Read: Colossians 1:19-20, Romans 8:18-21
Everyone loves the story of a hero. From books to television to movies to comic books nearly every popular story in our culture includes a hero who battles evil, protects the innocent and often saves the world. In some television shows the hero even saves the world every week! There is something hardwired into us that loves stories of heroic individuals who do amazing things to save those who are in need.
Jesus is a greater hero than any of these popular heroes. Just like them He did something amazing but He didn’t just save the world, Jesus saved the universe.
Now before you throw the book down in disgust I am not a universalist, I am not saying that everyone will be saved regardless of whether or not they have faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches very clearly against that point. But notice what Paul says here:
“For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, 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.”
Having just talked about creation in verse 16 and how by Jesus “all things were created, things in heaven and on Earth.” Paul now talks about Jesus work of restoration of all things. Paul is talking about how Jesus will restore all things in creation. Everything from heaven above to Earth below is changed by Jesus’ death on the cross. Even creation itself is affected and restored by the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
This is an incredible thing to realise. Too often we think that Jesus came, lived and died only to save sinners and rescue them from God’s wrath to spend eternity with Him. This is true but the gospel is not limited to this. The gospel does not only affect human beings, it affects everything.
Paul talks about this in Romans 8 as well. Notice in verse 21 that the creation is waiting and groaning as it looks forward to “being liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” Creation is waiting until the day when God will return and all will be set right. It is waiting for the day that it too will be restored to all its fullness and all it was intended to be.
When Jesus died on the cross it was not only to save God’s people and reconcile them to Himself. Jesus died on the cross to reconcile the whole universe to Himself, to restore the created order and to set right all that had been set wrong by the fall. He was on a cosmic mission to restore everything to Himself.
Notice how this all happens in verse 20: “by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.” The greatest and most terrible moment in human history, when God the Son was crucified for our sin, is the moment when Jesus set in motion His plan to restore His people and all of creation to Himself. Next time you think about the cross and thank God for His mercy and grace, thank God that He is working not just to save His people, or to save the world but to save the universe. Now that’s a real hero!
Prayer:
Use the Bible passage from today and the reading notes to write down your prayer points before you pray.
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Adoration:
Confession:
Thanks:
Supplication:
¥ Praise God for His work to restore all things through the cross. Praise Him that we can look forward to being with Him in a restored New Heavens and New Earth. Pray that He would help us persevere faithfully until that day.
The message of the gospel is about far more than just individual restoration with God. God is working to redeem the universe and restore order to all of creation. Let’s not share a small gospel with people. Let’s share the whole, incredible, universe altering truth.
1. How does it change the way that you think of Jesus’ death on the cross to know that He was not only restoring His people but restoring all of creation?
2. What would you say to someone who pointed to this verse and said that everyone will be saved, regardless of whether or not they have faith in Christ?
Intro: God made the world very good. Everything was just right and there was nothing bad in the world.
Share: What happened to the world? Why are there bad things in the world now? Tell the story about how it happened if you can.
Read: Colossians 1:19-20 Paul tells us that Jesus was on a rescue mission to save His people and to set the world right again. What did he have to do to make peace in the world? What does ‘reconcile’ mean? How can we be reconciled to God? When will God fix up the world?
Pray Together: Thank God that He is working to fix up the world and to make everything right again.
Read: Colossians 1:19-20 Paul tells us that Jesus was on a rescue mission to save His people and to set the world right again. What did he have to do to make peace in the world? What does ‘reconcile’ mean? How can we be reconciled to God? When will God fix up the world?
Pray Together: Thank God that He is working to fix up the world and to make everything right again.
Intro: God made the world very good. Everything was just right and there was nothing bad in the world.
Share: What happened to the world? Why are there bad things in the world now? Tell the story about how it happened if you can.
Read: Colossians 1:19-20 Paul tells us that Jesus was on a rescue mission to save His people and to set the world right again. What did he have to do to make peace in the world? What does ‘reconcile’ mean? How can we be reconciled to God? When will God fix up the world?
Pray Together: Thank God that He is working to fix up the world and to make everything right again.
Read: Colossians 1:19-20 Paul tells us that Jesus was on a rescue mission to save His people and to set the world right again. What did he have to do to make peace in the world? What does ‘reconcile’ mean? How can we be reconciled to God? When will God fix up the world?
Pray Together: Thank God that He is working to fix up the world and to make everything right again.
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