SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON 14, January 10, 2010

Who do you say that I am?
Alpha and Omega
Theme Verse: "Who do you say that I am?" Matthew 16:15
Readings: Genesis 1:1, Revelation 22:13, John 1:1-3, Deuteronomy 4:32-40, Colossians 1:15-20, Revelation 1: 12-18
Memory Verse: "I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the beginning and the end." Revelation 22:13
      NOTE:  alpha and  omega are Greek and mean "A" and "Z". They were the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.
      It seems fitting at the beginning of a new calendar year to think about what the Bible and the LORD have to say about Beginnings and Endings. God is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and Omega. In the first book of the Bible, Genesis 1:1 and the Last book, Revelation 22:13 we are told the same thing--God is the Beginning and the End of everything, and of every thing in between. In English we would say, I AM the "A" and the "Z", the First, the Last, the Beginning and the End. In John 1:1-3 it says of Jesus, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God: all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made." We are talking about what the ONE true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is like.
      In the centuries before Jesus came, God was trying to teach his people, Israel, that He was the ONLY GOD there is--not like all their neighbors who believed in many gods. They worshiped idols made by their own hands, as opposed to YAHWEH (the "I AM"), the only real God who made them and everything else. Now read Deuteronomy 4:32-40 where God reminds them of what He has done for them so they would know him and obey Him, so that it would go well for them.
      Hundreds of years later, God sent Isaiah to speak to His people who are still tempted to worship the idols and gods of their neighbors. "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; besides me there is no God.'" (Isaiah 44:6) A word received: I want to be First and Last in your life and in your thoughts. I want to be the beginning and the end of each day for you. Look to me; I AM waiting. God is their Creator, their Ruler, their Savior who accomplishes His purposes in the midst of a sinful, fallen world.
      Again God speaks through Isaiah, "Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called: I am he, I am the First, I am also the Last." (Isaiah 48:12) A word received: Look to me; listen to me; begin and end with me.
       God continues, "My own hand laid the foundations of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens. When I summon them, they all stand up together." (vs.13) "If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river and your righteousness like the waves of the sea." (vs.18 ) The God who made them grieves because His people have chosen to rebel against him. (God gave them that ability to choose or reject him since he wanted their freely given love and obedience.) Now they are reaping the consequences of bad choices. God is calling them back to Himself.
      Paul has more to say about Jesus in Colossians. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." (Colossians 1:15) A word received: I have made you in my image and I want to conform you to the image of my son.
      "For by him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through him and for him." (Colossians 1:16) A word received: I do not want you to worship what I have created.
      "And he is before all things, and in him all things consist." (Colossians 1:17) A word received: Worship my son. He holds you in the palm of his hand.
      Remember how John 1:1 says that God's WORD was always with God the Father and was/is God. Here again we are talking about the ONE GOD, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, whose WORD took on our human nature as a man to bring God's salvation and new life to us. (We don't have to understand how this is if we know it is true and we can know Jesus personally.)
      "And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he may have the preeminence." (Colossians 1:18 ) A word received: I want him to have preeminence in your life. Invite him in to take control of your life.
      "For it pleased the Father that in him all the fullness should dwell," (Colossians 1:19) A word received: I have endowed him with every gift so that he can minister to you.
      "and by him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross." (Colossians 1:20) A word received: Look at the cross to see how much I love you.
      Now look at the end of things in God's Revelation to the apostle John. First John has a message of peace from God the Father "who is and who was and who is to come" (Revelation 1:4). The message is also from Jesus, "the first born of the dead and the ruler of Kings on earth". (vs.5) "Behold he (Jesus) is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him" (vs.7) (Remember Jesus' ascension.) Then the LORD says "I Am the Alpha and the Omega who is and was and is to come, the Almighty." (vs.8 ). This is a vision of the awesomeness of God! Remember what we say every week in church, "We remember his death (past), we proclaim his resurrection (present). We await his coming in glory (future).
      The John sees a vision of the glorified Jesus in heaven (see vs. 12-17). Jesus says to John, "Fear not, I AM the First and the Last, the Living One. I died and behold I am alive for evermore and I have the keys of Death and Hades."(vs.17-18 )
      The book of Revelation concludes with a vision of God creating a new heaven and a new earth, after death and judgment were finished.(Revelation 21) Jesus says, "Behold, I make all things new "(vs.5) "It is done! I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. (vs.6) He who conquers shall have this heritage and I will be his God and he shall be my son." (vs.7) . This is repeated in Revelation 22:12.
      Now look at another aspect of this. The last words of Jesus on the cross were "It is finished."(John 19:30) meaning that he had completed the task God the Father sent him to do, a lot more than "it's over now." Psalm 22, which has a lot of prophecy about the crucifixion, ends with "he has done it", meaning accomplished, performed, finished and brought to pass.
      Hebrews 12:2 tells us to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." Jesus offers us the gift of salvation and if we receive it, will work in us to bring it to completion. Paul tells us ( Philippians 1:3-6) "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." We can trust Jesus to do this but we have to keep on choosing to co-operate with his work in our lives. Let us imitate Paul who says later in this letter (3:4) "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me."
      Jesus is there at the beginning, middle and end of our lives and he longs to walk with us through the joys and problems of life. "Our times are in your hands." (Psalm 31:15) Remember the spiritual "He's got the whole world in his hands". Let him take your hand in the race of life!