Faltering Faith

The book of Malachi details a series of disputes between God and His people Israel. God has been telling the people to test me in this so that He could pour out His blessing.

They responded in two very different ways. One group said, it's time to take God at His word, repent, and return to Him. Others said, what's the point forgetting that God discerns their hearts? From Chicago, welcome to The Moody Church Hour with Pastor Philip Miller. In a moment, a time of worship and teaching as we continue a series on tough love and tender mercies taken from the book of Malachi.

We'll learn why we need to choose the right path and not be found with faltering faith. Here now is Pastor Philip, along with Executive Pastor Bill Bertschy and worship leader Tim Stafford. Well, good morning, Moody Church. As you bow your heads, let's pray together and give this service to the Lord. Heavenly Father, we do recognize the beauty of the gospel that is so easy to lose. It's so easy to move our confidence from Christ onto ourselves and our deeds and the religious practices that we engage in.

To forget that we stand by grace alone in the finished work of Jesus Christ. That's our only hope to stand before you at the end of the day. It's what we need. It's what our hearts desperately need.

We come from all over Chicagoland area, all over this country. We come to re-experience and relearn the beauty of the gospel. So teach us, we pray, for Jesus' sake. And all God's people said, Amen.

Amen. I be the one where argument, I be the one there pleading, Losing all that Jesus done, and then he died for me. In the glory that Jesus saves, visit my fear and doubt.

A sinful soul I've come to be will never pass me out. I be no other, I be met, I be no other thing. Losing all that Jesus done, and then he died for me.

My heart is leaning on the Word, the written Word of God. Salvation by my Savior's name, salvation through his blood. I be no other argument, I be no other thing. It is enough that Jesus died, and that he died for me.

My reputation is the same, the loss he came to save. For me his precious blood he shed, for me his life he gave. I be no other argument, I be no other thing. It is enough that Jesus died, and that he died for me.

I be no other argument, I be no other thing. It is enough that Jesus died, and that he died for me. Our Father, this morning we have been singing about the Gospel.

Reclaimed during the Reformation as a reminder that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. Our works can't get us right before you, only the sacrifice of your son Jesus. And our faith in him, united with him, means all of our sins, past, present, and future, forgiven and cleansed. We thank you so much for that.

We thank you that we can not only sing it, but we can live it. And our prayer, Father, is that everyone who's listening this morning who doesn't know you might be changed because of the truth of the Gospel. Father, do work in our hearts. Father, our desire is to be faithful, to do what you're calling us to do with the resources that you've entrusted to us. And so, Lord, use us.

This life is fragile in its brief. We're citizens of heaven. What we do here on earth matters for all of eternity, and so help us, Father, to follow your leading for your glory. And now, Lord, we ask that you'd speak to us through Pastor Philip. Continue to minister to us through your word.

We need you above all else. And we thank you, Father, that you are here for us. In Jesus' name, amen. And you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us of all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.

And we remember Jesus when He was nailed to the cross. With all our sins upon Him, He said, It is finished. It is done.

It is done. Amen. When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me down. When the tender wooden bed, He will hold me down.

I come on and keep my hope, through life's fearful path. For my life has undergone, He must hold me fast. He will hold me fast. He will hold me fast. For my sacrifice is gone, He will hold me fast.

Those He saves are His blood. Christ will hold me down. Precious in His holy sight, He will hold me fast. He'll not let my soul be lost.

His promises shall last. But by His essential force, He will hold me fast. He will hold me fast. He will hold me fast. For my sacrifice is gone, He will hold me fast. For my life He will not let my soul be lost. Justice has been set aside, He will hold me fast.

Praise with Him to endless light, when He comes at last. Till our faith is turned to sight, He will hold me fast. He will hold me fast. He will hold me fast. For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast. He will hold me fast. He will hold me fast. For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast.

For my Savior loves me so, He will hold me fast. Well, here we are. This is the next to last message in our study through Malachi, and next time we're going to wrap everything up with a grand crescendo full of promise, and it'll be wonderful. But before we do that, this week what we need to do is look at the sixth and final dispute in the book as the people of God continue to argue back and forth with Him. And you'll remember last time we saw that God was pouring out His heart, appealing to His people.

He said, test me in this. If you step out in faith-filled obedience, I will pour out so much blessing upon you in your obedience, you won't even know what to do with it. He says, return to me and I will return to you. And we could just sort of feel God's heart beating in that passage, reaching out, longing to reconcile His wayward people that they would turn aside from their wicked ways and come home to Him. But the question is, how will they respond to that appeal that the Lord makes?

In today's passage, we're going to see they respond in two very different ways. One group of people is going to look at one another and they say, you know what? God's right. It's time. It's time we repented and returned to Him.

It's time we came home. And another group of people is going to turn to one another and say, what's the point? What's the point? They're going to double down on their faltering faith. And it's a reminder to us that whenever God speaks, it always divides the crowd, right? It always divides the crowd. Some people grow tender in faith-filled obedience while others are hardened in their self-will and obstinance. So the question always is, which group am I a part of, right? As I hear the word of the Lord each and every week, which group am I a part of?

If we're honest, I think there's a little bit of both in all of our hearts. So let's look at how the Lord interacts with these two groups and their two different responses to His appeal this morning. We're going to start with the group with the hard hearts because that's where our text begins. So grab your Bibles. We're going to be in Malachi 3 verses 13 down to 18 this morning. You'll find today's reading on page 802 in the pew Bible there if you want to pull that out, 802.

Malachi 3 verses 13 down to 18. If you'll listen as I read, this is the word of the Lord. Your words have been hard against me, says the Lord, but you say, how have we spoken against you? You have said, it is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping His charge or of walking in mourning before the Lord of hosts?

And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evil doers not only prosper, but they put God to the test and they escape. Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention to them and heard them.

And a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed His name. They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession and I will spare them as a man spares a son who serves Him. Then once more, you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve Him. Thanks be to the Lord for the reading of His word. Now, in this passage, there's a number of allusions, aren't there, to what we would call the day of judgment, the day of judgment.

The day when all people will stand before God, when the books will be opened and the Lord will make a final distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the sheep and the goats, to use Jesus' language, between those who enter into the kingdom of light and those who are cast out into outer darkness. And God is saying, look, you may doubt at this moment whether faithfulness to me is of any benefit, but on judgment day, you will see, you will know, you will care very much which side you are on. If you are faithful to me, I will be faithful to you. If you hold fast to me, I will hold fast to you.

If you return to me, I will return to you. Because on judgment day, I am the only thing that will matter. And so this passage really is serving as a reminder to Israel and to us that God hears our words, He discerns our hearts, and He remembers our deeds.

Okay? There's your outline for this morning. God hears our words, discerns our hearts, and remembers our deeds. Would you bow your heads, let's pray, and then we'll work our way through this. Father, we will all one day stand before you, and in that day, everything will be laid bare.

And so Father, in many ways, life is about getting ready for that day. What will we do? How will we stand?

Is there any hope for us? Remind us of the beauty of the gospel today and all that Jesus has done. We pray this in His name. Amen.

Amen. So first of all, God hears our words. God hears our words. Look again at these opening verses, and I want you to pay particular attention to the pronouns.

Who is actually talking to whom? Okay, verse 13. Your words, God's saying, have been hard against me, says the Lord. But you say, how have we spoken against you?

And I say, we didn't say anything against you, to you. Verse 14, you have said, it is vain to serve God. So they're not talking to God, but they're speaking to one another about God.

You see that? They're having side conversations with each other. What is the profit of keeping His charge or of walking in mourning before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evil doers not only prosper, but they put God to the test and they escape. So they're talking one to another.

Here's the scenario. God makes this beautiful offer of grace. Trust me in this and I will pour out blessing upon you.

Return to me and I will return to you. And they hear what God says and then they kind of turn to one another. And this group starts muttering to themselves, grumbling sideways to each other. And they're like, it doesn't, it's vain to serve God. It's pointless.

It doesn't matter. There's nothing in it for us. Faithful obedience gets us nowhere. Those arrogant evil doers, now that's where it's at.

That's the kind of test I'm interested in. They test God and get away with murder, right? So they're talking to each other. It's so cynical, isn't it?

It's so cynical, it's sanctimonious, self-righteous, sacrilegious even. And God says, I heard that. You thought you were talking quietly to one another. I heard that. Have you ever been busted in class for speaking out of turn while the teacher was teaching? Anybody get busted? Anyone like me?

It's like that, only a hundred billion times worse, right? God's like, you have something you want to share? I heard what you were saying. All that murmuring under your breath, all those side conversations you've been having, all those whispered disdain. I've heard it all, every single word. It reminds me of what Jesus says in Matthew 12, 36, when he says, I tell you, on the day of judgment, people will give account for every careless word they have spoken. Every careless word. Not the ones you say on purpose, the ones that slip out without care.

The Apostle Paul says something similar in Romans 2, verse 16. He says, on that day, God will judge the secrets of men. The secrets. Every inaudible thought. Every muttered word under your breath. Every whispered remark. God hears it all. The bad and the good. That's what he says in verse 16.

Pop down there. Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. So they're talking too, with each other. And the Lord paid attention and heard them. So while one group is cynically complaining about God with one another, the other group is speaking to one another in the fear of the Lord. With reverential awe, they're saying to one another, you know, the Lord is right. It's high time we return to Him in faith-filled trust and obedience. We need His favor now more than ever.

Let's turn around and come home. And God said, I heard that too. I heard those words as well. Because friends, when it comes to God, nothing escapes His notice. When it comes to God, nothing escapes His notice. God sees all, He hears all, He knows all. There's nowhere we can go, nowhere we can hide. All things are laid bare before Him.

His gaze pierces into our very depths and there is no escape from Him. Friends, the Bible says that one day every single one of us will stand before God and all the secrets of our hearts will be laid bare. Everything will be brought into the light and in that day nothing will escape the judge's notice. Every careless word, all the secrets of men. How will that day be for you?

How will it be? You know, a lot of late modern people are pretty skeptical about this idea of judgment day. It seems a bit primitive, you know, ancient thought here. The idea that a God would come and judge the living and the dead, a final reckoning at the end of time. I mean, do we even need that? I mean, what difference would it make if that were true?

Well, I'd like to suggest it makes an enormous difference. We need a God of final judgment more than we realize. Let me just give you two big ideas for this. The first one is the final justice of God gives life meaning. The final justice of God gives life meaning.

Arthur Miller, the renowned 20th century American playwright who wrote All My Sons and Death of a Salesman and The Crucible and things like that is a lesser well-known play called After the Fall. And in this play, there's a character named Quinton. This is a line that he delivers in the play. He says, you know, more and more I think that for many years, I looked at life like a case at law, a series of proofs. When you're young, you prove how brave you are or smart, then what a good lover, then a good father.

Finally, how wise or powerful or whatever. But underlying it all, I see now there was a presumption that I was moving on an upward path towards some elevation where God knows what. I would be justified or even condemned, a verdict anyway. I think now that my disaster really began when I looked up one day and the bench was empty. The bench was empty, no judge in sight. And all that remained was this endless argument with oneself, this pointless litigation of existence before an empty bench, which of course is another way of saying despair, despair. Do you see what he's saying? He's saying if the bench is empty, if there's no judge in sight, if there's no God of final judgment presiding, then he says, well, what's the point of all my life? What's the point of my life?

I'm always arguing, litigating, trying to build a case that my life really matters, that I'm a good person, that my choices make a difference, that choosing love is better than choosing hate, that goodness actually wins out over evil. But if the bench is empty, if there's no judge on the dais, then there's no such thing as good and evil in life. There's no standard against which my life is actually being measured and all that remains is the endless argument with oneself, this pointless litigation of existence before an empty bench, which of course is another way of saying despair. See, friends, without a God of justice, final justice, life becomes whatever you can get away with.

That's all it is. And it might feel liberating at one level to get away from some sort of cosmic accountability, but it comes at the cost of a devastating loss of meaning. He says my disaster, crisis, demise, really began when I looked up one day and the bench was empty.

And if the bench is empty, friends, then life is emptied of meaning. The final justice of God gives life meaning. The second thing I just want to point out here quickly, the second reason we need a God of final justice more than we realize is that the final justice of God is the grounds of nonviolence. The grounds of nonviolence.

Miroslav Volf, who is a Croatian philosopher, a theologian, teaches at Yale University, wrote a book a number of years ago called Exclusion and Embrace. This is what he writes. My thesis is that the practice of nonviolence requires a belief in divine vengeance. It's really important.

Let me read that again. My thesis is the practice of nonviolence requires a belief in divine vengeance. My thesis will be unpopular in the West, but imagine speaking to people as I have whose cities and villages have been first plundered, then burned, leveled to the ground, whose daughters and sisters have been raped, whose fathers and brothers have had their throats slit. Your point to them is we should not retaliate.

Why not? I say the only means of prohibiting violence by us is to insist that violence is only legitimate when it comes from God. Violence thrives today secretly nourished by the belief that God refuses to take up the sword. It takes the quiet of a suburb for the birth of the thesis that human nonviolence is a result of a God who refuses to judge. In a scorched land, soaked in the blood of the innocent, this idea will inevitably, invariably die, like all other pleasant captivities of the liberal mind. If God were not angry at injustice and deception and did not make a final end of violence, that God would not be worthy of our worship. Do you see what he's saying? He's saying we all want to see the cycle of violence end.

I mean, just look at the news, right? The only way it can actually come to an end is if people stop retaliating and engage in nonviolent responses, right? And he's saying the only way nonviolence is actually possible is if there is a God who will come and settle the score in the final judgment. If final judgment is coming, then I can lay down my retaliation against my enemies, knowing that it is God who will take up my cause. Isn't that what Jesus did in 1 Peter 2, verse 23?

This is what Peter writes. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.

How did Jesus not retaliate? He trusted himself to the judge who will make all things right. Friends, real atrocities demand real justice. And if the bench is empty, then nonviolence is an empty dream.

Do you see that? If the bench is empty, nonviolence is an empty dream. The final justice of God is the grounds of nonviolence.

The grounds of nonviolence. And this goes all the way down, even to the level of our words. Jesus says in Matthew 5, 22, whoever says, Rocca, you fool, contempt, disdain, curses will be liable to the fires of hell. Every careless word, every secret in the heart. See, God hears our words, doesn't he? He hears our words. Secondly, he discerns our hearts.

God discerns our hearts. In verse 14, they say, it is vain to serve God. What is the profit of keeping his charge or walking in mourning before the Lord of hosts?

Now we call the arrogant blessed. Evil doers not only prosper, but they put God to the test and escape. So notice, these are not irreligious people. They're not leading reckless, sinful lives, obviously. They're coming into the temple. They're serving God. They're offering sacrifices.

They're keeping his charge. They say, doing what he says. They're walking in mourning before the Lord. So they're going through the motions of confession and repentance before the Lord in his temple while at the same time, muttering about how vain it is and how pointless it is and how jealous they are of the arrogant evil doers.

It's all of that's happening at once. As Jesus says in Matthew 15, verse 8, quoting from Isaiah, this people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And God sees right through all their religious performance. He sees right to their hearts. None of this fools him because as 1 Samuel 16, 7 says, the people look at the outside appearance, but it is the Lord who looks at the heart.

The heart. So here you have these people, the people of God who are serving him out of resentful obligation. Resentful obligation. They had to, they thought, to placate God, to earn just enough acceptance to keep him off their backs so they could get back to living life for themselves. It reminds me of the older brother in Luke 15, the story of the prodigal son who says to the father, look, all these many years I've been slaving for you.

I never disobeyed your commands, and yet you never gave me a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. See, friends, there is a kind of religiosity that is full of resentful obligation that does all the right things on the outside, but the heart is totally messed up. And God sees all the way underneath. He sees right through it. He discerns our hearts. The bad and the good, which is the point of verses 16 to 17. Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another, and the Lord paid attention and heard them. And a book of remembrance was written before him of those who, look at these descriptions, who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, and the day that I take up my treasured possession and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. You see, not only does God discern the hearts of those who are filled with resentful obligation, but he also discerns the hearts of those who fear the Lord, who are filled with reverential awe, who esteem his name, who see him as holy and worthy of their devotion, those sons who serve him as sons, giving of themselves gladly in love for a father who loved them to himself.

This is the love of the younger brother in Luke 15. Once he came home, having been forgiven and welcomed home by the father, begins to now serve the father as a son, not for acceptance, but from acceptance, not full of resentful obligation, but joyous surrender. And the point is, friends, that when it comes to God, our true motives are laid bare.

Isn't that what he's saying? Our true motives are laid bare. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4, verse 5, the Lord will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart.

All the good things that we do for the wrong reasons, because it makes us look good or because it helps us win friends and influence people or because we thought we could obligate God to bless us and it was like a transaction we were working, all of our motivations, our intentions, will be laid bare in that day, not just the things we said and did, but why we said and did them all. God discerns our hearts. The third big point here is that God remembers our deeds. He remembers our deeds. Not only does God hear our words, he discerns our hearts and he remembers our deeds.

Look at this final paragraph again. Then those who fear the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them and a book of remembrance was written before him of all those who fear the Lord and esteemed his name. They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts. And the day when I make up my treasured possession, I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. And then once more, you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him. Oh, I love this.

I love this. God has a book of remembrance, friends, and in it are written the names of all of those who fear him and who esteem his name. And if your name is written in this book, God will never forget you.

He'll never forget you. Now, that's good news. Now, but this is not the only book that God has, okay? Revelation 20 verses 11 to 13, the apostle John is writing this.

He says, then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated upon it. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before the throne, and the books were opened, and the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they had done. So friends, do you realize that God is keeping your deeds on permanent record? One day all the books will be opened and we will all give account for everything we have said and done.

Ecclesiastes 12 verse 14 says, God will bring every hidden deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 10, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each of us might receive what is due for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. When it comes to God, friends, all shall be brought to account. When it comes to God, all shall be brought to account.

God is saying, look, if you think it doesn't matter whether you serve me or not, if you think it doesn't matter in this moment how you respond to my offer of grace, trust me, I will remember all your deeds, all of them, good and the bad. And one day I will separate the righteous from the unrighteous, the sheep from the goats. In the end, you will see the distinction loud and clear between those who served me and those who didn't. All shall be brought to account. But we have a problem here. I hope you sense it.

I hope you sense it. Because you, the book of your life, the book that records everything you've ever said and done and thought and intended, that book is not a good read, right? You will never write a good enough book.

You can't, like Arthur Miller, you will never be able to litigate a good enough case for your life. You will never be able to prove your righteousness. You will never be enough because there's no one righteous, no not one. All we like sheep have gone astray.

Each one of us have turned to our own way. Our righteousness is like filthy rags. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And if God hears our thoughts, hears our words, if he discerns our hearts, if he remembers our deeds, then we're done for. There is no hope for us. Who can endure the day of his coming?

Who can stand when he appears? Chapter 3, verse 2. If the books of our lives are laid open, what hope can we possibly have? Ah, but there's another book. There's another book. It's called the book of remembrance here. Elsewhere in the Bible, it's called the book of life.

The book of life. And if your name is written in that book, look at the glorious promises that God extends here. They shall be mine. They will be my treasured possession. I will keep them safe forever. I will spare them. Spare them, how? I will spare them as a father spares his son who serves him. I will give them the mercy and grace that is befitting of my own beloved son.

What is he saying? If your name is in this book, in this book of remembrance, it doesn't matter what horrors are written in the other books. If your name is written in this book, God promises he will make you his very own by his mercy and grace. You will be his beloved son or daughter forever and always.

Oh, there's hope. But how do you get your name in this book? That's the question. How do you get your name in the book of life, in the book of remembrance? Well, it says you got to fear the Lord and esteem his name, right? You got to serve him as a son. So do that perfectly and you will live. Oh, man. But I can't do that.

I can't do that. Even if I resolved and I decided I'll be perfect from this day until I die, I'm still out because of everything I already wrote, right? Is there any hope for sinners like us to get our names, to find our names written in God's book of remembrance, in the book of life? That's the question. Now there are two curious hints in this passage that point us to hope, okay? It's not the end of the story. Look at this.

First one. Notice the book of remembrance is written before the Lord God in his presence, but it's not written by God. It says the book was written before him. So someone else writes the book. Who's writing the book? It doesn't say who's writing the book, but someone else is writing down these names. Okay, that's one hint.

Secondly, look at this phrase. Oh, it's so good. I will spare them as a man spares his son. What does that remind you of? What does that remind you of? It reminds me of Romans chapter eight, verse 32, where Paul writes that God did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all.

You see what's going on? There's like a little gospel seed that God's planting right here in Malachi, and it's going to grow, and we won't know what it really is until Jesus comes and lays down his life on the cross in our place and for our sake, bearing all of our sin and shame. When he dies for us, we're going to start to know what this verse means. This little gospel seed, I will spare my son. There's similar gospel seeds planted in Isaiah 53. He was pierced for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and by his wounds, we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way, and yet the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. So God made him, Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Second Corinthians 521. As Jesus dies in our place and for our sake and bears our sin and shame, all the evil we've ever done, our thoughts, our words, our motives, our deeds, everything recorded in those books that condemn us, he takes them all and cancels them, nailing them to the cross forever and rises again on our behalf to make us right with God, clothing us in his perfect righteousness and life so that we might be the sons and daughters of God forevermore. And friends, don't you see, God spares us like a son because he did not spare his own son. Jesus' name was blotted out of the book of life so that our names might never be blotted out of the book of life. Jesus died forgotten on the cross.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me so that you and I might never be forgotten? Our names written forever in the book of remembrance before the Lord. And who is it that writes our names in that book? Who writes our names? Well, you have to wait to the end of the Bible, the book of Revelation, to figure out who is writing the names. Revelation 20 verses 11 to 13.

We read some of these earlier. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne and the books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life.

And the dead were judged by what was written in the books according to what they had done. Revelation 21. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and first earth had passed away and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with men. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more. There shall be no more mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, behold, I'm making all things new.

And how do you get into this new city, this new heavens, this new earth, this new creation? Verse 27. And into the holy city, nothing unclean will ever enter, nor anyone who has done anything detestable or false, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Who is the author of this book of life and remembrance? It is the Lamb of God who was slain to take away the sins of the world, the crucified and risen Lamb who is now glorified before the Father, whose blood was sacrificed once for all time to cover every single one of us who are now being made holy. It is the Lamb of God. It is Jesus. It is the Christ. It is the Messiah, the Lord, the King. It is He who has written our names in the Book of Life before the Father, and we will never be forgotten. It is He who has written our names.

This is the Book of the Lamb. Because, friends, history has an arc, and it bends toward Jesus. History has an arc, and it bends toward Jesus. One day, you and I, we will stand before Him, and the books will be open, and nothing will escape His notice. Our true motives will be laid bare, and all will be brought to account. And in that day, friends, when the book of your life is opened with your thoughts and your words and your intentions and your deeds, if that's the only book that has your name in it, you will not be able to stand.

Because that resume, that litigated case, will fall short before the bench. That is not empty. But there's another book. The Lamb's Book.

The Book of Life. And if your name is written in that book, if you have thrown all your hopes on Jesus, and Jesus alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, everything you have on Him and Him alone, if your name is in that book, if the Lamb wrote your name in that book, you will stand in that day. You will be justified, forgiven, cleansed forever. You will be glorified before the Father. I need no other argument.

I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me. Because as Romans 8 says, if God is for us, who?

Who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all. How will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is there to condemn? Jesus Christ is the one who died.

More than that, He was raised who was at the right hand of God, who's interceding right now for us. Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

No, no. In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor death, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Friends, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. History has an arc, and it bends toward Jesus. Is your name written in His book?

Is it written in His book? It's your only hope. It's my only hope. It's the only hope we've got.

Let's pray. Oh Father, we thank you that there's another book, that the book we write with our lives, as miserable as it is, is not the one that counts at the end of the day. That your son wrote a better book with his perfect life, and then exchanged his life for ours on the cross. And that if we admit that we are sinners, and believe that Jesus has done everything to make us right with you, and commit our lives to Him, that our names are written forever in your presence, and we will never be forgotten, because the Lamb has edited over our lives, and it is His words that matter at the end of the day. Oh Father, forgive us for building a name for ourselves, when our name is already written in the Book of Life. The Lamb's name, written over our names for all eternity. It is the only hope we have to stand, because of the Lamb. It's in His name we pray, and cast all of our hope.

Amen. You know, Christ alone is enough. You can't write a good enough life for yourself to get in with God.

And none of the failures of your life in the end matter if Jesus is your Savior and your Lord. If the Lamb has covered you, your name is in His book for all eternity. That is good hope.

That is good hope. And here's what's amazing. When you know your name's written there, and you know your Jesus is coming back, that changes everything about how you live. You want to be pure, and holy, and pleasing to Him in all your choices.

It does not give you a free pass on living a reckless life. It changes your heart, and makes you love Him back in a way that changes everything you do. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and make your whole spirit, and soul, and body blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He who calls you is faithful, and He will surely do it. That is where our confidence lies. Because in Jesus Christ, we are indeed loved more than we know. And so now let's go and be the church. Have a good Sunday.

Ringing in their ears. Next time we conclude our series on tough love and tender mercies with hope, hope that puts courage into our timid souls. The Moody Church Hour is a listener supported ministry. We count on the ongoing financial support of listeners like you. Together we share solid biblical teaching that transforms lives across America and around the world. You can call us at 1-800-215-5001.

That's 1-800-215-5001. Online you'll find us at moodychurchhour.com. That's moodychurchhour.com. Or write to us at Moody Church Media, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60614. This broadcast is a ministry of The Moody Church.