In Revelation 22:12, it says, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”
Who Gets the Last Word?
Do you ever notice how some people must have the last word? It’s one of the most ridiculous things in the whole world. Especially when you’re debating or arguing about something, and “that” person always has to throw in the last word… that last dinger! They may have been wrong the whole time, and you may have given better arguments for your case. Doesn’t matter, people who must have the last word, right or wrong, justified or not, have to have the last word… and it’s so irritating.
But maybe it’s so irritating because you believe you should have the last word. Maybe that’s our problem, we all think we should have the last word, as if whoever has the last word in an argument wins! And maybe that’s why arguments last so long… because if I need to have the last word and you need to have the last word, then the argument continues until the less stubborn person gives up on having the last word. And maybe that’s why, when we argue, we keep repeating the same things over and over, not necessarily because the person doesn’t get it (which they don’t), but because we want the last word, so here goes the same thing over and over again.
And maybe the world would be a better place if we just didn’t have to have the last word. I have just solved all the world’s problems, you’re welcome!
Seeking God First
You’ve heard of the Alpha male or the Alpha dog… it’s the leader of pack – the head honcho – the macho male – the one who’s not afraid of anything – who will take on all comers. Well God is the alpha and omega, the beginning and ending, the first and last! That means Jesus is the Alpha God! He’s the first and should be first and foremost in our life. The head honcho in our lives – the King of our throne!
But what is alpha and omega? Alpha and Omega are first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet. Most people attribute this attribute of God to his eternality. He is timeless… He was there before everything, and He will be here after everything is finished. And because God is our Alpha it’s important that He is first!
David Sought God Early
The 63rd Psalm, verses 1-5, says, Oh God, You are my God; early will I seek You: my soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see Your power and Your glory, so as I have seen You in the sanctuary. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. I will bless You while I live: I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips:
And even though we believe that this context means that David woke up early in the morning, it is also true in two other ways:
1) David sought God early in life!
Why did God pick David to be King over all Israel? Maybe it’s because David at such a young age, put God first. God was David’s Alpha! David’s early life tending sheep, writing Psalms, killing lions and bears in the name of the Lord! That’s true in living for God today. It’s important that we remember our creator early in life, to develop patterns and habits that are true to God – that truly put Him first in our lives.
· When we give God our lives early on, He keeps us from stuff.
· When we give God our lives early on, we have less baggage.
· When we give God our lives early on, we have a head start in our journey of life – we have more knowledge, understanding, wisdom, etc.
2) David sought God early in his situations – he relied on God and trusted in God!
Because God was David’s Alpha – He was David’s first weapon, his first plan, his first option. You can read it through David’s life, and in His psalms. Especially early on, David sought God early in situations, and often. “You come to me with a sword and shield, but I come to you in the name of the Lord!” – David cried out as he faced the giant. Even though David was persecuted and went through many trials and tribulations along life’s journey, one thing was a constant!
David put God first in everything! He praised his way out of trouble… He prayed His way out of situations… He had faith and trust in God early!!! And that’s why David was a man after God’s own heart! God is our alpha… and David treated Him that way! The same is true with us in our walk with God! Too often we wait to bring God into our situation! Too often, we use God as our last resort.
We say, let me handle this God, then when life get’s overwhelming, we let God take care of business. All along our journey in life, God is saying, “Let me be your ALPHA!” I want to be first in your life!!! He’s watching from the sidelines as you do your own thing – do it YOUR WAY… FUMBLING, FALLING, STRUGGLING…. God’s saying, put me in the game… Put me in your life… but let me be a starter, don’t bring me in when your down and losing out. Bring me in early and often! Let me be your salvation, your healing, your deliverance early! For I am your Alpha!
The Rereward
But God is more than your Alpha… Let’s read Joshua chapter 6, verses 8-9, And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the Lord, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
Let me paint the picture…
Joshua led the battle of Jericho – for seven days the children of Israel marched around the walls of Jericho, on the seventh day, they marched around seven times and the walls came a tumblin’ down…. But this verses shows us some insight into how they formed the line. Armed men went before the priests that blew the trumpets, then came the Ark of the Covenant, and the armed men followed after. Those armed men were called the “rereward”…Other translations call it the “rear guard”. In other words, God had them set up so that the priests and the Ark would always be protected.
Isaiah 52:12, says, For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your reward.
This is illustrated unbelievably in Exodus 14.
And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.
The Pillar of Cloud and the Pillar of fire were what led Israel to the promise land, but when there was trouble behind them… that same Pillar of cloud and fire moved to rear. Because not only will God fight your battles ahead of you, but He will fight behind you! When Moses said, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord… the Children looked in front of them and saw the Red Sea open up, but we often forget what was going on behind.
Hebrews chapter 12, verse 2, says, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Jesus finishes well, because He knows what’s important. He came to this world to save it, and now at the very end, He wasn’t going to give up now. The same is true for us… He’s the author and finisher of OUR faith! That means He helped us start this journey, and He sure ain’t gonna give up on us now. Because He’s not just our Alpha! He’s our Omega too!
In Ephesians 6, the Bible speaks about putting on the whole armor of God: Loins girt with Truth, Breastplate of Righteousness, Feet covered with the Gospel, Shield of Faith, Helmet of Salvation, Sword of the Spirit.
Notice there is nothing to protect the backside of the Christian, and I have heard it preached that it means we should never run, never retreat, always face the enemy! And that sounds great, right! But I believe there’s another reason… God’s got our back! Yes, He’s in front of us, leading and guiding us, but when it comes to our protection. He’s there! He’s your rereward – the Angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear Him!
Let Your Alpha Be Your Omega
Why is this so important?
Sometimes we blow it… we should have brought God in early.
· We should have prayed about this…
· We should have fasted about this…
· We should have leaned on our brothers and sisters…
· We should have counseled with our Pastor…
· We should have obeyed God, rather than our flesh…
And now we find ourselves in the belly of the whale. In a deep dark hole, with no escape…. We blame ourselves, for if only we would have sought God early! Like the Bible says! If only we weren’t so proud, so arrogant, as to think “I got this God.” But now you have hit rock bottom…. What are you going to do? Remember your OMEGA…. Jesus is the first and the LAST! He’s the beginning and the ENDING!!! It’s not over until God says it’s over! What does that mean? GOD HAS THE LAST WORD IN YOUR LIFE!
· It’s not too late for you!
· It’s not too late for your family!
· It’s not too late for your husband or your wife!
· It’s not too late for your children!
Why, because God specializes in finishing well, and He’s got your back.