life."

4. The "book" that Jesus mentions has several possible meanings:
a. In the Old Testament, God's book had reference to the rights of citizenship for the Jewish people.
b. The concept of a "book" was also used to portray God's all inclusive decree (Psalm 139:16), the very days of one's life are ordained and written in God's "book" before one of them occurs.
c. There is also the notion of "books" of judgement in which are recorded men's deeds. They serve as that by which or from which one shall be judged ( Rev. 2:20; Daniel 7:10).
d. The most accurate meaning of the concept of "book" as it is written in Revelation 3:1-6, is the register of those who have been chosen for salvation from eternity past.

5. You don't believe in Jesus in order that your name will be written in the book. You believe in Jesus because your name has already been written down in the book.

6. God has chosen not to reveal to us the names written in the Lamb's book of life. It is none of our business. None of us deserve to have his/her name written down in God's book. We all deserve eternal damnation. The only explanation for why a sinner has his/her name written in the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world is because God is gracious and merciful and wishes to provide his Son with a Bride that will enjoy his glorious presence and love for eternity. Had God not chosen to inscribe anyone's name in his book, he would have done no one an injustice.

It is important that we do not become so fixated on why we are written in the Lamb's book of life, whether it is predestination ( Calvinism) or freewill, that we forget to drop to our knees and praise and thank God just for the simple fact that we are written in his book of life.