295 - Rejoice Because Your Name is Recorded in Heaven#
295 - Rejoice Because Your Name is Recorded in Heaven
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
Luke 10:17-20,
17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for leading us into Your word. You tell us that our names are recorded in heaven, and this is the most worthy thing to celebrate. We know that You watch over us, protect us, and provide for us. No matter how the journey ahead may be, we believe You walk with us. At this time today, we look forward to You giving words to each person's heart, renewing us, nourishing us in the word, and we commit this time to the Holy Spirit to renew us. In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
The topic of the sharing is: Rejoice Because Your Name is Recorded in Heaven
This story is told by Jesus in Luke chapter ten. After sharing the gospel with the disciples, He appointed seventy others and sent them two by two to go into the villages to preach the gospel. During the process of preaching, these people experienced miracles, as described in the scripture we read. The seventy returned with joy, two by two, which means thirty-five pairs. After they returned, they were particularly happy, proving one thing: Jesus' power is not only manifested in those with great faith but can be manifested in all who believe.
Do not think that all seventy had great faith; surely there were those with small faith and those with great faith. However, when they returned, they all had wonderful testimonies! “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” Isn’t this the common testimony of the seventy? It does not mention how long they had believed in the Lord or how much they loved Jesus…
It does not mention these; they were able to see these testimonies because they used the name of Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven,” which proves that the devil has already failed; he is a loser. In the name of Jesus Christ, the name of the devil is not worth mentioning.
In verse 19, I have given you authority…
To whom is authority given? Tell the person next to you: “Jesus has given you authority.” What authority? To trample on serpents and scorpions, serpents and scorpions symbolize the devil. Can you overcome them? Everyone can overcome, it does not depend on the size of your faith, but on the name of Jesus. Jesus has given you His name; you can use the name of Jesus to overcome all the power of the enemy. Many people have been taught incorrectly in the past; when it comes to casting out demons, they are extremely afraid. How can they overcome?
But Jesus tells us: “I have given you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” You do not need to worry that the devil's power is greater than yours; that is impossible. Hallelujah!
At this time, what the disciples cared about was: “Lord! Your name is truly powerful. We cast out demons in Your name, and the demons came out; we healed the sick in Your name, and miracles occurred.” They cared about miracles. How many people today also care about miracles? If you care about this, you will look for those who perform miracles and pursue that person, this is very dangerous.
Can false prophets and false teachers perform miracles? Can the devil perform some miracles to deceive people? Yes, they can. Do not be deceived by these; the key is that when you cast out demons and perform miracles in the name of Lord Jesus, what is more important than the miracles themselves is knowing that Jesus is using you through these things. If you cast out demons in the name of Lord Jesus, what makes you happier is that it proves one thing: the authority of Jesus is upon you. There is also something else worth celebrating, which is that your name is recorded in heaven.
In verse 20, Jesus said, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Which is more important than miracles? Jesus does not focus on miracles; miracles are not difficult for Him at all. What is a miracle? A miracle is a sign, a miracle is what God does. Simply put, if God moves His finger, that is a miracle. Everything Jesus did is called a miracle. What He cares about is where each person's life is and where each person's belonging is. If you know you belong to the kingdom of heaven, then exercising the authority and power of a citizen of the kingdom is not difficult at all. Amen!
The first point of sharing: At the final judgment, those whose names are not recorded in the Book of Life will be thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:14-15,
14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Death and Hades will be abolished; they will be thrown into the lake of fire. The place we are going to in the future is called heaven. Is there death or Hades in heaven? No, because they are of no benefit to us. What is of no benefit to us does not exist in the kingdom of heaven. Being thrown into the lake of fire is actually God's final judgment. What kind of people are qualified to enter the lake of fire? Those who do not do many good deeds? Those who behave poorly? Those who do not repent thoroughly enough?
Verse 15 says, “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
What is the distinction between going to heaven and going to the lake of fire? Where is your name, that is where you will go, right? If your name is in the Book of Life, you will go to heaven; if your name is not in the Book of Life, the lake of fire is your destination. The distinction is here; these people cannot enter heaven, not because they did fewer good deeds, but because of not believing in Jesus.
John 3:36 tells us, He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
A person who does not accept Jesus means he does not need Jesus and is unwilling to be with God; the wrath of God abides on them. They are condemned to enter the lake of fire because they reject the grace of Jesus Christ, not believing that Jesus died on the cross for their sins. Simply put, they do not believe in the saving work of Jesus.
Hebrews 9:27, And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.
This judgment refers to where one will go: one is heaven, and the other is the lake of fire.
John 3:18-19,
18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
The key to whether a person's name can be in the Book of Life is whether this person accepts Jesus and believes in Jesus. If you believe in Jesus, you are not condemned. What if you do not believe? You are already condemned, not because their behavior is bad; it does not mention human behavior at all; it is related to faith. If this person does not believe in Jesus, his sin has already been condemned because he does not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Verse 19 tells us that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil; this is the condemnation.
All people have a fearful heart before the true God, while people are reckless before false gods. For example, if there is a spirit mountain mother on a certain mountain, everyone thinks it is fine to go worship there, and today happens to be free. However, it is difficult to get these people to come to church. Why? People have a heart to avoid the true God; they actually want to avoid God's judgment, and they do not know how God will treat them.
This happened at the beginning; after Adam sinned, he hid from God. Why did he hide from God? God did not say, “If you dare eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, I will kill you.” God only said, “You will die if you eat,” and did not say, “I will judge you, punish you, and stay away from me…” God did not say this. However, after he sinned, he already had a fearful heart towards God, and his first reaction was to hide. Because he feared God's judgment.
Today, people do not come before God because they do not know God or have a wrong understanding of Him. Did our Lord not look for Adam? “Where are you?” What was God's purpose in looking for Adam? Was it to judge and condemn him? To make him repent? Some say, “Isn't that judging him in the past, announcing the judgment?”
Brothers and sisters, have you ever thought: After Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God had not yet appeared, and they saw themselves naked. At that time, the heavens had already begun to cool, which proves that judgment had already begun, not that God found him and then it started.
What was God's purpose in looking for him? After they sinned, they realized they were naked and made themselves loincloths from fig leaves. Was this a solution? Was this a way to cover their shame? No, God sought them to give them salvation, to give them true covering. But they hid from God, preferring to use their own way, using fig leaves, to avoid God.
Can anyone hide from God? No one can hide; when the time of judgment comes, no one can escape God's judgment. There is no such person whom God forgets and cannot find. When God goes to find him, God killed an animal and made them garments from the animal's skin, which could truly cover their shame. This was God's purpose in seeking them.
When we preach the gospel to the world, we are telling them: The gospel is good news; Jesus has already paid the price for your sins on the cross. Do not fear God; He comes to bless you, not to condemn you, but to give you His grace. This is what we need to tell the world. If we tell them this and they still do not believe, they will go to the lake of fire in the future.
Their condemnation lies in this: they have already been told the gospel, but they reject and do not accept it; their condemnation lies here. God has always given people opportunities to turn back, always waiting for people to accept Him. In this matter, God does not force us; God does not force us to repent; God does not force us to accept Him; He always gives us opportunities to repent.
2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
The Lord's promise has not yet been fulfilled, this refers to the gospel not yet being preached to the ends of the earth. In Acts chapter one, God said, You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Has the gospel been preached to the ends of the earth? Some say that preaching to the ends of the earth means that everyone has heard of Jesus. This statement is incorrect because every year people die, every day new babies are born, and every day there are people who do not accept it; if that were the case, God could never come again.
What does it mean for the gospel to be preached to the ends of the earth? Starting from Jerusalem, going around the world and returning to Jerusalem counts as reaching the ends of the earth. Now if you look at the route of the gospel, it is quickly returning to Jerusalem; God's promise will soon be fulfilled. Before this promise is fulfilled, God still gives us opportunities to repent, showing God's love. His intention is to be patient with us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
In other words, God hopes that all people will enter heaven; He does not want anyone to enter hell. This is God's intention. God knew everything before the foundation of the world; He already saw that many would believe and many would not believe, but God still gives everyone the opportunity to repent. Take Judas as an example; when Jesus chose the twelve disciples, did He know Judas did not believe in Him? Yes, but Jesus still chose Judas, giving him the opportunity to follow Him, hoping that one day Judas could change his mind. However, Judas did not change his mind until his death.
I now want to ask everyone a question: Is your name written in the Book of Life after you believe in Jesus, or before you believe in Jesus? Before you believed in Jesus, God had already written your name there. Will everyone be blotted out? Yes, they can be blotted out. What kind of people will be blotted out? God knows each person's name and has prepared salvation for everyone, writing our names in His book. It is not like some people understand, that today I believe in Jesus, and the angel goes up to write my name, and if I behave poorly tomorrow, it gets blotted out, like erasing with an eraser, and when I repent, it gets written back. It is not like that; before the foundation of the world, God already knew your name, and God's choosing was not after you were born but when? Let us look at
Ephesians 1:3-4,
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.
Brothers and sisters, when were spiritual blessings prepared? Before the foundation of the world! We need to look at things from God's perspective. Does our Lord have a concept of time and space? No, so God is always in the present tense. Only after time and space came into being did we distinguish between yesterday, today, and tomorrow, past, present, and future. In God's view, there is no such concept; He is always in the present because there is no time and space.
So before the foundation of the world, God had already prepared every spiritual blessing for us. What are these spiritual blessings? Simply put, God did not fail. From the beginning, God predestined us to be blessed; the purpose of creating the world is for us to enjoy blessings. If Adam had not sinned, he would have lived in the Garden of Eden forever. But Adam sinned, which does not mean God failed. You sinned and failed, but God still has a way of salvation, still wanting you to return to the beautiful blessings He created for you from the beginning. This is our God; there is always a solution with Him. Amen!
God initially predestined to give us blessings and spiritual blessings. God's route has never changed, just as God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him. This statement simply means that before you were born, before you came into the world, God already knew your name. Does He know the names of all people? How many people are there in the world? Does He know their names? He knows them all; at that time, our names were already written in His book.
Psalm 139:14-16,
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 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.
When my substance was yet unformed means that when our bodies had not yet taken shape, before that, God had already seen you. That is, even when your body had not yet formed, God had already seen you and knew your name, writing you in His book. From this perspective, every person's name was initially written in the Book of Life. I am talking about all people; only later did some people's names get blotted out. What is the reason?
Because they do not accept Jesus. I just mentioned that God has always given us opportunities to turn back, until when? Throughout life, God has always given us opportunities to turn back. If one dies, is there still an opportunity to accept Jesus? No. So from birth until the time of death, God has been patient, waiting for us to turn back, always giving us opportunities. If this person dies without accepting Jesus, his name will be blotted out, and the end will be the lake of fire. If one dies without accepting Jesus, the end is determined, and there is no more opportunity for salvation. Amen!
Exodus 32:31-33,
31 Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! 32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin, forgive it; but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” 33 And the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book.”
It is because some people do not understand this passage of the Bible that they say, “You must be careful; if you dare to worship idols, your name will be blotted out immediately, and your destination will be hell; first, burn you and then say, if you repent thoroughly enough, I will bring you up.” Is that so? In the past, some people said, “There is an elevator between heaven and hell; if you dare to sin, you will be thrown down to burn, but as long as you repent, you will be sent back up.” It is not like that; that is just human imagination. We must return to the Bible to see that this passage of scripture actually refers to the Israelites committing a great sin by worshiping the golden calf. When they committed this sin, they had already violated the first commandment of God: “You shall have no other gods before Me.”
Now the people have committed this sin, and the outcome should be death. But did God treat them this way? No, before God executed judgment, Moses' heart of compassion arose. He prayed to God, saying, “If You will forgive their sin, then forgive it; but if not, please blot me out of Your book which You have written.”
Do you see that Moses had a compassionate heart?
But at this moment, Moses’ understanding of God is limited. I want to say that Moses feels that God is very cruel and has no compassion. But does God have a heart of compassion? He is abundant in mercy. If God were to execute judgment according to the commandments, would there be anyone alive among the Israelites? They would all be dead. Therefore, God did not treat them according to their transgressions.
When Moses went up the mountain a second time and received the two tablets of stone, God instructed him to build the tabernacle. What was the purpose of the tabernacle and the series of events within it? Atonement, allowing people to see God and preserving their lives. If there were no tabernacle and the sacrificial system, based on the behavior of the Israelites and the commandments, not one would be alive. On one side is God's justice, and on the other side is God's grace and mercy. God does not focus on what you did today; if you violated My law, I will immediately kill you. It is not like that; God always gives the Israelites opportunities to repent. Hallelujah!
But Moses does not feel this way. He thinks, “Lord! Please do not kill them all; forgive them. Otherwise, kill me too, and let me go to hell with them.” In fact, this is threatening God; he does not understand God's intention.
How many people have portrayed our God like this? “Be careful! If you dare to sin, God has a thousand ways to punish you until you beg for mercy.” Does our God need to do this? Couldn’t He just destroy us? Many Christians commit one bad thing after another, and when misfortune strikes, they say, “Lord! What do You want?” Is that what God does? Many people think that when we stray from God, He will use all means to punish us until we turn back.
At this moment, God says to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book.” Many people begin to interpret this passage, saying, “Be careful not to offend God; if you offend God, He will blot out your name, and you will go to hell; all that you believed in the past will be in vain.” Does the Bible provide such an explanation later? No, do not add your own interpretations. This prophecy must not be misinterpreted.
According to the context, what does it mean to offend God? What actions count as offending God? There is a sin that will not be forgiven in this life or the next, which is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Not believing in Jesus. All sins can be forgiven, but there is one sin that God cannot forgive, which is your unbelief in Him. After we believe in Jesus, all sins can be forgiven, but if you do not believe in Him, this sin cannot be forgiven. When you do not believe in Him, the judgment of your actions in this life and the next is all connected; this is the sin that God cannot forgive.
Brothers and sisters, we cannot believe in Jesus for others, and this faith cannot be inherited. “I believe in Jesus; my children will automatically be saved.” There is no such thing. Whoever believes will be saved. If you do not believe in God, you have offended God. This sin will be pursued by God in this life and the next, and the end result is the lake of fire. To offend God means to not believe in Him and to go your own way. Rejecting Jesus' sacrifice for our sins means rejecting what Jesus did for us on the cross, relying on our own works for righteousness, which offends God. If you do this, what you show before God is all evil.
Isaiah 64:6, For we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Let me ask everyone a question: Can a person who does not believe in Jesus do good deeds? Yes, they can. Does God remember them? No, He does not remember them. Why does He not remember? It is clearly stated that they are unclean people, meaning that your identity is a sinner. If you do not accept Jesus, your identity is a sinner. Since you are a sinner, no matter how many good deeds you do, you are still a sinner. The kingdom of heaven does not accept sinners; even if you do good deeds your whole life, you are still a sinner. Your identity has not changed, and God does not remember any other deeds; all righteousness is like filthy rags. Inside you are filthy; no matter how beautifully you dress on the outside, you are still filthy.
How did Jesus describe the Pharisees and scribes back then? You are like whitewashed tombs, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones. If the identity is not resolved, then even if you do good deeds your whole life, you will still not be saved and will go to the lake of fire; your name will still be blotted out. Conversely, if your identity is changed, after believing in Jesus, you become a righteous person. Will a righteous person sin? If they sin, are they still a righteous person? You must be clear that we acknowledge we are righteous but can still sin.
Many heretical problems arise here. Some heretics say, “We have no sin; we do not sin at all.” This is heresy. We acknowledge that we can sin and that we have weaknesses, but we are still righteous. Hallelujah!
Just like your child can make mistakes, they are still your child. You cannot say, “I do not know whose child you are; I do not recognize you anymore; go away.” It is not like that. After we believe in Jesus, we can sin and be weak, but we are still righteous. The righteousness we do is remembered by God. Thank and praise the Lord! But if a person who does not believe in the Lord does good deeds, God does not remember their goodness. If they die without accepting Jesus, their identity is still a sinner, and when they die, they can no longer be saved. This point must be firmly remembered. After death, there is no opportunity to believe in Jesus.
Isaiah 38:18-20,
18 For Sheol cannot thank You, death cannot praise You; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth. 19 The living, the living man, he shall praise You, as I do this day; the father shall make known Your truth to the children. 20 The Lord was ready to save me; therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life, in the house of the Lord.
Only while alive is there an opportunity to accept Jesus; you must remember this! Once dead, there is no opportunity to choose to believe in Jesus or not; at that time, the end is determined. If a person has done evil all their life but believes in Jesus just before death, where will they go? Heaven. Some say, “Isn’t that unfair? They did evil all their life, and just before death, they believe in Jesus and go to heaven?” The Bible tells us this; what God cares about is not your behavior. God has always given you opportunities; as long as you accept Jesus, He can forgive all your sins. But if you do not accept Jesus, He will not forgive you.
Among the two thieves crucified with Jesus, one of the sinners accepted Jesus. What did Jesus say? “Today you will be with Me in paradise.” This person was an evil doer in the past; was he about to die on the cross? After Jesus died on the cross, they had not yet died; the soldiers broke their legs to hasten their death.
To human eyes, the outcome seems unchanged; they both died. But the places these two thieves went to have changed. Although both were great sinners, one believed in Jesus and went to heaven, while the other went to the lake of fire. This is what we talk about; it is related to your faith, not your behavior. Once you go to hell, once you go to Hades, you can no longer praise God.
Here it says, “For Sheol cannot thank You, death cannot praise You; those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your truth;”
You can understand these three as referring to one place, the place where the unsaved go. In this place, people cannot praise God, cannot glorify God, and cannot hope for God's truth. What does it mean to hope for God's truth? The Bible has written many of God's promises; will this promise be fulfilled? Yes, for example, the Bible tells us that those who believe will be saved; is this a promise? This promise will be fulfilled. If this person goes to hell, these truths will not count; God will no longer care for these people. Once dead, whatever choice you make is of no use.
For example, if someone has already died and says, “I want to believe in Jesus and go to heaven,” is that possible? There is no opportunity. Verse 19 says, “The living, the living man, he shall praise You.” Brothers and sisters, the choice of whether to believe in Jesus is a decision you make while you are alive. The living shall praise You; only the living can receive God's promises. You must be clear on this point.
The Lord saves us; whether our lives can be saved depends on the choice made before we breathe our last. We must be cautious about some testimonies because I have previously shared similar matters. There are always some people who like to give strange testimonies, such as someone who went to hell and came back to describe hell as having eighteen layers, the first layer frying you in a frying pan, the second layer sawing you, the third layer stabbing you with a fork…
Do not believe such testimonies, because in hell, no one can escape.
With technology so advanced, escaping from hell is impossible. Hell is a place established by God for the devil and the unbelieving; how could anyone escape? How could someone go there and come back? Heaven and hell are places you enter and cannot return from. When the world is destroyed, can we come out of heaven again? Can you say, “I am too bored in heaven; I want to stroll around hell”? No, Jesus told us the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. They both died; the rich man was burning in the fire. Could Lazarus go from heaven?
There is a great chasm fixed in between that cannot be crossed; those in hell cannot come out. Be cautious about human testimonies in this regard. No one who has gone to hell can come back. Moreover, who would not want to accept Jesus if they truly went to hell? Everyone would want Jesus; after burning there for a while, they would know how good Jesus is. You must discern and receive; do not believe every testimony; it must have a biblical basis.
The second point of sharing: Only those who believe in Jesus will have their names permanently recorded in the Book of Life.
I have just explained clearly that your names were initially in the Book of Life, but some people, at the time of their death, do not accept Jesus, and their names are blotted out. What remains are those who believe, that is, the righteous. Whether this person believes shortly after birth, in the middle of life, or just before death, as long as they believe in Jesus during this process, their names will remain in the Book of Life forever.
Those who can remain are believers; in this matter, God will not wrong anyone. Believe, and you will be saved. What you need to believe is that Jesus shed His blood for your sins on the cross, died for your sins, and rose from the dead three days later. If you believe this, you are saved. Are there any other conditions? You must believe while you are alive; after you die, there is no opportunity to believe.
In my series of Bible studies, I have mentioned that some religions refer to indulgences. They say, “If you are saved, you will go to heaven, but your ancestors for eight generations did not believe in Jesus, and they are burning in hell. Can you bear to enjoy blessings in heaven while watching your relatives burn below? It is painful. Now I give you an opportunity to pull your relatives out of the lake of fire; would you like to do it?”
Some people say, “Regardless of whether it is true or not, let’s try to pull them out.” In the Middle Ages, the sale of indulgences was very popular. Who would not want their ancestors to be saved? Later, the value of souls decreased. A few years ago, I was chatting with someone and asked, “How much is an ancestor worth now?” Fifty. I remember it was several thousand ten years ago, but later it became fifty; perhaps the competition was too fierce!
Brothers and sisters, if that is the case, saving a soul would be too easy. Couldn’t Jesus afford this price? If a soul could be saved with money, He would have done it long ago; there would be no one in hell. Does Jesus care about money? What money can He not afford? This is not a matter that can be solved with money; our souls must pay the price for our sins. The wages of sin is death, not money. Therefore, everyone must discern this matter; if you believe, you will be saved. Whoever believes will be saved; there is no hereditary nature to it.
Romans 10:9-11
9 That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
The words written by God in the Bible are very certain; yes is yes, and no is no. God also tells us that saying more comes from the evil one. If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. The word “will” means certain and non-negotiable; if you believe this way, you will certainly be saved. There are no other conditions; you should believe what the Bible says, not what people say. Do not think that being saved is so simple, so easy to enter heaven. Isn’t there a lot of people in heaven? It seems like He dislikes many people in heaven. Does God want many people in heaven or few? He wants everyone to enter; the choice He gives you is whether to believe in Him. If you believe in Him, you will surely be saved; you will definitely be saved. There are no other reasons; believe and you will be saved.
If Jesus said, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you might be saved,” if the Bible said this, would you think you are saved? Would you have confidence in your faith? You would think, “No way! I cannot go.” But how does God say? You will surely be saved. Here I want to tell everyone, we also need to change our words. Many times, we speak words similar to the devil, not like God.
In this last age, people increasingly speak this way. For example, at the beginning, God said to Adam, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.” Did He say you might die? No, but how did the serpent say? “You will not surely die.” You see, God said you will surely die, the devil said you might not die, which is ambiguous.
If someone asks you, “If I believe, will I be saved?” and you say, “I guess so,” is that a definite answer? You should tell him: “Believe, and you will receive.” It is that simple; God said so, and we should say so. Are we citizens of heaven? We should speak the words that God has spoken. Hallelujah! Never learn from the current world, “How have you been lately?” “Not bad.”
What does “not bad” mean? Is it good or not? It should mean it is good, but not very good; or it is bad, but it does not seem too bad. People often use such words and fall into a vague state.
I have a friend who is particularly indecisive. During gatherings, I call him and ask, “Where are you?” He says, “I will be there soon.” His “soon” sometimes means ten minutes, sometimes half an hour, and sometimes an hour. This horse runs slowly; later, whenever he says he will be there soon, it probably means he has not even mounted the horse yet, or his horse is sick today and is moving slowly.
Brothers and sisters, you see, in the later stages, people speak ambiguous words. The Bible tells us that yes is yes, and no is no; do not say more. When we preach the gospel, we must have certainty; if a person believes in their heart, they can be justified; if they confess with their mouth, they can be saved; everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame. You must believe the words of Jesus; if you believe in Him, you are in the kingdom of heaven.
Ephesians 2:18-20,
18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.
After believing in Jesus, you belong to the kingdom of heaven. This means that while living on earth, you can live in a heavenly way because at the moment you believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit dwells in you. You already have authority; you have the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and to receive God's abundant provision. When you accept Jesus, you have this ability. Therefore, when you pray for others and they are healed, do not rejoice because of the miracle; you should believe: “Lord! Through this matter, I know You are pleased with me and using me.” This is what you should be most happy about. At the same time, you also know one thing: my name is permanently recorded in heaven because I believe in Him. Amen!
Are you now a member of God's household? Although living on earth, your hometown is in heaven, and you will return there in the future. Here on earth, you are a sojourner; it is temporary. Some people travel for work and stay in hotels. If one of the lights in the room is broken and there are no other rooms available, would you say to the boss, “I will give you money; give me the best light in the world”? No, because you are only staying for one night; why would you go through so much trouble? Would you renovate the whole place? Someone would say that is a problem with their mind. But do you know that in the spiritual realm, your current home, the place you live on earth, is also a tent, temporary? In the future, we will go to heaven; that home is worth spending money to renovate.
How to renovate? The cornerstone, Jesus has already set it for you, allowing you to build upon it. Do not put all your energy into this earth; I want to buy 100 houses… these are all temporary. You should think about how to build your house in heaven; the cornerstone has already been set by Jesus. You must build according to Him as the standard. Know that you are already saved; what you do below is how to overcome. So how do you overcome? In life, often rely on His words to overcome, declare with His words, renew us, and help others. This is how you are building your house in heaven; that is permanent. Your name is recorded in heaven, and what you do afterward is recognized by God. Amen!
Believing is being saved; I want to emphasize that salvation is not related to behavior but to faith. Believe and be saved. But believing in Jesus is not just for salvation; it is also to overcome. Overcoming is related to behavior; it is relying on Jesus to overcome the environment and glorify the Lord, and you will surely be rewarded. When you rely on Lord Jesus to overcome some things on earth, for example, when others insult you, you bless them. When challenges come, you bless them, help others, give, and participate in church ministry…
These are all building your house in heaven. These are all in the process of building; you are building because you are a member of God's household. If you are not there, you say, “I am adding bricks to the kingdom of heaven,” that is unnecessary. If you are not there, what are you building? First, you must ensure your name is there, and then build your house there. When you accept Lord Jesus, your name is permanently recorded in heaven, and you are called a saint.
Isaiah 4:4, The Lord will wash away the filth of the daughters of Zion and will purge the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning. Then the remnant of Zion and those who remain in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem.
This proves one thing: some people's names have been blotted out, while some people's names remain. Are you sure you are among those who remain? Because you believe in Jesus, your name is left in Jerusalem, and you will dwell in Jerusalem. Your name is recorded there; you are called holy, with a very glorious name called saint. Your name is permanently there; your home is in the heavenly Jerusalem. From today onward, plan more for that place. Amen! One day, God will roll up this world and renew it, so whatever you leave here is of no use. Just like I said earlier, if you are on a business trip and you decorate the hotel room beautifully, the boss will not appreciate your kindness; you are only staying for one day, why waste that money? It is unnecessary; just renovate your own house well.
Philippians 4:2-3,
2 I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
Paul mentioned many people in his letters who worked together with him. Why were these people willing to work with Paul? Because they knew their names were permanently written in the Book of Life; they belonged to the kingdom of heaven, so they were willing to participate in Paul's gospel ministry, building their house in heaven. Do you remember how Jesus said when He was leaving? “I go to prepare a place for you; when I have prepared it, I will come again and receive you to Myself.”
The size of your house has nothing to do with Jesus; it is related to your own behavior. I am not emphasizing that you must have good behavior; Jesus has already set the cornerstone for you. You must build according to Jesus' standard. Our time is limited; it is the day our life ends that the project is completed. Amen!
Some people may build very large houses, while others may build very small ones; it does not matter. What I mean is that while living on earth, build that house in heaven more. Many people worked together with Paul; they were willing to contribute for Paul. There are many people in the world willing to contribute for the Lord. If Paul did not see this, why would he give up such superior conditions in the world to dedicate himself to the Lord? He was truly building that house in heaven. Hallelujah!
Revelation 19:7-8
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.
The marriage of the Lamb mentioned here refers to the second coming of Jesus Christ; He will take us back. Every church is His bride. When Jesus takes us back, we will all have our own righteous acts, the fine linen, clean and bright. This fine linen is related to our behavior. While on earth, we should look forward to the heavenly; while on earth, we should focus our attention on heaven. The New Testament letters also say, do not only look at earthly things, but look at heavenly things, and store up treasures in heaven. One day, you will surely thank me because I have told you this truth. In this world, no matter how great your earthly possessions are, they are temporary, but what is in heaven is eternal. Hallelujah! That is an eternal inheritance.
Because God has given us many symbols, images, and pictures on this earth to let us see. For example, after the Israelites left Egypt, it symbolizes their salvation. Their life in the wilderness was already quite good; they did not have to worry about food, clothing, or shelter. They were much better than the world, eating the best food and seeing miracles every day. Isn’t that what many people long for today? “Lord! Let me see more miracles; let me see them every day.” The Israelites saw miracles for forty years in the wilderness; wasn’t that much better than the world? They also had sacrifices and the tabernacle. God protected and provided them daily with a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. Did they have all this? But which is better, the life in the wilderness or the land of Canaan? What is in the wilderness is also in the land of Canaan, and even better.
You think what God has given you on this earth is enough; in God's view, this is just a journey through the wilderness. You are not meant to make the wilderness your home; that is not the promised land. Our promised land is the heavenly Jerusalem. You should place your hope in that place; we are going to that place. God often tells the Israelites how beautiful the place they will go to is, how many vineyards there are, how many houses there are. Does God often tell them these things? On earth, I want to tell you about heavenly matters, so that your hope remains in heaven, a lively hope in heaven. You should set your sights on heaven; the earth will only grow darker, but the place we are going to is always in the light.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! Thank You and praise You! Thank You for leading us to know that our names are recorded in heaven, and that they are permanently in Your book, and will not be blotted out. You know our names because we believe in You; we are people of the kingdom of heaven. On earth, we also wish to live out Your words because when we live them out, we can glorify Your name, and at the same time, You will give us heavenly rewards.
Lord! We thank You; please use all the brothers and sisters, let each person do our best, each in our role to build the body of Christ, and set our sights on heaven. Please help us. Thank and praise You! In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!