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The Beginning and End

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6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, So walk in Him. Colossians 2:6

Our dog Ruby has a problem. She has a soft spot for squeaking toys.  Tenaciously she clings to that which we gave her.  When she receives a toy it is to her: chewable good news.  Every time it squeaks it is shouting forth that news to all who can hear it.  She squeaks the squeaking toy not only for the benefit of our hearing (thanks Ruby); she seems to be squeaking it so that she would hear the good news for herself again and again.  Having received it, she will not move on.  If you attempt to take away what she is clinging to, she will growl and hide under the coffee table making it very clear that she never intends to move on.  If you bring out other toys she will not move on or shift from that which she first was given.  She doesn’t get bored with it, she won’t move on. She seems to get more and more insistent that the toy that she first received is not only the only thing that she wants right now, but the only thing she will ever want forever. 

There is something to learn here. In fact, I think this is what Paul is trying to get across to the Colossians.  Never shift from the good news of Jesus Christ. Think, what do you do with something when you are bored with it?  In your discontentment we either move on or upgrade.  The Colossians here, and we after them are not knowingly straying so much as tempted to upgrade Jesus to gain more features.  Wanting a better version of Jesus is, however, impossible.  The more we study and see who Christ really is, the more we realize he is the only entity in the universe that will never leave us bored or discontent or dissatisfied.  If we see him correctly, we will never want to move on from him, upgrade him or trade him in.  He is always sufficient, so we must continue to walk in him.

I want you to consider two things today as I, with Paul, implore you not to move on from Jesus. First, Jesus is the Beginning of our Christian life. The only way to be right with God is through trusting Jesus Christ who would give you righteousness before God through his death and resurrection. To be justified before God by grace through faith is to stand faultless and upright in the presence of a completely holy God and not have his righteous anger toward sin wipe you off the map.  You believe that you could never earn that right standing on your own and instead you receive it, believing you need it as a free gift from God through faith in Christ. (Ephesians 2:1-10) Jesus is the only way to enter into relationship with God. He’s the beginning, the gate or the door that God has provided to be in right relationship with Him. (John 10:9-10, 14:6)

Second, It is helpful to see that not only is Jesus the beginning of our Christian life but     Jesus is the end (think goal) of our Christian life.  The Gospel is not just what we believe to get into the Christian life, but also what we must believe in persevering all the way to the end.  I long to come to the end of my life & stand before God faultless, fully human and fully and finally free from sin.  This is promised only through Jesus as well. Think of it this way: What will you cling to at the end of your life?  When you stand before God at the end of your life or the return of Christ, what will you offer as the reason you should remain in God’s presence instead of suffer the torments of hell?  Will you cling to all the things that we worked really hard to attain as Christians? Great attendance at church?  Our baptism certificate?  No. The only thing that is adequate to cling to on that day will be Jesus Christ, his perfect blood shed to pay for my sin and his perfect record given to me if I believe.

Jesus is the beginning of the Christian life, the only way to enter a relationship with God. “For there is no name under heaven given unto men by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12  Jesus is the only way to stand upright before God, clothed in the righteousness of Christ at the end of our Christian life.  That is good news worth tenaciously clinging to and proclaiming.  Until next time consider this question. If Jesus is the only sufficient thing to cling to at the beginning of my Christian life, and Jesus is the only thing sufficient to cling to at the end of your Christian life, what do you cling to in the middle of it?

In Christ, My Only Hope, Pastor Steven


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