Creative Power of Jesus

 

Last night we were at a dinner party hosted by a refugee family. We laughed most of the time and ate some delicious food. Before the meal, someone mentioned the quilts I’d made for them so out they came, and those guests who had not seen them were open-mouthed. I was praising God that part of being made in His image is being creative.

After dinner, one of the refugee family said something about her design skills and since none of the guests had seen the evidence, out they came. She is a remarkable artist. We were all open-mouthed at her drawings and watercolors.

This morning’s devotions are about the creativity of Jesus Christ. The key verse follows the one that tells how God revealed Himself. It says:

But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Hebrews 1:2)

Think this way: Jesus is the Word of God made flesh, that same Word that God spoke brought the universe into existence. This means that Jesus Christ is also is the agent through whom God created the world and all things. It sounds a bit like science fiction, but it is not at all an invented thing like AI or human technology. The Bible is clear that Jesus did it and that He has the power to do it. While humans are creative, we are nothing in artistic skill compared to Him:

All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3)

As it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. (Romans 4:17)

I try to imagine life with His creative ability. As MacArthur suggests, I’d enlarge my house, have an acreage with a horse, and a perfect occupation, or I could sit on my patio and make money! Fortunately, God did not give us sinners the power to create something out of nothing. Our creative abilities do not go that far.

The ability to create ex nihilo (out of nothing) belongs only to God. Since Jesus creates that way, His divine nature is declared. Remembering the words in Genesis, His creation was “good” until humanity sinned and changed it. This required that God intervened with great mercy, grace and love to restore what He had made. This is our desire and our hope:

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (Romans 8:19–21)

The word used in Hebrews 1:2 for world is not the usual “kosmos” but “aionas” which appears in only one other verse: “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” (Hebrews 11:3) It can mean far more than the visible world and certainly includes space, time, energy and other less visible entities than rocks, trees, and people. The power of Christ to create is far beyond cloth sewn together or lines and shapes on canvas or paper! He used no hands in the process; He just spoke it and all things appeared.

While most of the world accepts some sort of spontaneous ‘big bang’ theory, the idea of God speaking as the source of creation has been ridiculed. Is it harder to believe that creation has a design and an Author than it is to believe it just happened?

PRAY: Jesus, I know that You are God in human flesh, but also that You are the Word of God who created all things. You have given me a love for words, for precise communication. These thoughts remind me of that amazing book, “The Humiliation of the Word” by Jacques Ellul. Everyone should read it and see the parallels between images replacing language and how the world views You. While the wonder of creation awes me, Your ability to open human hearts to eternal truth is staggering!

PONDER: Think today about the ability of Jesus to use all things to transform His people into His image — not fully for we cannot speak worlds into existence, but we can use our words far more effectively than we do when it comes to bringing glory to His name.

 

 

Christ’s Inheritance

 

Today’s devotional begins with this truth: Since Jesus is the Son of God, He is the heir of all that God possesses, based on this verse: “In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Hebrews 1:2)

My Bible program has hundreds of books so I did a word search on “inheritance” and was surprised to find most of the hits were about our inheritance as God’s children and all we receive because God the Son died for us. Commentaries speak of what Christ inherits but I could not find any illustrations or quotes about that, only about what I inherit. I’m glad that MacArthur’s thoughts are not about God’s gift to us but first focus on His blessing on His Son. He begins by pointing to all that Jesus gave up when He came to earth:

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. (Luke 9:58)

Jesus had nothing for Himself. This Galilean carpenter was crucified like a common criminal, naked and bleeding on a cross outside the city of Jerusalem. Even His clothes were taken from Him when He died, and He was buried in a tomb that belonged to someone else. Yet He is King of kings and Lord of lords. How can that be? It is because He is the Son of God and heir of all that God possesses.

All that exists was created by Him and for Him: “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16) The OT predicted this would happen:

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. (Psalm 2:8)

And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. (Psalm 89:27)

And the NT backs this up: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15) The term “firstborn” is about legal rights including authority and inheritance.

This term shows that Christ will completely and eternally inherit all things. Yes, those who trust in Him will be joint heirs with Him and possess all that He possesses. His inheritance will be ours as well.

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:16–17)

PRAY: Jesus, the first thing, that You inherit all things and that all things are Yours is easy to understand. You are God the Son. The second thing, that I am a joint heir with You is mind blowing. I cannot wrap my mind around that, even though Your Spirit assures me that it is true. All I can grasp is that You died, and because of Your death, Your last will and testament makes me and all Your children Your heirs — yet You still retain ownership and authority over all that You bequeathed to us. How utterly amazing!

PONDER: Revelation 5:1–14 shouts that Jesus is “worthy to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Revelation 11:15–18 declares, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

This too will be eternal joy for me and for all who trust in Him!