Alpha and Omega

Q: What does the Bible say about Christ being Alpha and Omega?

Christ identifies himself as Alpha and Omega, meaning he is the beginning and the end of all things. In Revelation 1:8, Jesus identifies himself as Alpha and Omega, declaring that he is both the beginning and the end. This signifies his preeminence in all creation and existence. The terms Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, representing that all things originate from him and culminate in him. As stated in Isaiah, God describes himself similarly as the first and the last, reinforcing that there is no other deity apart from Him. Thus, Christ, as Alpha and Omega, is asserting his identity as the eternal God who encompasses all time and creation.

Q: How do we know Christ's preeminence is true?

Scripture consistently affirms Christ's sovereignty and preeminence in all things. Christ's preeminence is validated through Scripture, where he is described not only as our Savior but also as sovereign over all creation. In Colossians 1:17, we read that 'He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.' This indicates that Christ is the originating and sustaining force of the universe. Furthermore, throughout Revelations, we see manifestations of his power and authority, affirming that he has dominion over all realms, including judgment and salvation. Thus, the testimony of the entire Bible underscores Christ's rightful position of supremacy.

Q: Why is Christ's eternality important for Christians?

Christ’s eternality assures believers of his unchanging nature and faithfulness. The concept of Christ as eternal is foundational for Christian faith. Revelation 1:8 emphasizes that He is 'which is, which was, and which is to come,' highlighting His constant presence throughout eternity. This aspect of His nature assures believers that His promises are unwavering and His character remains the same despite changing circumstances. As the eternal God, Christ’s sovereignty and righteousness are eternally present, offering comfort and hope to Christians. His unchanging nature ensures the security of salvation—believers can trust that He will fulfill His promises now and into eternity.

Q: How does Christ fulfill the law?

Christ is both the law giver and the law fulfiller, embodying the perfect obedience required by the law. In Romans 10:4, we learn that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. This means He not only authored the law but also perfectly fulfilled it through His life and sacrificial death. His obedient life and atoning sacrifice satisfied the demands of the law, illustrating that salvation is attainable for believers only through faith in Him. By doing this, He removed the curse of the law from His people, thereby establishing a new covenant marked by grace. Therefore, Christ’s fulfillment of the law is critical because it underscores that adherence to the law cannot earn salvation—rather, it is through His righteousness that believers are justified.

Q: What is the significance of Christ being the center of Scripture?

All Scripture testifies of Christ and reveals Him as central to God's plan of redemption. The entire Bible points to Christ as its main subject, from the prophecy of His coming in the Old Testament to His fulfillment in the New Testament. In John 5:39, Jesus tells the Pharisees to 'search the Scriptures' because they testify of Him. This consistent testimony demonstrates that God’s redemptive plan is centered entirely on Jesus. He is the Alpha, the prophesied coming Redeemer, and the Omega, fulfilling that promise through His life, death, and resurrection. Recognizing Christ at the center of Scripture enriches our understanding of God’s purpose and the narrative of salvation throughout all biblical texts.

Q: How can Christians find security in Christ's sovereignty?

Christian security is found in acknowledging that Christ's authority governs all aspects of salvation. Christ's sovereignty provides believers with a profound sense of security. Philippians 1:6 states, 'He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.' This assurance emphasizes that salvation is entirely the work of Christ. His sovereign will ensures that nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39), thereby solidifying our eternal security. Understanding that He is the Alpha and Omega empowers Christians to trust that He is in control of all circumstances in life, working all things for the good of those who love Him.

Be pleased to Revelation chapter
1 and verse 8. Revelation chapter 1 and verse
8. John has just finished giving
the great doxology concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, describing
him as the faithful witness, the first begotten from the dead,
the prince of the kings of the earth, the one who loved us and
washed us in his own blood, the one who made us kings and priests
unto God, and the one who is coming for his own. And then
Christ himself speaks. He says, I am Alpha and Omega,
the beginning and the end, saith the Lord, which is and which
was and which is to come. Now, four times in the book of
Revelation, our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to John and identified
himself with these words, I am Alpha and Omega. There is no deep, hidden mystery
in the words. They are very simply the first
and the last letters of the Greek alphabet. If we were writing
it in English, we would translate it like this. I am the A and
the Z. I am the A and the Z. That is, I am the beginning and
the end, the first and the last. And, as John Gill points out,
the letters alpha and omega, being the first and the last
in the alphabet, may stand for the whole. So that the meaning
of the text is this. I am the beginning of all things
and the end of all things and everything in between. That's
exactly what our Lord's teaching in the passage. Now, the text
teaches us very plainly several things. First of all, when our
Lord says, I am Alpha and Omega, he is identifying himself as
the Lord Jehovah, the God of his people, the covenant keeping,
saving, one true and living God. In the book of Isaiah, three
different times, the Lord described himself in just this manner,
the first and the last, the first and the last. And beside me,
he says, there is no God. And so when our savior says to
John, behold, I am Alpha and Omega, he's saying, I'm God. I'm God over all and blessed
forever. I, your Savior, I, your Redeemer,
I, your King, I am God. Let there be no question concerning
me. The words also describe our Lord's preeminence. He is the
first and the last and everything in between. God has ordained
that He, the Son, should have preeminence in all things, and
our Savior rightfully claims preeminence. These words also
set forth his eternality. He is that one which is, which
was, and which is to come. He is from everlasting to everlasting
God. Without beginning, without end,
he's eternal. Now, we can't begin to comprehend
that. We can hardly even imagine it
and grasp it, for our puny minds are so limited to time, space,
and temporary things. But he who is our Savior is himself
God eternal. Eternal. And the eternal God
is immutable. Look at what he says. Which is,
which was, and which is to come. That is, he is God now, he was
God forever in the past, and he shall be God forever in the
future. He is God our Savior now. He was God the Savior of men
in the Old Testament, and he shall be God the Savior of men
in the future. He is the God who was, he is
the God who is, and he is the God who is coming both to judge
his enemies and to gather his people. When John speaks then
of this passage and records for us the words of our Lord Jesus
Christ, he sets forth one more thing concerning the character
of Christ. When he says, I am Alpha and
Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end, the
Lord which is, which was, and which is to come, he says, I'm
the Almighty. And so he describes himself in
his sovereignty. I am God over all and blessed
forever. I am the one who will and brings
it to pass. I am the one whose purpose shall
stand. I am the one who has power and
dominion over all things. I am Jehovah God, the incarnate
Savior." He identifies himself with those words. Now, I call
your attention this evening specifically to this phrase, I am Alpha and
Omega. I know that we're going to just
barely scratch the surface this evening. But if we can, by the
Spirit of God, just scratch the surface of this text, I believe
it'll be profitable to our soul. When our Savior says, I am Alpha
and Omega, first of all, he is describing both the glory, the
dignity and glory of his being, and the humiliation which he
endured for us. You know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, Paul said, Now that though he was rich yet for
your sakes he became poor that you through his poverty might
be made rich. Now without question these words
Alpha and Omega have reference to the glorious dignity of our
Savior's person and to the depths of his willing humiliation to
serve to save us and to serve us as his people. Our Lord Jesus
Christ is Alpha, the first, the chief, the preeminent one, the
firstborn of every creature. Though, as a man, his human body
was created in time in the womb of the Virgin by the power of
the Holy Spirit, by the mysterious supernatural work of God the
Holy Spirit, a body was prepared for him in which he would live
and obey the law of God and die as our substitute. Yet he is
the one who created all things. And therefore, he is before all
things. The word alpha suggests that
Christ is the best. He is better than all who came
before him. And if you put all of them together,
if you could stack them all up together, Christ stands head
and shoulders above them all as the best. We use the same
kind of language today. You go to buy a car and the car
dealer puts on his lot A1. It's the best. It's not often
the best, but that's what he says. This is the best. You find
a skilled craftsman or a skilled fellow in any given field of
trade, and you say he is an A1 carpenter or he's an A1 athlete. That is, he's the best in his
field. But when our Lord Jesus Christ
says, I am Alpha and Omega, this is what he's saying. I am A1. I'm the best there is. He is
a son, but this son is above all other sons, for he is the
firstborn son. He's the only begotten son. He's
the only eternal son. He's the only perfectly obedient
son, and all other sons are made to be sons by this son. Is he
a prophet? All other prophets stand behind
him by a great infinite distance, and they all point to him, bearing
witness of him. Is he a priest? All other priests
of the Aaronic and Levitical orders were only typical of him. Their only purpose was to represent
him until he came. He is the fulfillment of all
the priests and of all their sacrifices. He's the great high
priest of our profession. Is Jesus Christ the king? Indeed
he is. He's a king like no other king.
He's the king of kings and the Lord of lords. Nebuchadnezzar
said concerning him, his dominion is an everlasting dominion and
his kingdom from generation to generation and all the inhabitants
of the earth are reputed as nothing. And this king does according
to his will in the army of heaven. and among the inhabitants of
the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What
doest thou? He is the King of heaven, all
whose works are truth, all whose ways are judgment and righteousness. Is Christ the builder of his
church? Then he's the wise master builder. Is he a shepherd? Then
he is the good shepherd, the chief shepherd, and the great
shepherd. Is he a foundation? Then he is the tried and proven
foundation, the only sure foundation for a man's soul, the only foundation
to build upon. Is he the cornerstone? Then he's
the chief cornerstone. Is he a rock? Then he is the
rock of safety, the rock of salvation. Is he water? Then he's the water
of life. Is he bread? Then he's the bread
of heaven. Is he light? Then he's the light
of the world. Is he a refuge? Then he is a
sure refuge for every weary sinner who flees to him for his soul's
salvation. It matters not what title the
Lord takes to himself. It matters not what character
he assumes. He is in all respects Alpha,
A1. He's the best. He's infinitely
surpassing all that may be compared to him. As the sun excels the
stars. When the sun arises, all the
stars fade into nonexistence as far as the eye can see. And
when Christ Jesus appears, all other things fade into nonexistence. Everything else is insignificant. He who is the best is preeminent,
and he well deserves all praise and all glory from all people
and all things. Christ is Alpha. Let no flesh
glory in his presence. All who know Him, glory in Him
and only in Him. All who know Him give all praise
only to Him. There is no room for anything
else to be praised. He'll not share His glory with
another. I rejoice to tell you that Christ is Alpha, the first
and the best, but He's also Omega, the lowest and the last in His
voluntary condescension. and humiliation. You don't need
to turn there, but in Matthew chapter 11 in verse 11, when
our Lord is describing the ministry of John the Baptist, he said,
among all that are born of women, there is none greater than John
the Baptist. Nevertheless, he that is least
in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Now, what's he talking
about? What on earth is he talking about?
He's telling John the Baptist disciples, don't follow John,
follow me. He's saying to John the Baptist
disciples, don't let your hope rest on John, let your hope rest
on me. He is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Of all
the prophets and preachers, John's the greatest. But I, who am made
to be the least in the kingdom of heaven, I am the greatest.
I am greater than he. Our Lord Jesus Christ condescended
to be the least. the lowest and the last. How
can this tongue describe the depths of our Lord's humiliation?
He who is God stooped to become a man. I've read many volumes on the
subject of our Lord's assumption of humanity. I have never yet
read one that gave me any light. beyond that which the Apostle
Paul spoke when he said, Christ Jesus, he who is himself God,
made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of
a servant and was made in the likeness of men and being found
in fashion as a man, he still humbled himself and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. In order to save us,
the Lord Jesus Christ became one of us. He became what we
are to make us what he is. He came to where we are to lift
us up to where he is. He became one of us. He stooped
to become a man. The heavens cannot contain him. He's infinite, incomprehensible,
and yet all of God lay in such a small package that a woman
could nurse him at her breast. All of God, that baby, that baby
is himself God in all the fullness of his divinity. Explain that
if you want to. Take a stab at it. Quit trying
to figure things out and bow down and worship this God He stooped again and became the
lowest of men, for he was but the man who was born of a carpenter. He was but a man who was laid
in a manger. He was but a man of poverty,
a man of meager existence, a man without reputation, a man without
any kind of recognition, the lowest of men. He stooped again
and became the servant of men all through his life. Serving
others was his manner of life. He stooped again and was made
to be sin for men. Turn over to Psalm 22. Oh, the
depths of his humiliation. When he was made to be sin for
us, he who is God was forsaken by God and made to be the object
of God's wrath. Martin Luther looked at that
passage in 2 Corinthians 5. that says, he hath made him to
be sin for us. And that passage in Matthew where
he cried, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And he
sat there for hours in his study. And finally he threw his pen
on his desk and he said, my God, no man can understand that. God
forsaken by God. And yet that's the depth of his
humiliation. He cries, my God, my God, Why
hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from the
words of my roaring? And then he answers his own question.
For he says in verse three, thou art holy. Thou art holy. That's the reason God forsook
his son. His son was made to be sin for
us. Therefore, the holy God turned
his back upon his son. And then he said in verse six,
but I am a worm. and no man. What humiliation. What condescension. He who dwelt in his ineffable
glory forever. He who created all things with
the word of his power. He before whom the angels bow
and cry holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty. They said I'm a
worm. and no man. A reproach of men
and despised of the people. Oh, they that see me laugh me
to scorn. They shoot out the lip, they
shake the head saying, he trusted on the Lord that he would deliver
him. Let the Lord deliver him if he delights in him. And then at last, this great
God who had stooped to become a man and stooped to be made
sin for men. stoop to death, death under the
infinite wrath and inflexible justice of God. God took out
the sword of His justice and He bathed His sword of justice
in the heart of His Son to satisfy His justice. In the blood of Christ, Jesus
swallowed up, swallowed the wrath of God for his people. Remember,
the Son of God did all of this to satisfy justice for us, to
put away our sins that we might live by him. Because he's God,
he's Alpha. Because he is our substitute,
he became Omega. Secondly, in the book of Holy
Scripture, Christ is Alpha and he is Omega. I don't need to
call your attention again to Luke 24, where our Lord opened
the scriptures beginning at Moses and the prophets. And in all
the Psalms, he spoke to them of things concerning himself.
He said to the Pharisees, search the scriptures, for in them you
think you have eternal life. And these scriptures testify
of me. This book is the book about Jesus
Christ. Christ is Alpha, the beginning.
For the very first line of the book in Genesis 1-1 speaks of
Him. In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth. Well, Pastor, how do you know
that's talking about Christ? Because John explains it. He
said He made all things and without Him was not anything made that
was made. Not only is he the one who is the alpha of the book,
but he's the omega, the ending of the book, for the last line
of revelation speaks of him and says, the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you all. And he's everything in between. Everything in between. I repeat
what I have said so often before. Every book in this book, every
chapter, Every verse, every line, every word is intended by God,
the Holy Spirit, to show Jesus Christ to men. That's the reason
the book was written. The Word of God speaks of Christ
and only of Christ. If you could squeeze the Bible
down to its very essence, all the Bible down to its very essence,
the substance of the Word would be Christ, only Christ, always
Christ. Oh, I would to God that preachers
would learn that, then maybe churches would too. Christ is
the living Word of whom the written Word speaks. I can't find better
language to say what I want to say than the words of Charles
Spurgeon. Let me read a quotation from
you. It's a little lengthy, but it's
it's worth hearing. Listen carefully. Spurgeon said,
Brethren, we should always read the scripture in this light.
We should consider the word to be as a mirror into which Christ
looks down from heaven And then we looking into it, see his face
reflected as in a glass. Darkly, it is true, but still
in such a way as to be blessed preparation for seeing him as
we shall see him face to face. This volume contains Jesus Christ
letters to us, perfumed by his love. These pages are the garments
of our king and they all smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia. Scripture is the golden chariot
in which Jesus rides and it's all paid with love for the daughters
of Jerusalem. The scriptures are the swaddling
bands of the holy child Jesus. Unroll them and you'll find your
savior. That's what this book's all about.
Bobby, God gave this, that book you hold in your hand, God gave
it to you to make you know his son. That's the reason he gave
it. The Lord Jesus Christ is the
embodiment of the revelation contained in this book. Don't
talk to me about bodies of divinity. The only body of divinity is
the person of Christ. Don't ask me about theology.
The only true theology is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. If
men can comprehend Him, you've got the truth of God. He said,
I am the truth. The whole message of the Bible
is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The word of God is like that
alabaster box that Mary had. You remember? She came in and
and broke the alabaster box and anointed the Savior's feet. And
when she broke the alabaster box with that precious lightening,
the aroma filled the house where he was sitting. I'm endeavoring
by the Spirit of God to break open the alabaster box. Can you smell it? The sweet aroma
of Christ and Him crucified. That's what it's all about. That's
what it's all about. The Word of God in its entirety
speaks of him. The Old Testament from Genesis
to Malachi proclaims one message. The Redeemer is coming. I see
him in the woman's promised seed. Just as soon as Adam was expelled
from the garden, God promised a Redeemer. He said, I'm going
to send one who's going to crush the serpent's head. I see him
in Abel's sacrifice, that sacrifice of blood that he offered to God.
I see him in Noah's ark, that ark that bore up the wrath of
God and saved Noah and his family. I see Jesus Christ in Abraham's
offering up of Isaac when he said, my son, God will provide
himself a sacrifice. I see the Lord Jesus Christ when
Jacob in his old age spoke of him as Shiloh who shall come. I see him in the Passover, in
the mercy seat, in the ark of the covenant, in the priest,
in the sacrifice, in the tabernacle, in the temple, in all the kings
of Israel. Jesus Christ is the one who was
proclaimed. In the Old Testament, the prophets,
the kings, the priests and the preachers all looked one way. They stood like the cherubim
over the mercy seat, looking with expectation to see God's
propitiation. The Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke,
and John, and the book of Acts all proclaim one message. They
say the Redeemer has come. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
record in meticulous detail the incarnation, earthly life, the
ministry, the death and the resurrection of Christ as the center substitute. They speak of nothing else. You
remove Christ from their pages. Just go through the four gospels
and take Christ out of the four gospels. And you have nothing
left but processed wood between leather bindings. That's all.
In the book of Acts, Luke records for us the works of Christ the
ascended King. All the writers of Holy Scripture
had nothing to say but Christ the Redeemer has come. And in
the epistles in the book of Revelation, the apostles of Christ declare
one message. They say the Redeemer is coming
again. From Romans to Revelation. The apostles of Christ expound
to us the meaning of our Lord's doctrine, and they call upon
us to watch for his coming with expectant hearts, for soon he
shall come to gather his redeemed ones to himself. In the scriptures,
the book of God, Christ is Alpha and Omega. Thirdly, it gives
me great delight to tell you that with regard to the holy
law of God, Christ is Alpha and Omega. Christ is the law giver,
so he is the alpha, the beginning of the law. And Christ is the
law fulfiller, and so he is omega, the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone that believe it. You and I are neither alpha nor
omega with regard to God's law. We've broken it all together
in every point. Not one of us have or can meet
the law's demand. Who among the sons of men dares
to claim that he's even approached meeting the first letter of the
law? Just the first letter. The first letter of the law says
you got to love God with all your heart. Anybody met it? Anybody met it? Certainly none
of us have come close to fulfilling the second letter. For the second
letter of the law says love your neighbor as yourself. Oh, but
my friends, I'm here to tell you that he who gave the law
has fulfilled the law. He who is the alpha of the law
is the omega of the law. If you would see the law fulfilled,
look to Christ. He alone honors the law and magnifies
it. He alone has kept the law. He
alone has fulfilled the law. Christ fulfilled the law's requirements
and he did it perfectly as our representative. The law requires
that Don Fortner love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and
being. And Don Fortner has and does
love God with all his heart, soul, mind, and being. That's
right. That's right. Now, wait a minute,
Pastor. Wait a minute. I know you better
than that. Yeah, but God knows me better
than you do. God knows me, Lindsay, in his son. And his son, as my
substitute, loves God with all his heart, soul, mind, and being
as a man. And he loves God as the God-man,
and so his love for God is of infinite merit to satisfy God's
requirements, even for me. Yes, even for all who trust his
son. The Lord God requires that I
love my neighbor as myself. I believe I speak honestly. I
want to love my neighbor as myself. I want to. God, give me a heart
to love me. But God, forgive me, I can't.
I can't. Too much pride, too much selfishness,
too much ego to love you like I love me. I just can't do it.
And neither can you. But in Christ I have, and I do. He's my representative. I trust
him. The Lord Jesus Christ not only fulfilled the law's requirements,
but he satisfied the law's justice. He satisfied the law's justice
by paying the price of blood, the blood of the God-man, the
price of infinite merit to satisfy justice even for me and for all
who trust Christ. Christ Jesus removed the law's
curse and penalty from us when he was made to be a curse for
us. And Christ Jesus put an end to the law's covenant. He satisfied
everything required in the law. Our dear Savior obeyed the law
and satisfied the law as our representative and substitute.
And his obedience has been imputed to us for righteousness. We who
believe are not under the law, never under the law, but under
grace, always under grace. We who believe look to Christ
alone for holiness and for righteousness. You'll never know God. You will
never know God until you come to know that you have no righteousness
of your own and shall never have any. We don't have any righteousness
with which to commend ourselves to God. We trust Christ, whose
name is the Lord, our righteousness. I know somebody says, well, you
can't preach that. You just can't preach that. Well, I'll deal with that another
time. We seek holiness, yes, but we
do not claim to have attained holiness. We seek righteousness
to live after righteousness, but we never claim to have attained
righteousness. We seek virtue, yes, but we never
look to our virtue for merit before God. Our only saving,
sanctifying righteousness is Christ the Lord, our righteousness. We trust Him. We trust Him. Don Fortner, how do you hope
to stand before God? What do you hope to offer God
in the great day of judgment that you may enter into eternal
glory? I hope to offer God in that day what I offer God now,
what God offered himself at Calvary, nothing but Christ's blood and
his righteousness. And that's all God requires and
all God will accept. In the words of our text, Christ
is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the ending of the
law. There is not one preset which
he is not perfectly fulfilled for us in its widest possible
sense. The spirit of the law breathes
through his whole life of obedience. And the letter of the law was
satisfied by its in its infinite extremity by his sacrificial
death. The law demands perfection, but
it cannot demand nor shall it ever have greater perfection
than we have by the imputation of Christ's righteousness. The
law demands satisfaction, but it cannot require nor shall it
ever find greater satisfaction than that which we offer in the
blood of our dear substitute. Christ is the Alpha and the Omega
of the law. Fourthly, I delight to tell you
that in the whole of God's creation, Christ is Alpha and Christ is
Omega. He's the beginning of all things,
the ending of all things, and the ruler and sustainer of all
things between the beginning and the ending. Christ is the
Alpha of creation, for all things were created by Him. All things
created by Him. What about God the Father in
creation? God the Father never has and never will do anything
apart from God the Son. God the Father, God the Spirit,
and God the Son created the world by Jesus Christ. Christ is the
Omega of creation, for all things were created for him. Turn over
to Revelation chapter 4. Revelation chapter 4. Now I want you to see this. Verse 11. Thou art worthy, O
Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for Thou hast created
all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created." Everything. Everything. Boy, what does that
include? Can I say it again? Everything.
Everything. In the end, when this world is
wrapped up, it shall be plainly revealed
that every creature in God's universe, the angels of glory,
the saints of God, The rebels against God, the demons of hell,
yes, Satan himself, the trees of the field, the waters of the
sea, the stars of the sky, everything was created by Christ, for Christ,
and it serves the glory of Christ exactly as he would have it. Exactly as he would have it.
What on earth is God doing in this world? I'll tell you what
he's doing. The Lord Jesus Christ is making for himself a great
and everlasting and a glorious name in everything, in everything. Don, how on earth can you say that the pornographers and the
peddlers of smut and the pimps and the pushers and the criminals
and the demons of hell and ungodly men and the fundamentalist false
prophets and the liberal false prophets. How can you say that
everything's for the glory of Christ? I don't know how it shall
be, but I know it shall be. I know it shall be. I'll show
you the scripture. Look in chapter five of Revelation.
Verse 11. And I beheld And I heard the
voice of many angels round about the throne and beasts and the
elders, and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand,
thousands of thousands. John said more than I can count.
Saying with a loud voice, worthy is the Lamb. Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing. And every creature Every creature
which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and
such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying,
blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth
on the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and forever. Christ is the Alpha and the Omega,
the beginning and the end. And from beginning to the end
of creation, he rules and sustains all things for the glory of his
own great being. If you have the eye of a scientist,
study God's vast creation from beginning to end. If you have
the eye of a historian, read through the pages of his story. And if you have the eye of a
prophet, scan all future events. If you had that ability, you
would say with regard to all God's creation, Christ is Alpha
and Omega. He said in the beginning, let
there be light. And in the end, he's going to
blow the light out. It's his work. It's his work. Fifthly, in all the purposes and covenant
transactions of the triune God, Christ is Alpha and Omega. Now that's a subject the most
gifted preacher could never exhaust if he preached perpetually upon
it. Many, many books could be written about it and still we
just barely scratched the surface. The thoughts of God, His eternal
purposes, His sovereign decrees, His everlasting covenant are
all things about which we see only a little. But of this much
you can be sure. Christ is the beginning of all
and the ending of all. The Alpha and the Omega. Election. That's a subject folks
pick to squabble about. I don't know why on earth. It's
a most blessed truth, isn't it? It's delightful. Why election
is God's choice of men. and his determination before
the world was to save them in Christ. Now tell me what there
is about that to squabble about. It's God's eternal choice of
men in Christ and his determination to save them. Predestination. Yes, the book teaches predestination. It certainly teaches predestination.
We rejoice in God's sovereign predestination. It is God's eternal
decree to make all his elect just like his son. That's what
predestination is. It is God arranging everything. Everything. In his sovereign
decree to make Dale Smith just like Christ. That's what predestination
is. the covenant of grace. It is God's eternal purpose to
save a people by the merits of His Son and for the glory of
His Son. If you could be permitted to
read the book of God's eternal purpose, you would see that it
is a book written from eternity, sealed with immutability. bound together by the blood of
the sin atoning lamb slain from the foundation of the world,
written from beginning to end with one object in mind, and
that one object is the eternal glory of Christ, the Son of God. The book of God's purpose begins
by exalting Christ to be the sinner's substitute, and it ends
by glorifying Christ as the sinner's substitute with the glory which
he had with the Father before the world was. in the purposes
of God, in the covenant of God, in all the eternal decrees of
God, Jesus Christ stands Alpha and Omega. Sixthly, my very soul
rejoices to tell you that in the whole business of salvation,
Christ is Alpha and Omega. Now, I'm sure that's in the text.
Because just before John said this, just before he recorded
what our Lord said, he had described the Lord Jesus Christ in the
works of salvation and described it all to him. He said, it's
Christ who loved us in the beginning. It's Christ who redeemed us in
time. And it's Christ who's coming
for us in the end. Yes, in the whole work of salvation,
Christ is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the
first and the last. and everything in between. Christ
is the alpha of salvation because he called us from death to life
by the power of the spirit. If you're here tonight and you
believe God, if you're here tonight and you have a life in Christ,
it's because he called you and gave you life. Now that's the
only reason. That's the only reason. Christ
also shall present us holy, unblameable, and unreprovable to his father
by the merits of his blood and righteousness in the end, so
he's the omega of salvation. And Christ is everything between,
because from beginning to end, he holds us in life by the power
of his grace. He says, those that thou gavest
me, I have kept. and none of them is lost. None
of them is lost. Child of God, oh, hear me, lean upon Christ
with all the weight of your soul, with all the weight of your soul.
Cast yourself entirely upon Him. He will not fail. He who began
will finish. He who called you will keep you. I get so sick and tired of hearing
these perverts of religion talk about, well, I don't believe
you can believe in eternal security. You can't believe God and not
believe it. Our security is not in ourselves. It's in the omnipotent hand of
the omnipotent God. If one perishes out of his hand,
he is not God. He's the Alpha and he never was
the Alpha unless he was the Omega. He's the beginning and the end. Earlier this week, I was thinking
on that subject and I wrote these lines. Christ who chose us in
love and bought us with his blood Reigns as our surety above, and
he will do us good. He will not leave his own, nor
let his own leave him. Our Lord will bring us to his
throne to ever be with him. Once more, in heaven's eternal
glory, the Lord Jesus Christ shall be both Alpha and Omega. Turn over to Revelation 22. Revelation
22 verse 13. Here our Lord has just announced
his glorious appearance and this is how he describes himself.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the
last. when all the promises and prophecies
of Holy Scripture have been fulfilled, when all the mystery of God's
eternal purpose has been accomplished, when the judgment is over, when
the damned are forever cast in the hell and the righteous are
forever with their Lord, when the new heavens and the new earth
have been created, when time shall be no more and eternal
glory has begun, Christ shall be as he ever has been, Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and the end. Well, now, how do you
get that? Well, Christ shall be the Alpha,
for he is the door of entrance by whose merit we enter into
heaven. And he is the first thing we shall see, and the foremost
thing we shall see. He is the first thing we shall
have, and the foremost thing we shall have, for in him we
shall have all. And Christ is the fullness, the
consummation, and the glory of heaven's eternal, unending joy
and reward. And so he is the Omega. From
eternity Go back as far as the Word of
God will take you and then soar on with the eagle eye of faith
as far back as you can possibly imagine. There he is. There he is. And long before
that, he always was. To eternity. Go on as far as
the Word of God will take you. and then soar on with the eagle
eye of faith beyond all things that are revealed unto the uttermost
reaches of eternity. That's so redundant that no such
thing to eternity. Christ is Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end, the first and the last. He is our unchanging
God. and our unchanging Savior. In those cruel days when death
mutes were institutionalized, in one of those institutions
in Paris, France, a man was asked for some reason to write on a
piece of slate what his idea of Christ's eternity was. This
is what he wrote. It is duration. without beginning
or end. Existence without bounds or dimensions. Present without past or future. His eternity is youth without
infancy or old age. Life without birth or death. Today without yesterday or tomorrow. That's Christ. That's Christ. The eternal Alpha and Omega,
the eternal beginning and ending, the eternal first and last, the
eternal all. That's Him. That's Him. In eternity,
heaven, earth and hell shall adore Jesus Christ as the Alpha
and the Omega. Hallelujah. Hallelujah! Jesus Christ reigns forever,
Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the
last, the Lord which is and which was and which is to come, the
Almighty. Amen.

Alpha and Omega

What does the Bible say about Christ being Alpha and Omega?

How do we know Christ's preeminence is true?

Why is Christ's eternality important for Christians?

How does Christ fulfill the law?

What is the significance of Christ being the center of Scripture?

How can Christians find security in Christ's sovereignty?

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