[00:00:00] Welcome to Faith in Focus from the Book of Mysteries by Jonathan Kahn. The End of the Story What is it, asked the teacher, that makes a story good or bad, happy or sad? What if I told you the story of a man hated by his own family, sold into slavery, taken to a foreign land, thrown into a prison for a crime he didn't commit, and forgotten by man, and, it seems, by God?
[00:00:27] What kind of story would you say it is? A sad story. A story of injustice and oppression. A tragedy. But the story is from the Book of Genesis, and the man is Joseph, and before it ends, Joseph will be released from prison, given a position of great honour, saving Egypt from famine, and being reconciled to his family. Now, would you still say the story is sad and tragic?
[00:00:56] No. I would say the story is one of triumph. And you would be right, he said. The parts of a story are not all of equal weight. A happy story with a tragic end is not a happy story, but a tragic one. A tragic story with a triumphant ending is not a tragic story, but a triumphant one. You can never judge a story by its beginning or middle, or by any of its parts before its ending.
[00:01:26] It is the ending of the story that determines everything that went before it. Always remember that. The nature of the story is determined by its end. So, too, the story of your life. You can never judge your story by your current circumstances or problems. And as long as you're on earth, you haven't seen the end of the story. So then one can never know what kind of story you're in.
[00:01:55] Not so, said the teacher. If you're a child of God, the end of the story is revealed. Which is? Victory, restoration, triumph, blessing, joy and glory. And it is that end that makes your life a good story, a wonderful story. Therefore, when you look at your life, see everything in the light of that ending.
[00:02:20] Every problem, every defeat, every sorrow, every failure, every evil. They're only the components of a story of triumph and glory. Fix your eyes on the end of the story and press on to that end. For it is that end that makes your story and your life a great one. The mission. No matter what you're going through today or in your life,
[00:02:46] believe, look to and live in confidence to the end of the story. Job 42, 10-17 And the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends. Also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then came there unto him all his brethren and all his sisters and all they that had been of his acquaintance before and did eat bread with him in his house.
[00:03:16] And they bemoaned him and comforted him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. Every man also gave him a piece of money and every one an earring of gold. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. For he had fourteen thousand sheep and six thousand camels and a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand she-asses.
[00:03:44] He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first Jemima and the name of the second Kezia and the name of the third Kerenhapach. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job. And their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years
[00:04:09] and saw his sons and his son's sons even four generations. So Job died being old and full of days. Luke 24, 46-53 And said unto them, Thus it is written, And thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations,
[00:04:40] beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them. And it came to pass, While he blessed them, he was parted from them
[00:05:08] and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen. 2 Corinthians 2.14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
[00:05:37] Hebrews 12.1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. 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,
[00:06:07] and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. The end of the story. Thank you for joining me on Faith in Focus. Remember, these insights are inspired by Jonathan Kahn's The Book of Mysteries. Until next time, may you find strength in the revelation of his love.