Month: June 2023

THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE NO. 3

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By

Shelby G. Floyd

You ask how can I know that my name is recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 21:27)? How did you have your name recorded in the book of the physically living? You were born into your family and your name was recorded in your family’s book of the living. And so it seems to me that likewise if we want our name in God’s Book of Remembrance or the Lamb’s Book of Life, then we must be born again into the Family of God.

And that is exactly what Jesus declared unto Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3-5, NKJV).

Faith and Baptism

And He then explained how “the new birth” takes place. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 5:6-8, NKJV). The wind is a material substance, but it is invisible, and you cannot see it. We can see the effects of it, but we cannot see it. The Holy Spirit is invisible, but works through the power of the Word of God. And when a person obeys God’s Word, we see the effects or the results of the Holy Spirit working through the gospel.

So Jesus said we must be “born again!” I believe that is how we get our names in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Nicodemus asked how can I be born again? Jesus said you can be born again of “water and the Spirit.” The Spirit begets faith in our heart through the word of God. And then we are delivered forth from the water of baptism into the family of God (1 Peter 1:22-23). And Jesus records the names of all his children in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Rejoice Because Your Names Are Written in Heaven

In the book of Luke we have the record of Jesus sending out his disciples to preach the gospel and to confirm their message with all kinds of miracles. When they returned they were full of joy because the demons were subject unto them. But Jesus said, “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20, NIV). So, for the same reason we should rejoice because our names are written in heaven in the book of life.

Work Together With the Gladness of Heart

Jesus taught that God’s people should rejoice every day of our life. We should be people with gladness of heart because of the grace of God and the love of Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The key word in the book of Philippians is rejoice, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4, NKJV)! Over and over again Paul says to that church “rejoice,” and be glad. God is on our side and because we are on his side we should always be full of gladness.

A Prison Letter

Paul was in prison when he wrote a letter to the church at Philippi. And he had a joyful spirit even while he was in prison for the name of Christ. In this letter Paul pleaded with two ladies to get along and work together in the Lord. “I plead with Euodia, and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice” (Philippians 4:2-4).

Christians Can Have Disagreements

We do not know what their disagreement was about. We do not know if it was over a doctrinal matter or a personal matter. These two women had contended by the side of Paul in the cause of Christ and the gospel. Paul pleaded with these two women to work together with other fellow workers such as Clement.

It is hard to have a spirit of joy and gladness when there is dissension and division. Therefore, the motive to get along and work together in unity is to rejoice because our names are in the book of life. If we remember this, then we will always work out any differences with love for each other.

Going Through a Struggle

When we reach a certain point in the Christian life and we are going through some struggle, we should never give up ground and go backwards. Therefore, let us all admit our mistakes, forgive and love one another because our names are written in the book of life and heaven is our goal. Let us take Paul’s advice and when a spirit of brotherly love permeates the congregation, outsiders will want what we have and will want to be a part of God’s family.

The Church of the Firstborn

And the Hebrews writer speaks of the church of the firstborn: “…to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect…” (Hebrews 12:23, NIV). Actually, in the original it is “the church of the firstborn ones.” It is in the plural and therefore refers to all of God’s people who make up the church—the called-out assembly. And all of these people have their names enrolled in heaven in the book of life. Their names are written in heaven because they are justified and made whole by the blood of the Lamb.

God Made Us Perfect

We become the church of the firstborn ones when we are born again of water and the spirit (John. 3:1-5). God made us perfect. We did not make ourselves perfect. God made us perfect through Christ. Please observe that the church of the first-born ones has come to God, the judge of all men.

Copyright © 2023 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved



Shelby G. Floyd, Minister, Heartland Church of Christ, 1693 West Main Street, Greenwood, Indiana.

shelby@thefloyds.net

THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE NO. 2

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By

Shelby G. Floyd

 

7

 

 

At the last day the names recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life will enter the Heavenly City!

“And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life” (Revelation 21:26-27 NKJV).

NAMES NOT RECORDED IN THE BOOK OF LIFE

We note that some names will not be recorded in “the Book of Life of the Lamb,”

“All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).

This is because they worshipped the Beast of the Sea and the Beast of the Earth instead of the God of heaven and earth! (Revelation 13:1; 11). Why would any sane person go to meet God with their name not recorded in “the Book of Life of the Lamb” (Revelation 13:8)?

Some Names Blotted Out

Some names recorded in the Book will be “blotted out!” Your name recorded in the Book of Life, can be blotted out. This should wake us up, for we do not want our names blotted out of the Book of Life.

Some names were blotted out of God’s Old Testament book of remembrance (Exodus 17:14; Psalms 9:5). Some names of the dead church at Sardis were blotted out (erased) of the Book of Life: “The one who overcomes will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels” (Revelation 3:5 NASB).

Moses and the Children of Israel

Remember the story when Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the law. He was gone for quite some time and then he came down from the mountain with the tablets in his hand. Moses exploded because the people created a golden calf to worship! And they committed immorality (Exodus 32:6; 1 Corinthians 10:7). It is on this occasion that Moses said to the children of Israel that God would blot out of his book those that had sinned against him:

Exodus 32: 30-33
The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
So Moses went back to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”
The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.”
NIV

Moses loved the children of Israel and asked God to forgive them. But God said I will blot out of my book those who have sinned against me. God did not blot out the name of Moses because he had not sinned against him.

The Wicked Not Listed With the Righteous

Time went on and King David in his Psalms asked God to blot out of the book of the living the wicked in order that their names might not appear along with the righteous. “May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous” (Psalms 69:28 NIV). David was a man after God’s own heart. He committed great sin, but he was always repentant. And he usually went to God and asked for forgiveness. Most of the time he went before God to find out what he should do before he decided about a matter.

The wicked will not dwell in the congregation of the righteous in the eternal assembly. It is good that we will not be thrown in with the wicked! God is not going to keep the names of the wicked and the righteous together. He will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-32).

False Prophets Not Listed in the Records

When we survey the Old Testament history, we find there were false prophets. There were also the true prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel. Ezekiel declared in his prophecy that certain false prophets would not be in the writing of the house of Israel: “My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD” (Ezekiel 13:9).

The Faithful Receive A Crown of Life

But we can have assurance of our salvation and eternal destiny. In the New Testament our Lord promised that if we will be faithful even to the point of death, he will give us a crown of life:

“Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

Therefore, whether our name is in or blotted out of The Book of Life depends upon each one of us. We are made in the image of God. And we have free will of choice. It is up to us to make the right choice. We are glad that God write things down accurately.

GOD WRITES THINGS DOWN

Somehow, we like people to write things down. A Doctor after showing me my vitals on a computer said, “It is still alright to write things down!” When we incur a debt, and we are asked to pay for it, we want written proof that we owe such along with the interest. It is permanent and there is less risk of mistakes. Therefore, we are encouraged when we read the Bible that God keeps a written record of his relationship with his creation.

The Songs of Slavery

It is interesting that many poets and songwriters noticed that God writes things down. In America during the days of slavery, the book of Revelation was a favorite book of the slaves. They would create poems and songs they would sing. While they were working in the fields they would sing their spiritual songs with much emotion. One song they would sing had these words:

My Lord sees all you do,
And my Lord hears all you say,
And my Lord keeps a-writin’ all the time.

God writes things down. He writes down what he sees and what he hears. Almighty God is aware of those mistreated and of those who mistreated them. It is all written down in his book of remembrance.

The Prophet Malachi

The prophet Malachi wrote in the last book of the Old Testament that God writes things down concerning those who fear him and honor his name:

“Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. “They will be mine,” says the LORD Almighty, “in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him” (Malachi 3:16-17, NIV).

Malachi declares that God writes down the names of those who fear and honor his name in the scroll of remembrance. Those names represent his treasured possession at the last day. Therefore, God writes down his treasured possession is his people.

Omar Khayyam

The poet Omar Khayyam wrote these meaningful words about the fact that God always keeps a perfect record, and he writes this record down in his book of remembrance:

The moving finger writes,
And having writ moves on,
Nor all your piety and wit,
Can lure it back,
To cancel half a line.

God can cancel a line. Man cannot cancel a line except by changing our life to please the Lord! God writes things down and there will be no mistakes. The record will be clear and accurate. God’s memory is perfect! God writes things down in his book of remembrance to reassure us that his record is just, righteous and loving to those who fear his name. Above all, make sure your name is recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life!

Copyright © 2023 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved

 

Shelby G. Floyd, minister of the heartland Church of Christ, 1693 West Main Street, Greenwood, Indiana 46142

THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE NO. 1

Published on by sgf1964Leave a comment

By

Shelby G. Floyd

The Book of Life

Is your name in the Book of Life? You might say, “What book are you talking about?” Well, Face Book, of course! A lot of us are on Face Book. It is a social network, and it is interesting. It is a good way to communicate with our friends and family, especially if they are separated by some distance. My first cousin says that Face Book is like the old-time telephone party line, where everyone could listen in to someone’s conversation and find out the latest gossip. Face Book is one book we can have our name in. But that is not the book that we speak of today. We ask is your name in the “Lamb’s Book of Life?”

The Book of Physical Life

Recently, I got out my original birth certificate. It is a fancy birth certificate, listing the day of my birth at St. Francis Hospital in Beech Grove, Indiana. On the back side of it, my footprints and my thumbprints are imprinted. It said my hair was red, how much I weighed at birth, and who my father and mother were. Some of you can remember when my hair was brown and now it is white with age—red, brown and white!

I read in my daily Bible readings this week the Psalms of David. And there was a reading that jumped out and was very meaningful to me. I want to share it with you:

Psalms 139: 13-16
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
NIV

It is that last verse which I emphasize. “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” When I look at my birth certificate, my name is in that book. But God knew how many days I would have upon this earth before I was even born. And he wrote them down in his book of the physical living. And that is amazing! And one of these days we are going to receive another certificate—our death certificate. And our names will be written in the book of those who have ceased to be on this earth. And so physically all of us who are alive today have our names recorded in the book of the physical living.

A Bunch of Everlastings

From 1965 through 1968 I preached for the Arlington church of Christ in Jacksonville, Florida. And while I was living there I visited a used bookstore. And I purchased this little green book that has water marks all over it and the title was blotted out. I took a magic marker and inscribed the title on it. The title is “A Bunch of Everlastings,” by F. W. Boreham. This book is made up of some of the favorite texts of preachers down through the centuries. I love this book and would not take anything for it. Most preachers prize their books as their most cherished possessions. The text I have chosen for our topic today was Dean Stanley’s favorite text, Revelation 21: 27!

Let me share with you the story in this book about Dean Stanley. There were two soldiers in England who boarded a train. They sat down by this gentleman and found out he was from the same town as Dean Stanley. Then they related a story to him about their visit to Westminster Abby, in London, England. As they were ready to visit the Abby it was closing for the day. As they were being turned away, Dean Stanley appeared and asked them if they could return on the next day. They were very disappointed and said that they had to leave the next day. Dean Stanley then took the keys from the regular tour guide and showed them throughout the famous building where all the notables of Great Britain were laid to rest. As they were leaving, he said, “But, after all you both may have a more enduring monument than this, for this will molder into dust and be forgotten, but if your names are written in the Lamb’s book of life, you will abide forever.”

He invited them to breakfast the next morning, paid their fares to their home, and again in bidding them goodbye he urged them to make sure that their names were written in the Lamb’s book of life. And then he added these words as they parted company, “If we never meet again on earth, we shall certainly meet in Heaven.”

THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE

That is a wonderful story. And I ask, “Is your name written in the Lamb’s book of life?” If it is not, make sure that your name is recorded in God’s book of life—the Lamb’s book of life! The expression, “the Lamb’s book of life” is found only one time in the New Testament. It is used near the end of the book of Revelation when John declared,

“Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27).

In the context in which this passage is stated, John is discussing the new Jerusalem—heaven itself. And then he describes the people who will live in that celestial city. No one will enter the celestial home unless their name is found in the book—the Lamb’s book of life. And this is what makes heaven so outstanding, because those who go there are related to the Lamb of God who gave his precious blood that we might be free from sin: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

And now we look at a related passage that does not use the exact expression the Lamb’s book of life, but it conveys the same idea in different wording: “All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). Those whose names are written in the book of life will not worship the beast but will worship God in spirit and truth as we are commanded (John 4:24). When John said that the Lamb was slain from the creation of the world it means that in type, prophecy and promise, Christ was promised to be the Lamb of God that would be slain on the cross of Calvary. All the blood of bulls and goats was but a type of the blood of Christ shed on the cross at the fullness of times (Galatians 4:4-5).

 

After reading both of these passages of Scripture, we ask again, “Is your name written in the Lamb’s book of life?” If it is not, make it your priority to see that you have your name recorded in the registry of God’s book of life!

Copyright © 2023 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved

 

Shelby G. Floyd, Minister, Heartland Church of Christ, 1693 West Main Street, Greenwood, Indiana 46142