Open your Bibles with me to Revelations
20. In this look at verse 11. And I saw a great white throne,
and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the
heaven fled away. And there was no place, found
no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God. And the books were opened. And
another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the
dead were judged out of those things which were written in
the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the
dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead
which were in them. And they were judged every man
according to their works. And death and hell were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake of fire. Now in these verses that are
read there are two times it is mentioned the Book of Life. The
Book of Life. Now look over here in verse 27
of chapter 21. Look what it says here. And there shall in no wise enter
into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination,
or maketh a lie, but they which are written in the Lamb's Book
of Life. Revelation 13 verse 8. See they
are talking about the book of life. Revelation 13 verse 8. And all
that dwell upon the earth shall worship him whose names are not
written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world. four times here in Revelations,
the Book of Life. I want to talk about in a little
while, the Book of Life. Our Father, our gracious, gracious
Father in Heaven, You are indeed most blessed, most holy, most
gracious, most kind, especially forgiving, justifying, declaring
righteous, through your blessed son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We
bear our hearts in your presence to honor and bless your holy
name. Lord, we not have to flee from
your face at the judgment because our names, there are some here
whose names are written in the book of life, in the Lamb's book
of life. that lamb that was slain from
the foundation of the world. And our Father, I ask that you'd
be pleased to, in your sovereign mercy this morning, enable those
who know their names are written in the book of life to have assurance
of it. Those who don't, may you make
them understand what it is. And our Father, may the gospel
run well here today. Have mercy, mercy, mercy upon
those that we love who are lost and undone. Those who are not
with us through sickness and through your providence. Ask
your blessed sovereign mercy and grace upon them. In thy Lord
Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Philippians chapter 4. Talking
about the book of life. Therefore, my brethren, Philippians
4. Therefore, my brethren, dearly
beloved, long for my joy and crown. So stand fast in the Lord,
my dearly beloved. I beseech you, Iodius, and beseech
Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And I
entreat thee also, true yoke fellow, help those women which
labored with me in the gospel. with Clement also and with other
my fellow laborers whose names are in the Book of Life." The
Book of Life. And it'd be wonderful to know
your name was in the Book of Life. The Book of Life. And I'll tell you something about
this Book of Life. Every name that's in it was put in it before
they ever existed. before they ever, before anybody,
before Adam was put on the earth, God had every name in that book. And then he comes along and tells
us that, you know, whether your name's in the book or not, that
Paul, the apostle, here is a wise, wise master builder. He is a
man strong in his convictions, strong in his purpose, strong
in the doctrine of Christ, strong in the grace of God. He even
said, by the grace of God I am what I am. Any labor I've done
is by the grace of God. Any hope I have is by the grace
of God. Any message I preach is by the
grace of God. Anything I do is by the grace
of God. And yet on the other side of
it, he talked about over in Thessalonians, he was gentle as a nurse. As
he was strong, he was considering his character towards those who
labored with him in the gospel. And you know he noticed about
labored with him in the gospel. And here he talks about fellow
laborers, fellow laborers, fellow laborers in the gospel. And he
doesn't mention them by name. And it's as if he's saying, lest
I offend somebody by not mentioning their name, the only thing that
matters is to my fellow laborers whose names are written in the
book of life. All my fellow laborers whose
names are written in the book of life. You're a fellow laborer
in the gospel? That's what he's talking about.
And it'd be much better that your name to be written in the
book of life and to me mention your name in one of my letters
that I write to somebody. And oh my, and here's a consolation
for people who nobody knows who they are and what they've done
or what they're doing or anything about them. Obscure, and there's
people like that all over the world. But the thing is, is that
they're known and loved of the Lord Jesus Christ. Somebody
else may not know them. They may be obscure and they
may feel like you know that they absolutely are nothing and nobody,
which that's a good way to feel. That's the way we actually do
feel. But he's known and loved of the Lord Jesus Christ. They're
inscribed in the Book of Life. And I'll tell you, the first
time the Book of Life is mentioned in Exodus 32, when Israel has
sinned so greatly, dancing around that golden calf, and was naked,
and God came down and destroyed many of them. Moses said, Lord,
he said, thy people sin greatly, and if you're not going to forgive
them, blot my name out of thy book of life as long as you don't
blot their name out. And God told him, I ain't blotting
anybody's names out but who I will. He said, what you have to do
with it don't have nothing to do with it. Me, I'm the one that's
got the book. I'm the one who blots it in and
blots it out. And I tell you, look in Psalm
139 in verse 16 with me. And let's look at this just a
moment, and then I'll get into my message. Psalm 139 in verse
16. Talking about the book of life.
Oh, to be inscribed in the Book of Life. So many things talks
about the Book of Life. David said here, in verse 14, Psalm 139, I will praise
Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are
Thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was
not hid from thee, when I was made in secret and curiously
wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see
my substance, yet being unperfect. And in thy book all my members
were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet none
of them were, when there was none of them at all. He said,
Before I ever existed, you see my substance, and put everything
about me in your book. Everything about me in your book.
Now, the Lamb's Book of Life and the Book of Life is the same
equivalent to being a child of God. To say your names is in
the Lamb's Book of Life or the Book of Life is the same thing
as saying that you're being a child of God. How many times does God
say, My people, them that are called by My name, My heritage,
My possession, vessels of mercy, vessels of honor, God has this
peculiar, wondrous love and attraction and something about Him makes
Him love the lowest of the low and does something for the worst
kind. And so to be in the Lamb's Book of Life is the same as being
a child of God. But what does it mean to have
your name written in the Book of Life? What does it mean to
have your name, your name in the Book of Life? I tell you
what it means, it means you're a citizen. It means you're a
citizen. You know Israel, and they keep
a census in America, but every place that's got people, they
keep a census. They keep a genealogy, and Israel
kept a genealogy, and they call it the book of life. They called
it the Book of the Living. You find that in a couple of
places in Isaiah and you find it in Ezekiel. They says those
from Jerusalem whose names are in the Book of the Living. There's
people that even God said are in the Book of the Living. And
I tell you what, beloved, only citizens, I'm gonna tell you
something, only citizens are in this book. Only citizens are
in the book of life. Look back over here in Ephesians.
Let me, in Ephesians chapter two. Look what it says here.
There was a time we were aliens, foreigners. Look what he said
here in verse 12. Ephesians 2, 12. Wherefore remember,
or excuse me verse 12 that at that time you were without Christ
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel strangers from the
covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world
but now he don't leave it like that he said but now in Christ
Jesus you who sometimes were far off or made nigh by the blood
of Christ now look down verse 18 or excuse me verse Now listen
to what he says here. Now therefore, you are more and
more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints and of the household of God. Fellow citizens with the saints
and the household of God. We've come on to Mount Zion,
the city of the living God. to an innumerable company of
just men made perfect. That's where we've come unto,
just men already made perfect. Now, we live in this world, in
this world right here, that's where we live. We live in America. We're citizens of America. And
we are under the system of America. It's constitutional government.
It's republic. We're under its political system.
We're under its economical system. We're under its social system.
But you know where our real citizenship is? You know where it's at? Paul said in Philippians 3.20,
if you're looking with me back over in chapter 4, he says this,
for our conversation, our manner of life is in heaven. Where is
our manner of life at? Where is our life at? Where is
our home at? Where is our citizenship at?
Our conversation, our life is in heaven from whence also we
look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. That's where our
real citizenship is. It's in heaven. It's in glory.
And we live, and we act, and we are citizens of heaven. This world's not my home. I happen
to live here right now. But I have a home past this life. I have a home beyond this life.
I was looking the other day at all the folks that's passed away
in this congregation. And I got to thinking about them. They all were citizens of another
place. They wasn't afraid to go. They
wasn't afraid to leave this world. They wasn't shook up. They wasn't
biting their fingernails. They wasn't scared. They was
glad to go, relieved to go, blessed to go, looking forward to going. Why? Because they were citizens
of another country, of another home, of another place. And what if this world don't
like us? Who cares? What about people's opinions
in this world? It don't make no difference.
What's God's opinion? What God says about us? Where
God puts our name. You got to have a passport to
go in and out of this country. And that proves that you're a
citizen of the United States of America. And you got a number,
and you got a picture, and you got all this rigmarole. You got
to have it to go to prove you're a citizen. Well, I've got proof
that I'm a citizen of another world. Who gave me proof? The
Holy Ghost did. How? Through the gospel. And
that's why Paul said, fellow laborers. He said, I don't want
to mislead you by his name, but everybody labors in the gospel
with me. Their names are written in the
book of life. You know over in Chronicles,
1st and 2nd Chronicles, they're called the Books of the Chronicles
of the Kings. The Books of the Chronicles of
the Kings. Well, you know what? We have our name written in the
Book of the Chronicles of the Kings. And you know what the
Chronicles of the Kings is? They told the history and all
the acts and all the things that the kings did. in all their history
and all the things that they did. Well, we're in the book
of the Chronicle of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Our
names, beloved, we are in the name. Our names were in the Chronicle
of the King of Kings and what He did on this earth and what
He's doing right now. Huh? What Christ did is in this
book. Who He did it for is in this
book. What an honor! What a privilege! You want to read about David?
I want to read about Christ, David's son. They talk about
what all David did? Oh, it's what all Christ did. And so when our names are written
in the book of the Chronicles of the King, and all that men
call honor here, and call praise here and glory here are nothing
compared to having our names written in the book of life. Oh my. And you know where the
chronicles of the king of kings is? It's in this thing right
here. And you start out in Genesis and it'll start telling you everything
that it did. start telling you everything that he accomplished.
In fact, he said in Psalm 40, he said, it's written in the
volume of the book. Lo, I come, I delight to do thy
will. Yea, Lord, I delight to do thy
will. Thy law was written within my
heart. So everything our Lord did in
this world and all of His accomplishments, and all of His work, and all
of His blessed person, and all of His accomplishments, and everything
that He did by His life, by His death, by His resurrection, by
His ascension, set in God's right hand right now. We, our names
are in that book of the Chronicle of the King. Huh? And let me tell you something
else, not only are we citizens, But those whose names are in
the book of life, listen to me, they possess life, which is life
indeed. I mean those whose names are
in the book of life, you know why their names are in the book
of life? Because they possess life, real life, life that's
life indeed. That's what our Lord called it,
life indeed. Oh, it's called the book of the
living. And in the register of those,
it's the register, it's the book, it's the record of all those
who are truly, truly alive. When I was born, they gave me
a birth certificate. And when you die, you get a death
certificate. Neither one of them don't matter
nothing. When it's all said and done. Listen, you don't... Oh,
listen, you know, they give you a death certificate, and when
they give you a death certificate, you're already in glory, rejoicing
in the Lord, because your names are written in the book of life.
They ought to give you a life certificate. Instead of a death
certificate, let's put on a life certificate. He entered into life. Why? That's why it's called the
Book of Life. Peoples in the Book of Life really
live. They've got life. And what is
this life? It's the life from God Himself. It's a new birth. Our Lord Jesus
Christ regenerates us. The Spirit of God comes and takes
out the stony heart and puts in a heart of flake. Takes out
that old fallen, that old fallen nature and he takes that nature,
he don't take it out, but he gives you a new nature. He gives
you a divine nature. He makes you a partaker of the
Lord Jesus Christ. He puts a new nature in you,
a new life in you, new heart in you, new soul in you, new
mind in you, new creatures what he makes you. Huh? Oh, look over
in John chapter 1. Look in John chapter 1. Oh, this
and this. That's why it's called the Book
of Life because it's the Book of the Living. Why would you
call it a Book of Life if it's not people that live? People that live. Look what he
said here in John 1.12. But as many as received Him came
to His own. They didn't receive Him. They
didn't say they know who He was, didn't care anything about Him.
But as many as received Him as the Christ, as the Savior, as
the Sovereign Lord, as the One who has all power and authority,
the One that you know you cannot approach the Father but only
through Him. But to as many as received Him,
to them gave He the power. to become, listen to that, to
the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Now
listen, which were born, not of blood. My son and daughter
ain't gonna get, they're not gonna be regenerated because
they're my blood. No, no. Nor the will of the flesh. They can talk about man's free
will all they want to, but here it says, not of the will of the
flesh, nor of the will of man. Where'd you get this life at
then? Where do you get this name, this being born? But born of
God. Huh? That's how you do it. Man has absolute nothing to do
with it. Oh, listen. At you who were dead in trespasses
and sins hath he quickened. Together we're at with Christ.
Let me tell you something, beloved. Life is more than being. These
philosophers all the time, philosophers all the time trying to explain
the mystery of life. And I tell you, they try to,
where you come from, where you're going, what you do, why you're
here and all that. But life is more than being, having a physical
existence. That's more than that, much,
much more than that. Our souls have the life of God
in them. We're not just existing. We're
more than just a body. We're a living soul inhabiting
a body that's dying and decaying. But oh listen, our souls have
the life of God in them. We're conscious of him. We surrender
to Him. We love Him. We obey Him. We aspire Him. We want to know
Him. We want to win Him. We want to
fellowship with Him. We want to commune with Him.
We want to spend eternity with Him. Oh, listen, I'll tell you something
else, and all else is death. God, our Lord Jesus Christ says,
you have the name that you live in, but you're dead. I'm telling
you, listen. You know what I want more than
anything in this life? I want to know Christ. I want
to know Christ. I want to win Christ. I want
God to make me cleave and believe all the days of my life. So that when I leave this world,
I'll still be a believer. I'll just have the life that
I've already had, except I won't have this to deal with. That's
what we're talking about. You see, our blessed Savior came
into this world, and by His work and by His Spirit, He come into
this old valley of dry bones, and He said, I say unto these
bones, bone come to bone, stand on your feet, Cause flesh to come upon them
bones. And then cause breath to come
into them bones. And then he said, I say unto
the bones, live. And he makes these old dry bones
live. He brings life out of nothing,
out of just a bunch of old dry bones. And I tell you, this breath
is the breath of his own life. in us. Our Lord Jesus, this is
what John said. He says, This is the record that
God hath given to us. Eternal life is in His Son and
we have life in the blessed Son of God. The hour is coming and
now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and
they that hear, what are they going to do? They're going to
live. They're going to live. Oh, we're
living. I'm living more than just the
life you see. And you're living more than just
the life you see. This is life. We have life. Real life. And I'll tell you something else
about this book of life. Not only do we possess life,
which is life indeed. Oh, I say unto thee, live. Yea, I say unto thee, live. And
when He says live, you're going to live. And you're going to
have real life. Real, real, real, real life.
You commune with... We commune with another world,
don't we? We speak and take our souls and our minds and our hearts
into another realm. What realm is it that we go into?
What causes us to call on God? What causes us to look to Him?
What causes us to trust Christ? What is it about us that causes
us to want to live outside this world in another realm for a
little while during our lifetime in this world? That's that life
that's in us, the life of God in us. Now let me tell you something
else about our names in the book of life. It tells us of God's
knowledge of each and every one of us. as God's knowledge of
each of us and His care for each of us. I mean His care for each
and every one. In the Old Testament it's called
a book. In the New Testament it's called the Lamb's book.
But it's one and the same book. The Lamb saved all that's in
God's book. And they were in God's book and
we are in God's book because of the Lamb. where our names
are in the book because of the Lamb. And I'll tell you something,
everyone for whom Christ died has his name there. Everyone for whom Christ died
has his name there. You don't put your name there
whenever you repent and you believe. You repent and believe because
your name is already there. The Lord knew you. He knew where
you was. He knows what you're doing, and
He knows what He's going to do for you. Ain't that right? And see, our names were always
in the Book of Life. The foundation of God stands
assured. The Lord knows what? Them. That are His. Oh, maybe it gives us, maybe
we have a whole page. You know, it may be just name
after name after name and it may be a book with one name above
every page. You know, I don't know. But you
say, boy, take an awful big book. Well, listen, God's got a, he
said he saves a number that no man can number, 10,000 times
10,000. It's a multitude that no man
can number out of every kindred, tribe, nation, tongue of people
on the face of this earth. If he can measure the waters
in the hollows of his hand, don't you think he's got a book big
enough to put us all in it? If he counts the nations as a
drop in the bucket, don't you think he's got a book big enough
to put all our names in? And you know who has that book
in his hand and can open it? The Lamb that was slain in Revelation
chapter 5. God knows, listen to me now,
God knows each of us and calls us by name. And He says in Revelation
He's going to give us a new name. Oh, he said, you know, when he. He says, I guess I don't even
know who Jackass was. Huh? He said, I know my sheep. And I call them by name. And they follow me for whom he
did for no. them he also called, them he
also justified. My name, my name, your name,
my individual being stands there. Stands there. My name, my name,
your name if you're in the book of life. My individual being,
my personal being stands right there. And let me tell you something,
he don't deal with us as somebody deals with the whole crowd. He
doesn't stand and take like we're broadcasting seed, throws out
his blessings and hope we reach out and catch some of them. That's
not the way he deals with us. No, no, no. That's the way most
folks believe it. God's throwing blessings now,
hope you can catch some of them. Like a fairy godmother, fairy
godfather, something, Father Christmas, just throwing out
stuff. Oh, listen, but that's not the way he does it. You know
what he does? He treats all of us individually. He treats us as two of us, Him and us. That's
the way He deals with every one of us as an individual. Do you
feel like you personally, you and Christ have a relationship
right now? You're not thinking about the
fellow next to you, you. And the Lord deals with us as
us. as personal, individual, somebody
he himself loved. That's why Paul said, he said,
I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. Yet not I live, but I
live by the faith of the Son of God, listen to it, who loved
me, loved me, and gave himself for me. Gave himself for me. Do you feel
like that? Look in Isaiah 43. I could quote
this to you, but look. Look what he says. Oh, listen. He calls us by name. Look what he says here now. Isaiah 43.1. But now, thus saith
the Lord that created thee, O Jacob. And he that formed thee, O Israel,
fear not, for I have redeemed thee. I have called thee by thy
name. Listen to this now. Thou art
mine. Oh my. Look what he said down
in verse four. Since thou wast precious in my
sight. You've been honorable and I've
loved you. I loved you. You know, he goes through the
scriptures and you know what he did? He called, you know how
many people he called by name? He himself, our Lord, called
by name. He called Lazarus by name. He called Mary and Martha
by name. He called Simon by name. Mary was standing weeping one
time and he called her by name and she turned and said, Mary,
where have you laid him? Just tell me and I'll go find
him and I'll get him. Mary. Oh, oh. Oh, Simeon. The Lord knew Simeon
by name. And you know what He told Simeon?
Simeon was an old, old, old, old, old man. And He said, Simeon,
He said, you're not going to die. until you've seen my salvation. And one day, 2,000 years ago,
He was walking through the temple when they were offering babies. On the 8th day, when they were
dedicating the first son, the firstborn, the first child, according
to the law, they went up to Jerusalem, they went in there and they offered
that firstborn child to the Lord. And there they were, and he looked
down and saw a baby in a poor old Jewish woman's arms. And
they were there, they were so poor, they were going to offer
turtle doves. You couldn't get a, that's the
least sacrifice you could offer, a turtle dove, because they could
not afford lambs, or goats, or bullocks, or rams. They're going
to offer turtle doves. and gonna offer him, make a,
you know, say, this is the firstborn, he's yours. And old Simeon picked
up that eight-day-old baby, looked in his eyes and looked at him,
wrapped in those little old blankets, said, oh, my eyes have seen thy
salvation. Since I'm a citizen of another
country, just let me die now. I don't need to see anything
else. Why would he say that if his name wasn't in the book of
life? Huh? Oh, my. He tells the stars. He
counts the stars and calls them all by name. If he does that,
you imagine how he treats us. And I tell you what, because
our names are written in the book of life, our salvation and
security is absolutely sure. Huh? And all you go through the
scriptures and look at how many people the Lord saved. When it
looked like there was absolutely no hope for them, there's no
way in the world they was going to be saved. Yisrael at the Red
Sea, he said, stand still, just stand still. See the salvation
of the Lord, Red Sea part. And as they started walking through
there, it was dry ground. I mean, immediately as it parted,
they walked through on dry ground. What about Daniel in the lion's
den? Oh, listen, we got to get rid of Daniel. That man loves
Christ. He's from another world. He's
from another place. Put him in the lion's den. You
know what he did? He used him for pillows. Got
up the next morning. He said, well, we got to get
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, throw them in the furnace. And
they said, wait, didn't we just throw three in there? Yeah. There's
a fourth one in there. Who is he? Well, he looks like
the Son of God to me. And they opened the door, and
those fellows walked right out of the fire. And ain't that what
God said? When I've called you by name,
when you go through the fire, the flame shall not kindle upon
thee. When thou goest through the waters, it shall not overflow
thee. When thou goest through the river,
you'll never. Ain't that what he said about
us? You know, I know it. Look in Daniel 12 with me. Look
in Daniel 12. Look in Daniel 12. Here's what
I'm talking about. Daniel 12. Last of the Old Testament
prophets. Look in Daniel 12. Our Lord neither
slumbers or sleeps. He'll watch for us. He'll do
what's necessary for us. So let us rest. If He's going
to stay awake, let's go sleep. If He's going to watch for us,
let's rest. Ain't that right, Bradley? Look what he said here in Daniel
12 verse 1, At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince
which standeth for the children of thy people. And there shall
be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation,
even to that same time. And at that time, listen to it
now, names in the book of life, and at that time thy people shall
be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the
book. Going to be delivered, going
to be delivered. Our high priest, the high priest
when he went into the temple to offer sacrifice, once he put
on that breastplate, he fits together, he had these two gold
chains across the top up here and he had six stones up here
and six stones up there. Three, three, And then he had
them on his breastplate. All these wonderful stones that
had the name of every tribe written on those stones. So when he went
into the holiest of holies, he had them on his breast and he
had them on his shoulders to bear the weight of them and to
bear the love of them. And our great high priest, our
Lord Jesus Christ, bore on his breastplate and on his shoulders
into the heavenly of heaven, sit down on the right hand of
the throne of God, and there we are on His heart, and He carries
the weight of all His children on Himself. Can a woman forget
her second child? Yes, she can. But He said, I'll
never forget you and I'll never forsake you. Never. Never, never,
never. And if our names, if our names
are in the book of life, We'll someday go to the land of the
living. We'll someday go to the, close our eyes here and go into
the land of the living. Just close them. It's our last
breath. Wake up in the land of the living. You know I read those verses
in Revelations 20 where they was opened the books. You know
what books they was opened? These books right here. And men
were judged out of the books according to their works. But
then it says there was everyone was judged except those whose
names were written in the book of life. You know why those in
the book of life They're not going to be judged because they
were already judged in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why it's
called the Book of Life. That's why it's called the Book
of Life. Their names are there as citizens.
Their names are there in the Book of the Acts of the King. They have the life of Christ. God knows each and every one
of them. And Christ knows each and every one of them. And He
marks them in their hand, He marks them in their head, He
marks them in their heart, He marks them in their ear, He marks
them in their feet, He marks them in every single way. And
beloved, and I tell you, He makes, He makes, marks them for love
for Him and they overcame. You know how they overcame? Look
in Revelation 7. Let me show you how they overcame.
They overcame. I mean, these people overcame. Oh, my. We'll someday go to the
land of the living and the city of that great king. Go to Emmanuel's land. What a blessed thing it'll be
to go to Emmanuel's land. Go to the city of the great king. Gather around that blessed throne.
saying praises unto our Lord forever and ever. Look what he
said here in verse 13. Revelation 7. And one of the
elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are
arrayed in white robes? Who are these? Who are these
people are arrayed in white robes? And where did they come from?
How did they get here? And I said unto him, Sir, you
know. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great
tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white
in the blood of the Lamb. Oh, listen now. Therefore are
they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in
his temple. And he that sitteth on the throne
shall dwell among them. Listen to it. They shall hunger
no more, neither thirst any more, And neither shall the sun light
on them nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is in the
midst of the throne, shall feed them and lead them unto living
fountains of water." Everything there is life. Everything about
it is living. And listen to this. And God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes. Oh, listen. You know what? The
only people allowed There in this place in the land
of the living, in this new heaven and new earth are those whose
names are written in the book of life. That's on people's...
I read it to you in Revelations 21. He says, you know, nothing
shall enter in undefiled or makes a life or anything else
but he whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. You
reckon our names could be blotted out? You reckon you could do something
to cause it to be blotted out? You didn't do nothing to get
it written there. You didn't write it there. You
never put it there. It's an awful, awful, awful doctrine,
an awful, awful lie that would tell me That's something they
could do, something they could way they act or something they
could say or do that would cause them to get their names took
out of the book of life. That's an awful doctrine. When you didn't have nothing
to do with getting it put there, you didn't have nothing to do
with God choosing, you didn't have nothing to do with God giving
you life, and it's the grace of God that does it all for you
and it's the grace of God that's going to take you to glory and
it's the life that's in you that God gave to you. So you reckon
he's going to turn around and undo all that? Well, how did Paul know? In closing,
how did Paul know these people's names were written in the Book
of Life? Had he looked into the Book of Life? No, no he hadn't. But he knew they knew Christ
and believed the gospel and they were fellow laborers in the gospel.
But how he knew their names were in the book of life was the same
way he knew that the Thessalonians, he said, Beloved, knowing your
election of God. How did he know their election
of God? Same way he knew their names were written in the book
of life. I mean, there's people that you just know that they
are. You know, you just know. You just know. You are not looking
at their works. You look to see if Christ is
in them. Christ in you, the hope of glories.
God give them life. Is there evidence of life? And
where there is evidence of life, there be life, love. All the things that God gives
us when he gives us this life. Our Father, in the blessed name
of our Lord Jesus Christ, thank you, thank you, thank you for
the gospel. Thank you for the book of life.
Thank you, Lord, that we have life and we are numbered among
the living. that we really have life, life,
life, life, life, life, the life of God in our souls. And Lord,
we look up to you, the one who gave us life, sustains this life,
and will one day cause it to bring forth full
fruition. Lord, we bless you for it. Ask
that you'd have mercy and save your people in this place. Grant
that they would have that evidence of life given to them in Christ's
blessed name. Amen.