Jump Start # 3235

1 Corinthians 15:24 “then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.”

Our verse today, coming from the resurrection chapter of Corinthians, deals with the coming of Jesus. The Lord is coming. He is not coming to finish business. He is not coming to set things up. He is not coming to establish the kingdom. Instead, as our passage states, He will hand the kingdom over to the Father.

The verse today begins with the expression “then comes the end.” And, so we have come to the end of this year. This is the last Jump Start for 2022. We have published 230 Jump Starts this year. We are about to begin our 13th year of writing these daily lessons. Estimating that the average Jump Start is around 900 words, we have written over three million words. There are only 770,000 words in the Bible. All of this is hard for me to grasp.

We have come to the end of this year. Was it a good year? Was it a terrible year? Was it a mixture? Weddings took place. Babies were born. Some ended their journey here. Vacations. School. Smiles. Tears. New friends. Old friends. Preachers moving. Shepherds appointed. So many sermons were preached this past year. So many classes were taught. We come to the end of this year.

Here are some lessons for us:

First, every year is a mixture of ups and downs. The things that we worried about five years ago have likely been forgotten by now. But one constant through all of this is our faith in Jesus Christ. God remains upon the throne.  Through the valleys and during those wonderful and joyous moments when we are on top of the world, God is there. He has blessed us, forgiven us, been patient with us and has guided us. God has never let us down. Philippians 4:5 says, “The Lord is near.” What comfort that is.

Second, we are rapidly moving towards “then comes the end.” One day the last Jump Start will be written. I have already thought about that. One day, I will preach my last sermon. One day, I will attend my last worship service. As we eagerly await seeing our Lord on the other side, there are some things that I will miss. I have stood behind pulpits for a long, long time. I think I will miss that. I have enjoyed this little journey that we call Jump Starts. I think I will miss writing. But mind, health, body reminds us that “then comes the end.” Are we thinking about that? Do we live with the concept of “out of sight, out of mind?” That’s not the best way to walk through life. God told Hezekiah to set his house in order because he was going to die. That statement is an absolute. We ought to be setting our house in order, especially spiritually.

Third, we know because of what the Bible teaches, that although this world will end and even our lives here will end, we won’t. There is no “The End,” to our story. The cemetery is not the end of the journey. We do not have a last page to our lives. As the hymn states, “I’ll live on and on.” After my sweet dad passed from this world, I inherited a large picture of my great-great grandfather, a Civil War veteran and a N.T. Christian. It hangs in my home office. He was gone before my dad was born. I never knew him. It’s a family treasure but it also reminds me that he has been on the other side longer than he was here. And, that’s the reality for all of us. We will be on the other side a lot, lot longer than we are on this side of things. Paul’s words to the Romans remind us to be devoted to prayer, serve the Lord and to be “one another” minded. Far too many think more of this place than the other place. We must be different.

Fourth, then comes the end. A day is coming when God will no longer need this planet. A day is coming when there won’t be a need for sermons. A day is coming when we won’t need our Bibles any more. Then comes the end. What a reminder for us.

Thank you for reading and sharing our Jump Starts this year. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement and help in this endeavor. So many of you have shared these simple writings with others. And, now, if the Lord allows, we are on to a new year and new adventures!

The Lord is near!

Roger

Jump Start # 2994

1 Corinthians 15:24 “Then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.”

NOTE: There will not be a Jump Start tomorrow. We look forward to being with you on Monday, January 3. A bright new year.

  Our verse today comes from the resurrection chapter of 1 Corinthians. Some within the Corinthian congregation no longer believed in the resurrection. Any resurrection, including Jesus’ resurrection. These were the “evil companions” that Paul was warning about deeper in the chapter. This was not something that e could differ on and remain united. This was THE deal breaker. This IS the foundation of our faith. Without the Resurrection of Jesus, we won’t be raised, the Lord’s Supper is useless and baptism has no purpose. Paul sets forth a long string of reasons to believe in the resurrection of Jesus. The Scriptures taught that. Eyewitness saw it. Faith demands it. Without a resurrection, our faith falls apart.

The passage today explains that at the coming of Jesus, things will end. “Then comes the end,” is how our verse opens. When Jesus comes, He is not starting to get to work, He is ending it. The kingdom is not being established. It’s being delivered to God. Rule and authority and power are not beginning. They are ending. Peter tells us that when the Lord returns, the heavens and the earth will be destroyed. Fire will burn up everything. This has nothing to do with global warming. The fire Peter is talking about is Heaven sent. It’s not caused, nor controlled by man.

Then comes the end—what a fitting statement as we put this year on the shelf. We will never go back to this year again. It’s over. Finished. Completed. And, in this statement is a great thought for us.

Then comes the end…

First, some things never end. That’s good. God’s love never ends. God’s blessings do not run out. And, we, ourselves will not end. There is no “The End” to our story. We will pass through that doorway of death and be on the other side. Everyone of us will live on and on. Now, a person may not want to. They may not want to live on eternally. You don’t have that option. This is something that you have no part of. You were designed by God to live on in eternity, and that, you will. And, that thought alone ought to deter suicide. Some get into such a mess or so discouraged that they don’t want to live. They think taking their life will be the end. It isn’t. They do not realize that they will live. They will live on in eternity. Taking your own life only thrusts you into the other room. You are still alive.

Second, some things do end. That’s Paul’s point. “Then comes the end.” The end of what? The end of this world. The end of life as we know it. The end of history.

There are other things that also come to an end:

• Opportunities end. There is a brief moment when we can do good and influence and then that door closes. If we miss that opportunity, it is often gone and often gone for ever.

• School comes to an end. When one has been in school from kindergarten through college, it’s hard to imagine any life that doesn’t involve papers, tests and classroom lectures. But eventually school ends.

• Our employment eventually comes to an end. For most, they retire. No more alarm clocks. No more traffic in the morning. No more co-workers. No more stress. No more deadlines. For those who plan wisely, retirement can be a great time in your life to do other things than earn a paycheck. One can help more in the kingdom. But for those who don’t look down the road, retirement comes and they are not ready. The closing years of their lives are filled with worry and stress about money. It shouldn’t be that way, but for many it is.

• And, as we end this year, we know someday will be the final year. Either our final year here or the planet’s final year when Jesus comes. We look back and must think, “What good have I done this past year?” These times are filled with fear and anger. Have I been a part of that? Have I helped a soul get closer to the Lord this year? Have I enriched the kingdom this year? Have I made life easier for the next generation?

Then comes the end…It’s coming. There is no stopping it. We can deny it. We can regret it. We can fuss over it. Or, we can make the most of it. We can serve our generation as David did. We can pack our time full of serving and making a difference. We can leave spiritual footprints for others to follow. We can live rich lives filled with the mercy and grace of our Lord. We don’t have to be like the world. We can be that breath of fresh air in a stale and dying culture. We can be hopeful when others have given up. We can be spiritual and Biblical when most have forgotten that.

Then comes the end…and we are finished with this place. We move on to be with the Lord forever.

A year ends and a new year begins…something to think about.

Roger

Jump Start # 2749

1 Corinthians 15:24 “Then comes the end, when He  hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.”

New Year’s Eve. The last day of the year. There never will be a 2020 again. That thought makes many say, “Good,” because of how difficult the year has been. Our verse today, telling of the Lord’s return, begins with the expression, “then comes the end.”

I thought about that recently. Some day will be the last day. Some year will be the last year ever. Now, that doesn’t mean life ends. It will end here. Eternity takes over. Life as we know it, this planet as we know it, will be dissolved as God promised Peter. There won’t be any publications after that recapping the highlights of the year. Then comes the end—what a sobering thought.

Consider for a moment:

First, it will be the end of generations and family legacies. When the end comes, the family tree stops. Someone will be the last of their family. I’ve known some people that were the last branch on part of their family tree, but there were other branches. But when the end comes, there will be no more after that. No more children to be born. No more ancestors after that. It will be the end of the line of humanity that began with Adam, traced through Noah and continues through you and I. But, the end means the end of that.

Second, there will be no tomorrow, at least not on planet earth. What didn’t get done, didn’t get done. Plans stopped. Promises were left unfulfilled. Dreams were cancelled. Nothing here beyond that last day. Certain payments would not be received. Some packages would not be delivered. Some books in publication would never be read. Some songs that were in the process of being released would never be heard. Some weddings wouldn’t take place. Some babies would not be born. Just think about how invested we are already into the next year. Some have doctor’s appointments on those new calendars. Some have vacations planned, even hotels booked. Some have graduation plans. I’ve have several preaching plans already in the book for next year. But, if this was the final year, none of those things would come about. There would be some who would be disappointed. They would want another year. They’d want to be married, hold that baby, take that trip. There will be a lot of work that won’t get completed. Think about those in construction who are building large buildings, making ships, developing rockets, working on next year’s movies and plays. When the end comes, there will be things that will not be completed. When the end comes, all things will end.

Third, when the end comes, it will catch some procrastinators unprepared. They live putting things off. They put everything off as long as they can. That’s been their life. Staying up all night to finish a paper that is due in the morning. Putting off fixing things in the house. Putting off going to the doctor. And, in pace with their thinking, they’ve put off some essential things, such as apologizing, forgiving and seeking the Lord. Oh, they were going to do that. They’d get a round to it has been their theme song. Another time. Another day. Not now. But one day, will be the last day. And, for those who need tomorrow, they won’t have it. All they have is today. Then comes the end, and that’s it.

Fourth, then comes the end, and what matters at that time will be one’s walk with the Lord. It won’t matter if you got your house paid off before the end came. After that day, you won’t need your house and it will be gone. It won’t matter if you got the yard fertilized, taxes paid, dog groomed, and made the next dentist appointment. When the end comes, those things will no longer matter. What matters is you and the Lord. Do you know Him? Have you followed Him? Have you obeyed Him? Have you worshipped Him? So many things that we think are important, we will realize do not matter. There will be clothes you never picked up from the cleaners. There will be mail that you never got to go through. There will be books, movies and TV shows that you never finished. There will be food left in the frig. None of those things will matter. A lifetime of being busy, but missing the essential will haunt those who just couldn’t slow down for the Lord. A time will come and all will end. Then, it will be too late. It will be too late for sermons. Too late for repentance. Too late for apologies. Too late to make things right. It will be just too late.

What if today, was that day? What if today was the last day? Not just of the year, but of all years. What if as the day closed, eternity began with the coming of the Lord? What if everything on the books for tomorrow on out never happened? What if the last sermon I heard, was the last sermon? What if this day was it? Someday, that will be.

Then comes the end…

Roger