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“…whose names are in the book of life.” (4:3)

• OT Book of Life (Ex. 32:32; Ps. 69:28; Is. 4:3) – temporal rights of Jewish citizenship
• Book of Lifespan (Ps. 139:16)
• Book of Record of Wrongs (Dan. 7:10; Rev. 20:12)
• Lamb’s Book of Life (Lk. 10:20; Phil. 4:3; Heb. 12:22-23; Rev. 13:8; 17:8; Rev. 21:27) – record of those chosen for salvation from eternity past.

You respond to this kind of behavioural call on your life, not to enter in, but because you are already in—and recognizing GRACE, your response is vigorous.

Having your citizenship in heaven and now able to stand firm in the Lord, two big changes will occur…

1. You will stop living down to your old earthly desires and start living up to what you have already attained (16, 19-21).

“things above” take on greater value to you than the things of this earth…

You want to be rich in…

                                 to be successful in…

                                 to be healthy in…

                                 to be totally set free from…

2. You will stop fighting with your heavenly family and start placing greater value on the fellowship of like-mindedness in Christ (2-3).

Unity is a greater value than having your own way.

     “agree” in our thinking (2:5)

     “together with” in our behaviour

Dealing with disruptors…

     -even-handedly

     -involve a mediator

     -highlight what is honourable in the other

The nation of Christ is robust enough to preserve fellowship in situations impossible if not “in the Lord.”

If you are expecting Jesus to welcome you into his eternal place, inhabited by a certain kind of people, who lived a certain kind of way, you had better be that certain kind of person, living that certain kind of way.

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