THE REGISTER OF GOD’S HOLY BOOK
CONCERNING THE CHILDREN OF MEN
Text: MALACHI 3: 16b & Revelation 20: 12
New Year’s Eve Sermon by:
Rev. L. Roth
PUBLISHED BY
PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE
OF THE
FREE REFORMED CHURCHES OF NORTH AMERICA.
(December 2004)
LITURGY:
Votum
Psalter 139: 1, 3, 4
Scripture Reading: Malachi 3: 7 – 17 & Revelation 20: 1 – 4, 11 - 15
Text: Malachi 3: 16b & Revelation 20: 12
Belgic Confession, Article 37
Psalter 384: 1, 2, 5
Congregational Prayer
Offerings
Psalter 244: 1, 3, 4
Sermon
Psalter 439: 1, 3, 4
Thanksgiving Prayer
Psalter 150: 1, 2, 3
Doxology: Psalter 296: 5
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Mal. 3:16b, Rev. 20:12
The Register of God’s Holy Book
Beloved Congregation.
It is New Years’ Eve. And for our special service this evening we wish to look at
some of the last words of the last books of both the Old and the New Testaments. And
we do so, beloved, not haphazardly, but seeking to understand what God the Lord says to
the people called after His own name. How important that is also upon the last day of the
year, in this year of our Lord, 2004 that is drawing to a close. Just as we need to take
year end accounts with a business we may own to ascertain how profitable our labors
may have been, we need to consider our accounts over against the Lord. For you and I
can be sure, that the Lord will indeed take up final accounts with us.
Well now, let us seek to understand the words of our text in this special New
Year’s Eve service under the following theme,
THE REGISTER OF GOD’S HOLY BOOK CONCERNING THE
CHILDREN OF MEN.
In the first place let us consider The Lord’s Debit Book of Remembrance.
Secondly let us regard The Lord’s Credit Book of Remembrance.
In the third place let us examine The Lord’s Judgment According to His
Books.
In the first place let us consider The Lord’s Debit Book of Remembrance. Let us
first of all go in our thoughts to the situation revealed in the prophecy of Malachi. There
we read how that many of the Israelites guided their lives in a very careless way when it
came to their relationship to the Lord their God. Oh yes, these people were members of
the covenant. They were called by the name of God. And yet they seemed to live their
lives in accordance to their own will and ways. In verse 7 the Lord charges them with
departing from His ordinances. Through His servant the Prophet He calls them to return
to Him. But their answer was, Wherein shall we return? No, many of the people did not
even know how they were offending the Lord. And then the Lord charges them with
robbing God. But how have we done so? they asked. And then the Lord answers, In
tithes and offerings. In verse 13 the Lord says similar things, Your words are stout
against Me. And again Israel asks, What have we spoken against thee? And then
Jehovah answers, You have said, It is vain to serve God; what profit is it to keep His
ordinances and to walk mournfully?
Well now, as we read in both Malachi and Revelation, there is a Book of
Remembrance written by the Lord concerning all the deeds that have been performed by
mankind from the beginning of time. At the end of verse 12 of Revelation 20 we read,
And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the Books, according
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to their works. And so there is a Book of Remembrance written before God’s holy
countenance. That is an awesome thought, congregation. For that Book of
Remembrance reveals Who God is, namely, the Almighty but also the omniscient One
from Whom not one thing is hid. For the Lord is the one, true, all-knowing God.
But, for the majority of humanity this does not matter; this does not concern them.
They live their lives as if there is no God and as if there is no day of reckoning coming.
But, how many “Christians” do not do the same? We just saw that among the Old
Testament covenant people of God. And today I fear it is not so much different. How
many churches today are not tolerant concerning worldly lifestyles; theater going and
attending venues of entertainment which are not at all God honoring and which deify man
are considered normative. Sadly enough, many people take the attitude that it does not
really matter how you live and in fact it is vain to try to serve God.
And those who regard their church life as secondary even take the attitude that it
does not really matter how you live your life. Whether you try to be precise in daily
living or not, whether you attend church meticulously or not, life goes on and the world
remains basically the same anyway. You cannot ban evil and unrighteousness out of
society and life.
And while God’s people may view God and His requirements differently,
sometimes they too are troubled because everything seems to go well with the wicked
while the righteous experience trials and sorrows. Just think of Psalm 73. Asaph said
that the eyes of the wicked stand out in fatness and that they are not in trouble as others
are. They even speak against God saying, How doth God know and is there knowledge
with the most High? And in contrast with such great sinners, God’s people can feel so
plagued and chastened by the hand of the Lord. Yes, then things seem to be entirely
turned up side down. And then there are others who say rather skeptically, If there is a
God, and they say that He is even a God of love, then things should look a lot different
than they really are.
And yet, over against ungodly and nominal Christians who just don’t see the value
and the beauty of the Lord’s service, stand the people of God, that small minority, the
little flock of which Christ speaks in Luke 12. These are the remnant according to the
election of grace. In verse 16b of Malachi they are referred to as those that feared the
Lord, and that thought upon His name. And it is this people who are encouraged by the
Lord when He says in Luke 12, fear not little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to
give you the Kingdom. Yes, these people are those who fear the Lord! Through the
enlightening power of the Holy Spirit, they have come to see that in His Name alone is
true life. And therefore they have left the ways of the world and journey through this life
as pilgrim travelers. Yes, they travel upon another course. They have other views upon
life and speak a different language, realizing that their life is not in their own hands but is
entirely upheld and directed by the Lord.
Well now, there is a Book of Remembrance that has been written before the Lord.
And in that Book all the deeds of the ungodly are written. But in that Book, all the tears
of the oppressed people of God are written as well. These things are all written in the
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Lord’s Book of Remembrance. Have you ever thought about that, congregation? The
Lord has a Book of Remembrance in which every word, every thought, and deed of every
person is recorded. This ought to cause man to stop and to consider his ways. But alas,
the wicked cast these thoughts to the wind. They do not want to consider such morbid
thoughts.
But, there is a people who do take this seriously. They are the people of the Lord.
They know the truth of this fact, that every word, thought, and deed will be judged. But
how do they know that? Well, from such texts in God’s Word as we have before us.
Yes, that’s true. But also, because they have been convicted of their sins in the past.
They have, spiritually speaking, received a glance into God’s Book. And then they have
come to the conclusion, If Thou Lord wouldst enter into judgment with me, I could not
stand. Have you already seen this, beloved?
You see, congregation, the balance sheet of your and my life has almost been
completed for this year 2004. Another 365 days have past by for which we must give an
account. For another 52 Lord’s Days the Lord has come to us with the call to repent of
our sins. He has called us, saying, Be ye reconciled unto God! Well now, what have we
done to seek the Lord? How far have we fulfilled our calling and duty to love Him above
all else and our neighbor as ourselves? We have received countless blessings from the
hand of God making us indebted to Him. Have they brought us to humble
acknowledgement of His goodness? The Savior of sinners has been presented to us in the
Gospel. Have you already been blessed by His finished work? And so the questions
could be multiplied. The demands of the Lord are countless and not at all excessive. He
does not ask of us more than He has a right to. And what is that? He desires to receive
your and my heart, yes, our whole life!
Well now, in light of this truth it cannot be otherwise but that we all stand
bankrupt in God’s holy sight. There are countless deeds, words, and thoughts that have
fallen by the wayside as far as our consciousness is concerned and they have ended up in
the deleted file of our lives. And yet they are all written in God’s Book of Remembrance,
beloved, and they testify against us. Our debit column is full, congregation. All our
liabilities cry for vengeance from heaven. And so there will be a day of reckoning, when
every human being will be called to give an account of his and her life. John speaks of
the last day when all the dead, small and great, shall stand before the Lord. That day shall
come as a thief in the night. And then the living and the dead shall be judged according
to those things written in God’s Book of Remembrance.
Yes, then the Books will be opened and man’s conscience will speak. And
everyone will be struck dumb on account of their sin and guilt. No one will be able to
speak one word in their own defense. For….God’s judgment of man is true, is upright
and right. And then all that merely had the appearance of religiosity will be held up for
what it is, nothing but a sham, a façade, putting up the form of godliness but lacking the
power thereof. Oh, how terrible it will be to be found wanting on that great Day of the
Lord. What we have suppressed and put away far from our memories will be placed in
the light of God’s Truth. This inevitable truth gives us much reason to humble ourselves,
does it not, congregation? How ought we to confess our sins of omission as well as of
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commission. The truth of God’s impending judgment ought on the one hand to strike
fear in our hearts and on the other it ought to bring us to humble confession of our sins.
For, as we hope to see in our second thought, there is also The Lord’s Credit Book
of Remembrance.
Thanks be to God, congregation, that for totally bankrupt sinners we may also
declare hope of reconciliation. And this hope does not resemble anything like those who
have gone bankrupt in this earthly life. They leave their creditors hanging, paying only a
fraction of what they owe, sometimes even less than 10%. But the hope which we may
declare upon this New Year’s Eve is not based on anything like that at all, oh no. But
man’s guilt shall be paid in full. The justice of God requires this. But, oh what a
wondrous way that this is done. For as our text in Malachi declares, there is a Book of
Remembrance before God’s countenance. And while this Book shall be most frightening
and dreadful to the ungodly, it shall be of unspeakable comfort to the people of God. Just
read what our text says at the end of verse 16, A Book of Remembrance was written
before Him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon His name.
And so what we have here in our text, congregation, is the thought that the names
of God’s children have been written before His countenance. This means that both small
and great, both young and old are all known to Him by name. And in our other text,
verse 12 of Revelation 20, we read, And another Book was opened which is the Book of
Life. Well now, that Book is also called the Book of Life of the Lamb. Why? How
come? Because, in God’s Book of Remembrance, there is not only a debit side, but also
a credit column. Moreover, in the Book of Life are written not only the names of the
elect of God, but also, and more importantly, the great deeds of the Lamb Himself. This
is none other than the work of the Lord Jesus. And what He has done in shedding His
blood, in laying down His life as the sacrifice for sin, congregation, is also not forgotten
by the Lord God.
Yes, the credit ledger of God’s Book contains the life of the Lord Jesus, His
suffering and His death as well as His resurrection. In short, it contains the work of the
only righteous One, of the Savior. Pages upon pages are written of the eternal merits of
the Lord Jesus’ work. You know, congregation, Moses, the Old Testament mediator once
said to the Lord, Blot me out of Thy Book. But the Lord did not do so. For, He would
blot out only those whose sins stand over against Him.
Do you hear that, sinners in our midst? What is your answer to this? Would you
defend yourself with your, I could not help it, I did not know it, or with your, I am not so
bad as that and that person? It is far better to remain silent and to confess, I am doubly
worthy of Thy just judgment than to come with some of your lame excuses.
But now the wonder of this all is that the greater than Moses comes in behalf of a
people and He says, Father, blot Me, Thy Son, out of Thy Book. Yes, at the hour of the
Father the Lord Jesus came to this earth to fulfill His Father’s will. And at the end of His
life, with the cross looming up before Him, He prayed, Not My will, but Thy will be
done. Do you see the bleeding, dying Lamb of God hanging upon the accursed tree?
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Have you been filled with holy wonder and admiration on account of these words, For He
hath made Him to be sin for us Who knew no sin that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him. Yes, God the Father received the work of His Son. For
that work was written in blood. And in the Lamb’s Book of Life are also written Christ’s
sighings and tears. They are all written in the blood that flowed from the Lord Jesus’
pierced hands and feet. Yes, all the travail of Christ’s soul are written in the Lord’s Book
of Rememberance and the sum total of them all is the redemption price for all manner of
sin.
Oh, what an amazing credit balance is to be found in this blessed work. Nothing
of it comes from our side. We deserve God’s everlasting judgment in hell. And yet
God’s grace comes to expression through this word of life. You see, the Gospel is not
merely wishing each other a blessed transition from one year to the next or hoping for the
best at the hour of one’s death. But the Gospel Message at the close of another year is
that another Book has been opened, dear friends, a Book that is called the Book of Life.
And in that Book of Life, is written the names of sinners who have deserved eternal death
and destruction in and of themselves. And yet their names are there, in the Book of Life.
This means that their sin and guilt has been wiped clean, has been paid in full. Sins
before conversion and after conversion, are wiped away through the blood that has been
shed upon the cross. Oh that Book of Life reveals the greatness of God’s love for sinners.
For He has loved them with an everlasting love.
Oh beloved, do we know that love, that eternal love of God which passeth all
earthly knowledge and understanding? That love came to expression in eternity when
God the Father called for God the Son to lay down His life as a ransom price for sin, holy
and undefiled. And there in the Counsel of Peace, the Lord Jesus expressed His
willingness to perform His Father’s will. When that time came, He also performed it. He
was forsaken and bore the torments of hell so that His people might never be forsaken.
This was nothing less than the expression of His love for sinners. And the only way that
you and I may partake of that love, beloved, is by confessing our sin and guilt before
Him, pleading His grace. Oh what a blessed transition may you experience from the Old
to the New Year when you may confess with the Psalmist with heart and voice, Thou
tellest my wanderings. Put Thou my tears into Thy bottle; are they not in Thy Book? Oh
how blessed are they whose hope is in the Lord!
Which brings us to our third thought, The Lord’s Judgment According to His
Books.
Yes, congregation, if the Lord would enter into judgment with any of us according
to our deserts, who then could stand? Not one of us. But as we read in Psalm 130:4, But
there is forgiveness with Thee that Thou mayest be feared. May that indeed be our only
hope. That can only become true when we learn to hope upon the Lord and His finished
work. Well now, we saw that there is a Book of Remembrance before the countenance of
God, the Book of the Lamb. All of God’s peoples’ names are written in that Book. They
shall indeed receive forgiveness full and free. But….how can I know whether my name
is written in the Book of the Lamb, the Book of Life?
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Well, congregation, we can be sure of that when we are convinced that our lives
are hopelessly lost without the credit earned by the Lord Jesus. That is ultimately the
question that also faces you and me on this New Year’s Eve. Are you convinced that you
will be forever lost without the Savior’s atoning work? If so, then with Peter, Unto you
who believe He is precious. Is that true of any in our midst? Then you cannot do without
His blessed work. Even though you come so short in honoring Him and loving Him, yet
you cannot do without the Lord Jesus and His finished work. He is your only hope; His
merits need to be placed on your credit account, because you have none.
If we have been really taught these things by the Holy Spirit’s grace, beloved, then
we will also have learned to place a big goose egg, a big zero in the credit column beside
our name. For we have nothing to offer the Lord as reasons for His mercy. We have no
merits to satisfy the justice of God with. But that which we do not have and cannot bring
up, the Lord has supplied in the Son of His love. For though He remained righteous and
just all His life long, He went the way of the cross, the Just for the unjust, that He might
bring sinners to God. Oh, beloved, have you seen that already? Has that become your
greatest need as you look back upon the dark pages of your life? Oh do not pass over
them carelessly with the thought that what has been done is done. But seek to consider
your sin and the errors of your ways until, convinced of them you fall upon your knees
with the prayer, O God, be merciful to me the sinner. Oh how beautiful it is when,
through the Holy Spirit’s witness a people may look unto the Lord for His mercy
although their conscience accuses them that they have transgressed against all the
commandments of God and kept none of them. And then to have the blessed hope that
the Lord, outside of any merit of theirs but merely of grace, imputes the righteousness
and holiness of Christ as if they had never sinned.
Oh, how great that thought is! But, how is this possible? Because God in heaven
has settled the accounts of His people through His Son, the Lamb. Their righteousness
has been purchased in blood. And that blood, beloved, cleanses from all sin. It wipes the
slates of God’s people clean when they receive the work of the Lord Jesus with a
believing heart. Oh, what great encouragement this truly is for a people who lack
everything from their side! But, what about the sins of each day in this past year? Sins
of commission and omission. Sins in word, thought, and very deed. Looking back,
someone says, I wish I would have done things differently, that I would have thought
more upon the Lord, would have been more faithful to Him. I come so short of glorifying
Him. Again my life is in the red. And so it is, congregation.
But, can it be any other way from our side? Would you have something or do
something, to present to the Lord? Would you? No, that can never be. Today there are
impurities remain, and tomorrow and next year. You will only be able to come to the
Lord with sin stained hands, really. And therefore your only hope, people of God can be,
that there is a Book of Rememberance before the Lord written in blood. And that Book
stands open before the Lord. And because the Lord has loved His own with an eternal
love, He will never leave nor forsake them. No, as we read in Malachi 3:17, They are the
Lord’s; He has purchased them with His precious blood and they shall be His. They will
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make up the jewels of His crown and He will spare them as a man spareth His own son
that serves him. Therefore all thanksgiving and praise is due unto the Lord. Amen.
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