“It’s a Miracle: Names written in heaven”
Luke 10:20
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus.
Nearly a hundred years ago, Sue Hicks was an American judge and lawyer for the state of Tennessee. And of the eight hundred or so murder cases he tried, not to mention a thousand others, he’s best known for having served as the prosecutor in the Scopes trial, the “Monkey trial,” in 1925, in Dayton, Tennessee.
Wait a second. Let me make sure I got that right. “Sue Hicks was an American judge and lawyer.” Okay. Got that. Then, “He’s best known for serving as the prosecutor in the Scopes trial.”
Sue…he?
Yup, that’s right. Sue was a he. Apparently, his mother died soon after childbirth and his father always wanted to remember her. So he named his newborn son Sue, after his mom, making him the proud inspiration for a song called, “A Boy Named Sue.”
There are a lot of strange and unusual names. Think of a woman marketing executive from Atlanta, Georgia. Her last name is “Minyon.” Can you guess her first name? Why, it’s “Filet” of course. Filet Minyon.
Or think of 51-year-old Mr. Duck of Massillon, Ohio who was recently arrested for bumping his car into another vehicle at a pizza shop drive-thru. When police arrived, they smelled alcohol and noticed his red, glassy eyes. Then, when they did a little more looking, they found that he had previously been arrested some five different times.
And in case you’re wondering, Mr. Duck’s first name is Donald. With a name like that, I suppose you can’t help but run afoul with the law.
Or think of Regional Affairs Strategist and U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer Dear Beloved. That’s right. Dear Beloved. He says, “Yes, it’s my real name and, while clever, my middle name is not Lee” (as in Dear Lee Beloved).” His father is from South America and his mother is Icelandic and German. And both must love him a lot. That’s why they called him, “Dear.”
And that’s nothing to say of names like Mary Christmas, Sandy Beach, Shanda Lear, and Olive Yew.
There are a lot of strange and unusual names.
But wonder of wonders, the Bible has something to say about our name, however strange or ordinary it might be. As Jesus said in the book of Luke chapter 10: “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
If you would, please turn with me in your Bibles to page 1104, to Luke chapter 10, verse 1. It begins with this: “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself was about to go. And He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.’”
And in verse 3, He said: “Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you.”
So off they went, to teach, preach, and heal in Jesus’ name.
And as they went, it was as if Jesus said, “As you go into Satan’s domain and as you minister in My name, you’ll face an all-out spiritual warfare. You’ll leave family and friends. Wolves will try to eat you like sheep. Sometimes, you’ll go without food. Sometimes, you’ll be afraid for your very lives. By the world’s standards, you will not be rich. In fact, you’ll depend on others to supply even your most basic needs. But as you go, know that there is nothing more important than preaching the good news in My name.”
And what happened as they went? Look at verse 17: “The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!’ And He said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.”
Then, in verse 20, He said this: “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
“Rejoice,” He said, “that your names are written in heaven.”
In a book entitled, Heaven, author Randy Alcorn tells a story about a woman named Ruthanna Metzgar, a professional singer, who was asked to sing at the wedding of a very wealthy man. According to the invitation, the reception would be held on the top two floors of Seattle’s Columbia Tower, the tallest skyscraper in the northwest. As you can imagine, she and her husband, Roy, were thrilled to attend.
At the reception, waiters in tuxedos offered luscious hors d’oeuvres and exotic beverages. The bride and groom approached a beautiful glass and brass staircase that led to the top floor, followed by their guests. At the top of the stairs, the maître d’ greeted the guests at the door, holding a bound book in his hands.
And as the singer and her husband approached the door, he asked, “May I have your name, please?”
She answered, “I’m Ruthanna Metzgar and this is my husband, Roy.”
He turned one page, then another, looking all through the M’s. “I’m not finding it,” he said. “Would you spell it please?”
Slowly, Ruthanna spelled her name. Finally, after searching the book, the maître d’ looked up and said, “I’m sorry, but your name isn’t here.”
“There must be some mistake,” she replied. “I’m the singer. I sang for this wedding!”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who you are or what you did. If your name isn’t in the book, you can’t attend the banquet.” Then turning to a waiter, he said, “Show these people to the service elevator, please.”
So the Metzgars followed the waiter past exquisitely decorated tables laden with shrimp, smoked salmon, and beautifully carved ice sculptures. Beside the banquet area, where an orchestra was preparing to perform, musicians were dressed in dazzling white tuxedos. Then he led them to the service elevator, ushered them in, and pushed “G” for the parking garage.
Then after they located their car and drove several miles in silence, Roy reached over and put his hand on Ruthanna’s arm. “Sweetheart,” he said. “What happened?”
She answered, “When the invitation arrived, I was so busy, I never bothered to send it in. Besides, I’m the singer. Surely I could go to the reception without returning the RSVP!”
As Jesus once said in the book of Matthew, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in Your name and in Your name drive our demons and perform many miracles?”
And Jesus will answer them: “Depart from Me, for I never knew you.”
But here, as the seventy-two return to tell of what they’d done, Jesus said, “Do not rejoice that the spirits are subject to you. Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Whose names are written there? Two women named Euodia and Syntyche are written there. That’s what Paul wrote in Philippians chapter 4. He said their names are written in heaven. And in Revelation chapter 3, it says all those who are, by God’s grace, dressed in white. Their names will never be blotted out of the book of life.
And when God writes our names, they’re written. In fact, in the Greek, it’s a special tense that says, “Your name has been written once and for all, and stands written forever.” As someone once put it, “There are no erasers in heaven!”
How can they be written there? It’s not something we did. We know all too well that, no matter what we do, and no matter how hard we try, we could never be good enough.
Instead, it’s something God did, by His grace, through the blood of Christ. It’s only through His Name, the Name that is above all names, the Name at which every knee will bow, the Name every tongue will confess, that our names are written in heaven.
The story is told that, at the end of time, billions will stand on a great plain before God’s throne. Most will shrink back from the light, but some will stand near the front, not cringing in shame, but standing in belligerence.
“How dare God judge us?” they’ll say. “And what does He know about suffering? What does He know of the terror I endured on earth, the shootings and the torture?!”
A woman will pull out a crumpled, tear-stained photograph from her pocket. “What about this?” she’ll demand. “This is my precious child. I haven’t seen her since the day she was taken from me for no reason at all.”
And far across the plain, thousands will complain against God for the evil and suffering He permitted in this world. How lucky He was, they’ll say, to live in heaven where all is sweetness and light, where there is no weeping or fear, no hunger or hatred. What does God know of all they endured in this world? For God led a pretty sheltered life, they’ll say.
Then they’ll say that before He could be qualified to stand as judge, He must endure what they endured. He should be sentenced to live on earth as a man.
They’ll say, “Let Him be born into a hated race, the legitimacy of His birth doubted. Give Him a work so difficult, even His family will think He’s out of His mind. Let Him be betrayed by His closest friends. Let Him face false charges, be tried by a prejudiced jury and convicted by a cowardly judge. Let Him be tortured.
“And finally, let Him see what it means to be left all alone. And let Him die so that there can be no doubt that He died.”
And just as soon as they announce their sentence, there will be a long silence when no one will say a word. For suddenly they’ll realize all that God has done.
As John Newton once wrote so long ago: “How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear! It soothes our sorrows, heals our wounds, and drives away our fear. Till then I would Your love proclaim with every fleeting breath; and may the music of Your name refresh my soul in death.”
Dear Father, as we remember the love You have for us and all that You’ve done for us, we can’t help but stand amazed. Help us to rest in the grace of knowing our names are written in heaven. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen