Small Beginnings and Big Endings

Text:  Job8:7 “Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.”—.

THIS WAS the reasoning of Bildad the Shuhite. He wanted to prove that Job could not possibly be an upright man, because if he was, he claims that his prosperity would increase continually, or that if he fell into any trouble, God would arise to the occasion for him, and make the habitation of his righteousness prosperous; and even though his family were now all destroyed, and his wealth scattered to the winds, yet if he were an upright man, Bildad reasoned that God would surely appear for him, and his latter end would greatly increase.

Bildad and the other men spake as mere men, and not as God wanted them to speak.  They reasoned in their own speech, but the Spirit of God was not in their speech in a general sense, yet any time the Lord wanted to break in to what they were trying to reason out, Lord took the liberty to do so, as in this case:

Because it is true that the book of Job does in fact tell us that Job did greatly increase in his latter end. His beginning was small: he was brought down to poverty, then God made Job very great and wealthy.  Then tragedy struck and Job was brought back down to having virtually nothing….Jesus said, aman’s life consisteth not in the abundance of that which he posesseth.  Job was not righteous in the eyes of the Lord because of his knowledge and wealth, but rather because of his love for God and his character.

God did, in fact come to Job’s rescue.    His righteousness came out from the darkness in an incredible way.  Job came forth in an awesome light of prosperity. Bildad’s words were prophetic, even though he didn’t know it.

So we have here a great principle—a principle that nobody can ever successfully dispute:  The beginning of the godly and the upright man may be but very small, but his latter end will greatly increase!

          Evil things may seem to begin well, but they end badly; there is the glitter and the frills, but afterwards the darkness and the disappointment.  Evil things begin as mountains; they end as mole-hills.   At first it is an ocean, then it shrinks into a river, then into a dry bed.  Satan began his masquerade with humanity in the garden with a lofty promise…..”you shall be as gods!”  The beginning of evil is grand…but it ends up shivering beneath the tree complaining of nakedness, and sin comes to its end….sin is short lived, but the consequences are long lived….just asked the rich man in hell. He will never escape its flames. Its better to start small and work up into God’s true image rather than to yield to the world’s way and be disappointed in the end.

The path of evil is downhill.  The path of good is the opposite…it gently rises to the place of God’s desire.  The path of the just is as the shining light. It sheds a few flickering rays at first, and it engages in continual  combat with the darkness, but it “shineth more and more unto the perfect day.”

Though the beginnings of good things are small, yet their latter end shall greatly increase.

Perhaps I speak to a beginner in the grace of God and haunted with continual anxiety.  Remember that God fed his children in the wilderness with the manna that fell from Heaven.

Not everyone will be stricken to the floor or slain in the Spirit when they are born again.   Some people are born again rather slowly and quietly, but they become solid saints nonetheless…perhaps I am speaking to someone who is worried that since your faith did not start out with TNT that it is not valid…can I tell you that if you obeyed Acts 2:38 completely, then you don’t have a worry in the world when it comes to its validity!  If you spoke with tongues quietly, its just as real as the person who shouted it at the top of their voice, but the bottom line is that you did in fact speak openly with other tongues as the Spirit gave you the utterance!

Perhaps I also speak tonight to that soul who thinks they have such a low level of grace.  You don’t sense much Christian character in your heart.  My beginning is so exceeding small, that I have to look, and look, and look again, at times, before I can discern it for myself.

I encourage you to take courage, because no matter how small the seeds of faith are, if it is genuine faith in God, it will outrun and out do doubt in the end!

Perhaps I speak to the person who is afraid that your faith will not endure to the end.  Be of good courage…it is true, as you think, the temptation will be too much for you, but do you have to do with it? Heaven is not to be won by your might, but by the might of him who has promised heaven to you; your crown of life is to be obtained, not by your arm, but by the Lord’s strong arm which now holds it out, and it compels you to run towards it. If your perseverance rested upon yourself your could not persevere even one  hour; if spiritual life depended on itself it would be like the shooting-star, which makes a shining trail for a moment and then is gone; but thanks be unto God, it is written—”Because I live, ye shall live also.” “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” You can be hid with Him before this night is over if you will come to Him and give Him your heart. You may feel small right now, but there is coming a day when you will be ushered into the Kings presence and your accusers won’t be able to mock at you any more!

You all will be a part of the closing of my message tonight….I want somebody who had a small beginning to come to this pulpit and tell us your testimony of how God saved you.