Jesus, Creator and Sustainer of All Things
Pastor Bill Nicholes - August 15, 2010Today's Scripture reference is Colossians 1: 16 & 17
All Bible Quotes taken from (NIV) unless otherwise indicatedIntroduction
In 1980 Becky, the kids and I moved to El Cajon California, a town about 30 miles east of San Diego on Interstate 8. We moved there so I could attend Bible College. The campus there was comprised of three different organizations, a church where Tim LaHaye was the pastor, a college where I studied, and the Institute for Creation Research, where Becky was hired as a Secretary. The three organizations were inter-related, and because of that, I received an education that had an emphasis on two specific theological disciplines, the first was "Apologetics," or a defense of the faith, and the second was "creation science."
We live in a world today where evolution is considered to be fact by most people, and yet there are still many varying "theories" concerning origins with contention even among the various proponents. There also is no evolutionary fossil evidence that indicates a transition between species, only changes from within kind. So evolution is still at best a theory, and one that requires a great deal of faith to make it viable.
There are also a large number of scientists from every scientific discipline that hold to a different theory concerning origins. These scientists are called creationists. Like evolutionists, they study the scientific evidence that is available, and from this same evidence, come to a radically different conclusion concerning beginnings. Having had the opportunity to study at a college under some of these scientists/professors, I came to the conclusion that while the creation model is still only theory (no one was there at the beginning) it is a tenable theory and one that I accept, like the evolutionists, by faith.
I could give you examples of how both sides take the same evidence and reach different conclusions, but will leave that for another discussion.
Last week we began a three part sermon from Colossians 1: 15 - 23. Today I want to focus on verses 16 - 17 which read:
"For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
Jesus is the Agent of Creation
I think that most Christians believe that God created the heavens and the earth. But even among Christians, there is definitely a difference of opinion concerning how and when He did it. Some hold to a "day age" theory which basically states that in Genesis 1 when it refers to the six days of creation, these were not six literal days, but long periods of time, perhaps millions of years, in which God through the process of evolution, created the heavens and the earth. Those who hold to this theory are called "Theistic Evolutionists."
Many creationists believe that God's creative processes were accomplished in six literal 24 hour periods. They believe that God could have done it all at once, and the only reason that He took six days was to set an example for man to work six days and to have a day of rest (worship) on the seventh day.
As we look at this subject this morning, I think that we first need to consider three attributes of God that are important to the discussion of God's creative process.
First, God is Omnipotent or all powerful. Both Luke 1: 37 and 18: 27 tell us that nothing is impossible for God. If you believe that nothing is impossible for God, then why is it so difficult to believe that an all powerful God can create all things in six literal days rather than taking millions of years?
Second, God is Omniscient or all knowing. Psalm 44: 20 - 21 states:
"If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God have discovered it, since He knows the secrets of the heart?"
Ephesians 1: 4 indicates that God knew that He would have to rescue man from sin, even before He created the heavens and the earth.
Could it be that the God who knows all things would know how to create all things in a completed fashion rather than taking millions of years to get it right? After all, an eternal God would have had all of eternity past to consider what He wanted to do and how to do it.
Third, God is Omnipresent or everywhere at once. This is going to blow your minds, but here we go anyway. If God is eternal, and if God is the creator of all things, then God exists outside of time, space and matter, before He created it. At the same time, He exists within time, space and matter. Psalm 139: 7 - 8 says:
"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there."
God is everywhere at once. I told you that would blow your mind.
Now, with that background established, let us get back to verses 16 & 17. If you remember from last week, Paul is writing in response to the false teachings of the Gnostics who taught that God could not have been directly involved in the creative process because God is spirit and spirit is good. The creation is physical, and that which is physical is evil. So Paul combats that heresy with the claim that "by Him, referring to Jesus, all things were created."
Here Paul infers several things about Jesus. First, He is eternal. If Jesus is the creator of all things then He would have had to exist prior to the creation. Second, if Jesus existed prior to creation, and if He is the cause of creation, then Jesus is God. Third, Jesus as the son of Mary is God in the flesh. Those three things pretty well destroy the Gnostic philosophy of spirit is good and physical is bad for Paul presents Jesus as both God and man.
Notice also what it is that He created! He created things in heaven and things on earth, in other words, spiritual and physical things. He created things that are visible and invisible, again physical and spiritual. Paul in essence is saying that whatever you can point to, physical or spiritual, it was created by Jesus.
Not only were they created by Him, but it also says that they were created "for" Him. Think about that for a moment. If all things were created "for" Him, what does this infer about mans accountability "to" Him? Man was created in the image and likeness of God so he could be in relationship with Him. Sin drove a wedge between man and God, and brought death into the world affecting all of creation. Jesus, as the God man came to reconcile man back to God by offering Himself as an atonement for sin on the cross. Like it or not, we are accountable to God, for we were created by Him and for His purposes.
Another objection that the Gnostics had to the Christian faith was the simplicity of the Gospel of Christ. If you remember from last week I said that they believed that only those with superior knowledge could find salvation. But Jesus preached that you must receive the kingdom of God like a little child or you will never enter into it. (Luke 18: 15 - 17)
Salvation is based on knowledge, but it isn't a hidden knowledge or a knowledge that can only be attained by those with superior understanding. It is based on the belief that Jesus died for your sins, was buried and on the third day, rose from the dead. Even a small child can understand this, and Jesus said that we should become like children if we expect to enter the kingdom of God.
In Him All Things Hold Together
So all things were created by Jesus and for Jesus, and Paul says, in Him all things hold together.
I received an e-mail sometime back with a short video on it. In the video a preacher was speaking on this very passage and in particular verse 17 where it says that "in Him all things hold together".
In the video, he was talking about a protein molecule called laminin. The video was too long to show you so I did some research on the net concerning laminin and I would like to read to you a good summary on it.
"The laminin protein molecule is the major component that makes up the extracellular matrix which is also called the basement membrane. These are the sheets of protein that form the substrate of all internal organs. Laminin assist in cell adhesion and binds other extracellular matrix components together."
In simple lay terms, laminin is the substance that holds our cells and tissues together. Now the interesting thing about this protein laminin is that it is shaped like a cross.
Laminin molecule chain
Let me read a little more from the article text on laminin.
"The laminin molecule is shaped like a cross and has four arms that are designed to bind to four other molecules. The three shorter arms are particularly good at binding to other laminin molecules, which is what makes it so great at forming sheets. The long arm is capable of binding to cells, which helps anchor the actual organs to the membrane."
A molecule that is shaped like a cross is the substance that binds almost all living cells together. "In Him all things hold together." Divine Inspiration?
One of my college professors was a molecular researcher before becoming a professor. In particular he used to study the atom. He used to stand up before the class and hold a piece of chalk up and explain to us that in that small piece of chalk was enough energy to destroy a city the size of El Cajon, which had a population of about 80,000. He said that the only thing holding that chalk together was the hand of God because the natural tendency of the molecules in an atom would be to repel each other, and that would cause a very big explosion. It was this verse in Colossians 1 that He referred to and explained to us that all things hold together at Christ's pleasure. He said that if Christ were to remove His hand, kabooom.
Professor Niessen believed that when Peter wrote:
"The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything it will be laid bare. . . the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat." II Peter 3: 11 - 12
that this would be the moment in history when Jesus would remove His hand from His creation and the old heavens and earth would be destroyed in preparation for the new heaven and the new earth spoken about in that same passage and in the book of Revelation.
It is one thing for us to understand and accept that we are here because of God's will, but it is a totally different perspective for us to consider that every created thing is dependent upon God for its stability of structure.
In his commentary on Colossians, William Barclay says it this way:
"all the laws by which this world is order and not chaos are an expression of the mind of the Son. The law of gravity and the rest, the laws by which the universe hangs together, are not only scientific laws, but also divine."
Conclusion
Last week we saw that Jesus is the "image of the invisible God", the exact representation and manifestation of who God is. We also saw that Jesus was God in the flesh, not just some phantom spirit without a real body. And third, we saw that Jesus is the first born over all creation, or that He is the preeminent one over everything else in creation. This week we see that all things were created by Him and for Him, and in Him all things hold together.
If Jesus is indeed all of these things, then what should our response be to Him? Can we, His creation continue to live our lives for ourselves while we keep Him on the back burner with the expectation that someday, when we are ready, we will submit to Him for salvation? Can we who are Christians live our lives thinking that someday, when we have more time we will serve Him, or someday we will give Him a greater portion of our life, or that someday we will worship Him for who He really is, God?
Let me tell you this morning that He wants that someday to be today. You know, you are never going to have more time than you have right now. You are never going to have more talent than you have right now. You are never going to have more to give back to Him than you have right now. And the truth is, you don't even know how much more time you really have to serve Christ. God is interested in you right now and He wants you to submit to Him today.