
The Final Say
Text: Hebrews 12:2
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
— W.C Fields, actor (when asked why he was reading the Bible) said - “
— Bob Hope, comedian (when his wife asked him where he wanted to be buried), said - “
— Groucho Marx, a comedian said - “_This is no way to live.
— Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister said, - “_I’m bored with it all.
— John Sedgwick, general of the Union Army said, “__They couldn’t hit an elephant __at this dist—” (as he was shot mid-sentence)
GOD HAS THE FINAL SAY!
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. —Hebrews 12:2 KJV
Ruth 1:20-21 (NIV - New International Version)
20 “Don’t call me Naomi, ” she told them. “Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter.
21 I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”
Paul wrote:
“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.” {Philippians 1:6, HCSB}
Even if you can’t see the
YOUR STORY ISN’T OVER -
WHAT DOES GOD’S WORD SAY?!
My story so far says to me… I am unlovable, but God says I am forever loved.
“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).My story so far says to me… I am scarred but God says I am healed.
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).My story so far says to me… I am weak, but God says He makes me strong.
“God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect” (Psalm 18:32).My story so far says to me… I am a sinner, but through Jesus - His Word says I am forgiven.
“I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus” (1 John 2:12).My story so far says to me…I was abandoned, but God says I am adopted.
“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:5).My story so far says to me… I am broken, but God says He makes me whole.
“So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority” (Colossians 2:10).My story so far says to me…I have been rejected, but God says I am His!
“Do not fear. I have redeemed you. I have summoned you. You are mine” (Isaiah 43:1).My story so far says to me… I am alone, but God says He is always with me.
“…Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).My story so far says to me… I am hopeless, but God says because of Him, I have hope.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare, and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).My story so far says to me… I am purposeless, but God says I was created with purpose.
“Perhaps this is the moment for which you’ve been created” (Esther 4:14).My story so far says to me… I have failed, but God says I am victorious in Christ.
“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).My story so far says to me… I am lost, but God says He gives me direction.
“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying ‘This is the way; walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21).My story so far says to me… I am worried, anxious, or afraid, but God says with Him I have peace.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).My story so far says to me… I am unhappy, but God says I am joyful/joy-filled.
“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!” (John 15:11)My story so far says to me… I am afraid, but God says I am powerful, loved, and have a sound mind.
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).My story so far says to me… I am nothing special, but God says I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:14).My story so far says to me… I am worthless, but the WORD tells me Jesus died because I am worth it.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Ruth 4:13-17 (NIV - New International Version)
13 So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son.
14 The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord , who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel!
15 He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.”
16 Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him.
17 The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
When I
Proverbs 19:21 ESV - Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
Romans 8:28 - 28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Hebrews 12:2
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,…
Read Psalm 37
In the first century, everyone under Roman rule knew Caesar had the last word and final say. If Caesar had a problem with someone, he would just crucify them. And once you’re dead, you’re dead. That’s the last word on someone crucified. In Caesar’s world, he had the final say, and the cross was the period at the end of his sentence, or so he thought until Jesus. The early Christians, like Paul, didn’t see it that way. Paul in Philippians 2:5-12 is saying - Caesar may have thought he had the final say by putting Jesus on the cross, but he was wrong. Jesus died, but He didn’t stay that way. He turned that period at the end of the sentence, the cross, into a comma. Our God, the God of the universe, is the kind of God that can turn the CROSS, the ultimate symbol of shame, defeat, and suffering, and transform it into an enduring symbol of love, forgiveness, and restoration. Make no mistake, the cross didn’t happen to Jesus, Jesus happened to the cross and now it serves as a powerful reminder that God has the final say.
BECAUSE OF JESUS - the
THE WORD STILL SPEAKS TODAY!
When someone who deserves death, and judgment will give their life completely to Jesus - He will forgive them and wash away all of their sins, and all the hurts of their past. God has the final say in their lives. He fills them with HIS SPIRIT and the WORD comes alive in them!
Turn to Jesus today - He will forgive you and cleanse you.
He wants to give you hope and peace and joy!
He is the author and finisher of our faith - and He wants to finish YOUR STORY with HIS GLORY!!
Let Jesus Have the Final Say!!
The Japanese art of kintsugi - a unique way to fix pottery.
Hear the words of the prophet in Jeremiah 18 again, “The first piece crumbled in the potter’s hand, but he made it into another piece that pleased him more.”
With God, scars, imperfections, and brokenness, become stories of triumph and grace. They are stories where God turns lead to gold and things become greater than we ever dreamed possible. Remember, when we put hopes and dreams in tombs when we mourn them, and when we assume they are dead, God raises the dead.
— God’s not finished with us yet.
HE WILL HAVE THE FINAL SAY!!