The Creator Who Sustains Everything

After Jesus’ resurrection, Christ ministered for over forty days, appearing to his disciples and even to some large groups. During this time, he taught them about his Kingdom. But at the end of the forty days, he gathered them at Jerusalem and charged them with this task: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

As Jesus ascended to heaven, disappearing from their sight, the disciples were left in a state of awe and sadness. They continued to gaze at the sky, their hearts heavy with the loss of his physical presence.  In this moment of vulnerability, two angels appeared, offering words of comfort and encouragement. They reminded the disciples to trust in Jesus’ promise to return, just as he had ascended (Acts 1:9-11).

Jesus’ final ascension to heaven was a moment of grandeur, a public display of his divine power.  Paul’s words echo this, as he tells us that Christ was not only raised from the dead by the mighty power of the Father but also that the Father “seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, (Eph 1:20-21).

This story affirms our belief in Christ as our creator and sustainer. Paul tells us he will also be our final judge with authority over all. Knowing who Christ is gives us courage and peace.

 

Christ’s exaltation at the Father’s “right hand in the heavenly realms” was glorious! Christ has been given authority over every power in the universe. Not only is Christ the creator, but he sustains everything by his Lordship. Jesus created and set in motion the entire universe. Sir Isaac Newton, it is said, had an exact replica of our solar system made in miniature. At its center was a large golden ball representing the sun, and revolving around it were smaller spheres attached at the ends of rods of varying lengths. They represented Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and the other known planets. These were all geared together by cogs and belts to make them move around the "sun" in perfect harmony.

 

One day as Newton was studying the model, a friend who did not believe in God stopped by for a visit. Marveling at the device, and watching as the scientist made the heavenly bodies move in their orbits, the man exclaimed, "My, Newton, what an exquisite thing! Who made it for you?" Without looking up Sir Isaac replied, "Nobody." "Nobody?" his friend asked. "That's right! I said nobody! All of these balls and cogs and belts and gears just happened to come together, and wonder of wonders, by chance they began revolving in their set orbits and with perfect timing." His friend got the message. The Scriptures proclaim that Jesus is the Creator! By virtue of his Creatorship and then his Saviorhood, everything is twice his because he made it and bought it.[i]

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[i] R. Kent Hughes, Ephesians, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, 1990, P. 61.

Three Things

The Apostle Paul prayed an incredible prayer for the Ephesian believers, recorded in his letter to them. He prays that their spiritual eyes will be opened so that they will see three things that will change their lives.

Ephesians 1:18-19 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

The first thing is Hope, “that you may know the hope to which he has called you, (Eph 1:18).

Paul wants each of us to have a clearer vision of “the hope God has personally made available to us. Our hope, unique to each individual, has its source in the fact that we were chosen before the creation of the world. God saved us by his grace through faith and has given us the Holy Spirit as a down payment of what is to come. This hope is “the hope of the glory of God.” Living in this troubled world, we each need that hope. Hope is what fights away despair.

 C.S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity

 “Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, then; there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same”

 Without hope, we get stuck. Only with the hope of heaven can we navigate the complexities of life with purpose and resilience. Despair is a devastating enemy. This world is broken, and it has always been broken, and it will always be broken. That does not mean we should crawl into our shells and do nothing to make this world right. It does, however, mean we do not put our hope in this world. Our world is in another place. It is in Christ and what he has prepared for us. We need this hope daily—to get out of bed and fulfill our obligations. We need this hope to stand in the face of a depraved world and not cave into its demands.

The second thing is the Riches: “the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people” (Eph 1:18). Paul prays that our eyes will be opened to the riches God has for us.  What he wants us to see is that we are God’s riches—“his possession.” He owns all the heavens, but we are his treasures. The redeemed are worth more than the universe. What makes one truly rich are wisdom, truth, gentleness, kindness, love, joy, peace, contentment, self-control, and many other attributes and not material wealth.

The third thing is Power, “and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms” (Eph 1:19-20). This power changes us and gives us victory over sin in our lives. We will see it visibly someday in the resurrection of our bodies, but of now that power helps us navigate life. 

Once, the prophet Elisha was pursued by an enemy army. They surrounded his house in an attempt to capture him. However, that would be more challenging than they thought. Elisha’s servant rose early and went outside, and when he saw the enemy, he was gripped with fear,“Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Elisha, calmly prayed for his servant: “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:15-17).

This is a picture of what is available to us in our scary world. We need hope, God’s riches, and his power to be victorious.