The Story Behind the Story | Chip Stallings | May 31, 2026

Genesis 1:1 opens the whole thing with a hard pause: in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. That first line sets the pace for everything else. Before anything was, God was. The text brings the mind-stretching claim that God is preexistent, uncreated, Alpha and Omega. That bigness is not a problem to solve but a reason to bow. The temptation is to shrink God down into terms a human mind can domesticate. The call here is the opposite. Let the text expand the horizon so worship, not reduction, becomes the reflex.

Paul then lets Colossians 1 name the preexistent One. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. The “he is” cadence lays out a clear Christology. All things were created by him, through him, and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. The point lands pastorally. A disciple does not have to hold everything together. The move is to hold on to the One who does. When two feet hit the floor, the claim of Colossians gives language for trust: he holds it all together.

Second Timothy 3 turns to the written Word as the way the living Word equips. All Scripture is God breathed. These are not just any words. These are better words. Inspiration runs down to the very words, through the Spirit’s breath and human authors’ voices. Because they are God breathed, the Scriptures carry final authority for a disciple’s life and they actually work. Teaching shows what is right. Rebuking shows what is not right. Correcting shows how to get right. Training in righteousness shows how to stay right. The Bible is not just for purposes of information. It is for transformation.

Colossians 1:18–20 brings the arc to the cross and the empty tomb. Jesus is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so he takes first place in everything. Reconciliation is the big word. Peace with a holy God does not come by God lowering his standards or by sinners raising theirs. Peace comes through his blood on the cross. The holy Son took the penalty so repentant sinners receive his reward. The living Word redeems. That is why the Table matters. Bread and cup do not save, but they point to the body broken and the blood poured out, and they re-center the church on the One who is the story behind every story.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Jesus is the story behind stories Jesus does not sit on the sidelines of Scripture; he is the thread that ties the whole fabric together. Genesis sets the frame and Colossians names him as the image of the invisible God. Seeing him accurately clarifies everything else, and seeing him inaccurately bends everything else out of shape. The call is to bring him from the background to the foreground. [49:32]
• 2. The preexistent Word creates and sustains Colossians insists that all things were created by him, through him, and for him, and that he is before all things. The same Jesus who called creation into being now holds it together. A disciple’s sanity and steadiness grow by gripping the One who grips the cosmos. Trust rests not in personal capacity but in his constancy. [60:28]
• 3. God-breathed Scripture equips for real life All Scripture is God breathed, which means these are better words, enduring words, not shifting opinions. The text teaches, rebukes, corrects, and trains, showing what is right, what is not, how to get right, and how to stay right. The aim is not information that puffs up but transformation that tunes a life to Jesus. Confidence in the Bible fuels courage in obedience. [65:07]
• 4. Peace with God comes by blood Reconciliation is not God ignoring sin or humanity outperforming guilt. Peace comes by the blood of his cross, where the sinless Son took the sinner’s penalty and gave the sinner his righteousness. That is why grace is so weighty and so freeing. The living Word redeems, and his empty tomb guarantees that promise. [78:53]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [44:32] - Summer series kickoff: Big Story
• [49:09] - Jesus as the story behind every story
• [51:16] - In the beginning God created
• [52:25] - The preexistent Word creates
• [56:57] - Reading Colossians 1:15–17
• [60:28] - He holds all things together
• [62:59] - Turning to 2 Timothy 3
• [65:07] - All Scripture is God breathed
• [73:39] - Teaching, rebuking, correcting, training
• [76:53] - From information to transformation
• [77:38] - Reading Colossians 1:18–20
• [82:36] - From enmity to peace with God
• [86:36] - Peace through his blood
• [93:45] - Preparing to receive the Lord’s Supper

1. According to Colossians 1:15-17, what specific roles does Jesus play in creation and sustaining the world?
2. The sermon emphasized that Scripture "teaches, rebukes, corrects, and trains" (2 Timothy 3:16). What practical examples were given in the sermon about how Scripture works in a believer’s life? [14:09]
3. How does Colossians 1:20 describe the method and purpose of reconciliation between God and humanity?
4. What contrast did the sermon highlight between human attempts to "hold things together" and Jesus’ role in sustaining creation? [01:01:11]

1. Why does Paul emphasize that Jesus is the "image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15)? How does this clarify our understanding of God’s nature?
2. The sermon stated, "The Bible is not just for information but for transformation." How do the four functions of Scripture in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (teaching, rebuking, correcting, training) work together to produce this transformation? [15:23]
3. Colossians 1:20 says peace comes "through his blood, shed on the cross." Why is blood necessary for reconciliation, and what does this reveal about the seriousness of sin?
4. The sermon warned against "shrinking God down to human terms." How might misunderstanding Jesus’ preexistence and sovereignty (Colossians 1:17) lead to practical struggles in daily life? [55:06]

1. The sermon said, "You don’t have to hold everything together—hold on to the One who does." What specific worry or responsibility do you need to release to Jesus this week? How will you actively "hold on" to Him in that area? [01:01:51]
2. Scripture is meant to "show what’s right, what’s not right, how to get right, and how to stay right." Which of these four areas do you most need to focus on right now? What step will you take to engage Scripture in that area? [15:23]
3. Reconciliation through Jesus’ blood means we don’t have to pretend we’re "good enough." Where are you tempted to hide your flaws or struggles instead of bringing them to Jesus? How can you practice honesty with God this week? [25:35]
4. The sermon challenged, "Let the text expand your horizon so worship becomes the reflex." What habit or practice could you start (or deepen) to regularly marvel at God’s bigness rather than reducing Him to your understanding?
5. How does the truth that Jesus "holds all things together" change the way you approach a current crisis, relationship, or decision? What practical difference will this make in your actions or attitude? [01:00:28]
6. The Lord’s Supper points to Jesus’ sacrifice. How can regularly reflecting on His body and blood deepen your gratitude and dependence on Him? What distractions keep you from fully engaging in this remembrance?