7 Nov, 2011

The Last, Last Word

Andy Rooney, a commentator for the CBS News Show, 60 Minutes, died Friday after a brief illness at the age of 92. Rooney was known for his segment on 60 Minutes entitled the Last Word. This weekend, they gave Rooney his Last, Last Word segment.
 
Click Here to read more about Andy Rooney. 
Story and Photo courtesy of news.yahoo.com.

Luke 23:44-49 (ESV) 
The Death of Jesus

 44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last. 47Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent!" 48And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. 49And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.

Acts 1:6-11 (ESV)
The Ascension
 6So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." 9And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

Revelation 22:6-21 (ESV)
Jesus Is Coming

 6And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place."
 7"And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book."

 8I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, 9 but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."

 10And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy."

 12"Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

 14Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

 16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

 17The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

 18I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

 20He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

 21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.
What does today's God's Story scripture teach us about the Last Word?
Have you ever given much thought to Jesus' last words when he was here on earth? There aren't many occassions in history when someone had multiple times to share Last Words, but Jesus did.
He shared his last words on the cross, when, after saying several things, he committed his spirit into his Father's hands. How he died made such an impact on one of the soldiers there at the crucifixion that he said, "Surely this was God's Son." Jesus' last words had a lasting impact on that soldier.
Then, after Jesus appeared to his disciples many times in the next several days, it was time for him to return to heaven. But before he did, he left another set of Last Words with his followers. This time he told them the they would tell the whole world about him. Jesus' last words had an impact on his followers that would impact the world.
Finally, at the end of John's Revelation, Jesus has one more set of last words. This time, Jesus tells John to write of His eventual return.  In his Last Last Words, Jesus says he's coming back someday to complete the plan by ushering in eternity ... Forever ... Where there will never be another Last Word ... Ever!

How can I connect today's God's Story to My Life?
  • Read through each of the sections of God's Story from today's DailyBide. Take a close look at the scenes leading up to each set of Jesus'Last Words.
  • Thank God today for Him making it possible that there really are no Last Last words. 

How can I connect Today's Story, God's Story, and My Story with Others?
If you knew that today was your last day on this earth, how would that change what you said to your friends and family?  Would it change anything at all?  Would it change everything?  Try letting  your conversations today be as rich and meaningful as they would be if you knew they were your last ones with each of your friends.

Comments

Ornament

The Daily Bide is brought to you by a team of writers from Youth for Christ/USA. The writers all have various years of experience in youth ministry but share a common bond in serving Jesus and discovering what it means to abide deeply everyday and to connect God's Story with those around them. A number of the Daily Bide writers have also written portions of our 3Story® resources. You can check out our resources at the 3Story.org website or connect with our writers at 3story@yfc.net. If you have a question or a story you would like to share, please reference the Daily Bide date in your email.

YFC works with young people on campus and in the community in over one hundred countries around the world so that they might have an opportunity to become a follower of Christ and be a part of a local church.