The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Eighteen - I Mar 08, 2020 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T006_20200308.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Re 3:5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Today we will look at the Book of Life. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button Sunday March 8th 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 18I ‘I Know Your Works….’ 1). Re 3:1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, “These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead…….. 4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ We had seen last time how Christians during the course of this dispensation have chosen to follow 2 divergent paths. The path of unfaithfulness pictured through those Christians in Ephesus who left their first love, those in Smyrna who were not faithful until death, those in Pergamos who held the doctrine of Balaam and the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, those in Thyatira who held to the doctrine of Jezebel and those described as having a name that they were alive, but were in fact dead in Sardis. a). Then among the unfaithful within the Church are those who had continued to tread the path of faithfulness; those who didn’t leave their first love as the others in Ephesus had done, who were faithful until death in Smyrna; those who held fast to His name and didn’t deny His faith in Pergamos, who did not have the doctrine of Jezebel in Thyatira, who had not defiled their garments in Sardis. b). And these 2 diverging pathways the Lord had spoken about in Matthew’s Gospel – Mt 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 “Beware of false prophets, [the doctrine of Balaam, the Nicolaitans, Jezebel] who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Or to say this same thing a slightly different way – Lk 9:62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Lk 11:23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. 2 Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. To those who would continue on the pathway of faithfulness, those who will overcome the world, the flesh and the Devil, there is a threefold promise in the letter to Sardis – these faithful Christians will be clothed in white garments, their names will not be blotted out of the Book of Life and the Lord will confess their names before His Father and before His angels. c). And this threefold promise will be realized following the determinations made at the Judgment Seat. d). The promise of being clothed in white garments is easy for us to understand as we are very familiar with the wedding garment produced through the righteous acts of the saints. And the importance of this garment we can see by comparing these two Scriptures – Mt 22:12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.” And – Re 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. By comparing these 2 sets of companion verses we can easily determine that the wedding garment is indispensable for those who will rule with Christ in the Kingdom Age. e). And the white garments made up of the righteous acts of the saints, to be worn by those making up the Bride, are intimately connected with the content of the Book of Life. 2). Now, for the promise that the faithful Christian will not have their name blotted out of the Book of Life to have value, it follows that the unfaithful Christian must have their name blotted out of this Book. a). This particular Book, the Book of Life, has caused many problems over the years, especially as the same Book is also seen in connection with the judgment of the eternally lost in Revelation Chapter 20. b). And the problem arises from trying to see this Book in connection with possessing eternal life. c). However, if we just rely upon that which the Scriptures teach, this Book is not problematic at all. d). So, let’s start with what should be the obvious – Re 2:2 “I know your works…….. As we know this is a phrase used with regards to all 7 of the churches seen in the Revelation. And therefore, a statement made concerning all Christians which forms the basis for their judgment. What is being judged at the Judgment Seat then, are works, not the possession of eternal life. And the same is true for the eternally lost at the Great White Throne judgment at the conclusion of the Millennial Kingdom – Re 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The eternally lost face a judgment of works, not a judgment concerning their eternal destiny. The eternal standing of each individual cannot be brought into judgment in such a way. And this is exactly what the Scripture says - Jn 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned [judged]; but he who does not believe is condemned [judged] already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Judgment concerning every human being’s eternal standing has already taken place through the finished work of Christ on the cross. For those who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, judgment is past. It is finished and completed and can never change. And that individual can never be judged in relation to their eternal standing beyond the moment they believed. e). And the same is true for the one who has not believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. By the very fact that they have not believed, they are already judged. It is finished and complete and past and cannot change. And the unsaved person, at the Great White Throne, can never be judged in relation to their eternal standing beyond Christ’s finished work. f). And so, through that which Scripture teaches us we can know with absolute certainty that the Book of Life has nothing to do with eternal issues. And if we then turn to the last sentence in Revelation 20:12……. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. We can see quite clearly through this last sentence, what the Book of Life does contain. It contains a record of works, works produced over the course of each person’s life. g). For us then who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, it is a complete record of all our works, everything that we have done in the body, whether good or bad, during the course of our Christian life. 3). God seems to have a particular affinity with books, and he has a variety of them in which He keeps various records, including records of our earthly lives – Ps 56:8 You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? Ps 139:16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. Zec5:1 Then I turned and raised my eyes, and saw there a flying scroll. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.” 3 Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: ‘Every thief shall be expelled,’ according to this side of the scroll; and, ‘Every perjurer shall be expelled,’ according to that side of it.” Mal 3:16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name. Re 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” Re 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him [Antichrist], whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Now, when it comes to keeping a record of those who have eternal life, we need look no further than the ‘Book of Life of the Lamb’ or the Lamb’s Book of Life as it’s often referred to. This is a Book that contains a record of ‘life’ that is inextricably connected to the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. A connection that takes us to a record of those possessing eternal life based on the death and shed blood of the Lamb. But this Book, the Lamb’s Book of Life and the Book of Life should not be confused. They are 2 separate Books. a). So, if we go back to the Book of Life and the overcomers’ promise from the church in Sardis, we will realize that there are those Christians on the path of unfaithfulness who will not have works emanating from faith; whose works correspond to wood, hay, straw and will be burned up in judgment. Consequently, these Christians, pictured through the guest who does not have a wedding garment in Matthew Chapter 22, will be denied positions of authority and honor in the Millennial Kingdom. They will suffer the loss of their soul/life for the age to come – 1 Co 3:15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. And consequently, the names of these Christians will be ‘blotted out’ of the Book that will record and keep the names and works of those who have been found faithful. The individual’s name is removed from the Book of Life in relation to the Millennial Kingdom, but their name remains in the Lamb’s Book of Life in relation to the endless ages. b). At the present time then, as we sit here today, the name of every Christian, including our own, is recorded in the Book of Life and next to each name is a record of every work that the Christian produces. c). At the Judgment Seat the works recorded in the Book of Life will be tried by fire. Those whose works remain will receive a reward and those whose works are burned will suffer loss. And because those who suffer loss will have no works emanating from faith recorded, their name will be removed from the Book containing the names of those who will have life for the age to come. Beyond the events of the Judgment Seat then, the Book of Life, as it pertains to Christians, will contain only the names of those who will be crowned rulers in the age to come, those who have overcome the world, the flesh and the Devil; those who have fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith. d). Every Christian, faithful or otherwise, can never have their name removed from the Lamb’s Book of Life, but the Book that records those having life for the age to come is another matter entirely. e). And for the faithful Christian, who has been promised that their name will not be blotted out of the Book there is an added encouragement as in the original language this promise is presented as a double negative, making the promise say, ‘I most certainly will not blot out his name from the Book of Life’. 4). And in conjunction with the name that will most certainly not be blotted out of the Book, that same name, the name of the faithful Christian, the Lord will confess before His Father and before His angels. And this confession is something the Lord has spoken about in the Gospel accounts – Mt 10:32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Lk 12:8 “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. There is no mention here in either Matthew or Luke of an individual having his name blotted out or not blotted out from the Book of Life, but by comparing what we see here with what we see in Revelation Chapter 3, all comes together. a). The verses from Matthew are given in a context having to do with the saving or loss of the soul – Mt 10:27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. And the issue of the saving or loss of the soul in Matthew Chapter 10, as with Revelation 3:5, places us at the Judgment Seat and the decisions to be made there. b). And Paul wrote of the same thing to Timothy – 2 Ti 2:10 Therefore I endure [patiently endure] all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal [age lasting] glory. 11 This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. 12 If we endure [patiently endure], We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. V13 tells us very clearly that the Lord will not accept anyone who is unfaithful, whose works recorded in the Book of Life have been revealed to be apart from faith with respect to the written Word and apart from faith in following the example the Lord has set for us. To do anything else, other than deny such a Christian, the Lord would have to ‘deny Himself’, to deny His own character. c). And on the reverses side of this, the Lord will only accept those who have proven to be faithful, whose works recorded in the Book of Life will have emanated from faith. Righteous acts with respect to the written Word and righteous acts in line with the example given by the Living Word. Because, as with the unfaithful, for the Lord to do anything else would be to ‘deny Himself’, to deny His own character, which is impossible. d). And to confess the name of the faithful Christian before the Father and before His angels as seen in Revelation 3:5, when compared with the parallel Scriptures on this subject in Matthew 10, Luke 12 and 2 Timothy 2 must be seen in relation to the faithful Christian having done 2 things, having confessed the Lord’s name before men and having patiently endured. These are at the heart of the matter, and as such are actions comprising the works emanating from faith recorded in the Book of Life. The righteous acts that make the wedding garment. e). As we have seen, Christ either confessing or denying Christians at the Judgment Seat is based on the individual having overcome the world, the flesh and the Devil, or having been overcome by them. And the confession or denial cannot be separated from the purpose for the Judgment that precedes it, which is rulership in the age to come, the salvation of the soul and the redemption of the body. This is the fulfillment of God’s purpose, to which all inexorably moves. f). And in the same way, confessing Christ before men and patiently enduring during our earthly life in anticipation of the outcome of this judgment must also have rulership in the age to come the salvation of the soul and the redemption of the body as its end goal. This is its raison d’etre. 5). But let’s note that to confess Christ before men has nothing to do with making a public pronouncement of faith, as some of us may have done at the time of our eternal salvation, and it doesn’t have anything to do with telling someone about Jesus at the supermarket or the restaurant. a). Rather, we need to understand it this way - we have been called to be a ruler with Christ in His Kingdom and we have the life we are currently living for the purpose of accomplishing that calling, and our confession of Christ is to acknowledge openly and joyfully the certainty we have in that calling and our determination to accomplish it, witnessed through how we live our lives for all to see, day by day. Doing so will comprise our works of faithfulness, our righteous acts, that are recorded in the Book of Life. And we are to do this in conjunction with patient endurance - If we endure [patiently endure], We shall also reign with Him. The connection between patient endurance and rulership is obvious. And staying within the verses from 2 Timothy Chapter 2, the patient endurance we are to have, recorded in v12 must be seen as the same patient endurance that Paul spoke of with regards to himself in v10 of the same Chapter - Therefore I endure [patiently endure] all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal [age lasting] glory. That which will immediately leap out at us here is the reason why Paul patiently endured all ‘things’, he did it for the sake of other Christians that they might obtain the salvation that has to do with age-lasting glory, the salvation of the soul, the redemption of the body, so that they might rule with Christ in the age to come. And with this end in view he determined to let nothing stand in his way – Acts 20:22 And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And each of us need to conduct our lives and patiently endure all things in a comparable way to Paul, with the same end goal in view, that other Christians would receive the salvation of their souls, the redemption of their body. And we should let nothing stand in our way in bringing about this end. And let’s not perceive ‘the ministry’ Paul speaks of as the sole province of the Apostle, the pastor/teacher or the evangelist – Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, Heb 10:10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name [confessing His name before men], in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we will remember that the context for the ministry to the saints here in Hebrews Chapter 10 is the salvation of the soul. The ministry to the saints that we are to have is toward that same end and we should let nothing prevent us from accomplishing it – Col 4:17 And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” 1 Co 16:13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done with love. 15 I urge you, brethren—you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints Php 1:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Jn 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. With all this in mind, let’s end today by asking 2 challenging questions, ‘What is written next to our name in the Book of Life?’ And, ‘If that Book was opened today, what would happen to our name?’ More next time if the Lord is willing. The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Eighteen - I Mar 08, 2020 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T006_20200308.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Re 3:5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. Today we will look at the Book of Life. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button Sunday March 8th 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 18I ‘I Know Your Works….’ 1). Re 3:1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, “These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: ‘I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead…….. 4 You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. 5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ We had seen last time how Christians during the course of this dispensation have chosen to follow 2 divergent paths. The path of unfaithfulness pictured through those Christians in Ephesus who left their first love, those in Smyrna who were not faithful until death, those in Pergamos who held the doctrine of Balaam and the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, those in Thyatira who held to the doctrine of Jezebel and those described as having a name that they were alive, but were in fact dead in Sardis. a). Then among the unfaithful within the Church are those who had continued to tread the path of faithfulness; those who didn’t leave their first love as the others in Ephesus had done, who were faithful until death in Smyrna; those who held fast to His name and didn’t deny His faith in Pergamos, who did not have the doctrine of Jezebel in Thyatira, who had not defiled their garments in Sardis. b). And these 2 diverging pathways the Lord had spoken about in Matthew’s Gospel – Mt 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. 15 “Beware of false prophets, [the doctrine of Balaam, the Nicolaitans, Jezebel] who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Or to say this same thing a slightly different way – Lk 9:62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Lk 11:23 He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. 2 Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. To those who would continue on the pathway of faithfulness, those who will overcome the world, the flesh and the Devil, there is a threefold promise in the letter to Sardis – these faithful Christians will be clothed in white garments, their names will not be blotted out of the Book of Life and the Lord will confess their names before His Father and before His angels. c). And this threefold promise will be realized following the determinations made at the Judgment Seat. d). The promise of being clothed in white garments is easy for us to understand as we are very familiar with the wedding garment produced through the righteous acts of the saints. And the importance of this garment we can see by comparing these two Scriptures – Mt 22:12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 “For many are called, but few are chosen.” And – Re 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. By comparing these 2 sets of companion verses we can easily determine that the wedding garment is indispensable for those who will rule with Christ in the Kingdom Age. e). And the white garments made up of the righteous acts of the saints, to be worn by those making up the Bride, are intimately connected with the content of the Book of Life. 2). Now, for the promise that the faithful Christian will not have their name blotted out of the Book of Life to have value, it follows that the unfaithful Christian must have their name blotted out of this Book. a). This particular Book, the Book of Life, has caused many problems over the years, especially as the same Book is also seen in connection with the judgment of the eternally lost in Revelation Chapter 20. b). And the problem arises from trying to see this Book in connection with possessing eternal life. c). However, if we just rely upon that which the Scriptures teach, this Book is not problematic at all. d). So, let’s start with what should be the obvious – Re 2:2 “I know your works…….. As we know this is a phrase used with regards to all 7 of the churches seen in the Revelation. And therefore, a statement made concerning all Christians which forms the basis for their judgment. What is being judged at the Judgment Seat then, are works, not the possession of eternal life. And the same is true for the eternally lost at the Great White Throne judgment at the conclusion of the Millennial Kingdom – Re 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The eternally lost face a judgment of works, not a judgment concerning their eternal destiny. The eternal standing of each individual cannot be brought into judgment in such a way. And this is exactly what the Scripture says - Jn 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned [judged]; but he who does not believe is condemned [judged] already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Judgment concerning every human being’s eternal standing has already taken place through the finished work of Christ on the cross. For those who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, judgment is past. It is finished and completed and can never change. And that individual can never be judged in relation to their eternal standing beyond the moment they believed. e). And the same is true for the one who has not believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. By the very fact that they have not believed, they are already judged. It is finished and complete and past and cannot change. And the unsaved person, at the Great White Throne, can never be judged in relation to their eternal standing beyond Christ’s finished work. f). And so, through that which Scripture teaches us we can know with absolute certainty that the Book of Life has nothing to do with eternal issues. And if we then turn to the last sentence in Revelation 20:12……. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. We can see quite clearly through this last sentence, what the Book of Life does contain. It contains a record of works, works produced over the course of each person’s life. g). For us then who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, it is a complete record of all our works, everything that we have done in the body, whether good or bad, during the course of our Christian life. 3). God seems to have a particular affinity with books, and he has a variety of them in which He keeps various records, including records of our earthly lives – Ps 56:8 You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? Ps 139:16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. Zec5:1 Then I turned and raised my eyes, and saw there a flying scroll. 2 And he said to me, “What do you see?” So I answered, “I see a flying scroll. Its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.” 3 Then he said to me, “This is the curse that goes out over the face of the whole earth: ‘Every thief shall be expelled,’ according to this side of the scroll; and, ‘Every perjurer shall be expelled,’ according to that side of it.” Mal 3:16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name. Re 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” Re 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him [Antichrist], whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Now, when it comes to keeping a record of those who have eternal life, we need look no further than the ‘Book of Life of the Lamb’ or the Lamb’s Book of Life as it’s often referred to. This is a Book that contains a record of ‘life’ that is inextricably connected to the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. A connection that takes us to a record of those possessing eternal life based on the death and shed blood of the Lamb. But this Book, the Lamb’s Book of Life and the Book of Life should not be confused. They are 2 separate Books. a). So, if we go back to the Book of Life and the overcomers’ promise from the church in Sardis, we will realize that there are those Christians on the path of unfaithfulness who will not have works emanating from faith; whose works correspond to wood, hay, straw and will be burned up in judgment. Consequently, these Christians, pictured through the guest who does not have a wedding garment in Matthew Chapter 22, will be denied positions of authority and honor in the Millennial Kingdom. They will suffer the loss of their soul/life for the age to come – 1 Co 3:15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. And consequently, the names of these Christians will be ‘blotted out’ of the Book that will record and keep the names and works of those who have been found faithful. The individual’s name is removed from the Book of Life in relation to the Millennial Kingdom, but their name remains in the Lamb’s Book of Life in relation to the endless ages. b). At the present time then, as we sit here today, the name of every Christian, including our own, is recorded in the Book of Life and next to each name is a record of every work that the Christian produces. c). At the Judgment Seat the works recorded in the Book of Life will be tried by fire. Those whose works remain will receive a reward and those whose works are burned will suffer loss. And because those who suffer loss will have no works emanating from faith recorded, their name will be removed from the Book containing the names of those who will have life for the age to come. Beyond the events of the Judgment Seat then, the Book of Life, as it pertains to Christians, will contain only the names of those who will be crowned rulers in the age to come, those who have overcome the world, the flesh and the Devil; those who have fought the good fight, finished the race and kept the faith. d). Every Christian, faithful or otherwise, can never have their name removed from the Lamb’s Book of Life, but the Book that records those having life for the age to come is another matter entirely. e). And for the faithful Christian, who has been promised that their name will not be blotted out of the Book there is an added encouragement as in the original language this promise is presented as a double negative, making the promise say, ‘I most certainly will not blot out his name from the Book of Life’. 4). And in conjunction with the name that will most certainly not be blotted out of the Book, that same name, the name of the faithful Christian, the Lord will confess before His Father and before His angels. And this confession is something the Lord has spoken about in the Gospel accounts – Mt 10:32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. Lk 12:8 “Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. 9 But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. There is no mention here in either Matthew or Luke of an individual having his name blotted out or not blotted out from the Book of Life, but by comparing what we see here with what we see in Revelation Chapter 3, all comes together. a). The verses from Matthew are given in a context having to do with the saving or loss of the soul – Mt 10:27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. And the issue of the saving or loss of the soul in Matthew Chapter 10, as with Revelation 3:5, places us at the Judgment Seat and the decisions to be made there. b). And Paul wrote of the same thing to Timothy – 2 Ti 2:10 Therefore I endure [patiently endure] all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal [age lasting] glory. 11 This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. 12 If we endure [patiently endure], We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. V13 tells us very clearly that the Lord will not accept anyone who is unfaithful, whose works recorded in the Book of Life have been revealed to be apart from faith with respect to the written Word and apart from faith in following the example the Lord has set for us. To do anything else, other than deny such a Christian, the Lord would have to ‘deny Himself’, to deny His own character. c). And on the reverses side of this, the Lord will only accept those who have proven to be faithful, whose works recorded in the Book of Life will have emanated from faith. Righteous acts with respect to the written Word and righteous acts in line with the example given by the Living Word. Because, as with the unfaithful, for the Lord to do anything else would be to ‘deny Himself’, to deny His own character, which is impossible. d). And to confess the name of the faithful Christian before the Father and before His angels as seen in Revelation 3:5, when compared with the parallel Scriptures on this subject in Matthew 10, Luke 12 and 2 Timothy 2 must be seen in relation to the faithful Christian having done 2 things, having confessed the Lord’s name before men and having patiently endured. These are at the heart of the matter, and as such are actions comprising the works emanating from faith recorded in the Book of Life. The righteous acts that make the wedding garment. e). As we have seen, Christ either confessing or denying Christians at the Judgment Seat is based on the individual having overcome the world, the flesh and the Devil, or having been overcome by them. And the confession or denial cannot be separated from the purpose for the Judgment that precedes it, which is rulership in the age to come, the salvation of the soul and the redemption of the body. This is the fulfillment of God’s purpose, to which all inexorably moves. f). And in the same way, confessing Christ before men and patiently enduring during our earthly life in anticipation of the outcome of this judgment must also have rulership in the age to come the salvation of the soul and the redemption of the body as its end goal. This is its raison d’etre. 5). But let’s note that to confess Christ before men has nothing to do with making a public pronouncement of faith, as some of us may have done at the time of our eternal salvation, and it doesn’t have anything to do with telling someone about Jesus at the supermarket or the restaurant. a). Rather, we need to understand it this way - we have been called to be a ruler with Christ in His Kingdom and we have the life we are currently living for the purpose of accomplishing that calling, and our confession of Christ is to acknowledge openly and joyfully the certainty we have in that calling and our determination to accomplish it, witnessed through how we live our lives for all to see, day by day. Doing so will comprise our works of faithfulness, our righteous acts, that are recorded in the Book of Life. And we are to do this in conjunction with patient endurance - If we endure [patiently endure], We shall also reign with Him. The connection between patient endurance and rulership is obvious. And staying within the verses from 2 Timothy Chapter 2, the patient endurance we are to have, recorded in v12 must be seen as the same patient endurance that Paul spoke of with regards to himself in v10 of the same Chapter - Therefore I endure [patiently endure] all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal [age lasting] glory. That which will immediately leap out at us here is the reason why Paul patiently endured all ‘things’, he did it for the sake of other Christians that they might obtain the salvation that has to do with age-lasting glory, the salvation of the soul, the redemption of the body, so that they might rule with Christ in the age to come. And with this end in view he determined to let nothing stand in his way – Acts 20:22 And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And each of us need to conduct our lives and patiently endure all things in a comparable way to Paul, with the same end goal in view, that other Christians would receive the salvation of their souls, the redemption of their body. And we should let nothing stand in our way in bringing about this end. And let’s not perceive ‘the ministry’ Paul speaks of as the sole province of the Apostle, the pastor/teacher or the evangelist – Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, Heb 10:10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name [confessing His name before men], in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we will remember that the context for the ministry to the saints here in Hebrews Chapter 10 is the salvation of the soul. The ministry to the saints that we are to have is toward that same end and we should let nothing prevent us from accomplishing it – Col 4:17 And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” 1 Co 16:13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done with love. 15 I urge you, brethren—you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints Php 1:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Jn 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. With all this in mind, let’s end today by asking 2 challenging questions, ‘What is written next to our name in the Book of Life?’ And, ‘If that Book was opened today, what would happen to our name?’ More next time if the Lord is willing.