Is it the end, or is it the beginning? · 12/30/2012 · Don’t Quit When things go wrong, as...

12/31/2012

1

Is it The End, or

is it The Beginning?

I. The God Who Knows

• As believers we are not asked to look for or predict the end of the world, but we are told to watch for Jesus‟ return. Does anyone know when He will return?

• NO ONE KNOWS!"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.“

Jesus – Matthew 24:35,36

12/31/2012

2


• Hebrews 1:10-12

Because God knows all things perfectly, He knows no thing better than any other thing, but all things equally well. He never discovers anything. He is never surprised, never amazed. A.W. Tozer


Our Response to This News

• 2 Peter 3: 3-15

• God‟s calculation: 1000 years = one day

• Man‟s calculation: 1000 years = 365,242

days

12/31/2012

3


Our Response to This News

• What if you knew today would be your last

day to live what would you do differently?

• Many people make bucket lists/they list things they want to do or accomplish before they die, many take a trip, or make

things right with others.


• He spent time with his friends

• He had his last meal with

them

• He told them exactly how he would die

• He comforted them

• He served them

• He washed the feet of his friends

• He spoke kindly to his betrayer

• He restored the ear of the person who arrested him

• He forgave the one who denied him

• He spent time with his father, and the list goes on…

From the beginning Jesus came with a specific purpose, and he fulfilled that purpose.

Listen to what one person did:

12/31/2012

4

II. The God who is the Beginning and the End

God the beginning ________________________________God the end

“I make known the end from the beginning,from ancient times, what is still to come.

I say, ‘My purpose will stand,and I will do all that I please.”(Isaiah 46:10)


• He sees the end and the beginning in one

view.

• Beginning – the start of something

• End – completing of something

• HE IS ALPHA AND OMEGA

12/31/2012

5


• Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last. Together these two letters form a monogram or symbol for one of the names of Jesus meaning "the Beginning and the End."

• The term is found in Revelation 1:8: "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." (NIV)


• Revelation 21:6 He said to me: "It is

done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost

from the spring of the water of life. (NIV)

• Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. (NIV)

12/31/2012

6


“Philosophy and science have not always been friendly toward the idea of God, the reason being that they are dedicated to the task of accounting for things and are impatient with anything that refuses to give an account of itself. The philosopher and the scientist will admit that there is much that they do not know; but that is quite another thing from admitting that there is something which they can never know, which indeed they have no technique for discovering.”


“To admit that there is One who lies beyond us, who exists outside of all our categories, who will not be dismissed with a name, who will not appear before the bar of our reason, nor submit to our curious inquiries: this requires a great deal of humility, more than most of us possess, so we save face by thinking God down to our level, or at least down to where we can manage Him. Yet how He eludes us! For He is everywhere while He is nowhere, for “where” has to do with matter and space, and God is independent of both. He is unaffected by time or motion, is wholly self-dependent and owes nothing to the worlds His hands have made.” A.W. Tozer

12/31/2012

7


• God is not bound by time, time cannot change him, he is the author of time, man cannot control him, he is the creator, science cannot explain him, he knows it all and started it all.

• Time has no hold on Him; he is the author of time

• Everything that exists came out of and is dependent upon the continuing creative impulse. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.... All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1, 3)


• “For by him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or powers, or rulers, or authorities; all things were created by him, and for him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17)

• He is not only the beginning and the end, but he created all things with a beginning and an end. Look at the seasons…

12/31/2012

8


Ecclesiastes 3:3 There is a time for

everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

• Seasons change every year…


• Winter – snow, cold, sleet, ice, coats,

gloves, scarves, - we can have some spiritual winter days, everything seems so cold and gloomy, but in the winter the

ground is being watered, the soil is being prepared for the next season. Winter ends and it marks the beginning of spring.

12/31/2012

9

• Spring – blossoms, leaves budding, snow

melting, birds singing, growth, buds, flowers, grass, green, EVERYTHING COMES TO LIFE! Spring ends and it marks the

beginning of summer.


• Summer – sun, heat, more heat, sunburns

(for my husband) pools, smiles, vacation, etc., but summer ends as well and marks the beginning of autumn .


12/31/2012

10

• Autumn– leaves falling, crisp air, wind, rain,

then the whole cycle begins all over again.



“Changes take place not all at once but in succession, one after the other, and it is the relation of “after” to “before” that gives us our idea of time. We wait for the sun to move from east to west or for the hour hand to move around the face of the clock, but God is not compelled so to wait. For Him everything that will happen has already happened.” A.W. Tozer

12/31/2012

11


• Ecclesiastes 3:11 „people cannot see the

whole scope of God‟s word from beginning to end….


• We will live through various seasons in

life, but God gives us grace and the opportunity to start over.

• Whatever he has started he will finish … being confident of this, that he who

began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil 1:6

12/31/2012

12

III. The God of Second Chances

• Tomorrow will mark the End of a year, the

end and beginning of life for many.

• Because he is a God who exists outside of time, he is already in tomorrow.


If the future is something you're dreadingFilling your mind with worry and care,

You don't need to fear for tomorrow,Because God is already there.

Only the Lord knows the outcomeOf things we fret over today,

And He is there laying the groundworkFor things to turn out the best way.

So when our lives are filled with confusion,And our hearts weighted down in despair

All we need do is rememberThat God is already there. (Linda Felker)

12/31/2012

13


• This past year 2012 may have been the worst for you, but today you have life and the ability to start over to start fresh and hold on to the truth and not let it go.

“The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance. The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect, as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life. You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.”

Arnold Bennett

Is It The End? or Is It The Beginning?

• 2013 will be a year filled with uncertainty,

but wouldn‟t you want to hold on to a God who knows how this coming year will end, and who knows the real you?

• Isaiah 43:17-20 (NLT)

• Someone said “You can‟t change the past, so don‟t ruin the present by worrying about the future.”

12/31/2012

14


• End of John‟s life ushered in the beginning of Jesus‟ ministry

• Disappointments – God‟s appointments for something better

• “When one door closes, another opens, but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.” -Alexander Graham Bell


• If I were to ask how many in this room have experienced a loss, someone dying? Hands would go up

• How many have had an end to a relationship whether by divorce or death

• Loss of a job• Loss of Health• We can‟t cover up those things, life happens,

but God is also the author of life, don‟t miss out on what God wants to begin in your life this new year,

12/31/2012

15

THE END IS JUST THE BEGINNING!

• Isaac Layne, December 30, 1930-2010

• Our lives are summarized by a dash- what

will that dash represent for you?

• How will you fill that dash this coming year? Let go of this past year and embrace this coming year with God leading you..

• Commit today to End one thing and Begin

one thing…

Scriptures follow…

12/31/2012

16

Don’t QuitWhen things go wrong, as they sometimes will,When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,When the funds are low and the debts are high,And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,When care is pressing you down a bit,Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,As every one of us sometimes learns,And many a failure turns about,When he might have won had he stuck it out;Don't give up though the pace seems slow--You may succeed with another blow.

Don’t QuitOften the goal is nearer than,It seems to a faint and faltering man,Often the struggler has given up,When he might have captured the victor's cup,And he learned too late when the night slipped down,How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,And you never can tell how close you are,It may be near when it seems so far,So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

12/31/2012

17

Hebrews 1:10-12

10 He also says, “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 11 They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. 12 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”

Mathew 24:35-36

35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."

12/31/2012

18

2 Peter 3: 3-15

3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.

2 Peter 3: 3-15

7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

12/31/2012

19

2 Peter 3: 3-15

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

2 Peter 3: 3-15

13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation…..,

12/31/2012

20

Isaiah 43:17-2017 I called forth the mighty army of Egypt

with all its chariots and horses.

I drew them beneath the waves, and they drowned,

their lives snuffed out like a smoldering candlewick.

18 “But forget all that—

it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.

19 For I am about to do something new.

See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?

I will make a pathway through the wilderness.

I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

Isaiah 43:17-2020 The wild animals in the fields will thank me,

the jackals and owls, too,

for giving them water in the desert.

Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland

so my chosen people can be refreshed.

12/31/2012

21

12/31/2012

22

THE END IS JUST THE BEGINNING!

Commit to End one thing

&

Begin one thing…

Is it the end, or is it the beginning? · 12/30/2012 · Don’t Quit When things go wrong, as...

Documents

Transcript of Is it the end, or is it the beginning? · 12/30/2012 · Don’t Quit When things go wrong, as...