Alpha and Omega

Introduction

We are taking this month to look at God throughout the Bible

Last week we took some time to look at the Trinity

We saw that God is a deeply relational God

And that he is working together in order to draw us into relationship with him

Today we are talking about a description of God that we see throughout Scripture

God is both alpha and omega

Scripture Reading

Revelation 21:3–6 (CSB)

Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.

Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life.

Revelation 22:12–13 (CSB)

“Look, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to repay each person according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

Alpha and Omega entails a lot…

Does anyone know what “alpha” and “omega” are?

Today we’ll look at what exactly this means

And what this means to us

The Alpha

Alpha - The Beginning

The Trinity working together in creation:

Genesis 1:1–3 (CSB)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Genesis 1:26–27 (CSB)

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image;

he created him in the image of God;

he created them male and female.

Our minds can barely fathom the scope of creation

Bigger and bigger

The universe constantly expanding

Planets - 5,550 actually known

Estimated 100 billion in Milky Way Galaxy

Estimated 2 trillion galaxies in the known universe

Smaller and smaller

Atoms

Average human around 150lbs ~ 7 billion billion billion atoms

7 followed by 27 zeroes

Subatomic particles

Quarks

Seen and Unseen

Colossians 1:16 (CSB)

For everything was created by him,

in heaven and on earth,

the visible and the invisible,

whether thrones or dominions

or rulers or authorities—

all things have been created through him and for him.

As Christians, we believe that there is more than just a physical reality

God has created everything, the seen and unseen

The stuff we understand and the stuff beyond our comprehension

Over all creation: God is creator

But not only did God create, He sustains the entire universe:

Colossians 1:17 (CSB)

He is before all things,

and by him all things hold together.

Homework: Read Psalm 104

God is the source of all life

Like a fountain overflowing, he is the source of every good thing

He alone sustains and keeps everything we see and know

The Omega

God is also the omega—the end

He didn’t just create everything to have it go on and do its own thing

He is not a watchmaker that intricately crafts a watch just to have it tick on its own

He is actively engaged in this word

Everything was created for a purpose, and ultimately He is the purpose:

Colossians 1:16–17 (CSB)

For everything was created by him,

in heaven and on earth,

the visible and the invisible,

whether thrones or dominions

or rulers or authorities—

all things have been created through him and for him.

He is before all things,

and by him all things hold together.

Not just humanity but all of creation:

Psalm 19:1–6 (CSB)

The heavens declare the glory of God,

and the expanse proclaims the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour out speech;

night after night they communicate knowledge.

There is no speech; there are no words;

their voice is not heard.

Their message has gone out to the whole earth,

and their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun.

It is like a bridegroom coming from his home;

it rejoices like an athlete running a course.

It rises from one end of the heavens

and circles to their other end;

nothing is hidden from its heat.

Or in another Psalm

Psalm 145:15–16 (CSB)

All eyes look to you,

and you give them their food at the proper time.

You open your hand

and satisfy the desire of every living thing.

(Not just humanity)

Everything is pointing towards God

This is God’s world

Everything begins with Him

And everything ends with Him

Job 34:14–15 (CSB)

If he put his mind to it

and withdrew the spirit and breath he gave,

every living thing would perish together

and mankind would return to the dust.

I know these are truths that we can be desensitized to

But they are foundational and radical

Everything has been created by God and for God

But something has gone wrong

We know all to well that most people don’t take this seriously

Again, like last week, we want to be the center of the story

Humanity is in rebellion against God

This is at the core of the tension we see throughout the Bible and of the problems we see and experience in our lives

What this means for us

Our following Jesus both begins and ends in Gods work in us

God is the author

God is the finisher

He is the one that initiates a relationship with you and me

He is the one that will keep us faithful to the end

Heb 12: 1-2 (NLT)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.

Or in Paul’s letters he writes about these same truths:

Ephesians 1:4 (CSB)

For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.

Philippians 1:6 (CSB)

I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

God both calls us and keeps us

Conclusion

So as we end today, I don’t know what each of you needs to hear

For some of us, we need to be reminded that God is the Alpha

I know it can be awesome and overwhelming to think of God as the creator of everything

But we often forget that God is our creator

Before the foundations of the world, God made and chose you

Psalm 139:16 (CSB)

Your eyes saw me when I was formless;

all my days were written in your book and planned

before a single one of them began.

I know that there are seasons of life that just seem like you’re in a rutt

Day after day you wake up, do what you have to do, and repeat it the next day

School, sports, food, sleep

But you were created with a purpose

Each day is a gift from God and is filled with blessings from him

But are we willing to look up and see?

You have a role in the story of God

In his mission that He wants to accomplish on this Earth

And even if everything is terrible and crashing down in this life

We know that something new is coming

That there is a new creation awaiting us who are in Christ

That just as God created this universe and sustains it despite sin and rebellion

God will create a new dwelling place for his people free from these stains

God is in the process of making all things new

But maybe you’re here today and you need to know that God is the Omega

That he is the one thing that will outlast everything else

Maybe seasons are changing, things are coming to an end

Whether its graduating high school, growing distant from people that used to be our best friends...

I want you to know that seasons and circumstances come and go, but God remains faithful and true through it all

Isaiah 40:8 (CSB)

The grass withers, the flowers fade,

but the word of our God remains forever.”

Matthew 24:35 (CSB)

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

God is in the seasons of new and excitement

But he’s also there in the ends of things

And I want you to know that even though our futures are unknown

We can trust them to a known and trustworthy God

So wherever you are at today I want you all to have full assurance that God has been with you every step of your life

God is with you now as you navigate life

And God has gone before you, preparing everything in advance for you to walk in

God is the Alpha and the Omega