Rejoice, Your Name is Written in Heaven
Notes
Transcript
Handout
We live in difficult days. It seems that there is trouble on every hand and that the Lord’s people are suffering under unnecessary burdens.
Sometimes, it is easy to forget that Romans 8:28 means just what it says!
Sometimes, it is easy to get defeated, discouraged and dejected. Often, it is easy to lose one’s shout.
Why is that?
I think the reason we lose our shout in the midst of our trials is that we lose sight of the real reason for our joy in the first place.
Is it feeling good that brings joy into our lives? We all like to feel good, but it would appear, from the text, that feelings aren’t where it is at.
Is it circumstances that bring about rejoicing? From our text, it would appear not! Is it getting our way that brings joy? Again, from the text, I would say no!
What is the real root of joy then? According to Jesus, the real root of joy is not feelings, circumstances or getting our way that brings joy, rather, it is the simple, blessed assurance that we have been saved by grace that should produce “joy unspeakable and full of glory” in our hearts and lives.
Look at the Text:
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Behold, 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 in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
The Disciples had been out preaching and ministering in the name of the Lord. They had seen powerful things take place. Why, even demonic spirits were helpless against their power and were cast out by them. They are overjoyed by this and come to Jesus rejoicing in their great spiritual power. Jesus, however, shows them the true reason for rejoicing. He tells them that salvation is the best and greatest catalyst for joy in the life if the believer.
You know, I’m glad He said that! I have never cast out a demon, and I probably never will. Most, if not all of you are in the same boat. We haven’t, and aren’t likely to experience anything like that, and if it took something of that magnitude to give a reason to rejoice, then I suppose we would never be able to rejoice in the Name of the Lord. However, Jesus put rejoicing within the reach of every child of God!
The only item necessary for there to be rejoicing in your life is just the fact that your name is written in Heaven. If we could ever get a hold of that truth, we would tear this building down today! I am hear this morning to tell you that if you are saved, then you have reason for rejoicing. You have cause for shouting. You have all that is needed to praise the name of the Lord as long and as loud as you wish.
I want every born again person in this room to know that you can rejoice, that there is nothing stopping you. You can, you should, you must learn to praise the Lord Jesus and I want to tell you why. Allow me to give you three reasons Why You Can Rejoice.
Salvation
Salvation
Salvation is more than a “get out of Hell free card.” Salvation brings with it many wonderful gifts that the believer tends to forget about as he fights the battles of life. I would just like to refresh your memory, this morning, about what is yours through your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
If your name is written in Heaven, then you are saved and all the benefits of salvation are yours! Notice what some of them are.
New Relationship
New Relationship
A New Relationship—At the very instant of conversion, a new relationship is formed. The new born child of God instantly becomes a child of God—
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
God in Heaven becomes our Father and we enter into a special relationship with Him. I want to touch on 2 aspects of that relationship this morning.
Begins with Adoption
Begins with Adoption
When we are saved, we are adopted into the family of God. He takes us as His children with all the rights and privileges thereof.
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Adoption—The word “adoption” (huiothesia) means to place as a son. The picture of adoption is a beautiful picture of what God does for the Christian. In the ancient world the family was based on a Roman law called “patria potestas,” the father’s power.
The law gave the father absolute authority over his children so long as the father lived. He could work, enslave, sell, and if he wished, he could pronounce the death penalty. Regardless of the child’s adult age, the father held all power over personal and property rights.
Therefore, adoption was a serious matter. Yet, it was a common practice to ensure that a family would not become extinct by having no male children. And when a child was adopted, three legal steps were taken.
1. The adopted son was adopted permanently. He could not be adopted today and disinherited tomorrow. He became a son of the father—forever. He was eternally secure as a son.
2. The adopted son immediately had all the rights of a legitimate son in the new family.
3. The adopted son completely lost all rights in his old family. The adopted son was looked upon as a new person—so new that old debts and obligations connected with his former family were cancelled out and abolished as if they never existed.)
Bequeaths Access
Bequeaths Access
There Is An Access—As children, we have unlimited and unhindered access to the Father in Heaven,
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Therefore, we can take our burdens to Him and find help. We can take our problems to Him and find solutions. We can take our hurts to Him and find healing. Because we are the children of God, we can and should go to the Father and allow Him to minister to our needs.
New Renewal
New Renewal
A Renewal—When a person comes to Jesus for salvation, some things are made new. Sometimes are done away with and that is reason for rejoicing!
By Way of Cleansing
By Way of Cleansing
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Everything that was dirty, filthy and evil about us has been forever taken away! That alone, is a reason to praise His Name!
By Way of Changing
By Way of Changing
Not only does He take away the past, but He changes the future as well!
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Tells us in no uncertain terms that when a person becomes a child of God, they are changed! They are no longer what they used to be, but not they have been redeemed and they are free to live for the Lord.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Everything changes when you come to Jesus!
New Reward
New Reward
As hard as it may be to imagine, the Lord is going to reward His children, both now and when they get home.
According to
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Every child of God is an heir of God. That is, we literally share in ownership of everything that belongs to the Father.
How much is that?
The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein.
For every beast of the forest is mine, And the cattle upon a thousand hills.
Simply stated, it is enough for you and for me to enjoy the nest of the best! All that is my Father’s is mine! And, that is enough! In fact, we haven’t even begun to grasp all that is ours in Jesus Christ. A verse that is typically used to tell of the glories of Heaven is better applied to this life—
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
We can’t even imagine what the Lord can do in and for those who are His!
(Ill. He died for me, He called me, He saved me! He did it all! He placed me in His body. He gave me a place of service. He equipped me to serve. He gave me gifts that would enable me to do His will. He blessed. He worked. He controlled the harvest. Then, when this life is over, He will still reward me for the works I perform for Him, 1 Cor 3.
No wonder we will toss our crowns at His feet and praise His Name—Rev. 4!)
New Rescue
New Rescue
And 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 thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Tells of a time when those whose names are written in the book of life will be taken out of this world. We believers know that event by the name of the rapture,
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Because our names are written in Heaven, we will get to go and be with Jesus when He returns to receive His Bride. We will be taken alive to be with Him in Heaven and we will miss the Great Tribulation that is to come upon the earth. We will leave in an instant and spend eternity with our glorious Lord in His heavenly Home!
(Ill. If you took the truths and had no others, there would be enough to shout about forever! However, there are 2 more reasons that I would like to give that tell us Why You Can Rejoice.)
Security
Security
Not only are we saved and can shout about that, but we are saved forever! Notice the words “are written”. This verb is in the Perfect Passive Indicative. May not mean much to you, but this surely will. The literal sense of this verb is this, “your name is written and shall be written.” It means that it stands written. The Perfect Tense refers to an action completed in the past that has ongoing results into the future. The Passive Voice reminds us that the subject is being acted upon by another. The Indicative Mood is merely a statement of fact. If you put all of this together, you realize that at some point in the past, God put your name in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and that action carries on into the future. Simply stated, Jesus said this, “your names stand written in heaven.”
The Lord Jesus gave a promise along these lines in
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
He promises there that our names will not be blotted out of the book of life! I am grateful to the Lord that when you get in, you are in forever! There is no way for any child of God to lose his salvation! After all, we are not kept by what we do, but by the power of God,
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
If I can lose my salvation, then God isn’t great enough to keep me saved!
If it ever dawned on us that we have been saved by grace and are kept by that same grace, we would come unglued! I have no doubt that many Christians harbor a secret fear in the back of their minds that someday, some way, they just might lose their salvation and go to Hell. Nothing could be farther from the truth! If you are saved, you are saved forever and that is a reason to rejoice!
Satisfaction
Satisfaction
If being saved and being eternally secure isn’t enough to bring us to the point of praise, then perhaps the thought of Heaven will do it for us. Why? Because having your name written in the Book of Life spells the difference between Heaven and Hell,
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
If your name is in the book, then you are going to Heaven!
The word “written” means to “enroll as a citizen.” When you received Christ as your Savior, and your name was written in Heaven, you were enrolled as a citizen of that country—
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
As a result, Heaven and all that it is and contains is ours!
Just think of what that means! It means that Heaven is ours and that one day, we will enjoy all the glories of that Heavenly city! Let me remind you of some of them.
1. No tears—Rev. 21:4
2. No death—Rev. 21:4
3. No sorrow—Rev. 21:4
4. No pain—Rev. 21:4
5. No sin—Rev. 21:8
6. No sinners—Rev. 21:8
7. No Temple—Rev. 21:22
8. No sun—Rev. 21:23
9. No night—Rev. 21:25
10. No curse—Rev. 22:3
But that’s all negative! Look now at what will be there!
1. God with His people—Rev. 21:3
2. The Lamb with His people—Rev. 21:22–23; 22:4
3. Jasper walls—Rev. 21:11–12
4. Pearly Gates—Rev. 21:21
5. Golden Streets—Rev. 21:21
6. The redeemed—Rev. 21:24
7. The glory of God—Rev. 21:23
8. Home—John 14:1–3
There’s more that could be said about Heaven, but these things are sufficient to make me rejoice in the fact that they are mine and that I will partake of them some glorious day. What about you?
As we bring these thoughts to a close this morning, I hope you can see that we who are saved have many reasons for rejoicing. The question that comes to mind now is this, “Have we been giving the Lord the praise He deserves and is worthy of, or have we been guilty of holding back?”
Let’s decide that, if we are saved, we will act like we are saved and we will rejoice simply because we can! Isn’t the Lord good to give us do many reasons for praising His name? Let’s not take them for granted, but let’s give Him glory and honor this morning.