A common theme with the up and coming generation has been superhero films. Marvel has done an excellent job of bringing the comics created by the legendary Stan Lee to life on the big screen. Since 2008, Marvel Studios has produced twenty-two movies, all of which culminated in the movie Avengers: Endgame, which concluded that chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. These movies have included Captain America (my personal favorite of the Avengers), Iron Man, the Hulk, and Spider-Man, just to name a few.

If you have seen Avengers: Endgame, you will already know this, but if you haven't yet seen the movie, this will be a bit of a spoiler for you. You have been warned.

In Avengers: Endgame, we see Iron Man sacrifice himself to keep those he cared about alive. It had me thinking a little bit. God sent Jesus to do the exact same thing for us! We see this in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, nut have eternal life." That is the whole idea of the series I am starting with this article. Over the next four weeks, I will be doing a commentary and reflection of the current series I am guiding the youth through called Endgame. Throughout this series, we will seek to understand ho we fit into God's ultimate Endgame.

The first thing we will be looking at is God's ultimate promise to us. In the midst of struggles, Christ is always with us. We see this in Ephesians 1:13-14. We see that we are sealed in Christ when we believe in the Gospel of Christ. Paul says in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. I have personally experienced this in my life. So long throughout my teenage years, I could feel myself running from Christ. As I got into college, especially at Snead State Community College, I felt myself clinging more and more to Christ each day, trusting in Him and His promises.

This brings us to our next point. In the midst of life's storms, The Holy Spirit gives us an "outside power" of sorts to remind us of God's promises at all times. I have seen this in my life so many times. In the midst of wrecks, tornadoes, and all the other storms I have been in throughout my life, I have seen God's promise of protection in my life. This is evident in Shane's Psalm 91 story I shared a couple of weeks ago.

Notice that in verse 13, Paul tells us that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit when we believe in Christ. He compares this to being sealed by a royal official, and it shows whose we are and that we belong to God. Paul then tells us in verse 14 that we have access to God's perfect peace, love, and mercy right now rather than in the future because of the down payment Christ made for us on the cross through His death and resurrection.

There was a really interesting quote I found in the guide from Gordon Fee about viewing the idea of the Holy Spirit as a futuristic promise that we experience now. He says, "The Spirit is the evidence that the eschatological promises of Paul's Jewish heritage have been fulfilled. At the same time, the Spirit of God's empowering presence enables us as the people of God not to simply endure the present as we wait for the final consummation, but to do so with spirit. And that is because the future is as sure as the presence of the Spirit is an experienced reality; hence the significance of the dynamic and experiential nature of the Spirit's coming into the life of the believer and the church."

What Fee means by this quote is that Christ has fulfilled the promises of the Old Testament, and we should excitedly and expectantly await His promised return to earth.

No matter what we face, we should seek to trust in God's promises to get us through. There's a part of the bridge of the song Do It Again by Elevation Worship, which says, "I've seen you move, you move the mountains, and I believe that I'll see you do it again." This bridge gives us hope that, no matter how big the giants are that we face in life or how strong the storms are we face, God will work through those situations for our good and His glory.

To conclude, we have to understand that our hope and help is truly found in Christ alone. We have to ask Him to work powerfully in our struggles and to strengthen us in all we do for Him.