WEBVTT

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and we'll be reading out of the book of Luke

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chapter 10 and verse 20 and it's good to have

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friends here thank you for being here family

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so glad that my my in -laws are here with us

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today Nat and Becky Ochoa God bless them and

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thank you for coming and I know they wouldn't

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miss their granddaughter's baptism and all the

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other friends that are here God bless you I just

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feel in my spirit today that God has a word for

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you. And I'm going to read this one verse, not

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going to give you the context for it, just want

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to zero in here on the words of Christ. Nevertheless,

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do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are

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subject to you. First of all, how many of you

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are glad that the spirits are subject to you?

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I mean, every spirit. is subject to you i'm glad

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that that's a wonderful thing that the spirits

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the evil spirits are subject to you but rather

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rejoice because your names are written in heaven

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amen i'm going to preach today i'm i'm going

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to pitch a fastball today is that all right any

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baseball fans out there You know what a fastball

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is? You know, there's no curveballs, nothing,

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just right down the middle. As hard, as fast

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as we can. And not going to rush, but we're going

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to get right to the point today. And my simple

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message is the book of life. Let us pray. Father,

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I love you today, Lord. Thank you for your many

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blessings. All of our lives, you've been faithful,

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God. In the good times and in the bad, you've

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never left us. You've never forsaken us. And

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God, that we've come to this day, God, not only

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to lift up your name, to lift up holy hands,

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to bless you, God. Thank you for all that you've

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done for us this week. But also, God, to celebrate

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all that you are going to do, to be strengthened,

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to be encouraged, Lord. And I pray that the word

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of God would go forth today, would edify. Would

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fall on good ground, Lord. Anoint my lips of

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clay and put your word in my mouth, Lord. In

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the name of Jesus, we pray today. Someone say

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amen. Amen. You can be seated in the presence

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of God. I want to ask you a question. Have you

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ever tried to get into a party, a restaurant,

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or event, only to be stopped at the door? and

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be told, sorry, your name is not on the list.

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That ever happen to you? Some of you, when you

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were in the world, that might have been a bouncer

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at a club, but we won't go there right now. You

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can't get in. And whenever that happens, there

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is a little awkward moment right there, right?

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There is a little bit of embarrassment that happens.

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and we usually might respond and say something

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like, there must be some mistake, right? There

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must be a mistake. Check your list again. You

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ever done that before? Check your list again.

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Must be something wrong. Your list is wrong.

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I know for a fact that I was invited. I know

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for a fact. So there must be something wrong

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with your system, and if you're real persistent,

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I'm not moving out of line. Because I know that

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I was invited and we came all this way and we're

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going to be here and we're going to get into

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that party. And then that's maybe when the host

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might look at you and ask you that very simple

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question. Well, did you RSVP? Did you RSVP? And

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that's when, you know. Husbands, you might turn

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to your wife and say, well, did you RSVP? No,

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I thought you did. Well, who RSVP? I must have

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done it. And they look at you and say, well,

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if you didn't RSVP, sir, well, you might have

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been invited, but you're not going to get in

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because your name is not on the guest list. Somebody

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say amen. And if it's not on the guest list,

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it doesn't matter how dressed up you are, how

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many miles you may have. Driven because if it

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was a special occasion, a wedding, they only

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paid for so many plates. And if you're an RSVP,

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you're going to have to go to McDonald's somewhere.

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Drop your gift off and go somewhere else. Because

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you're not getting in. If it's a good host, now

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maybe if it's a bad host, they might let you

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slip in somewhere in the back. But if it's a

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good host that's doing their job, they're not

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going to let you in. They're going to have to

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put their foot down. If this has ever happened

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to you, or maybe you've been the host at one

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point, say, man, I hate to be the bad guy, but,

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you know, I can't let you in because if I let

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you in, you know, it's going to be on me. And

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so you were invited. That's true. But did you

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RSVP? And I want you to understand that the same

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principle applies to the kingdom of God. You

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know, God has a heavenly book. He's got a record.

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containing all the names of those who have been

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born again and redeemed by the blood of Jesus.

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And it's called the book of life or the Lamb's

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book of life. I want to read in Revelation chapter

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20 and verse 12. It says this, and I saw the

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dead, John writes, and I saw the dead, small

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and great, standing before God. The books were

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opened. Another book was opened. which is the

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book of life. And the dead were judged according

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to their works by the things that were written

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in the books. And verse 15, And anyone not found

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written in the book of life was cast into the

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lake of fire. I want you to understand something

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about this book. This book, the book of life,

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is... Just as important as the Bible itself.

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Just as important as the Bible. You see, the

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Bible is important. How many of you love the

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Bible? How many of you thank God for the Bible?

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The B -I -B -L -E. That's the book for me. I

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don't know if anybody heard that song, but we

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used to sing it as a kid growing up. I stand

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upon the word of God. The B -I -B -L -E. And

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then we would shout. Trust me, we would sing

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it. Amen. We love the Bible. Let me tell you

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about another book. Not just the Bible. It's

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the book of life. The Bible tells us how to be

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saved. But the book of life confirms if you are

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saved. I want you to think of heaven as a wedding.

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Because indeed, in a spiritual sense, it will

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be a marriage between the bride and Christ. And

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there will be a great supper of the Lamb that

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will be commenced in heaven. So think of heaven

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as a beautiful wedding between Christ and His

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church. The Bible is the invitation. And the

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book of life is the RSVP. Amen, somebody. It

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is the confirmed guest list. This Bible is the

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invitation. And the beautiful thing about this

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great banquet, this great marriage, this great

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union, supper in heaven, is that everyone is

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invited. Everyone is invited, but you must RSVP.

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You must reserve your seat. And how do we do

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this? By applying the gospel. of Jesus Christ

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through our life, through water, and Holy Ghost

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baptism. Otherwise, doesn't matter what you've

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done in this life, doesn't matter who you know,

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doesn't matter how far you traveled, all of those

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things are nice and wonderful, but you will not

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get in. I want to talk just for a few moments

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about this book of life, what it represents.

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What it means for us and how it ought to shape

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our daily life. The earliest reference of a heavenly

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record appears in the time of Moses where Moses

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intercedes on behalf of Israel and he prays this

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prayer in Exodus 32. This was after the incident

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of the golden calf. God was ready to wipe them

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out. Moses stood in the gap for Israel and began

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to pray. And he prays this very somber. Very

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critical prayer. He says, yet now, if you will

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forgive their sin, but if not, I pray, blot me

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out of your book which you have written. And

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here Moses in his prayer reveals divinely, I

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believe, this heavenly, eternal book that God

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has in heaven. And he was so concerned with the

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fate of Israel that he was willing to be removed.

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from this book on their behalf. But this prayer

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reveals some very important things. It reveals,

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first of all, that there is indeed a record of

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those who belong to God. God's a good record

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keeper. Amen. He's a good record keeper. He keeps

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records of a lot of things. He keeps records

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of our prayers. Somebody say amen for that. All

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of our prayers are being recorded in heaven.

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Even our tears, the Bible says, are recorded.

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That's right. Every tear you cry in this life,

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in prayer, in heartbreak, in pain, God's got

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a bottle that captures those tears. I don't know

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how he does it, but he records it. Amen, somebody.

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So God is an excellent, Record keeper. If he's

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ever going to be audited by the IRS or anybody

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else, his books are clean. And you can go all

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the way back to the beginning of time. He's got

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all the records in place. Amen. Nothing is going

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to slip through the cracks. So he's got a record

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of all the saved. And another thing this prayer

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tells us inadvertently is that names can be added

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and names can be... blotted out so there's a

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lot that we can unpack just from this one prayer

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there are other references throughout the bible

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this theme of a book of life of a heavenly record

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weaves its way through the psalms the prophets

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the gospels until it ultimately crystallizes

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in revelation on judgment day that there is a

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book of records and there are some serious and

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sobering conclusions about this book that ought

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to shape our daily walk with God. This whole

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series that we've been in on Countdown to Eternity,

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which began a few Sundays ago, if you missed

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out on a message, you can go back and listen,

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but it's all about understanding how this world,

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number one, is not our home and that there is

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something far beyond that God has prepared for

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us and that it's... about time, and it is important

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for us all to start living with heaven in mind

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and living with eternity in mind because Jesus

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is coming soon. He's coming back for his church.

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Somebody give God some praise for that. Amen.

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A few Sundays ago, I preached a very sobering,

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very hard, burdensome message about hell, but

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today we're focused. On a positive note, the

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fact that there is this book, first thing I want

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to tell you is that your name can be written

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in this book. If it's not written yet, and there

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are some here today sitting in this auditorium,

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sitting in this church, whose names have yet

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to be written in this book, I've got good news

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for you today. Hallelujah, somebody. I've got

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good news. Your name can be written in this book.

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You know, There are some very prestigious events

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that take place in the world, here in America

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even, where these events are so exclusive that

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to get your name on those lists would be virtually

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impossible. For instance, the Met Gala in New

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York City, one of the most glamorous occasions

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where only A -list celebrities Top designers,

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fashion icons are invited. Even billionaires

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and celebrities have to be personally approved.

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So you can't even buy your way into this affair.

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There are other such occasions that occur in

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government even. There is the White House State

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Dinner, which typically honors the visiting heads

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of state or royalty from other countries. And

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it's a very exclusive thing. You can't just sneak

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in the back door or show up uninvited. These

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are exclusive affairs. These are things that

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you've got to be approved and invited. You can't

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just show up and expect to get there. And it's

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impossible to get your name on the list from

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these places. And there's a lot of other type

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of exclusive events and occasions that take place

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and places even. You've got to reserve years

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in advance. And even then, it's not guaranteed.

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People do these things just to visit special

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places, exclusive places. But the good news I've

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got for you today is that the best place you

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would ever want to be, spend eternity in, the

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best place you would ever want to go to is not

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so exclusive that your name cannot be added to

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that list. Your name. can be added to heaven's

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guest list. Hallelujah. And I don't know if there's

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somebody here today that knows the joy, that

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knows the blessing of having your name written

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in that book of life. Hallelujah. You cannot

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earn your way on that list. Hallelujah. You can't

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wiggle your way there. You can't buy your way

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in. You can't sneak in the back door. But the

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good news is that Jesus came 2 ,000 years ago.

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He died on the cross. He shed his precious blood.

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blood, opening the door, paving the way so that

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you and I can enter in those pearly gates one

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day through that exclusive party. Otherwise,

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no, the marriage supper of the Lamb. Is there

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somebody today that can give God high praise

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and glory that your name can be and has been

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written in that book of life? Somebody shout

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hallelujah. Come on, shout hallelujah. What a

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blessing that is. Your name can be added when

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you repent of your sins and you are baptized

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in the precious name of Jesus Christ. Your name

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can be added. Two things happen when you are

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saved. First, heaven records it. Like I said,

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God's a good record keeper. Your name gets written

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in heaven. Secondly, not only does heaven record,

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But heaven rejoices. You know, it's not like

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when something gets recorded here in this life,

00:16:35.149 --> 00:16:37.350
you know, it's just like a very administrative

00:16:37.350 --> 00:16:40.929
thing. There's not much celebration. There's

00:16:40.929 --> 00:16:44.370
no fanfare, you know. It's just like, okay, your

00:16:44.370 --> 00:16:46.649
name gets recorded. You know, your bill gets

00:16:46.649 --> 00:16:51.090
logged, whatever it is. But when our names get

00:16:51.090 --> 00:16:53.509
added to the book of life, the Lamb's book of

00:16:53.509 --> 00:16:55.649
life in heaven, God doesn't just write down the

00:16:55.649 --> 00:17:02.860
name. No. All of heaven rejoices. There, oh hallelujah,

00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:07.740
Jesus said this, there will be more joy in heaven

00:17:07.740 --> 00:17:13.000
over one sinner who repents over the 99 just

00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:16.640
persons who need no repentance. I've come to

00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:19.720
tell you today that not only is our name recorded,

00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:24.859
but heaven throws a celestial party when one

00:17:24.859 --> 00:17:28.380
name, when one person repents. And this is why

00:17:28.380 --> 00:17:31.779
in this church and in every church, We ought

00:17:31.779 --> 00:17:35.299
to celebrate. We ought to rejoice. We ought to

00:17:35.299 --> 00:17:38.480
lift our voices and our hands and throw a big

00:17:38.480 --> 00:17:42.440
celebration over just one person that gives their

00:17:42.440 --> 00:17:46.380
life to Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! I thank God

00:17:46.380 --> 00:17:48.920
today that we're going to rejoice. Just a few

00:17:48.920 --> 00:17:51.740
weeks ago, we baptized our brother Kong here.

00:17:51.859 --> 00:17:54.940
And we threw a party for him. And we celebrated.

00:17:55.200 --> 00:17:57.539
Not too long ago, I'm seeing one of my first

00:17:57.539 --> 00:18:00.559
cousins here. My first cousin Abraham, just a

00:18:00.559 --> 00:18:03.880
few months ago, gave his life to Jesus. And all

00:18:03.880 --> 00:18:06.440
the family and everybody rejoiced. I've come

00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:09.220
to tell you today that not only is there rejoicing

00:18:09.220 --> 00:18:12.559
in heaven, there's rejoicing on earth. I wonder

00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:15.519
if there's somebody today. When was the last

00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:18.660
time you thanked God? When was the last time

00:18:18.660 --> 00:18:21.539
you rejoiced? When was the last time you gave

00:18:21.539 --> 00:18:24.920
God praise? Not for your new car. Not for your

00:18:24.920 --> 00:18:27.619
new house. Not for whatever it is that you're

00:18:27.619 --> 00:18:30.480
driving. But when was the last time you gave

00:18:30.480 --> 00:18:34.559
God praise? That your name was written in the

00:18:34.559 --> 00:18:38.380
book of life. Somebody ought to give God glory

00:18:38.380 --> 00:18:46.450
today. Hallelujah. Not to let the angels out

00:18:46.450 --> 00:18:50.250
praise me. If all the angels of heaven rejoice,

00:18:50.569 --> 00:18:53.769
they are creatures whose sins have never been

00:18:53.769 --> 00:18:56.250
washed by the blood of the Lamb. They don't even

00:18:56.250 --> 00:18:59.630
know what it's like to be going to hell and now

00:18:59.630 --> 00:19:02.690
going to heaven. But you and I here today, we

00:19:02.690 --> 00:19:06.430
ought to celebrate. Hallelujah. We thank God

00:19:06.430 --> 00:19:11.430
because we know. That's why the Bible says, let

00:19:11.430 --> 00:19:16.390
the redeemed. Say so. At the redeemed of the

00:19:16.390 --> 00:19:19.930
Lord. That's right. It is our job to praise God.

00:19:20.529 --> 00:19:23.509
We can't let the rocks cry out for us. We can't

00:19:23.509 --> 00:19:26.970
let the angels of heaven. Hallelujah. We can't

00:19:26.970 --> 00:19:31.549
let them out celebrate us. No. We have a reason.

00:19:31.650 --> 00:19:34.269
We got calls for celebration today. Praise be

00:19:34.269 --> 00:19:36.650
to God. Clap your hands and give God a hand of

00:19:36.650 --> 00:19:42.660
praise right now. Hallelujah. All right. I said

00:19:42.660 --> 00:19:45.000
this was going to be a fastball, so let's move

00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:48.960
on here. Number two is that your name must also

00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:52.579
be preserved in the book. See, on the one hand,

00:19:52.579 --> 00:19:54.660
your name can be added, but I've got good news

00:19:54.660 --> 00:19:57.579
for those, and I've got some news for those whose

00:19:57.579 --> 00:19:59.700
names have been added. You've got to make sure

00:19:59.700 --> 00:20:04.940
that your name is preserved in the book. Jesus,

00:20:05.019 --> 00:20:08.559
when speaking to one of the seven churches in

00:20:08.559 --> 00:20:12.519
Revelation, the church of Sardis, right? or says

00:20:12.519 --> 00:20:18.900
these words, Revelation 3, 5. He who overcomes,

00:20:18.900 --> 00:20:23.680
someone say overcomes, shall be clothed in white

00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:29.480
garments. And I will not, I will not blot out

00:20:29.480 --> 00:20:34.079
his name from the book of life. He's talking

00:20:34.079 --> 00:20:38.299
about those who overcome and at the end are dressed

00:20:38.299 --> 00:20:44.009
in white. which is a symbol of purity and holiness.

00:20:44.670 --> 00:20:49.509
He said, but I will confess his name. Whose name?

00:20:50.549 --> 00:20:55.710
His name or our names. I will confess his name

00:20:55.710 --> 00:21:01.089
before my father and before his angels. See,

00:21:01.150 --> 00:21:04.069
the church of Sardis had a reputation of being

00:21:04.069 --> 00:21:07.269
alive on the outside, but were spiritually dead.

00:21:09.099 --> 00:21:12.299
They knew what it was to play church. They knew

00:21:12.299 --> 00:21:14.079
what it was to go through the motions. They knew

00:21:14.079 --> 00:21:18.759
what it was to check all of the religious boxes.

00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:24.099
They needed to, but on the inside, they had some

00:21:24.099 --> 00:21:28.079
issues. On the inside, they were far from God.

00:21:28.299 --> 00:21:32.000
They started on the right track, but they lost

00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:35.880
their faith and risked, according to this warning,

00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:39.769
having their names. blotted out from the book

00:21:39.769 --> 00:21:44.170
of life. The book of life, my friend, today,

00:21:44.450 --> 00:21:49.069
saint especially, is not for those who merely

00:21:49.069 --> 00:21:53.750
start the race, but those who finish the race.

00:21:54.730 --> 00:21:57.329
Amen, somebody. I might lose some of you now.

00:21:57.410 --> 00:22:01.869
Praise be to God. Jesus said, he that endures

00:22:01.869 --> 00:22:09.759
unto the end shall be saved. It's not just how

00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:12.859
you start. It's how you finish. Elsewhere, the

00:22:12.859 --> 00:22:17.140
Lord said this. Revelation 3, 11. He said, Behold,

00:22:17.180 --> 00:22:24.960
I am coming quickly. Hallelujah. I'm coming quickly.

00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:28.180
I'm going to preach in the next couple of weeks

00:22:28.180 --> 00:22:31.299
on that very statement. I'm coming quickly about

00:22:31.299 --> 00:22:34.839
the coming of the Lord. The rapture of... the

00:22:34.839 --> 00:22:37.180
catching away of the church. He said, behold,

00:22:37.420 --> 00:22:40.019
I'm coming quickly. Hold fast what you have,

00:22:40.160 --> 00:22:43.980
watch this, that no one may take your crown.

00:22:44.980 --> 00:22:49.059
Jesus is saying to the church, not then, but

00:22:49.059 --> 00:22:52.839
to us today as well, hold fast to your crown,

00:22:53.019 --> 00:22:57.759
overcome with white garments. Why? Because the

00:22:57.759 --> 00:23:01.440
enemy wants to rob you of your eternal inheritance.

00:23:02.589 --> 00:23:05.150
We need to understand something, church, each

00:23:05.150 --> 00:23:09.509
and every one of us today. We, you, can lose

00:23:09.509 --> 00:23:14.869
your crown. Make sure that no one or no thing

00:23:14.869 --> 00:23:18.920
takes your crown, your crown of life. Your crown

00:23:18.920 --> 00:23:22.759
of reward. The crown that crowns us when we get

00:23:22.759 --> 00:23:26.339
to heaven one day. Make sure that nothing in

00:23:26.339 --> 00:23:30.119
this life rob you from that crown. Hallelujah.

00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:32.700
I don't know about you, but I want to make it

00:23:32.700 --> 00:23:36.299
to that city. Hallelujah. I want to receive my

00:23:36.299 --> 00:23:39.900
crown of righteousness. My crown of salvation.

00:23:40.140 --> 00:23:43.980
Hallelujah. But if I'm not careful, and if we're

00:23:43.980 --> 00:23:47.859
not careful, we can lose out. Our salvation.

00:23:48.839 --> 00:23:54.039
You can lose your salvation. You see, we need

00:23:54.039 --> 00:23:55.920
to correct some faulty thinking. The Bible does

00:23:55.920 --> 00:24:01.359
not teach this idea of eternal security. Otherwise

00:24:01.359 --> 00:24:08.900
known as once saved, always saved. Somebody invented

00:24:08.900 --> 00:24:12.960
that. Maybe to make themselves feel good. Huh?

00:24:13.180 --> 00:24:16.700
It just came up. That's a man -made doctrine.

00:24:17.099 --> 00:24:18.799
Just give me five more minutes. That's a man

00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:21.680
-made doctrine. Once saved, always saved. And

00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:27.559
there are many, many Christian denominations,

00:24:27.559 --> 00:24:31.019
groups that espouse to that idea. But you won't

00:24:31.019 --> 00:24:35.700
find that idea in the scriptures. You will find

00:24:35.700 --> 00:24:38.279
the idea, not of eternal security, but of eternal

00:24:38.279 --> 00:24:41.579
assurance. So we have a blessed assurance. We

00:24:41.579 --> 00:24:45.220
have a guarantee that Christ is preparing a place

00:24:45.220 --> 00:24:51.140
for us. But Scripture is filled with admonition,

00:24:51.180 --> 00:24:55.599
with instruction, and even with warning that

00:24:55.599 --> 00:24:59.119
it is up to us not to save ourselves. We're not

00:24:59.119 --> 00:25:01.799
teaching a works -based salvation. You understand

00:25:01.799 --> 00:25:04.039
what I'm saying today? Where you earn your way

00:25:04.039 --> 00:25:07.440
to God. No, you don't get good to get God. You

00:25:07.440 --> 00:25:11.559
get God to get good. Somebody say amen. But what

00:25:11.559 --> 00:25:14.200
we are saying and what Scripture is saying is

00:25:14.200 --> 00:25:17.599
that you have to work out. Your own salvation

00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:22.119
with fear and trembling. Hallelujah. If you're

00:25:22.119 --> 00:25:26.119
saved, then you have to stay saved. You cannot

00:25:26.119 --> 00:25:29.140
go back to the world. You cannot be like a dog,

00:25:29.259 --> 00:25:32.279
like Jesus taught. who returns to its vomit,

00:25:32.380 --> 00:25:35.480
or going back to where you came from. You can't

00:25:35.480 --> 00:25:37.920
go back to the world, back to a life of sin.

00:25:38.119 --> 00:25:41.079
You can't continue in sin. That grace may abound.

00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:44.519
You can't live however you want and expect to

00:25:44.519 --> 00:25:47.799
see Jesus one day. That is not what Scripture

00:25:47.799 --> 00:25:50.740
teaches us. You have gained salvation through

00:25:50.740 --> 00:25:53.779
Christ, but you could also lose your salvation.

00:25:54.119 --> 00:25:56.640
And there are some today that are walking a very

00:25:56.640 --> 00:25:59.380
thin line. Some today that are on the edge or

00:25:59.380 --> 00:26:01.799
walking dead. They're living dangerously spiritually

00:26:01.799 --> 00:26:05.680
because they are looking at it from the wrong

00:26:05.680 --> 00:26:08.940
perspective. They are looking at it from how

00:26:08.940 --> 00:26:12.440
much can I do in this life and still make it

00:26:12.440 --> 00:26:15.490
to heaven. Hallelujah. Come on, somebody. How

00:26:15.490 --> 00:26:19.170
much can I get away with? How far can I push

00:26:19.170 --> 00:26:22.470
the envelope? How much can I sin? And how far

00:26:22.470 --> 00:26:25.849
can I take this? If that's how you think, you've

00:26:25.849 --> 00:26:28.869
got it all backwards. What you ought to be saying

00:26:28.869 --> 00:26:33.190
is, how much can I give to the Lord? How closer

00:26:33.190 --> 00:26:36.829
can I get to his kingdom? How much can I give

00:26:36.829 --> 00:26:40.519
up in order to serve him? Hallelujah. want to

00:26:40.519 --> 00:26:42.700
just barely make it. Come on, am I talking to

00:26:42.700 --> 00:26:45.539
somebody? Oh, I want to make it all the way.

00:26:49.640 --> 00:26:52.220
I hate to break it to you, but God's not going

00:26:52.220 --> 00:26:56.880
to grade on the curve. You know, if your neighbor's

00:26:56.880 --> 00:27:00.119
got an A and you got an F, God's not going to

00:27:00.119 --> 00:27:04.559
just, you know, equalize things. Salvation is

00:27:04.559 --> 00:27:07.339
a personal thing. The Bible says this in Hebrews

00:27:07.339 --> 00:27:13.230
12 and verse 14. Follow peace with all men and

00:27:13.230 --> 00:27:20.329
holiness, without which no man shall see the

00:27:20.329 --> 00:27:25.309
Lord. Church, this is not written to the lost.

00:27:25.450 --> 00:27:27.329
This is not written to sinners, so to speak.

00:27:27.890 --> 00:27:31.710
This is written to believers. This is written

00:27:31.710 --> 00:27:35.950
to the church. Follow peace. I'm going to say

00:27:35.950 --> 00:27:41.829
peace and holiness. Somebody say holiness. You

00:27:41.829 --> 00:27:46.029
see, once we are saved, we have to make sure

00:27:46.029 --> 00:27:51.509
we stay saved. How? By remaining in peace with

00:27:51.509 --> 00:27:57.569
men and in peace with God. We have to maintain

00:27:57.569 --> 00:28:04.069
our testimony. It's not complicated. We like

00:28:04.069 --> 00:28:06.509
to complicate things, but this is not complicated.

00:28:07.369 --> 00:28:10.990
The Bible makes it plain. Follow peace with all

00:28:10.990 --> 00:28:14.150
men and holiness. Because if you don't, guess

00:28:14.150 --> 00:28:17.710
what? You can lose your salvation. Your name

00:28:17.710 --> 00:28:21.890
can be blotted out from that book of life. You

00:28:21.890 --> 00:28:24.049
won't see the Lord if you don't follow peace.

00:28:24.230 --> 00:28:27.690
That's why we preach. That's why we preach peace,

00:28:27.990 --> 00:28:31.390
amen, with one another and living a holy life.

00:28:31.650 --> 00:28:35.230
So today, as I prepare to close, come on up,

00:28:35.269 --> 00:28:38.160
sister. As I prepare to close. If you need to

00:28:38.160 --> 00:28:43.059
forgive, then you better forgive. Because I don't

00:28:43.059 --> 00:28:47.759
want to let unforgiveness have my name be blotted

00:28:47.759 --> 00:28:55.500
out from the book of life. If you need to clean

00:28:55.500 --> 00:29:00.160
up your heart, clean it up. God's giving you

00:29:00.160 --> 00:29:04.299
an opportunity to get right with him, to purify.

00:29:04.779 --> 00:29:07.640
To say, create in me a clean heart, oh God. And

00:29:07.640 --> 00:29:12.799
renew a right spirit within me. If you need to

00:29:12.799 --> 00:29:16.180
get right with him, then do it. Don't lose your

00:29:16.180 --> 00:29:20.279
salvation over an unforgiving heart. Amen. Some

00:29:20.279 --> 00:29:23.700
will say it's not worth it. Can I tell you something?

00:29:24.559 --> 00:29:27.539
Nobody in this life is worth. I don't care what

00:29:27.539 --> 00:29:31.359
they do to me. I don't care how many tires they

00:29:31.359 --> 00:29:34.339
flat of mine. I don't care how many dirty looks.

00:29:34.460 --> 00:29:38.619
I don't care. Nobody, I'm going to say it again,

00:29:38.779 --> 00:29:43.799
nobody in this world is worth losing my salvation

00:29:43.799 --> 00:29:51.500
over. If you can't be best friends with them,

00:29:51.559 --> 00:29:57.480
honey, love them from a distance. But forgive

00:29:57.480 --> 00:30:04.710
and let go. My God. Have you got that secret

00:30:04.710 --> 00:30:09.410
sin in your life? No. Conviction is setting in

00:30:09.410 --> 00:30:11.890
right now. Someone needs to give that to God.

00:30:13.089 --> 00:30:16.069
1 John 1, 9, if we confess our sins, God is faithful

00:30:16.069 --> 00:30:19.809
and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us

00:30:19.809 --> 00:30:25.990
from all unrighteousness. The question is today,

00:30:26.230 --> 00:30:29.009
not do you know his name? We know his name. How

00:30:29.009 --> 00:30:32.609
many of you know his name today? What's his name?

00:30:33.450 --> 00:30:36.670
Come on, shout it. What's his name? Hallelujah.

00:30:36.890 --> 00:30:40.210
Come on, one more time. What's his name? I'm

00:30:40.210 --> 00:30:42.809
so glad I know his name today. There's no other

00:30:42.809 --> 00:30:47.730
name but the name of Jesus. That's the name that

00:30:47.730 --> 00:30:53.269
we're going to invoke in baptism today, the name

00:30:53.269 --> 00:30:55.670
of Jesus. The question, though, today is not

00:30:55.670 --> 00:31:00.029
whether you know the name of God, but the question

00:31:00.029 --> 00:31:05.799
is, will he know your name? Because there's many

00:31:05.799 --> 00:31:08.440
people right now that claim to know His name.

00:31:10.019 --> 00:31:13.359
Claim to know the name of God. Have the revelation

00:31:13.359 --> 00:31:18.140
of who He is. By believing the right things and

00:31:18.140 --> 00:31:20.660
attending the right church and dressing the right

00:31:20.660 --> 00:31:23.119
way and doing all those kinds of things. And

00:31:23.119 --> 00:31:25.319
those things can be great and wonderful. But

00:31:25.319 --> 00:31:30.299
the question is, does He know your name? Because

00:31:30.299 --> 00:31:34.579
your destiny eternally Will not be determined

00:31:34.579 --> 00:31:37.799
by whether you know his name. But by whether

00:31:37.799 --> 00:31:42.720
he knows your name. When we stand before God

00:31:42.720 --> 00:31:46.480
one day in judgment. He's going to separate the

00:31:46.480 --> 00:31:49.240
wheat from the tare. He's going to separate,

00:31:49.440 --> 00:31:54.059
I say, the ain'ts from the saints. He's going

00:31:54.059 --> 00:31:58.259
to separate the sinners from the winners. Hallelujah.

00:31:59.660 --> 00:32:02.799
He's going to separate them. And there's going

00:32:02.799 --> 00:32:05.079
to be many people on that day that are going

00:32:05.079 --> 00:32:09.720
to be shocked to realize that God doesn't know

00:32:09.720 --> 00:32:14.660
them. Jesus said these sobering words, the gospel

00:32:14.660 --> 00:32:17.079
according to Matthew chapter 7 and verse 21.

00:32:18.079 --> 00:32:21.160
He said, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord,

00:32:21.440 --> 00:32:25.220
God, if this verse doesn't shake you to your

00:32:25.220 --> 00:32:28.720
core, I don't know what will, shall enter the

00:32:28.720 --> 00:32:33.079
kingdom of heaven. But he who does the will of

00:32:33.079 --> 00:32:38.200
my Father in heaven, many will say to me in that

00:32:38.200 --> 00:32:43.440
day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your

00:32:43.440 --> 00:32:46.460
name? In other words, didn't we preach about

00:32:46.460 --> 00:32:52.420
you? Didn't we prophesy in your name? Oh, weren't

00:32:52.420 --> 00:32:56.859
we used so mightily? Cast out demons in your

00:32:56.859 --> 00:33:00.490
name? Oh, they were subject to us, God. We saw

00:33:00.490 --> 00:33:04.069
your power in our life and done many wonders.

00:33:04.269 --> 00:33:07.109
Didn't we see miracles? Didn't we see blessings?

00:33:07.230 --> 00:33:10.529
Didn't we have awesome services? Didn't we have

00:33:10.529 --> 00:33:14.009
great revivals? Didn't we have great crusades

00:33:14.009 --> 00:33:17.349
and miracles? And all of these things. And then

00:33:17.349 --> 00:33:22.069
I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart

00:33:22.069 --> 00:33:28.339
from me, you who practice lawlessness. Would

00:33:28.339 --> 00:33:31.640
you stand with me this afternoon in reverence

00:33:31.640 --> 00:33:34.740
to God, in reverence to His Spirit today? Hallelujah.

00:33:37.220 --> 00:33:45.380
When God opens up that book and He begins to

00:33:45.380 --> 00:33:51.700
look for names, is He going to see yours? Will

00:33:51.700 --> 00:33:55.339
it have never been added? Or will it have been

00:33:55.339 --> 00:33:58.990
blotted out? You know what he's not going to

00:33:58.990 --> 00:34:01.930
do? He's not going to check how many services

00:34:01.930 --> 00:34:07.089
you attended. That's a man thing. We keep track

00:34:07.089 --> 00:34:11.369
of those things. But he's not going to keep track

00:34:11.369 --> 00:34:14.650
of how many services you attended. He's not going

00:34:14.650 --> 00:34:16.429
to ask you how many sermons did you listen to.

00:34:19.210 --> 00:34:21.570
He's not going to ask you how many songs did

00:34:21.570 --> 00:34:26.769
you sing. He's not even going to ask you how

00:34:26.769 --> 00:34:29.909
many. How many great things did you do in my

00:34:29.909 --> 00:34:34.750
name? Huh? Oh, no. He's not going to ask that,

00:34:34.789 --> 00:34:38.090
you know, how wonderfully you were used. What

00:34:38.090 --> 00:34:44.230
he's going to ask is, did you do my will? Because

00:34:44.230 --> 00:34:50.349
if you've done the will of the Father, no child

00:34:50.349 --> 00:34:53.769
can receive the inheritance unless his name,

00:34:53.889 --> 00:34:58.260
his or her name is written. In the will. And

00:34:58.260 --> 00:35:00.719
if you want to receive your heavenly reward.

00:35:01.099 --> 00:35:03.760
Then you got to make sure your name is written

00:35:03.760 --> 00:35:08.360
in his will. I've done the will of God today.

00:35:08.579 --> 00:35:11.380
And if your name is written in the will. Hallelujah.

00:35:11.900 --> 00:35:15.320
If your name is written in that book. Then you

00:35:15.320 --> 00:35:18.920
will hear those wonderful words from the Lord.

00:35:19.119 --> 00:35:26.239
Well done. My God. Well done. My good. Faithful

00:35:26.239 --> 00:35:31.260
servant, enter into the joy of the Lord. I don't

00:35:31.260 --> 00:35:33.420
know if there's somebody here today that wants

00:35:33.420 --> 00:35:36.780
to hear those words. Come on, somebody ought

00:35:36.780 --> 00:35:39.059
to lift up your voice today. Is there somebody

00:35:39.059 --> 00:35:42.480
today that wants to hear those words? Ah, I got

00:35:42.480 --> 00:35:48.380
reason to celebrate today. I said I got reason

00:35:48.380 --> 00:35:52.079
to celebrate today. We were singing, hell lost

00:35:52.079 --> 00:35:56.409
another one. Yes, it did. My name. and your name

00:35:56.409 --> 00:35:57.750
can be written in the