IS YOUR NAME REGISTERED IN HEAVEN?

A sermon preached by Fortune Nwaiwu on Sun 16th June, 2019.

"But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven." Luke 10:20 NLT.

Introduction:

I see that there are some unfathomable mysteries about human existence and the relationship of soul and his maker which some men of this world are unable to discover because they don’t want to know. We are too attached to everything about the external part of our lives which comprises of our needs i.e. education, business and social life, and we then show less concern to the inward, the real man. The inward is the essence of being human, and when we fail to recognise how important it is, it's said to have been tarnished because great harm of negligence has been done to it.

In this era of civilization, registrations are no longer done with analogue (registering in a book) but with a computer and saved in a database. In the banking industry, if you didn’t register your bank account with your BVN (bank verification number) you will be restricted to withdraw money from your account. Thus, you have to register first. In education, students register for JAMB, WAEC, aptitude test and/or national/international exams before they would be allowed to write the exams; and if you didn’t register, that means, no exam for you. And these people that register for exams, remember, they’re mostly called candidates. Also, we see that people are very serious about registering their MTN numbers for two obvious facts 1. to enable them use the network, make calls, send and receive messages and to make browsing and 2. because of the fear of being bared from the network.

The question is, since we have in one way or the other registered our names in each of the above mentioned, is our names registered in heaven? Or do we care only about our external being and forget about our inward being. I asked because your soul is very precious and important to God.

Jesus Christ sent his seventy two of his followers in pairs to preach the gospel to the lost sheep of Israel. He cautioned them to be very careful for he's sending them out as sheep among wolves, their blessings pronounced in the house of the person that welcome them would stand, eat what's given to them, heal the sick and let them know that the kingdom of God is coming very soon. When they returned and gave Christ the account of their evangelical tour. Hear them:

Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name, verse 17.

Note: it is certainly the truth that many who use the name of Jesus Christ to perform wonders, their names will not be found in the database of God. Why? They know the law and break it. They exploit the week, commit all sorts of evil, rape, kidnapping, stealing, abortion, child trafficking, killing, sorcery, betrayal, slandering, mocking, false accusations, bribery and corruption. On that very day they will appear before Christ to know their heavenly status, whether their attitudinal lifestyles have automatically configured their names in heaven or not, the overseer of the heavenly registration will say: “I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws” – Matt. 7:23 NLT.

Process of Registration

Your position or rank in the church does not matter, and is never a criterion of registering your name in heaven. What matters a lot is your commitment- your personal relationship with God, including your love with your neighbours.

a. You must be born again: John 3:3

Jesus says: I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you can not see the kingdom of God.”

b. Receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and saviour

c. Be an obedient servant of God, keeping his commandments.

d. Love what is good, and hate evil: Amos 5:15

“Hate evil and love what is good; turn your courts into true halls of justice. Perhaps even yet the LORD God of Heaven's Armies will have mercy on the remnant of his people.” NLT

e. Have faith in God, Heb 11:6

Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him.

And once you establish faith in God, then wait in hope, your name will be automatically configured in heaven. This was what happened to the followers of Jesus Christ. They believed in him, and were obedient to serve him. He said to them:

But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven. Luke 10:20 NLT.

Brethren, I appeal to you to waste no more time to repent from your evil ways, so that your name will be automatically registered.
Let's read and meditate on what is written in the book of Revelation. See below, and you will know that heavenly registration is a necessity, and should be your priority if you want to save your soul.

Rev.21:27 Nothing unclean, or anyone who does anything detestable, and no one who tells lies will ever enter it. Only those whose names are written in the lamb’s Book of Life will enter it.

Rev. 3:5 The person who conquers in this way will wear white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the Book of Life. I will acknowledge his name in the presence of my Father and his angels.

Rev.20:15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Prayer points
a. Lord Jesus, do not blot out my name in the book of life.

b. May I be acknowledged before your father in the day of judgement.

c. Create in me a new spirit to serve you. Renew my inner being, and wash me thoroughly that I may be clean.

d. And from today henceforth, let my name be registered in the book of favour, breakthroughs, and open door, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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