Christ: The Supreme Center

Aug 03, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Christ the Center – Measuring Life’s Roads from His Sovereignty

Road lines only work when measured from a fixed center point. Just as highways are designed around an apex, every sphere of life finds its true alignment in Christ. He is the origin point – Creator, Sustainer, and Reconciler of all things. Without His centrality, relationships, institutions, and personal choices veer into chaos. The Colossians passage confronts our tendency to make secondary things primary. When Christ is preeminent, even confusing paths become ordered. [10:50]

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. (Colossians 1:15-17, NKJV)

Reflection: Where have you been measuring life’s “lines” from a self-made center rather than Christ’s sovereignty? What practical decision today would realign with His preeminence?

Day 2: The Keystone Holding Your Arch Together

Ancient arches collapse without their central stone. Christ isn’t just the starting point – He actively sustains every molecule, relationship, and responsibility. The sermon’s archway image reminds us that pressure reveals what we’re truly leaning on. When financial strains, family tensions, or societal chaos press in, Christ’s sustaining grip keeps believers from crumbling. His hold isn’t passive – it’s the perfect tension of grace and power. [44:07]

And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:17-18, NKJV)

Reflection: What weight are you trying to bear alone that Christ already carries? How would trusting His sustaining grip change your approach to today’s pressures?

Day 3: Blood-Bought Reconciliation in a Fractured World

The Creator became the Crucified to mend broken lines. While human authorities often overreach, Christ’s cross demonstrates sacrificial stewardship of power. His blood reconciles not just souls but the very fabric of creation – workplaces, governments, and families. The Colossians’ false teachers added layers of spiritual rules; Christ subtracts our debt through His wounds. Every strained relationship exists under His reconciling authority. [46:54]

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. (Colossians 1:19-20, NKJV)

Reflection: Where do you need to stop trying to “add rules” and instead receive Christ’s finished reconciliation? What fractured area requires trusting His blood-bought peace today?

Day 4: Delegated Authority – Stewardship, Not Ownership

All human authority is lent, not owned. From church elders to civil leaders, God delegates temporary stewardship within specific lanes. The road trip analogy warns against claiming “my half” of life’s road. Like David recognizing God’s ultimate kingship, we honor Christ by respecting His design in family, church, and government roles – while rejecting any that contradict His Word. [34:36]

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. (Romans 13:1, NKJV)

Reflection: Where are you tempted to resent God-delegated authority? How might honoring Christ’s chain of command bring order to a chaotic area of responsibility?

Day 5: Square Inches – Claiming Christ’s Lordship in Hidden Spaces

Abram Kuyper’s “not one square inch” declaration challenges compartmentalized faith. Christ claims authority over private thoughts, secret habits, and unseen struggles as fully as public worship. The sermon’s closing prayer – “In You, Lord, I rest” – turns even 3 AM anxieties into surrendered territory. Every unchecked worry, unspoken bitterness, or hidden addiction is square inch under His redeeming claim. [40:09]

The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. (Psalm 24:1, NKJV)

Reflection: What “square inch” have you been fencing off from Christ’s rule? How will you actively acknowledge His lordship there today through confession, prayer, or obedience?

Sermon Summary

The road trip image sets the issue on the table: lines on the road are not cages, they are mercy. The lines tell every driver where to be, and the lines matter even more when traffic gets thick. God’s lines work the same way in creation. God has drawn real jurisdictions, first himself over all things, then individuals, the family, the church, and civil government, and those lines are meant for his glory and mankind’s good.

The fixed center has to come before a single line gets drawn. The center is not relative, and no person gets to decide where the origin point of the whole world sits. Paul gives that center in Colossians 1:15-20 by lifting up Christ so high that every rival gets shrunk down to size. Paul writes to a little church being pulled off center by false teaching, extra spiritual beings, extra rules, and extra powers to fear, and Paul answers by showing that Jesus is enough.

Christ is “the image of the invisible God,” the exact display of the God no one can see. Christ is not a window to one god among many; Christ is the true and perfect image, and every human being is an image of the image. Human dignity does not float by itself. Human dignity is derived from Christ and from the God whose image mankind reflects.

Christ is also “the firstborn of all creation,” not as though he were created, but because he ranks over it all. Paul makes that clear immediately: by him all things were created. Christ spoke the world into existence, and every throne, dominion, ruler, and authority exists through him and for him. Every sphere of authority is delegated authority. No king, elder, parent, citizen, or institution owns authority outright; God lends authority for a time and holds every steward accountable.

The little prepositions carry the whole weight: by him, through him, and for him. Christ is the source, the means, and the goal. Not one square inch of work, marriage, money, voting, Monday mornings, or private thought stands outside his claim of “mine.” God’s claim on glory is not arrogance; God’s glory is the best thing for his creatures.

Christ also holds all things together. Christ is the keystone of everything, and when the keystone is removed, the arch collapses. The same Jesus who made all things sustains all things and reconciles all things, not merely by command, but “by the blood of his cross.” The one who holds the universe together let himself be torn apart so off-center sinners could be brought near. Christ’s supremacy therefore calls for worship, dependence, rest, walking in the Spirit, and the settled confession that every square inch belongs to him.

Key Takeaways

1. Lines are mercy, not cages God’s design does not hem people in because he is stingy with joy. God’s lines name reality, protect from disaster, and put each authority in its proper lane. The soul that resents every boundary usually forgets that self-drawn lines turn the road into chaos very quickly. [12:48]
2. Christ is the fixed center The center of life is not discovered by preference, personality, or cultural pressure. Christ stands as the origin point from which every other line must be drawn. When another center takes his place, even a good thing becomes a rival that pulls the heart off course. [16:08]
3. All authority is delegated authority No person, office, family, church, or government possesses authority as an independent owner. God lends authority for stewardship, places bounds around it, and calls every steward to answer to Christ. That truth both humbles those who lead and steadies those who submit under authority that has proper limits. [34:21]
4. The keystone bears the weight Christ does not merely stand near the structure of life as a religious accessory. Christ holds the arch together, bearing the weight that would crush a creature trying to be the center. When he is treated as optional, collapse may not look instant, but the center has already been removed. [44:44]
5. Supremacy becomes settled rest Christ’s rule is not cold distance, because the sovereign one came near by the blood of his cross. The believer does not rest because life feels manageable, but because all things hold together in him, not in human strength. Rest becomes an act of truthful surrender when fear says everything depends on creaturely control.

## [51:45]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[10:10] - Road Trip Lines and God’s Design
[11:32] - Five God Ordained Jurisdictions
[15:48] - Finding the Fixed Center
[17:07] - Colossians 1 and Christ’s Glory
[18:26] - A Church Pulled Off Center
[20:04] - Christ Supreme Over Creation
[23:50] - Firstborn Means Preeminent
[29:25] - All Authority Under Christ
[34:21] - Delegated Authority and Proper Bounds
[39:52] - Every Square Inch Is His
[42:38] - Christ Holds All Things Together
[44:44] - Jesus as the Keystone
[46:27] - Reconciled by the Blood
[51:27] - Praying Rest Under Christ’s Rule

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Colossians 1:15-20
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 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. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” [17:07]

Psalm 16:5-6
“The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”

Ephesians 6:12
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Galatians 5:25
“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”

Observation questions

In Colossians 1:15-20, what repeated words or phrases show how central Jesus is to all things? What does the passage say is true by him, through him, for him, and in him? [37:31]
What kinds of powers or authorities are named in Colossians 1:16 and Ephesians 6:12? Which of them are visible, and which are invisible? [30:22]
Psalm 16 says, “The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places.” What picture do those words create, and how does that connect with the image of lines on the road? [10:53]
According to Colossians 1:17-20, what two big things does Jesus do besides creating all things? What does the passage say he holds together, and how does he make peace? [46:27]

Interpretation questions

Colossians says Jesus is “the firstborn of all creation,” and then immediately says that all things were created by him. How does that help explain that “firstborn” means rank and supremacy rather than that Jesus was created? [23:50]
If all thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities were created through Christ and for Christ, what does that mean for the way authority should be understood in the family, the church, and civil government? [34:21]
Jesus is called the image of the invisible God, and human beings are made in God’s image. How does Jesus being the true image help make sense of human dignity and human worth? [22:44]
Colossians says Jesus holds all things together and also reconciles all things by the blood of his cross. Why is it important that the one who rules over all is also the one who came near to save sinners? [48:18]

Application questions

Lines are mercy, not cages. Where is there a part of life right now where God’s boundaries feel restrictive to the heart? What might it look like to begin seeing those lines as protection and kindness instead of frustration? [13:06]
Christ is the fixed center. What tends to compete with him for the center in daily decision-making—fear, comfort, control, relationships, work, politics, money, or something else? How can that drift usually be recognized? [16:48]
All authority is delegated authority. Is there a place where authority is being resisted simply because the heart does not like being under anyone? On the other hand, is there a place where someone else may be stepping beyond proper bounds? How should a Christian respond in each case? [36:40]
Every square inch belongs to Christ. Which part of life is most tempting to treat as private property—work, marriage, spending, parenting, thought life, schedule, or something else? What would it look like to hand that square inch back to him more honestly? [40:42]
Jesus is the keystone who bears the weight. Where has life been lived as though everything depends on personal strength or personal control? What has that pressure been doing to the soul? [44:44]
Jesus makes peace by the blood of his cross. Where is there a need for reconciliation—with God, with another person, or even with a situation that has been fought against in pride? What would repentance and trust look like there? [49:24]
“In you, Lord, all things hold together—not in me and not by me.” In what area would it be most meaningful to pray that this week? How might that prayer begin to reshape anxiety, hurry, or sleeplessness? [51:27]

Sermon Clips

61s

#KeystoneOfLife

“``It collapses. Now listen, friends, Jesus is the keystone of everything, and Christ is the keystone of your life. Everything pressing on you, everything that you are pressing on, everything that you are leaning your weight on, the the pressures of the world, literally, the weight of the world, we say in the expression, right, Bears down on us, but everything the weight of the world is meant to bear down on Christ. And when he is the center, the arch holds. Pull him out, everything collapses. Were he to decree it that he would stop holding the universe together by the power of his word, everything obliterated.”

58s

#BoughtByHisBlood

“He reconciled everything by the blood of his cross, the one who holds the universe together, let himself of his own will be torn apart, so that you and I who wander off center we didn't just wander off center once. Every day, we wander off center. And he let himself be torn apart. He bought us at the costly price of his blood. The sustainer of everything became the savior of everyone who would repent of the pride of self and cast yourself on the mercy of God.”

64s

#JesusIsMyCenter

“Have you settled where the center point of everything is for your life? Like, I mean, have you really settled it? I'm not asking if you prayed a prayer five years ago or seventy five years ago. That's not the question. Have you settled in your soul that Jesus is the true, right, source and center of everything. In every issue of your life, whose square inch are you standing on? Because Jesus looks out amidst it all and says, every square inch is mine.”

55s

#ReconciledByHisBlood

“The same Jesus who made the world is the same one who is before all things, is the same one who sustains all things and is the same one who reconciles all things. And how does he reconcile them? I love this. He doesn't, as he made creation, reconcile all things by the power of his word. He does it by his blood. The transcendent, all powerful, the one who's holding everything altogether, who is very distant from us, came near to us in the person of Jesus Christ. Now now, we know this, but, oh, a shame for us if it ever gets old.”

92s

#RestInYouLord

“in you, Lord, all things hold together in you, not in me and not by me. In you, Lord, I rest. Or in you, Lord, I'm learning to rest. With a world that's spinning and relationships that are out of order and everything spinning out of control and not being sure how the bills are gonna get paid, in the midst of all that chaos, we can pray, in you, Lord, rest. Because I know if anything negative befalls me, it's only because you've allowed it, ordained it, you've brought it to be. And I know that that's good even though we just spent seven weeks looking at how God taught Habakkuk to worship when all of life was crumbling. In you, Lord, I rest, not in my strength, not in my effort, not in my wisdom.”

63s

#HeHoldsItTogether

“Right? That that verb for the word hold, it's in the it's in the perfect tense. It means there there is a a past, action with a an an an ongoing effect. Jesus has held and is holding everything together. God, as some would say, God did not create the world, spin it up, and then let go and just let the world play out. No. No. No. No. He is actively engaged in every aspect of what is happening in the world. He's holding them together right now as you sit in your chair, the molecules in your are coherent. Your heart is keeping rhythm. The earth is holding orbit and the very fact of reality is not flying apart. Paul says, Christ.”

73s

#ImageBearerIdentity

“We talk about individuals next week, you and me and every other person created. We're talking about our primary identity as God's image bearers. And I just need to tell you that that doesn't change whether somebody recognizes it or not. If I insist, if I pound my fist to make my point even stronger and I affirm that the sky green. Save color blindness or some other something like that, some loophole. It doesn't change its color. It doesn't matter how strongly someone argues that another authority is supreme. God says otherwise. God is supreme. Christ is supreme, and every jurisdiction is accountable to God.”

76s

#SpheresNotCages

“And so what we're gonna discover over these next several weeks is that the lines God draws are not they're not cages. We're we're we we should not feel like we're hemmed in or or negatively, wrongly controlled by God. In fact, God knows what is best and so he orders the world in ways that are best for every single person. Each sphere, if you will, and you'll hear me use the word jurisdiction or sphere sort of interchangeably throughout the month. But each each sphere of responsibility, each sphere of of authority and management and stewardship, the bible describes who is responsible for what in each sphere. And where the confusion often comes in culturally, in a church, God's people are impacted by this because each person is impacted by this, is that we have begun to draw our own lines.”

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