He Holds All Things Together

Trails, we all have them.

How are you doing today? Anyone have a rough day? Some of you could probably raise your hands and say day? Try a rough week or month! You seem to be facing one thing after another and see no way out. Or maybe it’s not one thing after another, it’s just one thing that seems way too big for you to endure. Maybe it’s just one thing or one person that just seems to spawn all kinds of bad in your life.

If you’re not going through it now, you will be at some point. I guarantee it. Why can I say that? Well, if you’re a human being, you’re bound to be struggling with something at a certain point.

Either way, it can be rough.

Today, I want to give you hope, and let you know what the word of God says about going through those trials. It's not about toughing it out and getting thick skinned.

It's not about being "super-spiritual" and looking at the "ultimate good" that will come to you.

When I was going through a particularly tough time, one of the most annoying things people could say to me was, “If it doesn’t kill you it will make you stronger.” PLEASE! I swear that was about all it took to put me over the edge. It’s easy to say that when you’re not going through the trail yourself.

Don't get me wrong, these “positive outlook” tricks are good, but we have a loving father that gives us more to hang our hope on to than that.

To appreciate the goodness of God, we must understand the nature of God a little better, look at

Colossians 1:15–19 NKJV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,

Let’s look at it one piece at a time. He is the image of the invisible God.

Colossians 1:15 NKJV

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Okay. God is invisible- we can agree on that right? So what does “He is the image of…” mean? Well Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God.

We understand what we can see. So when God wanted to manifest Himself to a people that could only see what was visible, He did it through Jesus.

Colossians 1:16 NKJV

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

By the scripture we know that all things were created for Him, and by Him, so we know that He is the creator and owner of all that has been created, or all that can be seen.

Colossians 1:17 NKJV

And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

Now look closely where it says “He is before all things, and in Him all things consist”. He is “before all things”—the Greek literally means, “the most brought forth”- the one who is in over all things. In charge of all things- the most important amongst all things. He is Lord, Master, and ruler of all things.

He is the Lord over all that is invisible. He first existed in the invisible (spirit) realm, then He existed in the physical realm as the "firstborn over all creation." He has the ability to affect change in both the spiritual AND the physical.

This points a very essential spiritual truth:

Whatever happens in the physical "visible" realm, first happened in the spirit "invisible" realm. He is the Firstborn over all creation.

Then finally it says “In Him all things consist.” I want us to go to the complete Jewish Bible and let’s read it with a slightly different understanding.

Colossians 1:14–17 (CJB)

It is through his Son that we have redemption—that is, our sins have been forgiven. He is the visible image of the invisible God. He is supreme over all creation, because in connection with him were created all things—in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, lordships, rulers or authorities—they have all been created through him and for him. He existed before all things, and he holds everything together.

When we understand the nature of God and who He is, it helps us to know who it is that's on our side when the going gets tough.

What Does That mean for Us?

We now have established that He is Lord over the invisible, and the visible, and that he is the firstborn, but how does this relate to us?

The firstborn was the designated priest in the family. As such, he was to mediate between God and his family. He was to serve as the example and leader of his Family.

The firstborn had certain rights in the family. The firstborn spoke with the same authority as the Father. The firstborn was entitled to a greater inheritance.

The firstborn was the designated sacrifice. With the rights he had, he also had a certain responsibility. He had the responsibility to protect his family at the cost of his own life.

What about Jesus as Firstborn? Well, again, we have established that he takes these rolls on over that which is invisible, and that which is visible as well, but it goes further than that. He is also the firstborn over the dead (v. 18) so he has authority over those, and that which has died! He was the designated sacrifice for us. He protects us even from death itself, at the cost of His own life.

By him and for him all things were created. He was not manifest, nor did He come for our pleasure, but instead He came to redeem that which was already His.

Remember, he is Lord overall that is visible, as well as that which is invisible.

He is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together. He is before all things. We don't have a right to say to Him, "Jesus you can't be Lord!" The Word of God says, "Every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord." That said, we can't deny something that is. Just because there are outlaws, doesn't mean that there are no laws. Just because some people refuse to acknowledge the authority of the law on their life doesn't mean that the law doesn't exist. What it does mean, is that they just haven't yet suffered the consequences of breaking the law.

What we do have is the privilege of acknowledging His Lordship and living as though we believed what He said. The American Heritage Dictionary defines “confess” this way: To admit the existence, reality or truth of.

In other words, we have the privilege of admitting the existence, reality and truth of God's Lordship in our life, before the fateful day when all are forced to do so.

It is only when we line up with the truth of His Lordship, that he is able to keep our lives from unraveling.

If you want to know how it is that some people can, like Stephen, face certain death and feel overwhelming peace, while others cry like babies when life gets uncomfortable, then you have to look no further than this simple fact. God has already taken care of our needs according to His glorious riches. He has already provided our means of overcoming. Why? Because He is in charge of everything. It’s up to us to confess that He is in charge. We merely have to confess His lordship in order to walk in that peace. Does that mean we won’t face the storms and trials? Of course not! But when we face them, we have the assurance that God is in control.

How in control is He? Tell me, is your life more out of control than the lady in this story? Let’s stay in the Complete Jewish Bible version because I really like how it flows in that version.

Let me set the stage. Elijah has prophesied a drought in the land. The people are suffering. Elijah is probably not a popular man. For some reason people always seem to want to kill the messenger. Being a prophet was, and in some cases still is hazardous duty. So we pick up with God talking to Elijah :

1 Kings 17:8–16 CJB

Then this word of Adonai came to him: “Get up; go to Tzarfat, a village in Tzidon; and live there. I have ordered a widow there to provide for you.” So he set out and went to Tzarfat. On reaching the gate of the city, he saw a widow there gathering sticks. He called out to her, “Please bring a little water in a container for me to drink.” As she was going to get it, he called after her, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.” She answered, “As Adonai your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a pot and a little oil in the jug. Here I am, gathering a couple sticks of wood, so that I can go and cook it for myself and my son. After we have eaten that, we will die.” Eliyahu said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go; and do what you said; but first, use a little of it to make me a small loaf of bread; and bring it out to me. After that, make food for yourself and your son. For this is what Adonai the God of Isra’el, says: ‘The pot of meal will not get used up, nor will there fail to be oil in the jug, until the day Adonai sends rain down on the land.’ ” She went and acted according to what Eliyahu had said; and she, he and her household had food to eat for a long time. The pot of meal did not get used up, nor did there fail to be oil in the jug, in fulfillment of the word of Adonai spoken through Eliyahu.

He is Lord over the visible and the invisible. Even if we can't see the flour at the bottom of the barrel, if He says it's there, it is.

When we can't see where our next meal is coming from, it's there.

When we don't know where we're going to work, and how we're going to pay the bills, look at the bottom of your barrel. Is it empty? Look again! It’s there!

Your spouse has left you, and you have no way to provide- check the oil jar-see it? It’s there!

The doctors have told you that they can’t help you out- you have no hope- look again- It’s there!!!!!

We must take God at His word, that's called obedience.

He is Lord over the dead.

Do we have dreams, or a hope that has died?

1 Kings 17:17–24 CJB

A while later, the son of the woman whose house it was fell ill; his illness grew increasingly serious until his breathing stopped. She said to Eliyahu, “What do you have against me, you man of God? Did you come to me just to remind me how sinful I am by killing my son?” “Give me your son,” he said to her. Taking him from her lap, he carried him into the room upstairs where he was staying and laid him on his own bed. Then he cried out to Adonai: “Adonai my God! Have you brought also this misery on the widow I’m staying with by killing her son?” He stretched himself out on the child three times and cried out to Adonai: “Adonai my God, please! Let this child’s soul come back into him!” Adonai heard Eliyahu’s cry, the child’s soul came back into him, and he revived. Eliyahu took the child, brought him down from the upstairs room into the house and gave him to his mother; and Eliyahu said, “See? Your son is alive.” The woman replied to Eliyahu, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of Adonai that you speak is the truth.”

Now she knows? Now? You mean the miracle with the flour and the oil wasn’t enough? NOW she knows? Aren’t we like that sometimes though? God does amazing and wondrous works for us, He delivers us from some tight situations, or He provides when all hope seems lost and then we are surprised when He comes through yet again, and we say Now we believe!

The son represented the future hope of the woman. Do you have a hope, a dream, a promise that has died? God has an answer! It's okay to let God know that you're distressed, but once you have poured out your heart to Him, act on it.

Elijah had to not only hear the Word of God, he had to be obedient and act on what he heard.

Challenge

Will you listen to the prophet of God? Will you have the courage to step out in faith? There are times God asks us to do something beyond ourselves. He asks us literally to put our lives in His hands.

What is it you’re going through right now? Is it too big for God? He is the firstborn over the invisible and the visible- What is happening in your life now was first conceived in the Spirit. Decisions you make today, birth a reality in the Spirit realm and then manifest themselves on earth. God is the only one who can intervene and change your reality.