John 1:3 NIV
[3] Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
Sport in the country where I live is practically a religion. People pay a fortune to follow their team and to be there in the stadium (or even just in the same city) when big games happen.
They want to be ‘there’.
But when players cross the line and take to the field, it’s not enough for them to say that they were ‘there’. They need to do something. They need to justify their inclusion.
They need to show who they are and what they can do.
John, in the first chapter of his Gospel, is almost building up a profile or resume or CV full of evidence to show us exactly who Jesus is and why we should believe in Him. We have seen that He is the precise representation of God’s Word and that He was there in the beginning, with God in person and in agreement with His plan and purpose.
But it was not enough just to be there. He also did something: something quite spectacular:
He created the universe. He is The Creator.
Now, before we start to believe that this is some theological flight of fancy, we need to remember that John is not inventing this idea from inside a philosophy lab or a theological high tower.
No, this idea of Jesus had its roots in John’s lived experience with Jesus:
1 John 1:1-4 NIV
[1] That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. [2] The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. [3] We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. [4] We write this to make our joy complete.
John had a uniquely close relationship with Jesus. It is believed that he was likely the youngest of Jesus’ disciples. He is often identified as the disciple Jesus loved in particular (John 13:23, 20:2, 21:20). He reclined next to Jesus during the Last Supper (John 20:2).
He was speaking about someone he knew intimately.
And he was suffering for his belief. The last of the Apostles to die, John spent many of his days in exile on Patmos (Revelation 1:9).
So John must have had a really strong reason to believe this, as it was costing him everything.
And he did.
He said this earlier:
John 1:1 NIV
[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Genesis tells us this, in the very first verse in the Bible:
Genesis 1:1 NIV
[1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
So if Jesus is God, then it stands to perfect reason that He is also the Creator.
Look at what Paul the Apostle teaches:
Colossians 1:15-20 NIV
[15] The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. [16] For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. [17] 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 and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. [19] For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, [20] and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
So when you see those nice little Christmas cards of baby Jesus in the manger, remember this:
Jesus Christ is the creator of the universe.
But – and this is not highlighted by John in this verse, but is equally as true – Jesus did not just create the earth and leave it spinning. He is not like those absentee landlords who rent you a property, emigrate using your rent and are never around when things go wrong.
Far from it.
The Bible presents Him as not just the creator, but also The Sustainer:
Hebrews 1:3 NIV
[3] The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.
What does this mean?
If you close your eyes and remain silent, you will pretty soon become conscious of the air entering and leaving your lungs, or the beating of your own heart as it pumps blood around your body, or perhaps the millions of calculations your brain carries out every second.
That’s Jesus.
He is keeping you alive.
Psalms 54:4 NIV
[4] Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.
And what is it that sustains us?
It is God’s powerful Word.
It is Jesus.
The same word that was spoken and brought the universe into being is the very same word that keeps your heart beating.
Psalms 104:27-30 NIV
[27] All creatures look to you to give them their food at the proper time. [28] When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. [29] When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. [30] When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.
So Jesus is not just the Creator, He is also the Sustainer. He does not just set us running and then back away to see if we fall. No, He is with us all the time, holding our hands, keeping us going.
But there is even more. He is not just the Creator and Sustainer, the Bible also tells us that Jesus is The Saviour:
1 John 4:14 NIV
[14] And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
Jesus creates us. He sustains us. But we are human beings. We are like cars with broken steering: our tendency is always to head towards the gutter. We choose wrong. We stray off the path. We sin. The Bible is absolutely plain about that:
Romans 3:22-24 NIV
[22] This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, [23] for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, [24] and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 5:6-8 NIV
[6] You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. [7] Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. [8] But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23 NIV
[23] For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 3:16-18 NIV
[16] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. [18] Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Biblical teaching is stark and plain as the nose on your face.
God creates us; we invent ways to sin against Him.
God sustains us; we use the breath in our lungs and the blood in our veins to sin against Him.
He makes our hearts beat, but we make them beat for anything but God.
We stray against God; God sends His Son, Jesus Christ, to save us.
That is what the message of the Gospel of John is really all about. That is what Christmas and Easter is all about.
That is the true message of Christianity.
It is the fact that we need a Saviour, and Jesus comes.
What I find appalling about modern politics is the misuse of anger. Politicians who have no moral character at all tap into anger and frustrations – often misplaced – felt by those who perceive themselves as being ‘left behind’. They portray themselves as the one who will satisfy the anger – some kind of Messianic saviour – and then manipulate that anger to gain power and influence for themselves. Whether or not they believe a word of what they are saying is immaterial.
We have now unfortunately reached the point in society where there are millions who cannot see past these false saviours and who follow them with cultic fervour, worshipping them as if they were God Incarnate.
Well, I need to burst your bubble. There is but one Saviour. His name is Jesus Christ. All others are false Messiahs who are only in it for their own power and glory.
Jesus. Only Jesus.
Only He is the Creator of all things. Only He is the Sustainer of all things.
Only He is the Saviour of all who will accept Him as Lord.
So please, I implore you: dump these fakes and frauds and shysters.
Follow Jesus. Only Jesus.
There is no-one else like Him.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, You are the greatest. There us no-one else like You. Only You are the Creator. Only You are the Sustainer. Only You are my Saviour. I will follow only You. Amen.
Questions
1. Why is it important that Jesus is both the Creator and Sustainer of all things?
2. What does it tell us about Jesus when the Bible is our Saviour?
3. What makes Jesus different from any other Saviour? Will you follow Him?
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