Every year on the first Sunday of January, we gather with a sense of newness and anticipation. We make resolutions. We set goals. But before we dive into the business of 2026, Pastor Josh White wants to remind us of something more foundational: who we are worshiping. Opening his message with a familiar benediction from 2 Peter 3:18 — “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” — Pastor Josh walks us through Colossians 1:15–17, showing us two breathtaking truths about Jesus that set the tone for everything else in the year ahead. He is the Creator of all things, and He is the Sustainer of all things. If you need a reason to trust Him with your 2026, this message is where you start.
Jesus Is the Creator of All Things
Colossians 1:16 gives us an extraordinary claim: “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.” This is a massive statement. Everything — every star, every atom, every person who has ever lived — exists because Jesus made it, and it exists for Him. That means there is purpose in creation. There is a plan. Not randomness, but divine intention behind every blade of grass and every galaxy.
But Pastor Josh doesn’t just ask us to believe this on blind faith. He points us to evidence. The creation itself is not silent — it is constantly declaring the glory, power, wisdom, and goodness of its Maker (Psalm 19:1–3). Here are three ways we see the fingerprints of a Creator in the world around us:
1. Order and Design in Creation
Look up at the night sky and you see precision. The stars follow predictable courses. The planets maintain their orbits. The seasons cycle with remarkable regularity. In Job 38, God confronts Job with a series of rhetorical questions that cut to the heart of human pride: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding… Who determined its measurements — surely you know? Or who stretched the line upon it?” (Job 38:4–5). God is not being mean — He is showing us that the precision we see in creation is not accidental. It reflects an intelligent, intentional Designer. The universe does not operate by chaos; it operates by law. And law implies a Lawgiver. You don’t have to wonder if the sun will come up tomorrow. Why? Because the God who created the world with precision sustains that order day by day.
2. The World Provides and Sustains Life
God didn’t just create the earth and leave it spinning in the void. He filled it with everything needed to sustain life. In Acts 14:15–17, Paul tells the pagans in Lystra: “The living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them… did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.” The earth produces food. The atmosphere protects us. The sun provides energy. Every breath you take is a gift from a Creator who designed the entire system to sustain you. That is not运气 — that is grace.
3. Universal Moral Awareness
Here’s something remarkable: across every culture, in every era of human history, people have known that murder is wrong, that stealing is evil, that there is a difference between good and evil. Romans 2:14–15 says that even people “who do not have the law… show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness.” God is holy, and He stamped that awareness into every human being He made. You don’t need to be taught that injustice is wrong — you already know it because you were made in the image of a morally perfect God. The fact that every human society, without exception, has some concept of morality is evidence of a moral Creator.
Creation is not silent. It is, moment by moment, declaring the glory of the God who made it.
Jesus Is the Sustainer of All Things
But Colossians 1:17 doesn’t stop at creation. It goes further: “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Not only did Jesus bring the universe into existence — He is actively holding it together right now. The writer of Hebrews puts it even more vividly: Christ “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). This is what makes the universe stable enough for us to live in, to do science in, to raise families in. It is only because Jesus sustains all things that anything works at all.
And here is where things get scientifically fascinating. When Jesus created the universe, He also created the laws that the universe obeys — and those laws reveal His sustaining hand.
The First Law of Thermodynamics
Otherwise known as the principle of the conservation of energy: nothing can be created or destroyed. Once Christ created the universe, the total quantity of mass and energy was established and is maintained. The reason nothing new is being created is because Christ created all things in the past. The reason nothing is being annihilated is because He sustains all things now. If He loosened His grip, everything would disintegrate into chaos. The fact that this law holds true every second of every day is evidence of a sustaining Creator.
The Atom: Evidence of a Creator
Consider the atom. At the center are protons (positively charged) and neutrons. They should repel each other and cause an explosion. Yet they are held together. Meanwhile, electrons (negatively charged) orbit the nucleus — and they should be pulled into the protons, causing an implosion. So why doesn’t the atom collapse? Scientists call this the “glue of the universe.” Four fundamental forces hold everything together: strong nuclear force, electromagnetic force, weak nuclear force, and gravity. Here’s the stunning truth Colossians 1:17 reveals: Jesus Christ is the reason those forces work. The reason atoms don’t explode or implode — the reason the entire universe hasn’t dissolved into nuclear chaos — is because the Creator and Sustainer of all things is actively holding it all together by the word of His power.
What Happens When He Loosens His Grip?
Second Peter 3 gives us a preview of what happens when the Sustainer eventually loosens His sustaining hand: “The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved… the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn” (2 Peter 3:10, 12). Someday, Christ’s sustaining grip will be released — and the universe as we know it will be unmade. But for now, He holds all things together. Every proton, every electron, every orbit, every law of physics is maintained by the living Word. That is either deeply comforting or deeply sobering, depending on whether you are submitted to Him.
So What Do We Do With This?
Every night, millions of people lie awake worrying. They worry about their kids, their finances, their health, their futures. Pastor Josh pointed out that none of us lie awake worrying about whether all the atoms in the universe will implode or explode. Why not? Because we trust that God is holding things together. But here’s the paradox: if we can trust Christ to sustain the entire universe, we can trust Him with the details of our lives. If the God who created and holds together every galaxy cares enough about electrons to sustain them at this very moment, then He certainly cares about you.
The application is found in Hebrews 11:6: “Without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Everything God has done — from creating the universe to sustaining it moment by moment — has been so that you and I can draw near to Him. That is the purpose behind creation. That is the purpose behind redemption. That is the purpose behind this message. God is not hiding. He has made Himself known. And He invites you, right now, to come into His presence by faith.
James 4:8 puts it simply: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” This is the invitation for 2026. Not a New Year’s resolution. Not a self-improvement plan. An invitation to know the God who made you, who holds you together, and who sent Jesus to die so that you could be forgiven and drawn into relationship with Him.
As we enter this new year, let us fix our eyes not on our resolutions but on the One who holds all things together. He is the Creator. He is the Sustainer. And He is inviting you to draw near.
Scripture References
- Colossians 1:15–17 — Who Jesus Is: Creator and Sustainer of All Things
- Psalm 19:1–3 — Creation Declares God’s Glory
- Job 38:1–11 — God’s Precision in Creation
- Acts 14:15–17 — God Provides and Sustains Life
- Romans 2:14–15 — Universal Moral Awareness
- Hebrews 1:3 — Christ Upholds the Universe by His Power
- 2 Peter 3:10–12 — The Day the Heavens Will Be Dissolved
- Hebrews 11:6 — Drawing Near to God by Faith
- James 4:8 — Draw Near to God