The vast majority of stories that have been told have an ending. What does an ending to a story normally look like? They all live happily ever after, right? The man and woman fall in love. The princess is saved from her captors. The bad guys are defeated by the good guys. The main character comes out on top. Almost any story, whether it be a movie, TV show, or book, comes to some kind of conclusion that leaves the audience satisfied.
Over the last couple of months, we have been tracing the story of God through Scripture. On Sunday morning, our plan is to discuss how God’s story will end for God’s people. On the day when Jesus returns and the dead in Christ are raised, God’s story will end in victory for God’s people. But here is what we must realize about God’s story: it has not ended yet. As Christians, while we anxiously and expectantly await the victory that Jesus will bring to us when He returns, you and I continue to be a small part of God’s story today. In our time, God’s story continues.
God’s story continues every time we come together for worship. Abraham called on the name of the Lord (Genesis 12:8). Moses identified God as the one Israel praised (Deuteronomy 10:21). David called on people to worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness (1 Chronicles 16:29). Jeremiah called on his audience to give praise to the Lord (Jeremiah 20:13). Daniel said that the name of the Lord is to be praised forever and ever (Daniel 2:20). Jesus pointed forward to a time when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). God is the only one who we are to worship (Exodus 20:3-5). Every time we worship the Lord together as the body of Christ, we continue God’s story by recognizing how great, worthy, and awesome He is.
God’s story continues every time we serve people in love. Greatness in the kingdom is founded upon a willingness to serve others (Mark 10:43-44). We are to be like Jesus, who came into the world not to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45). When we feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, visit the sick, and come to those who are in prison, we are serving Jesus and furthering a story that is all about God into a world that has turned away from Him (Matthew 25:35-40). We are to use our gifts, which God has entrusted to us, to serve one another (1 Peter 4:10). The story of God is seen in us when we reach out to people in order to function as the hands and feet of our Lord. Even when we give just a cold cup of water, God’s story continues in us (Matthew 10:42).
God’s story continues every time we share our faith with others. The people of Israel were supposed to be a kingdom of priests who reflected God’s glory to the nations around them (Exodus 19:6). This description is now given to the church, as we offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5). We have the responsibility to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation (Mark 16:15). Jesus has commissioned us to be disciples who make disciples of all nations by going, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that Jesus has commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). We have been saved to proclaim His excellencies (1 Peter 2:9). We are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). When we talk to others about God and what He desires for our lives, we are continuing in the story that we have been studying together.
While there is much more we could talk about here, I hope this will encourage us to think about our place in God’s story. Every day, God’s story continues in the lives that we live. You and I need to know and believe the story of God that is found in Scripture, but we also must embrace the great privilege of living out the story of God that is found in Scripture. Let’s not be passive observers of God’s story. Until God’s story comes to an end in victory, let’s be active participants in a story that is all about God.
-Tyler Alverson
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