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All right, everyone. Philippians chapter four is our Bible study for today. And we're continuing in our study through Philippians in a series that we've titled Reasons to Rejoice. Reasons to Rejoice. That's because more than a dozen times in the book of Philippians, though just four chapters, more than a dozen times, Paul talks about joy or rejoicing. And so far we've looked at seven reasons to rejoice. Here are the first five. Number one. That God will finish what he started concerning us. Number two. That God will use our chains for his divine purposes. Number three. To live is Christ, to die is gain. Number four. Unity comes through humility. Humility comes from following the example of Jesus. Number five. Our witness impacts our world. Number six. Nothing in life compares to knowing Christ and receiving his righteousness by faith. And then last week we talked about number seven, run the race and finish well. So today we're going to see another point from chapter four. I'm going to read just the first three verses, so follow along in your Bibles. As I read, Paul writes, therefore my beloved and longed for brethren my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord. Beloved, I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 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. Would you underline that in your Bibles? Whose names are in the Book of Life? That's what we're going to talk about primarily today. What is the Book of Life? Who will be named in the Book of Life? When are names added to the Book of Life? And most importantly, is your name in the Book of Life? Let's pause and pray first. Well, Father in heaven, we just want to come before you, grateful for your love and your mercy shown to us on the cross. And Lord, we just want to begin our Bible study by being mindful of what's happening in our world. We pray for our troops in the Middle East. We think about the latest casualties and we pray, Father, for you to minister your grace and peace to these families that have lost loved ones. We pray for those who have been injured in battle, that you will restore them to health. And we pray, God, that you would bring our troops home safely and soon. We pray also for the Iranian people. We just continue to lift them up to you, Lord, that they would be free from Sharia law and that the million or so who are professing Christians in Iran would begin to spread the good news of Jesus even further, that many, many more would come to know you during this time. And so, Lord, we just lift all of that up to you. We think about the terrorist act in our own backyard at Old Dominion and pray God for the family of those who died and ask you to minister your grace and peace to them. We think about the terrorist act in Michigan at the Jewish center and ask Lord, for you to just minister your grace and peace to those affected by that. And Lord, that you would protect us and that, Lord, you would be glorified here. As we lift up the name of Jesus. We love you, we praise you together in Jesus name. We ask these thanks. And everyone said Amen. Well, before we talk more specifically about the Book of Life, I first want to just give a little background to the verses that we are reading here in verse one. I love the way that Paul begins this chapter by once again expressing his deep love and affection for this church that he planted about 10 years earlier in Philippi, Greece. Because here in verse one of chapter four, he refers to them as my beloved, my longed for brethren, my joy and crown. He is affirming his love and affection for them because he deeply cares about these people. It is reminiscent of the way that he begins this letter back in chapter one, verse eight. He says about them, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. So this church holds a very special place in Paul's heart. And for that reason he exhorts them here at the end of verse 1. Notice in your Bibles to stand fast in the Lord. Stand fast. It is the Greek word. In the original language, steco s T E k o and steco means to be persistent, consistent and immovable in your walk with the Lord. Now he uses this same word, staco, the same two words in our English Bible. Stand fast. Back in chapter one, verse 27, you can glance back or just listen. I'll read from verse 27 of chapter 1. He says to them this only let your conduct be worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you Here it is. Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the Gospel and and not in any way terrified by your adversaries. That's back there in chapter one, verse 27. I think that's interesting because it gives us a little insight as to why he's telling them to stand fast because he's acknowledging that they're enemies of those who profess faith in Jesus Christ. There are people who just won't like you because you love Jesus. Now, that was true in the first century when Paul wrote this, and it's true now. There will just be some people who don't like you. They are opposed to your faith, they are opposed to your values, they are opposed to your views. Some will simply tolerate you and ignore you, and others will intentionally persecute you. And Jesus told us to expect this on some level. Listen to what he said in John's Gospel. I'll read from chapter 15, verses 18 to 21. Jesus said, if the world hates you, just know this. It hated me first. If you were of the world, the world would love its own yet, because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you. A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for my name's sake, because they do not know him who sent me. You see, he says, people who don't know the one, people who don't know the Father who sent Jesus the Son, Godless people don't like godly people just because you reflect your heavenly Father. You ever notice how some people don't like you and they don't have a reason to dislike you, they just don't like you? Why? Because you're shining the light in their darkness and so it confronts them. And a lot of people just don't like Christians just because we love the Lord. Now, most of the world does not know and cannot appreciate the kind of religious freedom and religious protection that we enjoy here in America. But friends, that freedom and religious protection is quickly eroding, and therefore I think we need to heed the exhortation that Paul gives the Church of Philippi just as much as they did. Stand fast in the Lord. Stand fast in the Lord. Paul would also say to the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 16:13, watch. Stand fast in the faith. Be brave. Be strong. It's a good reminder for us to be immovable, to be strong in the Lord, to be unapologetic, unashamed, and to be unafraid about our faith. Jesus Christ, let your light so shine before men that they might see your good deeds and glorify your Father which is in heaven. We must stand fast. Don't Lose your footing. Let others know that you love the Lord and take what might come your way. But don't ever be ashamed, afraid, or apologetic. Stand fast in the Lord. Amen. And then Paul calls out here in verse two, he calls out two women in the church, and he calls them out by name. Their names are Euodia and Syntych. Look at verse two, he says, I implore Euodia and I implore, I beg Syntich. I think actually in the Greek, her name is pronounced Sun. He says, to be of the same mind in the Lord. He's like, get along, ladies try to agree. And Paul even appeals to some unnamed friend in. In verse three, who's there in the church to help these ladies resolve whatever the conflict is. Look at verse three, he says, and I urge you also, true companion, we don't know the name. We don't know who he's talking about. Help these women who labored with me in the Gospel. He's like, they need intervention here. They need somebody to arbitrate. My true companion, whoever the guy is, can you please step in and help these ladies resolve their conflict? Now, despite the fact that they have some unstated disagreement going on, they still love the Lord. They're still believers. You know, good Christians can still have disagreements among themselves. It doesn't mean one is saved and one isn't saved or they both aren't saved. Good godly people can still have robust discussions and debates among themselves, but we know that they are still part of the family of faith. We know that they're still believers because Paul commends them about how they helped share in the Gospel with him. And he lumps these two ladies in with some other people, one he names. And. And if you notice in verse three what he says about all of them, he says, Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, plural, we. We don't know their names, whose names are in the book of life. So notice that this phrase whose names are in the book of life means that all these people, Euodia and Syntyche and Clement and the unnamed true companion, and the rest of my fellow workers, all of these people are believers. And their walk with Jesus is so evident that Paul can confidently say, oh, yeah, their names are written in the book of life. Their names are written in the book of life. And this is where I want us to spend the rest of our time. What is the book of life? Let's answer that one first. Well, you might be interested to know that this reference to the book of life here in Philippians 4. 3 is the only reference to the Book of Life in the entire New Testament outside of the Book of Revelation. Revelation is the only other place in the New Testament where the Book of Life is mentioned, and it's mentioned seven times. So John writes about it in Revelation. Paul writes about it this one time here in Philippians 4. 3. Let's talk about what is the Book of Life. And let's go to the book that references the Book of Life more than any other book, and that is Revelation. Now, I'm going to highlight a few verses from Revelation to make it simple. I'm going to put some verses on the screen, but I never want that to take away from you turning in your Bibles and actually underlining stuff. It's just simple. For people who may not have your Bibles, but for those of you who do, go to Romans, sorry, romans. Revelation, chapter 20, verse 12, Revelation 20:12. And what Revelation 20:12 tells us is that God actually has an entire set of books. He's got a volume of books. There's a library in heaven, everybody. And of the books that God has, one is named. The title of one is given to us. In this verse, Revelation 20:12, John writes, and I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. And books, plural, were opened and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books, plural. So apparently among the volume of books that God has in his library is a book that records the works of people. But there is one book which is titled here, the Book of Life. And that's the only book that is titled that we know specifically. And what's interesting is that in Revelation, it tells us specifically that the Book of Life belongs to Jesus. It belongs to the Lamb. Here's another passage if you want to turn to Revelation 21, verse 27. It's called the Lamb's Book of Life. This is what the verse says. But there shall by no means enter it. That is heaven. Anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lambs Book of Life. So this verse tells us a couple things, one of which is this book belongs to Jesus because Jesus is the Lamb. In fact, the. The Lamb is the title that Jesus uses about himself in the Book of Revelation more than any other title. 28 times, Jesus is referred to as the Lamb in the Book of Revelation, which speaks to the fact that Jesus wants to highlight most his mission, which is that Jesus came as a sacrificial lamb to die on a cross for the sins of the world. So he is telling John when he inspires John to pen revelation, I want you to refer to me as the Lamb. More than any other title, I came as a sacrificial lamb for the sins of the world. So this book belongs to Jesus. Jesus has a book. This is his book of life, which records the names of all those who will live in heaven with him. That's why it is called the Book of Life. Okay. This is not the book of death. This is not recording those who have died. This is recording the names of those who. Who will live forever in heaven. So that's the first thing to understand. This is Jesus book. This is the Lamb's Book of Life. And this book records the names of all those who will live forever with him in heaven. But the other important thing from this verse here is only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life will have access to heaven. This is important to understand. This verse, Revelation 21:27, makes it clear if your name is not in the book, you will not be allowed in. Heaven is only accessible to those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. If your name is not written in the book, you will be denied access. We have to understand this. This is important. But it leads then to the next couple of questions. Who will be named in this book? And when do names get entered? All right, now you can go to Revelation chapter three for this answer. I'm going to tee up Revelation three on your way there, and then I'll put the verses on the screen as well. In the first few chapters of Revelation, Jesus dictates seven letters to seven different churches. That's why if you have a red letter edition of the Bible, you will notice that in Revelation, all of chapter three and four are in red because these are letters that Jesus dictates to these various churches that were located in Asia Minor in the first century. Sorry, chapters two and three are all in red. Not three and four, two and three. These are the letters that Jesus dictates to literal churches in the first century located in Asia Minor, which is on a map today, modern Turkey. And one of the letters that he dictates is to the church in Sardis. And this is in chapter three. Now, one of the things that Jesus says to the church of Sardis, he gives them a condemnation and he gives them a commendation. The things that he condemns them about is that they're a Dead church. And he says it flat out. He says, you guys are spiritually dead. He says, you're not walking with me. You're not walking with the Lord. And he does say, however, you have time to repent. So there's hope for this church. And there's also hope because he commends a remnant of true believers in that church who are walking worthy, who are walking righteously, who have a relationship with Jesus. So now, with that in mind, let me read here. Revelation 3. I'm going to read verses 4, 5, and 6. Jesus says you have a few names, even in Sardis, who have not defiled their garments, meaning they're walking in purity with me. And they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. Verse 5. He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments. And note this. I will not blot out his name from the Book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. All right, now your attention. I'm going to come at something from perhaps a different angle than what many of you have thought or been taught up to this point. And I can tell you that growing up, I was taught something that years ago I decided I don't think that's completely accurate. When I've looked at verses like this here in Revelation 3, here's what we've been commonly taught, okay? Which is, when you become a Christian, when you decide to trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then your name is written in the Lamb's Book of life. All right? Now, that's possible, okay? I'm not going to divide and start a new church over this. Anybody? Okay? But the way I read this, and I'm going to show you not just this passage, but another passage. Because the best commentary on the Bible is the Bible. It appears to me that since God is promising those who are walking in righteousness with a relationship with Jesus, that as a reward he promises them he will not blot out their name from the Book of life, it is reasonable to believe their names were already in the book before you can blot them out. Okay, now hold with me for just a second. So what does that mean? I believe it's possible that everyone who has been given life is already written in the Book of Life. Now, hold on, because some of you might. Are you saying that that means everybody goes to heaven? No. No. If you are written in the Lamb's Book of Life because you have life, you are only blotted out if you reject or deny Jesus as your Lord and Savior. So the ultimate truth is you can only get to heaven if your name is in the Lamb's book of life. That's the truth. When exactly your name goes in, we can have discussion. We can be like Euodia and Syntyche. Maybe this is what they were arguing about. I don't know. Like, when exactly is your name written? Is it written when you trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Is it written? Check this out. Revelation 17 says your names are written in the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the earth. That's mind blowing. Whenever your name gets entered, it's interesting because it seems to suggest that it will only be blotted out if you deny Jesus. I'll give you another passage. Go to Psalm chapter 69. Psalm chapter 69. I'll also put these verses on the screen for you. But David acknowledged that everyone's name is in the book of life in Psalm chapter 69, because in this Psalm, he actually prays that God will deal with his godless enemies. And David wants God to take vengeance upon his godless enemies. And so David is praying this way. You ever prayed for godless enemies? You know, like, get them. God sick them. It's okay. David did too. And here in Psalm 69, I'm going to read verses 17 and 18 to give you context. And then I'll jump down to verse 27 and 28. This is what he says. And do not hide your face, Lord, from your servant, for I am in trouble. Hear me speedily. Draw near to my soul and redeem it. Deliver me because of my enemies. And then verse 27, add iniquity to their iniquity and let them not come into your righteousness. Verse 28. Let them be blotted out of the book of the Living and not be written with the righteous. David clearly here indicates that the names of his godless enemies are in the book of life, and he is asking God to blot out their names. And again, it's reasonable to believe that in order to be blotted out, you first have to be entered in. And by the way, I think this does in part explain things like why we believe. Why I have taught that God makes gracious provision for children before they reach an age of accountability, at which point they can trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. But before a child is old enough to know right from wrong, know about trusting Jesus. Listen, friends, those children are taken by gracious provision to heaven. And we know this because of a couple of places. I'll refer to one specifically. When David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the child conceived to that union shortly died. After he was born, David prayed and interceded for that child to be healed. He didn't want that baby to die, but nevertheless, that baby died. While the baby was still fighting for life, David was fasting, weeping, praying before God. And after the baby died, David got up, started eating again, went to the house of the Lord to worship, and his servants were like, this doesn't make sense. You know, you were fasting when the child was still alive, but now the child has died and you're eating again and you're worshiping like. Explain this. And David says In Psalm, sorry, 2nd Samuel, chapter 12, verse 23, he says to his servants, but now the child is dead. How can I fast any longer? Can I bring him back again? And then David says, I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. What is David saying? By inspiration of the Spirit, he's saying, look, God has graciously taken this child to heaven, and one day I will go and be with this child, but he can never come back here to me. You see, God makes gracious provision for children. Is it because possibly their names start in the Book of Life? This answers also the question, for those of you who wonder about even adults with mental disabilities, the inability to make a decision for Christ, does God make gracious provision for them as well? I believe so. And could it be because their names start out in the book? Look, you were given life by the author of life, who has the Book of Life, who offers eternal life, and his name is Jesus. So accept him as your Lord and Savior and seal your name in his book. But if you deny him, if you reject him, your name will be blotted from the book and there is no remedy for you. Now, look again. We might come at this from different angles, but I bet we're going to arrive at the same conclusion. You might believe that your name gets written the moment you trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Fine. Or you might believe, as I'm open to, that the names who are given life are given, already appear in the book, and they're only blotted out if you don't receive Christ. But at the end of the day, whether you come at it from which angle, the bottom line is still the same. You cannot get into heaven without your name being in that book. And everybody needs to understand this because it leads to the final question. Well, then, how can I be sure that my name is in the book. And the answer is you trust in Jesus Christ. Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Trust the one who died on that cross and shed his blood for you. You say, well, I don't get it all. It's very complex. Of course it is. This is the mystery of God. Where God came and stooped down to our level, took on flesh to die for our sins. The perfect sacrifice to die for every sinful, imperfect person on the planet. Why? Because he loves us. That's why he sent his Son to die for us. And all we have to do is believe in that work and trust in what Christ has done for for us. It's not about what you do. It's about what Christ has already done. So surrender your life and trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Get your name in the book. It brings us to number eight on our running list here. You know what else will bring us joy? When I know that my name is written in the Lamb's book of life. That's what will bring you joy. To know that your name is in the book. So on the day you die, you're going to go to be with him, but your name must be in that book. And your name goes in that book when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. This past Tuesday, I was invited to lunch at the White House. The boys went with me also. I was invited there by the faith office mainly to talk about the upcoming events. May 17, in this prayer and worship event that's going to happen on the Mall in commemoration of 250 years ago, May 17, 1776, the early founding fathers called the early colonies to prayer and fasting. So 250 years later, the president wants to have a day, May 17, same day, 2026, on the Mall. So we were down there for lunch. And let me tell you something, you don't just get to walk into the White House. First you have to be invited. Then you have to like pre register, make sure your name's on the list. And then when you get there, you got to show ID to make sure you are who you are. We had to go through a couple gates to be able to get into the West Wing. Let me tell you something, ladies and gentlemen, it's easier to get into heaven than it is the White House. I'm serious. But the same thing is true. You can't just walk into heaven. People who say, well, everybody gets to go there eventually. They don't know what they're Talking about. First of all, you have to be invited. Good news is Jesus has invited everyone on the planet. Anyone. That's John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. You are the whosoever. I am Whosoever. The invitation is for all, but you have to accept him because that's the protocol. You can't just walk into heaven, you have to be invited. And then you have to trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior, which anyone can do freely. You trust him as your Lord and Savior so that one day when you get to the gate, your name's on the list, your name's in the book and you're ushered in for all eternity. Without your name being on that list, you cannot get in. So what's stopping you? What's stopping you from having your name on that list? I'm convinced that there's only one thing that stops people from getting in the book. It's pride. It's the self sufficient pride that says I don't really need God. I don't know that I believe all this. It's nonsense. Well, look, if I'm right, you have everything to lose. If I'm wrong, you have nothing to lose. So why not trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior and gain forgiveness of your sins and get to heaven when you die? This is the promise of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Trust him today. Do you know him? I want all your names in that book, all your names. Those who are watching online, all your names. Nothing is stopping you from being in that book except pride. Why don't you humble yourself today and trust him as your Lord and Savior? Would you pray with me? Lord, we thank you for your word today. We thank you Lord, that you remind us. There is a book. You have invited all to come, but we can't just walk freely in. We have to know you as Lord and Savior. That's our pass, to know you in a personal way, to trust you as Lord and Savior. So Lord, I pray right now for those who don't know you today. That they would surrender their life to youo. They would trust yout. And I'm just gonna pause in my prayer right now and just invite you. If you don't know Christ as your Savior, just invite him in today, make sure your name is in that book and pray a simple prayer like this. I'll lead you. You can just say, Lord Jesus, thank you, that you love me. Thank you. That you came to earth to die on a cross for me. I want to know that my name is in that book. So would you forgive me of my sins today? Would you wash my heart clean of everything I've ever thought said or done? And would you come into my life, Jesus, to be my Lord and Savior? I surrender to you. I give up my life that I might have yours. I trust you by faith that you died on the cross for my sins and you rose again from the dead. Come into my life, Lord, that my name might be securely written in your book. And I thank you and I praise you in Jesus name. Now please look at me for a minute before we leave and scatter. If you prayed that prayer, you're born again. You've now invited Christ into your heart. You've trusted him as Lord and Savior. You'll go to heaven when you die because your sins are forgiven by faith. And I want to invite you, if you want a Bible, come after the service is over down front. There'll be a pastor here. They'll give you a Bible to send you on your way. If you prayed that prayer online, just text the church. I have decided the number should be there, but it's 703-844-9969. We'll mail you a Bible anywhere around the world. Everybody go in the grace of the Lord Jesus. Know that your name is written in the book of life. Amen. Amen. God bless.