I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      After Jesus sent seventy of His disciples into the cities ahead of Him, they returned to Him rejoicing.

                                                             1.      Jesus sent them by pairs into the cities where He would later be going.  He gave them very specific directions as well as miraculous powers to accomplish their mission.

                                                             2.      When the mission of the seventy succeeded, they were very happy according to Luke 10:17 – "The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’”

B.      However, Jesus redirected their joy to a better source, which was their record in heaven.

                                                             1.      Notice the Lord’s words in Luke 10:20 – "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.”

                                                             2.      The disciples were not wrong for rejoicing over the success of their good works, but they were failing to recognize the true blessings of those works.  Jesus was not rebuking them, but rather He was instructing them.  He was actually happy with their success (see Luke 10:21-24).

                                                             3.      The Lord was not saying that subduing demons and spirits was unworthy of joy, but He was saying that having their names recorded in heaven was more worthy of joy.

II.      YOUR NAME IS RECORDED IN HEAVEN

A.      Having your name recorded in heaven is cause for great joy.

                                                             1.      The New Testament often speaks of having our joy made full (John 16:24; 17:13; 1Pet. 1:8; 1John 1:8; 2John 12).  Notice Christ’s words in John 15:11 – "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”

                                                             2.      To have your name recorded in heaven should bring you greater joy than anything else, for it means that you have a place reserved in the presence of God forever.  This means eternal life, joy, and pleasure according to Psalm 16:11 – "You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

B.      Heaven’s record of names is called the book of life, and it contains the names of all those who will have eternal life.

                                                             1.      This record, the book of life, will be used at the final judgment of all souls.  Notice Revelation 20:12 – "And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.”

                                                             2.      Those whose names are recorded in the book of life will enter into heaven (Rev. 21:27), but those whose names are not found in that book will be cast into eternal destruction (Rev. 20:15).

                                                             3.      It is Jesus who keeps the book of life.  He records or erases names from that book according to the faith and deeds of each person who lives (Ps. 69:28; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5; 13:8; 17:8).

III.   BETTER REASONS FOR REJOICING

A.      Just as the seventy disciples misplaced their joy, we also can become so enamored with good things that we overlook even greater things.

                                                             1.      Many things are worthy of our joy, but the lesser joys must not block our vision to see the greater joys.

                                                             2.      This is especially true when the blessings of this life take our focus away from the greater blessings of heaven.  We should always follow the commandment of Colossians 3:2 – "Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”

B.      Let us consider a few areas where we may not be finding the fullness of joy that the Lord would have us to know.  We can phrase these in the pattern of the Lord’s words from Luke 10:20 – "Do not rejoice in this…but rejoice that…”

                                                             1.      Do not rejoice that you have heard the truth, but rejoice that you have obeyed it.

a.       Hearing the truth gives one a great opportunity, but hearing alone is not a virtue.  The truth cannot benefit a person until he acts upon it (Matt. 7:21-27; Jas. 1:22-25).

b.       When the truth of God’s word is obeyed, it blesses a person by transforming him into a servant of righteousness.  Notice Romans 6:17-18 – "But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.”

                                                             2.      Do not rejoice that you have been immersed in water, but rejoice that you have been buried into the Lord’s death.

a.       The act of baptism alone has no merit.  It is just a matter of immersing the body in water.

b.       Baptism becomes significant only when the person being baptized understands the meaning of the act.  It is a physical act that signifies a spiritual burial of the old person who was committed to sin and the spiritual resurrection of a new person who is committed to righteousness in Christ (Rom. 6:3-14).

c.        A person who has experienced that spiritual transformation can truly rejoice after baptism like the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:39.

                                                             3.      Do not rejoice that you are not a sinner, but rejoice that you have received mercy.

a.       Self-righteousness is the attitude of a person who thinks he has become righteous on his own.  Those who are self-righteous are mistaken about themselves, for "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), and no one can save himself (Ps. 49:7-9).

b.       Therefore, if you are not a sinner now, it is because Christ has saved you and delivered you from your former way of life (Col. 1:13).  Like Paul, you should rejoice in the mercy of the Lord Jesus (1Tim. 1:12-17).

c.        Let us learn the lesson of the parable of the Pharisee and the tax-gatherer from Luke 18:9-14.  The Pharisee prayed, "God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people…”, but the tax-gatherer prayed, "God, be merciful to me, the sinner!”  How shall we pray?

                                                             4.      Do not rejoice that you are a member of a local church, but rejoice that you are a member of the Lord’s body.

a.       The term "member of the church” has become a code for some to describe a person who belongs to a conservative, local church of Christ.  While it is good to be such a member, let us not equate acceptance by men into a local church with salvation in Jesus.

b.       Remember that it is Christ who adds souls to His church (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:41, 47).  It is membership in His body, the universal church, that ensures salvation, for salvation is only in Christ (1Cor. 12:27; Rom. 8:1; Eph. 1:22-23).

                                                             5.      Do not rejoice that you have a good church building in which to meet, but rejoice that you are a part of the spiritual temple of God.

a.       One of the traps that new congregations often encounter is obsession with a meeting place.  To them, a building can become a status symbol that gives them legitimacy as a church.  When they obtain it, they rejoice for the blessing, but their joy should focus on something much greater and spiritual.

b.       The church is the spiritual temple of God, and each Christian is part of that glorious temple (1Cor. 3:16-17; Eph. 2:19-22; 1Pet. 2:4-5).  Membership in that temple is a far better cause for joy than ownership of any material building.

                                                             6.      Do not rejoice that you attended a worship assembly, but rejoice that God was glorified.

a.       It is good to attend an assembly where God is worshiped in spirit and in truth.  However, not all worship assemblies accomplish this goal, and not all people in attendance contribute to such meaningful worship.  Therefore, mere attendance in a worship assembly is not necessarily a cause for joy.

b.       The real cause of joy for Christians assembling together is to know that God has been glorified by their efforts.  Jesus said, "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).

c.        David said, "I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD’” (Ps. 122:1).  Surely, it was not merely going into the house of the Lord that made David glad, but it was knowing that he was going to honor his God that caused him to rejoice.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      There are many more points that could be expressed in this same manner.

                                                             1.      Do not rejoice that you can sing well, but rejoice that you have praised your God.

                                                             2.      Do not rejoice that you heard a good sermon, but rejoice that you know the truth.

                                                             3.      Do not rejoice that you are a good teacher, but rejoice that God’s word has been spread.

B.      Regardless of any good or bad that comes, we should always rejoice that our names are recorded in heaven.