The Sustaining Power of Christ

Grace To You.org ^ | 1993 | John MacArthur, Grace Community Church

[metmom]

"[Christ] upholds all things by the word of His power" (Heb. 1:3).

Christ, by His almighty power, holds together all creation.

We base our entire lives on the constancy of physical laws. When something like an earthquake disrupts the normal condition or operation of things even a little, the consequences are often disastrous. Can you imagine what would happen if Jesus Christ relinquished His sustaining power over the laws of the universe for it is He in whom "all things hold together" (Col. 1:17)? We would go out of existence, our atoms scattering throughout the galaxy.

If He suspended the laws of gravity only for a brief moment, we would lose all points of reference. If any of the physical laws varied slightly, we could not exist. Our food could turn to poison; we ourselves could drift out into space or get flooded by the ocean tides. Countless other horrible things could happen.

But the universe remains in balance because Jesus Christ sustains and monitors all its movements and interworkings. He is the principle of cohesion. He is not the deist's "watchmaker" creator, who made the world, set it in motion, and has not bothered with it since. The reason the universe is a cosmos instead of chaos—an ordered and reliable system instead of an erratic and unpredictable muddle—is the upholding power of Jesus Christ.

The entire universe hangs on the arm of Jesus. His unsearchable wisdom and boundless power are manifested in governing the universe. And He upholds it all by the word of His power. The key to the Genesis creation is in two words: "God said." God spoke and it happened.

When I contemplate Christ's power to uphold the universe, I'm drawn to the wonderful promise of Philippians 1:6: "I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." When Christ begins a work in your heart, He doesn't end there. He continually sustains it until the day He will take you into God's very presence. A life, just as a universe, that is not sustained by Christ is chaos.

Suggestions for Prayer

Ask God to remind you of Christ's sustaining power when you endure your next trial.

For Further Study

Read Job 38-39 for a greater appreciation of what Christ does to uphold the universe.

[metmom]

Studying God’s Word ping

[Telepathic Intruder]

"He is not the deist's "watchmaker" creator, who made the world, set it in motion, and has not bothered with it since."

No, he set the world in motion, makes occasional adjustments, and can smash it at any time. He doesn't have to push the second hand forward each second, since that is not the purpose of a watch. Who are we to tell him he has to?

[pollywog]

Ask God to remind you of Christ's sustaining power when you endure your next trial.

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Been going through some deep waters the past few months with hubby's health and selling of our home....must keep reminding myself of this!!