Colossians 1:15-20 –
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Introduction
Imagine at the same time the hardest trial and the best news you could get concerning it. At the time Paul wrote this letter to the Colossian church, the world seemed fairly neatly divided between those who didn’t know what to do with Christians and those who wanted to see them crushed. I’ve met men and women around the world who are in terrible situations because of their faith in Jesus, having lost virtually every earthly good. Some of you have known or are experiencing now, significant suffering.
There’s no way for us to fathom the amount of damage and suffering sin has caused in the world. How many times have you wished for some measure of relief from it? How many times have you prayed for help or healing or deliverance?
Again, I wonder, though, what’s the most you’ve dared to hope for in your suffering? What’s the best news you’ve imagined receiving in it?
Whatever your answer, Paul’s letter promises something better, something infinitely better. Above all, he promised the Colossian Christians, along with all who are trusting in Jesus, that Jesus successfully gave His life to defeat sin and death and to bring about the complete restoration of all that sin has taken and broken. He promised a hope of glory and grace—past, present, and future.
The past glory/grace was about their union with Jesus and the deliverance, redemption, and forgiveness that come with it, the moment they put their faith in Jesus.
The future glory/grace is about sharing in the inheritance of Jesus and a time when all things will be right.
But Paul was also realistic about the fact that they needed present glory/grace as well. That, under the Spirit’s inspiration, he offered in two main forms. The second, which we’ll come to later in the letter, was in the form of instructions for the Christian life in the here and now. And the first, which we’ve been pressing into for the past few weeks, is a description of Jesus’ preeminence over all created things.
Last week, we considered Jesus’ preeminence over God’s original work of Creation (Genesis 1-2). Next week, on Easter Sunday, we’ll consider His preeminence over the coming recreation and His resurrection that proved it. This week, we’re going to consider His preeminence over all created things today.
The big idea of all three weeks is that there is great help in hardship when we know the hardship is caused by things made by Jesus, governed by Jesus, and that will be brought to perfect justice and conformity by Jesus. Understandably, then, the big idea of this sermon is that Jesus sovereignly reigns over every renegade thing that causes our difficulty, both inside and outside the Church. The main takeaway is to find and trust in Jesus’ promises concerning His sovereign grace through all that causes our suffering.
Jesus is the Preeminent Sustainer of Everything That Has Been Made
Jesus is preeminent over everything that has been made. And one way that shows up is in the facts that, “17 …in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church.”
This morning, then, with the Lord’s help, we’re going to marvel together that Jesus is the preeminent sustainer of everything that has been made and of the Church. First one first.
Again, v.17 says that in Jesus all things hold together, but what does that mean? I remember coming across three helpful categories in this regard years ago. All things hold together in Jesus in that He preserves, concurs with, and governs all created things, continually.
Preservation
Why do you look like you every single day? Why does water freeze and boil at basically the same temperatures continually? Why do oak trees grow and lose leaves every year? Why do objects fall at the same speed every time?
Perhaps more to the point, why do created things remain intact at all? Why don’t we simply dissolve into mist or just cease to exist at any given moment?
The short answer to all of those questions is that Jesus continually preserves His creation according to the order with which He designed it.
Hebrews 1:3, says it like this, “[Jesus] upholds the universe by the word of his power…”
One of the more powerful ways I’ve heard this said is that for us to cease to exist, Jesus wouldn’t need to do something (like send a consuming fire from heaven), He’d simply need to stop doing something. We hold together, consistent with our nature, because (and only because) He is continually, actively working to that end; not a deistic, impersonal preservation, but an active, loving, personal, purposeful one.
At the very least, that ought to bring about praise and peace in us no matter what this season of our lives holds.
It ought to bring praise in that it is an awesome display of the omnipotence of God. It is a glorious manifestation of the complete authority given to Jesus by the Father (Matthew 28:18).
We are right to look around and marvel at the fact that it is not the studs in the walls that are really holding the roof up in this room, but Jesus.
He is, right now, keeping the earth beneath us, maintaining the chemical reaction that turned the limestone, clay, sand, and water into the rock-hard cement that’s under our feet, holding fast the fibers of the wood in the walls and trusses, and keeping the molecules together in our shingles to prevent rain from getting in.
He’s doing the same thing for every body of every person in this room. He’s doing it for the sun and the lakes. He’s preserving the vibrating particles that allow us to hear the piano and one another when we speak and sing.
Jesus holding all things together, preserving them in the properties He created, is the only reason that science and engineering work.
And for all of that (and the trillions of other ways He’s preserving His creation continually), we must worship Him.
I’ve long wondered if this is why there’s so much power released in splitting atoms. I don’t mean to say that humans have found a way to break Jesus’ hold on things or to overcome His preservation of them. I only mean to say that it seems entirely consistent with this idea that something that requires magnification of at least 50 million times to see, has so much power in it. It’s a way of revealing the power of Jesus’ preservation (kind of the opposite side of the coin of the visible universe being 93 billion light-years across as a means of displaying the vastness of God’s presence and glory). Either way, praise Him for His preserving power, Grace.
There is praise, and there is peace in this knowledge, no matter our circumstances, in that it is Jesus who is knowingly and willingly holding together whatever it is that is causing us hardship. For some that’s a terrible thought, but for those of us who believe Jesus’ promises concerning His use of every trial for the highest good and glory, it is the surest source of the greatest peace.
Jesus could cause the source of your pain to cease to exist immediately by merely being silent. Knowing that He’s chosen to keep upholding it by the word of His power, and that He loves you (1 John 4:19), and that He has promised to cause all things to work together for your good (Romans 8:28), means that He must have something really good for you in the hardship.
That’s what Paul wanted the Colossians to understand and the peace he wanted them to experience when he wrote of Jesus’ preservation (holding together) of the source of their suffering. And that’s what I want for you all.
Concurrence
More than merely preserving all things, though, that all things hold together in Jesus also means that He is working concurrently with all things, at all times, in all that is done.
Essentially, that means that in every action of every created thing, Jesus is working along with it.
Biblically, we see this in God’s working in the falling of snow and hail (Job 38:22-23). We see it in His concurrence with the grass and plants of the earth (Psalm 104:14). We see it in the falling of the sunlight and rain (Matthew 5:45). We see it the feeding and flying of the birds of the air (Matthew 10:29). We see it in the way dice roll (Proverbs 16:33). We see it in the affairs (Psalm 22:28) and limits (Acts 17:26) of the nations.
One of the clearest verses for me, speaking of God’s concurrence in our work is Philippians 2:12-13, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” We work and God works at the same time. Both are real and both shape the outcome.
And while I could go on and on listing the things the Bible explicitly says take place in concurrence with Jesus, the main point is that it is in Him that all things (including us) “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
Again, that Jesus works in concurrence with all created things simply means that in everything, Jesus is working and His creation is working together.
This was good news for the Colossians and it is good news for us. Jesus is always, always, always with us. He is never far. His hand is in all that we do, and especially in our response to our suffering. And, He is always working alongside the causes of our suffering.
While that might sound strange, and while there’s a bit more explanation needed (which we’ll come back to in a few minutes), the main point is that there is great comfort for everyone hoping in Jesus, in the knowledge that all things are in Jesus’ hands. He is never surprised by the actions of His creation. He is never scrambling around, playing catch-up with the hard things happening in the world. He really does hold all things (good and bad, animate and inanimate, visible and invisible, things in heaven and on earth) together. Rightly understood, there is tremendous praise and peace in that.
Government
The idea that in Jesus all things hold together, and that He upholds the universe by the word of His power, describes Jesus’ preservation, concurrence, and finally, His governance of all things. There is a close relationship between concurrence and government, but there is also an important distinction. Concurrence simply means that God works with His creation to do all that is done. Government means that He does so by directing all things to accomplish His purposes.
In Daniel 4:35 we read of God that, “He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand…”.
Ephesians 1:11 speaks to this, declaring that God “works all things according to the counsel of His will…”.
Similarly, Psalm 135:6 tells us that “Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the deeps.”
Again, this is not to deny our agency or the reality of our choices or our responsibility for them. And it is certainly not to suggest that God does evil or makes us do the evil that we do. But it is to say that God is continually working all things—even the evil things done in the world—according to the counsel of His will.
If you know the story of Joseph and his mistreatment at the hands of his brothers, then you know the grand conclusion, “What you intended for evil, God intended for good” (Genesis 50:20). And if you know the story of Good Friday, you know that the men who crucified Jesus did evil, but from it God worked the greatest good of all time. That is why Peter would proclaim to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:23). Because they really did evil. But it is also why He would immediately explain that through their evil actions, “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24).
So what does all of this (Jesus’ perpetual preservation, concurrence and governance) mean for the Colossians’ suffering and what does it mean for ours? On the surface, it sounds like a bit of a mixed bag, doesn’t it? If Jesus is working in and through all things to accomplish His purposes, that means He is somehow tied to our suffering. Again, as we just saw, He is. But He is involved for good. For all who hope in Jesus, hardship is an instrument in the Redeemer’s hands. Even the evil choices of others are Jesus’ tools for our sanctification.
It is precisely because He holds all things together that He is able to guarantee that “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
It is precisely because He holds all things together that we are right to “rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame…” (Romans 5:3-5). And to “Count it all joy… when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).
It is precisely because He holds all things together that we can be sure that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). And that “after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:10).
It is precisely because He preserves, concurs, and governs all things that He is able to guarantee that “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
The Colossians were suffering persecution and being tormented with false doctrine at the hands of wicked men. But by reminding them that all those wicked men were being held together by Jesus, he was giving them all the help they needed to navigate those trials in faith, and in a manner pleasing to God.
And so it is for us, Grace. As you contemplate your suffering, know for certain that Jesus is working every ounce of it for His greatest glory and your greatest good as He holds every aspect of it together.
Interestingly and importantly, all of this was as true on Good Friday as on Palm and Easter Sundays. It was every bit as true in Jesus’ crucifixion as it was in His triumphal entry and resurrection from the dead. In Him all the palm branches that were placed on the road and waving in His honor held together. His crucifiers were held together by Him, along with the fibers of the tree He hung on and the molecules of the nails that held Him there. And the tomb that released Him in His resurrection did so because it was being held together by Him!
Imagine that!!! If there is great good in Him holding together the objects of His suffering (which was far worse than anything any of us will experience), there is no doubt of the great good He is working through His holding together the objects of our suffering as well.
In preparing for this sermon, I came across a poem by Joseph Mary Plunket. He wrote it to try to capture some of the glory and grace of this passage. He gives us a lens with which to see the world in light of the facts that all things were created by, through, and for Jesus and that in Him alone all things hold together.
I see His blood upon the rose
And in the stars the glory of His eyes,
His body gleams amid eternal snows,
His tears fall from the skies.
I see His face in every flower,
The thunder and the singing of the birds
Are but His voice and carven by His power
Rocks are His written words.
All pathways by His feet are worn,
His strong heart stirs the ever-beating sea
His crown of thorns is twined with every thorn,
His cross is every tree.
Do not fret, Grace. Grieve, but not as one without hope. Weep, but don’t despair. Be angry at the sin and injustices and sufferings in this world, but not apart from the knowledge that all is being and will be made right by Him who holds all things together.
Jesus Is the Preeminent Sustainer of the Church
Jesus is preeminent over all creation—over the original Creation of all things and over the ongoing governance of all things. Within that, we see in v.18 and throughout the NT, that He is also preeminent over the Church.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church.
In Ephesians 1:20–23 Paul says it this way, God the Father “seated [Jesus] at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
This is truly remarkable, Grace. Our highest authority is Jesus, who is our head. He holds His Church together, even as He holds the universe together. This is true of the Church universal and the church local.
Head of the Church Universal
The Church universal is just another way of describing all true believers (everyone who has truly placed their faith in Jesus) of all time. As soon as a person becomes a Christian, they become a part of the one true Church, of which Jesus is the, creator, authority, and sustainer.
He is the creator of the universal church in that no one comes to faith apart from Him. Jesus declared that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
He is the authority of the universal Church in that it is in Him alone in which all authority lies. It is to Him alone, therefore, that we submit in all things. And all because it is to Him alone that the Father “put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the Church” (Ephesians 1:22).
And He is the sustainer of the universal Church in that He will lose none who come to faith in Him (John 18:9).
Everyone who comes to Jesus (who comes into the Church universal), does so because Jesus called them. Coming to Jesus means submitting to Him as Lord of all. And all who come to Jesus will be kept by Jesus, for He loses none.
What’s more, Jesus determined to save a people from every tribe, tongue, and nation (Revelation 7:9) through His Church universal. He has commissioned us to proclaim the good news of His suffering, death, and resurrection to the whole world, calling the world to receive Him in faith and inviting them into the eternal fellowship of the saints.
That He is holding the Church together as Her head means that this mission will not fail. “I will build my church” Jesus promised, “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
What a glorious picture of Jesus this is, as the One in whom all things hold together, including the Church. Do not fret, Grace. If your hope is in Jesus, if you are trusting in Him alone for the forgiveness of your sins, then “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39), even as nothing will be able to stop His glorious return, His final subduing of every rebel power, and His recreation of the heavens and earth for all His people to dwell with Him forever in glory!
Head of the Church Local
As remarkable as that is, it’s just as remarkable that He is the sustainer and head of every local church as well.
For the Colossians, this was good news indeed. It meant Jesus was reigning over and holding together their small fellowship of saints. It meant there was nothing that they would experience that Jesus wasn’t with them in and directing to His great purposes. It meant that as real as their struggles were, they were not outside of Jesus reign. It meant that although there were enemies without and within, they existed and moved according to the pleasure of Jesus. It meant that as hard as the Colossians were working to remain true to the faith and to proclaim it in the midst of hostility, Jesus was working harder and better and more victoriously on their behalf.
How much time and tears have been wasted by the people of God forgetting this truth or failing to trust in it? Conversely, how much help and hope and relief and joy is in that knowledge practiced, Grace?
Had the church in Colossae believed that fully, it likely would not have caused their persecutors and false teachers to simply give up. But it would have given them all they needed to endure in faith.
And so it is for us, Grace. As we wrestle with our own trials, individually and together, we must do so in full assurance that Jesus is preeminent over it all. He is the head of us, our gathering, and our ministry. He is head of our growth and whatever way we respond to it. He loves us and cares for us more than any of us love or care for us. He is, right now and always, working for our good in ways we cannot duplicate or even fully comprehend.
As we remember our 30th Anniversary celebration from this past summer, we heard of a lot of ups and downs. We heard of many times in which the early leaders couldn’t imagine a path forward and contemplated closing the church. But through all of that, Jesus held Grace Church together, exactly as Paul told the Colossians He would, some 2000 years ago. And He continues to do so today.
Imagine, once again, at the same time the hardest trial and the best news you could get concerning it. Whatever your trial and whatever your answer, the promise given to us in this passage in this letter is far greater—In Jesus all things, including each of our lives and the church that binds us together, are being held together. He is preserving us, working with us in all we do, and directing all our efforts to His perfect purposes.
Conclusion
And so, as we celebrate Palm Sunday, on our way to Good Friday and Easter Sunday, remember that in all things Jesus is preeminent. Remember, as Paul wrote in another letter, to another church, “God [the Father] has highly exalted [Jesus] and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11).