Divine King (Part 2 of 2)

Devotional

Day 1: Stars Named, Galaxies Held: Christ’s Cosmic Reign

The universe’s vastness—200 billion stars in the Milky Way, 100 billion galaxies—declares Christ’s kingship. Scientists speak of “nuclear glue” holding matter together, but Scripture reveals the Creator’s hand sustaining every atom. When chaos threatens to unravel life, believers rest in the King who calls each star by name and governs orbital paths. His sovereignty spans black holes and beating hearts. [04:35]

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
(Colossians 1:17, ESV)

Reflection: What circumstance feels most “unglued” in your life? How might Christ’s reign over galaxies reshape your view of His care for you?

Day 2: Carved in Thatch: Time’s Unhurried Master

A thatched roof bears the proverb “Time and tide wait for no man,” yet Christians know Time’s Author. God inscribed each day of your life before birth, governing seconds and seasons. Anxiety withers when we see deadlines, delays, and dreams cradled in His eternal plan. The future arrives at 60 seconds a minute—His deliberate pace. [06:22]

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
(Psalm 139:16, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you resisting God’s timeline? What would it look like to release your schedule to the King who carved your days?

Day 3: Bus Stop Apologetics: Four Words That Frame the World

“Good, bad, new, perfect”—this four-word lens makes sense of brokenness. Genesis’ goodness shattered by human rebellion, restored through Christ’s redemption, awaiting final perfection. This framework disarms critics at bus stops and dinner tables alike. It answers why both sunsets and cancer exist, anchoring hope in the King’s unfinished reign. [09:02]

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
(Genesis 1:31, ESV)

Reflection: Which of the four words (good/bad/new/perfect) do you struggle to believe most? How could sharing this framework soften someone’s doubts this week?

Day 4: Kneeling Kings and Soot-Stained Windows

Jesus reigns as the King who served, died, and rides soot-covered trains. Unlike tyrants, He lowers compartment windows to shout “Christ for the world!” His crown bears nail marks, His throne a cross. Approach Him with failures and fears; He governs galaxies yet leans close to whisper, “I bought you with blood.” [15:46]

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant.
(Philippians 2:6–8, ESV)

Reflection: What burden feels too “small” to bring to the King? How does His approachability reshape your honesty in prayer?

Day 5: “New” But Not “Perfect”: Groaning Toward Glory

Eric Liddell’s train carried him toward China’s suffering, not earthly triumph. Christians live in the “new”—forgiven, sealed, indwelt—yet ache for the “perfect.” Political chaos, personal grief, and global wars remind us: the King’s final victory tarries but never falters. We serve amid soot, singing “Jesus shall reign” to a world mid-restoration. [11:16]

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
(2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you feel the tension between “new” and “perfect” most acutely? How can your daily choices reflect patient confidence in the King’s timeline?

Sermon Summary

The kingship of Jesus stands over against every vague appeal to “Mother Nature” and every creeping pantheism that forgets the living God. Scripture exalts Jesus Christ as Lord and King, sovereign over all the cosmos, and Abraham Kuyper’s line gets it bang on: there is not one inch of the entire universe over which Christ does not say, “This is mine.” Christ made the world, owns the world, and holds the world together.

Isaiah’s question lifts the eyes to the heavens and asks, “To whom will you compare me?” The starry host, with its billions upon billions, does not drift by chance or remain intact because of some impersonal “nuclear glue.” Colossians 1 gives the Christian answer: in Christ all things hold together. The secular mind has presuppositions too, and the Christian presupposition begins where the Bible begins: “In the beginning God.”

The Christian view of time also rests under the reign of Christ. God created time, controls time, and writes the days of his children before one of them comes to be. The future comes at sixty seconds a minute, and therefore God’s people need not be wringing hands as if history has slipped the leash. First Corinthians 15 declares that Christ must reign until every enemy is under his feet, and the last enemy to be destroyed is death.

The Bible’s view of the world may be remembered in four words: good, bad, new, perfect. Creation was good, bang on, without the junk. Sin made things bad because human beings are turned in upon themselves, greedy, selfish, and bent inward. Jesus the King makes people new, though the work is not yet finished. The perfect is coming because the reign of Christ is unalterable, unassailable, and unequivocal.

Philippians 2 does not merely picture a devotional moment when every knee bows and every tongue confesses. It states a fact: Jesus Christ is Lord, the divine King before whom Buddha, Muhammad, Krishna, Lennon, and all must bow. Yet this King is not pompous or distant. He is a king who serves, a king who stoops, a king who dies, an approachable king.

The lowly Jesus receives fears, hurts, losses, and failures. The old choruses may sound simple, even a little poor in poetry, but they tell the truth: leave Grumble Street and move to Sunshine Square. Eric Liddell’s cry, “Christ for the world, for the world needs Christ,” and the courage of martyrs make sense only under a kingdom that will never end. One day the earth will be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.

Key Takeaways

1. Christ owns every inch Christ’s rule is not a religious corner added onto an otherwise independent universe. The stars, the galaxies, the earth, the animals, and the future all belong to him because he made them and sustains them. The Christian’s concern for creation is therefore real, but it is never worship of creation. Creation care belongs under the confession that Jesus says of it all, “This is mine.” [02:06]
2. Faith begins with Genesis The Christian mind does not begin with a neutral universe and then add God later. The Christian begins with “In the beginning God,” while the secular mind begins with its own unproved starting point. The issue is not faith versus reason, but which faith, which beginning, and which explanation can bear the weight of reality. Christ holding all things together gives a deeper answer than impersonal force ever can. [05:34]
3. Time rests under Christ’s throne Time and tide wait for no man, but time itself is not master. God created time, controls time, and has written the days of his children before one of them came to be. That does not make suffering unreal or the future small, but it does make panic unnecessary. The pillow becomes a place of faith when the future is seen beneath sovereign care. [06:35]
4. Good, bad, new, perfect The Bible’s whole storyline can be carried into ordinary conversation with those four words. God made the world good, sin made it bad, Christ makes people new, and one day God will make all things perfect. This keeps the Christian from pretending the world is fine or despairing as if the mess is final. The present is unfinished, but it is not uncontrolled. [09:02]
5. The King stoops and serves Jesus is not like the kings of the Gentiles who lord it over people. His kingship is revealed in service, humility, death, and approachability. The same Lord before whom every knee will bow invites broken people to bring fears, hurts, losses, and failures to him. Majesty and mercy meet in the lowly Jesus. [15:32]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:54] - Jesus Owns the Cosmos
[01:19] - Against Mother Nature Pantheism
[02:06] - “This Is Mine”
[03:05] - Stars, Galaxies, and Wonder
[04:35] - Christ Holds Everything Together
[05:34] - Presuppositions and Creation
[06:22] - God Created and Controls Time
[07:21] - Christ Must Reign
[08:50] - Good, Bad, New, Perfect
[10:06] - Creation as the Starting Point
[13:14] - Every Knee Will Bow
[15:32] - The King Who Serves
[16:28] - Leaving Grumble Street
[19:18] - Christ for the World

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Colossians 1:17 (ESV): "And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
- Philippians 2:10-11 (ESV): "so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
- 1 Corinthians 15:24-26 (ESV): "Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death."

Observation Questions

According to Colossians 1:17, what specific role does Christ play in sustaining creation?
What does Isaiah 40:26 (referenced in the sermon) emphasize about God’s relationship to the stars and galaxies? [03:51]
The sermon summarizes the Bible’s storyline as “good, bad, new, perfect.” What key event corresponds to each of these four words? [09:02]
In Philippians 2:10-11, what universal response to Jesus’ lordship is described?

Interpretation Questions

Why might the idea of Christ “holding all things together” (Colossians 1:17) challenge modern views of nature as impersonal or self-sustaining?
How does the framework of “good, bad, new, perfect” help explain both the brokenness of the world and the Christian’s hope? [09:02]
The sermon says, “Time rests under Christ’s throne.” How does this truth address anxiety about the future or regret over the past? [06:35]
Philippians 2 describes Jesus as a humble, serving king. How does this contrast with typical cultural expectations of power and authority?

Application Questions

The sermon encourages leaving “Grumble Street” for “Sunshine Square.” What practical step could you take this week to shift your focus from complaints to gratitude? [16:28]
If Christ’s sovereignty over time means “panic is unnecessary,” how might this change the way you respond to a current worry or uncertainty? [06:35]
The four-word framework (“good, bad, new, perfect”) is meant for “ordinary conversation.” How could you use this simple summary to encourage someone struggling with life’s brokenness? [09:02]
Jesus is described as a king who “stoop[s] and serve[s].” Where in your relationships or community could you intentionally model this kind of humble leadership?
The sermon states, “Creation care belongs under the confession that Jesus says, ‘This is mine.’” How does this perspective shape your attitude toward environmental stewardship? [02:06]
If every knee will bow to Jesus (Philippians 2:10-11), how might this truth influence how you pray for or interact with someone who rejects faith?

Sermon Clips

But the reign of Christ is unalterable and unassailable and unequivocal. The Bible tells us so. The Lord God omnipotent reigns. It doesn't always seem so, but it is so. Nothing is out of control, and nothing is going to get out of control. [00:11:12]

The Christian's view of time is that God created time. He is the creator of time. He is the controller of time. All the days of my life were written in his book before one of them came to be. Therefore, I can put my head on the pillow at night and rest content that since he is a sovereign God and cares for his children with immense care, I may rest in his sovereign purposes. [00:06:28]

Because things are bad, aren't they? By hokey, they're bad. Yes, they're bad. Why? Because we're turned in upon ourselves. We're selfish folks. We're greedy folks. We're all greedy, we're all selfish. Well, is there any way out of this? Glad you mentioned it. Jesus is king. And he'll come and reign in your life and make you absolutely brand new and give you a fresh start. [00:10:25]

Timing, folks, timing. And also because he knew that what they anticipated and what he'd come to do was vastly different. The kings of the Gentiles, he said, "lorded over the people, but I am among you as one who serves." A king who serves. A king who stoops. A king who dies. An approachable king. [00:15:27]

And whatever the future brings, I don't need to be unduly alarmed. I don't need to be going around wringing my hands all the time and talking about the good old days. I just need to remind myself that Jesus Christ is king. [00:06:57]

For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. For each in his own turn, Christ the first fruits, then when he comes, those who belong to him. Now listen, this is 1 Corinthians 15:24. Then the end will come when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power, for he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. [00:07:19]

And against that notion, the scriptures exalt Jesus Christ as Lord and King, sovereign over all of the cosmos. Abraham Kuyper, who was the prime minister of Holland in a better day, says, "There is not 1 in of the entire universe concerning which Jesus Christ does not say, 'This is mine.'" [00:01:48]

And so, our view of the world, at least this is the way I remember it, so I can talk to people at the bus stop. My view of the world that I get from the Bible in four words is the good, the bad, the new, the perfect. Good, bad, new, perfect. [00:08:52]

Each of us starts with presuppositions. The presupposition of the Christian begins in Genesis 1:1, In the beginning God. The presupposition of the scientist who is secular and atheistic begins In the beginning right? [00:05:30]

And Christ's future reign throughout all of eternity is the perspective from which all of present history needs to be viewed. And it is that which then allows us to develop a view of the world which is distinct from our friends and our neighbors' secular view of the world. [00:08:04]

We understand the concerns of uh ecology because God has given to us this earth to care for and to tend and not to abuse and not to destroy. And therefore, we pay attention to those things. We understand, however, that he's planning another version which is going to be even better. [00:08:26]

Now, why do I mention this? To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? Says the holy one. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength not one of them is missing. [00:03:44]

And we turn to Colossians chapter 1 and verse 17. And we read that the creator of the world holds everything together. That the reason for interplanetary connections is because Christ is king of the cosmos. And as a result of that without him nothing has been made that has been made. [00:04:33]

The earth is not, in its present form, going to remain as is. Because the king is going to transform it. So, our concern for it as Christians is a legitimate concern. Just as our concern for animals is a legitimate concern. [00:00:54]

Well, it takes it takes us into the realm of the imponderable, doesn't it? Into the realm of the mysterious. Certainly into the realm of faith. But don't let anybody tell you that scientists are the ones who deal in in in terms of uh that which is simply rational and deductive. They also deal in the realm of faith as well. [00:05:06]

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