The Alpha and Omega |
by David A. DePra |
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. (Rev. 1:11) |
| These are the first words of Jesus in the book of Revelation, |
| which is a revelation OF the Christ. His words, among many other |
| things, are the answer to two questions we often ask of God: |
| Lord, where do I begin? |
| and |
| Lord, where does this end? |
| There are many people, some already Christians, and some |
| not, who simply do not know where to begin with God. Some do |
| not know where to start to seek God in a given trial or situation. |
| They are asking, "Where do I begin?" |
| Now, this really shouldn't be a hard question to answer. But |
| we have made it hard through much bad teaching. Some people |
| are given all kinds of places to start in their quest for God. Some |
| are told to attend church. Some are told that they must first do a |
| good work or even submit to authority. Others are told they must |
| clean up their act before they dare to approach God. |
| Most of these suggestions are well-intended. None of us want |
| to leave the impression that coming to God "just as I am" is a |
| license to stay that way. But somehow, somewhere, along the |
| way, we have lost the gospel. We have become so concerned |
| about sin, that we have forgotten that the sinner must first get to the |
| One who can set them free from it. So we set conditions and terms |
| upon ourselves and others which must be met before we can |
| approach Jesus. |
| The fact is, coming to God "just as I am" is the ONLY way I can |
| come. It is the only condition in which I could possibly have faith |
| in Him. I must come needy, just as I am, without anything added |
| which I think will qualify me. And I can come NOW. I don't need |
| to wait. Whether I'm a Christian having problems, or an unsaved |
| person, I can turn this moment, just as I am, to Jesus Christ. |
| Jesus is the Alpha. He is the beginning. We don't start before |
| we get to Jesus. We start with Jesus. That means that no matter |
| how evil my sin has been in life, no matter how many times I've |
| turned my back on God, and no matter how much of a wreck I've |
| made of myself, I can turn to Jesus Christ -- NOW. I can come. He |
| has already done all there is to do about the sin and ruination of |
| my life. |
| If there is any sin which the Redemption of Jesus Christ has not |
| redeemed, then none of His Redemption is trustworthy. But no. |
| There is no sin deeper than the death which Jesus suffered. He |
| has gotten victory over all sin, and all death. |
| So Jesus is where we start. But He is also the Omega -- the |
| Person to whom it is all leading. No matter how difficult life may |
| be, and no matter what is happening, it is all unto the greater |
| knowledge and freedom in Jesus Christ. And yes, if Jesus is the |
| first and the last, He is also the in-between. That leaves no room |
| for any other. * |