I invite you this morning to
turn back with me to Luke chapter 10. I want to zero in on verse
20 this morning, where the Lord basically tells His disciples
they were telling Him what they were rejoicing in. He said, Rejoice
in this. That's what I titled the message.
Rejoice in this. Rejoice that your name is written
in heaven. Now, the occasion of the text
is the return of the 70, which our Lord sent to preach in the
cities where He intended to go. He was kind of like John, who
was the forerunner of Christ. They were sent out to prepare
the way to introduce these people into the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so they did. And they went
out. He selected these men. He taught
these men, he equipped these men to preach his gospel, and
he told them that through his divine providence and the working
of his spirit, their every need would be supplied. Every need
would be supplied. They were charged to take no
purse. Imagine going off on a journey,
not taking your wallet. They were to take no shoes, that
is no, don't take an extra pair of shoes, just the ones you have
on your feet. And to take no script. Anybody
here know what a script is? You ever seen any films or movies
or pictures of men back during the Great Depression that had
a pole about four or five feet long and a bag hung on the end
of it and they put it up over their shoulder? That bag is a
script. Except in this day, they were
a little larger. They were made out of leather,
kind of like our backpacks, and they had a loose top to them,
and they just threw them up over their shoulders and carried them
that way. So here's what he's telling them, don't even take
a suitcase. Don't take anything. You go where I told you to go,
and everything you need will be supplied. And there's going
to be some folks out there, and I'm going to work in their hearts.
And when I work in their hearts, those in whose hearts I work,
they're going to feed you. They're going to clothe you,
and they're going to give you a place of shelter to sleep.
You don't worry about any of these things. You concentrate
on what I sent you to do. And don't dawdle. Don't stop
out here talking to first this one and that one and somebody
else. You go do what I told you to do. Don't get sidetracked. Make no provision, he said. And
then he told them this. This would be enough to scare
me to death. He said, I send you as lambs among wolves. You stop and think about what
he's saying. We don't know a whole lot about wolves down there,
do we? A wolf is a, he's a fierce animal. You want to pet a wolf,
you want to get a wolf as a pet. Wolves are fierce animals. He
said, I'm sending you out, and you're like a lamb. You're like
this lip my neighbor bought one. That thing kept me up for a week,
crying over there. You're a lamb. You're like that
little defenseless lamb, and I'm sending you out here among
wolves. Now get the picture. Their master
was despised and rejected of men. I know the pictures we see,
it pictures thousands coming to Him and throngs around Him
and people loving Him. He was despised and rejected
of men. Men thronged around Him for the
wrong reasons. They thronged around Him for
healing. They thronged around Him to be fed. Isn't that what
he told that multitude that went all the way around the sea, found
him on the other side and started rejoicing and calling him good
master and all these things? And he said, you don't seek me
because of these things. You seek me because I fed you.
You seek me for the wrong reasons. Their master was despised and
rejected of men. Their gospel was contrary to
anything this world had ever imagined, had ever heard. The Jews who were the only people
on the top side of God's earth who knew anything at all about
the living God, they had the word of God, they had the prophets,
the Jews were the only ones who knew anything. And the very people
who were the only people who knew anything didn't know anything.
And they despised him and rejected him. And they were fierce in
their despisal. They were like wolves. Their ministry was totally opposite
of Judaism. They would experience two kinds
of reactions, our Lord said, to their message. Some would
receive it and receive them and provide for their needs. Others
would despise them, reject them, and send them away empty-handed.
You can read that back in verses 5 through 11. And then he assures
them that God Himself would attend their preaching, and that their hearers would
all stand accountable for their actions and attitudes, and that
He would build a hedge about them and preserve them, and nothing
in heaven, earth, or hell could do anything to them. They'd receive
no harm. And when the 70 returned, they
came rejoicing. Everything our Lord said that
would happen, happened. Everything that He promised to
do, He did. People actually believe. You
know, my brother-in-law and I had a conversation. This had been
30 some years ago, maybe 40 years ago. We come to see these things. I told him, I said, it looks
to me like we're going to have a lot of one-night stands. That's
what I told him, because that's how we were received. People
didn't want to hear it. These men didn't want to hear
it. But when they returned, they said, people heard us. People
heard us. They heard what we had. They
were nobody. They were just fishermen. They were just common laborers.
They didn't have seminary degrees. They didn't have all of these
things that men have today. They had none of this. They weren't
dressed in a suit. They just went out and preached
as God instructed them to do. And they said, people believed
us. People submitted to our message. God was in this thing. And they
said, not only that, but even the devils were subject to us. Even the devils. Oh, how they
rejoiced. And I thought as I read this
verse how much I have in common with the 70. I came to this place
about eight years ago. Not much to my credit. The Lord has provided for me
exceeding abundantly more than anything I ever expected or ever
imagined. I've got a nice home. I have
a good automobile. My pantry's full. I've got clean
clothes to wear. When Kathy took sick, the Lord
provided for us a way to have her treated. My every need. exceeding abundantly, more than
anything that I ever thought or imagined, been taken care
of. The Lord has and continues to
give me a hearing. I've never had a day when I stepped
in the pulpit where nobody showed up. I hope I don't. The Lord has attended my ministry
with a blessed providence. It is God's providence that arranges
both the occasions to preach and people's occasions to hear.
Did you know that? There's a verse way back yonder. We had it in our Sunday school
class. I think it's in Psalm 22 where he talks about a people
hearing and a people being born, talking about this gospel age.
And David said, it's marvelous in our eyes how this takes place. Isn't it? Marvelous how it takes
place. In Romans chapter 10, verses
14 and 15, Paul said, how shall they hear without a preacher,
and how shall they preach except they be sent? God's providence
attends the preacher. I've been invited since I've
been here to Mississippi, three cities in Texas, Kentucky, West
Virginia, Michigan, North Carolina, California, Alabama, and Missouri. We minister to folks via the
Internet all over the world. I get downloads. There's a way
at the end of the month you can check these things. I don't check
them that often, but I was looking on there one day, and there's
downloads on islands I never heard of. I don't even know where
they are. And then I think I can say with
them, even the devils are subject unto me. How so, preacher? You cast out devils? No. No,
I don't do those things. In a general sense, because greater
is he that's in you than he that's in the world. But in a specific sense, because
through the gospel I preach, the influence and deceit of Satan
is overturned and opposed and exposed. The power of Satan is
in his ability to deceive. He doesn't have great power to
do this, that, and the next thing. His power is to deceive. And he exercises that power throughout
the world. The message I preach, the gospel
of Christ, is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that
believeth. And it's effectual even to those
like legion whose mind and heart is filled with a multitude of
devils. I can identify with the 70 and
with their rejoicing over what they had experienced, but now
watch this. Luke 10 verse 19. I give unto you power to tread
on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy
and nothing shall by any means hurt you notwithstanding. That word means, it's translated
in other places, how be it? How be it? It means not in opposition
with. Not in opposition with these
things, but rejoice in this. Rejoice not that the spirits
are subject to you, rather rejoice because your names are written
in heaven. Now let me ask you something
this morning. What would be your reaction if
God did for you what He did to Paul and raised you up to the
third heaven? Richard, and opened his book
and said, right there is your name. Huh? There it is, right there. What would be your reaction? Oh, my soul. Sealed in the book, preserved
in the hands of Christ who has the book, blessed for all eternity. Would it change how you think? Would it change how you live?
Would it change how you worship? Would it change how you deal
with trouble and persecution? How would you act and feel if
you knew that your name was written in heaven? What impact would
it have on your life? If I have time this morning,
I want to ask and answer four questions concerning this thing
of your name being written in heaven, four things I hope to
ask and answer by the word of God, because I've got no other
information on it. But I'll try to ask these things
and answer them in the word of God. Now, here's the first question. If God called me up and allowed
me to look at my name, who put my name in the book? How come
their names to be written in heaven? Did they do something? Did they make a decision? What
happened? What prompted this 70 to have
their names written in God's book? If your name is written there
this morning, how'd it get there? Is it something you did? Something
you said? Something you professed? Something
you believe? How come your name to be in here? Well, we're told that they are
written. And not only that they're written, but who wrote them and
when. When? The men come to a crossroad in
their lives and make decisions to serve God. One Southern Baptist
man, I'm not trying to pick on Southern Baptists this morning,
it just happened he was one. And I was talking to another
fellow, sharing with him some things of the gospel, and he
butted into the conversation and he said, now let me tell
you how it is. I said, okay, tell us how it is. He said, you come down front. And you accept Jesus as your
personal Savior, and the minute you do, the second you do, your
name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. And then, God fills
you with the Holy Ghost. He was wrong on every count.
On every count. We're told in John's vision on
the Isle of Patmos, that in the beginning, God the Father held
in his hands a book. It was written on the front side
and on the back side, and it was sealed with seven seals.
This book is the book of God's eternal purpose and decrees,
all of them. And the father held the book
on the throne, and a search was made over all of heaven and over
all of earth, and none were found worthy, not only to take the
book, but to look on the book and to unloose the seals. And because there was none found
worthy, everybody in heaven began to weep. And John said he wept. None was worthy to take the book.
But behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, he was found worthy. And he came,
and the Father gave him the book. And he took the book, and he
began to open the seals. Open the seals. He began to manifest
what God Almighty had purposed to do before time was. That's what John's vision is
about. This book is the symbol of God's
eternal counsels and purpose of grace, and everything He purposed
to do, everyone He purposed to save, and everything He purposed
to use to save. It's in this book. Included in this book is every
name of every fallen sinner that God will in time save for the
glory of His name. Does that shock you? God is God. How long we been living? You
know, Paul said, he was preaching on this very same thing on Romans
chapter 9. And he said, you'll say unto
me, why doth it yet find fault for who hath resisted his will?
He said, I'm going to say something to you now. Who art thou that
replies against God? Huh? Shall the thing formed say
unto him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? Why have
you done these things? Are you that only have sense
of being for 60 or 70 or 80 years, you're going to hold God? You're
going to hold court on God? Everything He purposed to do,
everyone He purposed to save, and everything He purposed to
use to save. He brought to pass and included
in this book is every name of every fallen sinner that God
will in time call out of darkness. You know, this is stated all
over this book. There was a lady not too long
ago who came in and heard me preach and she said, I don't
believe that. She went home and didn't come
back. And then she started asking one of the members about it,
and he took her over and let her read Ephesians chapter 1,
verse 3. And she read it, and she said,
well, that's your interpretation. He said, I didn't interpret it.
That's Ephesians chapter 1, verse 3. Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath
chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world. That we should
be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according
to the good pleasure of His will. Listen to this one. This is 2
Timothy 1, verses 8 and 9. What I'm saying to you this morning,
this shouldn't shock you if you've read the Word of God, because
it's all through the Word of God. Be not thou therefore ashamed
of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but be
thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the
power of God, who hath saved us. and called us with a holy
calling, not according to our works, but according to His own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before
the world began." When they crucified Christ, when
all the Jewish people and the Jewish leaders the scribes and
the Pharisees and all the Gentiles, all the Romans came together
and they held court and they did all these things. It tells
us over in Acts chapter 4 that they did what God's hand and
God's counsel determined before to be done. They not only did
it exactly what He determined to be done, but they did it exactly
when it was determined to be done. In Romans 9, verse 11, Paul calls
our attention to Jacob and Esau saying, for the children, being
not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the
purpose of God, according to election, might stand not of
works, but of him that calleth. It was said to their mother before
they was ever born, the elder is going to serve the younger.
As it's written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. And then
in Romans 11, Paul goes back and tells us about the days of
Elijah when God fed him down in the cave with ravens. And
he said, just take me out. I'm the last one. I'm the last
prophet. Just take me home. And the Lord
said, you're not the last prophet. I've reserved to myself 7,000
men who haven't bowed to need a bell. You're not the last one. And then he tells us this. He
said, at this present time also, there is a remnant according
to the election of grace. And if by grace, then is it no
more works. Otherwise, grace is no more grace.
Every name of every chosen sinner was penned by the Father with
the finger of God in the book of life before the foundation
of the world. David praised God for His existence
and for God's eternal purpose of grace concerning him. And
in Psalm 139.14, he said, I'll praise Thee, for I'm 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
lower parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance,
yet being unperfect. Now listen, and in thy book,
whose book? God's book, were all my members
written. According to the word of God,
these names appeared in God's book by divine election before
the foundation of the world. All right. Who wrote these names
in the book? God did. When did he write them?
Before the world began. Why did he write them? According
to the good pleasure of his will. All right, secondly. What does
those whose names are written in heaven, what does this entitle
them to? What's that mean, my name's written
in heaven? What does that entitle you to?
Suppose you did discover your name was written there, what
does that mean? What are you entitled to? Well, it means that
everything, God, his purpose for the salvation of his elect,
you will receive. That's what that means. I don't have time to mention
the whole of what has been ordained for God's elect, but let me give
you this. In Revelations chapter 20 verse
12, John in his vision said this. He said, I saw the dead, small
and great, stand before God. And the books were opened. The
books of man's works and motives and thoughts and intents and
deeds, his whole life recorded in these books. These 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. Verse 14. Judgment's over. The books have
been opened. The books have been read. All
those things have been brought into the light. God's justified
all His elect. He showed everybody clearly that
they were redeemed through the blood of the Lamb. They were
justified by His righteousness and His shed blood. And then
he says in verse 14, And death and hell were cast into the lake
of fire. This is the second death. Now
watch this. Revelation 20 verse 15, And whosoever
was not found written in the book of life was cast into the
lake of fire. Preachers, disciples, nuns, popes,
bishops, deacons, church members, missionaries, priests and kings,
right along with the drunks and thieves and whoremongers, pedophiles
and adulterers, right along with the devils and Satan himself,
all cast into the lake of fire. Every human being except those
whose names were written in the book shall go into everlasting
damnation, everlasting punishment. Those written in the book of
life shall not experience the second death. They shall be spared
this everlasting punishment of ungodly men and devils because
their names were written in the Lamb's book of life before the
foundation of the world. And what that entitled them to
was for Christ as their representative and Christ as their surety and
Christ as their savior to redeem them. For them to have another federal
head and not just Adam. The scripture said, by one man
sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed
upon all men. But those whose names are written
in the Lamb's Book of Life had another head, one that was appointed
before the fall of Adam. In Adam all die, but in Christ
shall all be made alive. Those written in the Book of
Life shall not experience these things, because they have another
federal head, another representative, Christ the Lord. Every provision of grace is reserved
for those whose names are written in heaven. All right. Thirdly,
how then can a poor, fallen, ignorant sinner like me, like
those who were among the 70, know that his name is written
in the book of life? How can you know that? Wouldn't
you like to know this morning if your name's written in the
Lamb's Book of Life? Oh, my soul, it entitles you
to everything. It entitles you to a blessed
providence. It entitles you to the preacher.
It entitles you to an understanding. It entitles you to the Spirit
of God to come into your heart and for you to cry, Abba, Father.
I'm interested. I want to know, is my name written
there? How can I know? How can I know? Paul said to
the Thessalonians, he said, I know your election of grace. That's the same thing as saying,
I know your names written in the Lamb's Book of Life. He said,
I know your election of God because our gospel came to you not in
word only, but it came in power and it came in the Holy Spirit
who assures you, give you much assurance. Assurance of what? Assurance that Christ has accomplished
all that you need and all that's required. You know, Paul spoke highly of
those who helped him in his ministry to the Philippians. He talked
of the women who who ministered to them, who fed them, who washed
their clothes, who did whatever the women did for them there.
And he talked about his yoke fellows there in the church who
helped support him in that ministry. And he talked about his fellow
laborers like Timothy and some of the other ones who helped
him in his ministry. He talked about them. And he
said this. He made this statement. He said,
whose names are in the book of life. One can know that his name is
written in the Lamb's Book of Life as the benefits of those
written there are received by them. That's how they know. That's
how they know. Our Lord said, or John wrote
about this in John Chapter 1 in his Gospel, the Gospel of John
Chapter 1. He said the Lord came into the
world and the world was made by him and the world didn't know
who he was. And He came unto His own, His own people, those
who had the Word of God, those who had the prophecies, those
who had the promises, those who had the covenants. He came unto
His own, and His own received Him not. But to as many as received
Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on His name who were born, not of blood,
not of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man. but of
God. They received the benefits. They
received the benefits. Thousands this morning were gathering
in churches all over this country and not hear one word of truth. They'll be rallied like a cheerleader
would rally the squad and rally the team. They'll be talked to
and praised and cradled and bragged on and everything else, but they
won't hear one word of gospel preached to them this morning.
But there's some in churches all over this world. There's
some this morning that were here. They received the benefits. Paul wanted to go to the hometown
of Lydia. Oh, he wanted to go there so
bad. And he said the Holy Spirit forbade
him. He just could not go. He didn't
even know why he wanted to go, but he wanted to go there. And
the Holy Spirit just, by providence, just X'd it out. He could not
go to Lydia's hometown. But Lydia wasn't home. She was
somewhere else. And the Holy Spirit led him over
there and saved Lydia. She received the benefits. That
Samaritan woman that was gathering water at the well that morning
had no idea that she was going to meet the Christ. Did she?
Huh? She received the benefits. You
see what I'm saying? How do I know if my name's written
in the book of life? Because he sent me the benefits. There's benefits bestowed on
those whose names are written. They're called. They hear. They
know. They feel. They're broken. They receive Him. All those whose names are written
in heaven and for whom Christ came and lived and died and was
raised from the dead have a divine comforter who will effectually
convince them of sin and righteousness and judgment. Convince them of
sin and of righteousness. His righteousness, not theirs.
And of judgment. Not that they're going to be
judged, but of judgment satisfied. All those whose names are written
in heaven who have been put by God into union with His Son,
who lived in Him and died in Him, was resurrected in Him and
raised up and seated with Him in glory. All of them, Ephesians
2, 7, in the ages to come shall be shown the exceeding riches
of His grace and His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus,
and by grace be saved through faith. Nobody else will be convinced
of sin. You can argue up and down, night
and day. You can't convince a human being
of anything, but God can. A fallen man is the most unreasonable
thing you ever come up against. Our Lord said he's worse than
the beast. He said at least the ox knows
his owner and he knows his way into the crib, but he said I
come to you and you don't know who I am, you don't know anything
about me. You're worse than the beast.
He's the most unreasonable creature on the top side of God's earth
and yet God says come Let us reason together. And in the day
of His power, you will. He'll reason with you. He'll
persuade you. Nobody else will receive God's
effectual call of grace and the gospel as though it came from
God's lips Himself. All those who believe in Christ
may know without doubt that their names have been written in glory. Oh, my soul, what a blessing
it would be for me to know my name's written there. Do I believe
on Him? I do. I do. Have I laid hold on Him? I have. I can rejoice my name's
written in heaven. And here's the last thing, and
I'll quit. What will men and women, boys and girls do if they
find out their names are written in the book of life? What would
you do? Rejoice. What about when the doctor comes
and says you have fatal cancer? You got a year to live. I can
rejoice. What about when my years are
running down, and I'm in the last few years of my life, and
I'm not feeling good, and I can't communicate like I used to, and
I can't see like I used to? I can still rejoice. There are thousands of things
that we can rejoice in, thousands of things that we can praise
God for, but Christ takes us back to the source. And He said,
rejoice in this, your name is written in heaven. And it being
written in heaven entitles you to all the blessings of God.
Isn't that what He said I read to you a few minutes ago there
in Ephesians 1, verse 3? God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ who hath blessed us with how many blessings? All spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Rejoice! How about you this morning? What
are you rejoicing in? Huh? What are you rejoicing in? Can you rejoice in Him? Let me show you this and we'll
go home. Luke 10, verse 21. Our Lord told them these things. Told them that their names were
written in heaven. And He told them that being the
son of God and knowing all things. He knew everything that was attached
to that promise. He knew that the election of
God, he knew that the representative offices of Christ were attached
to that, that the death of Christ, the life of Christ, the resurrection
of Christ, the priesthood of Christ, the intercession of Christ,
all those things. He knew this fully. Unlike any of us will ever know
it, He knew it when He told them. And listen to what it says. Immediately
after telling them to rejoice that their names were written
in heaven, it says that in that hour, Jesus rejoiced. Huh? He rejoiced in His heart. He rejoiced in Spirit that is
in full understanding of what He just said. And then He raised
His head to heaven and He said, I thank Thee, O Father, Lord
of heaven and earth. that thou hast hid these things
from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes, even
so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." I tell you, if Christ can rejoice
in it, I ought to be able to. May God, the Holy Spirit, enable
you to do so for Christ's sake this morning.