THINK TOGETHER.
Is your name written in Heaven?
READ TOGETHER.
Luke 10:1. 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.
Luke 10:17-20. 17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Jesus will be traveling from town to town on his way to Jerusalem. Before he arrives in each town, he wants his followers to go there first to prepare the way. So Jesus sends out seventy-two of his followers to go ahead of him. The seventy-two don’t just go, they go with the power of Jesus. They preach, and heal, and even cast out demons. Amazing! They are each like a mini-Jesus.
When the seventy-two return they are full of joy! They are excited about what they have been able to do in Jesus’ name. Can you imagine being able to heal a disease or tell a demon to get lost? Of course they were excited.
Then Jesus says two incredible things to them. The first is this – I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Jesus is saying that he was there, in Heaven, when Satan was kicked out by God. What does Jesus mean? He’s saying, I’m not just a person with a lot of power, I am the eternal God who has all the power over Satan, and evil, and death. Wow!
The second incredible thing Jesus says to the seventy-two is this – do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. When Jesus talks about our names being written in Heaven, he is talking about being saved. When we ask Jesus to forgive us and take away our sins, when we trust him to be our Savior, he writes our names in his Book of Life forever. The Book of Life lists everyone that has trusted in Jesus and that has eternal life.
Revelation 3:5. The one who [believes]…I will never blot their name out of the book of life. I will confess their name before my Father and before his angels.
Do you think your name is written in the Book of Life? Why or why not? Are you more excited about what you DO, or who you ARE – a Christian saved by God’s kindness and written in his book forever? Yes, Jesus might let you do some amazing things as you grow up, but never forget the most amazing thing is that he loves you no matter what, and that you belong to him
Because of Jesus we can be written in his Book of Life.
With Jesus we can be most excited about who we are, not just what we can do.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Brainstorm together: what are some places where your name is written down. Is your name on any lists? A school list? A team list? What do these lists tell us about you? What does being on Jesus’ list tell us about you?
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, thank you for letting me do amazing things, but mostly thank you for saving me. Amen.
TLICfamily 