Held Together - Sermon Blog
There’s a phrase we’ve all said at some point: “I’m just trying to hold it all together.”
Bills piling up. Relationships breaking down. Emotions we can’t control. Life feels fragile, and we wonder how much longer we can hold the pieces in our hands before everything slips through our fingers.
But Colossians 1:17 reminds us of a greater truth:
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
That verse was my wife Alexia’s pick for our Staff Picks series and honestly, it might be one of the most powerful verses in the Bible.
Because it tells us something we need to hear: you don’t have to hold it all together. Jesus already is.
The Context We Can’t Miss
Paul wrote the letter to the Colossians because false teaching was creeping into the church. People were blending faith in Jesus with cultural ideologies like Jewish legalism, pagan mysticism, even Gnostic ideas that said God was too distant to care about the physical world.
It became a “Jesus plus” gospel. Jesus plus tradition. Jesus plus philosophy. Jesus plus culture.
Sound familiar?
Our culture may look different, but the temptation is the same. We let culture redefine our faith. We add to Jesus. We chase other masters—control, comfort, money, success and then wonder why our lives feel scattered and divided.
Paul’s answer was simple: Jesus is not “one of many.” He is the image of the invisible God. He is the Creator and the Sustainer. And He alone holds everything together.
You Don’t Have to Hold It All Together
Let that sink in.
You were never designed to be the glue for your life.
The Greek word Paul uses for “hold together” means to sustain, preserve, and cohere. It’s not a past-tense word. It’s present, continuous. Jesus didn’t just hold the universe together once, He is holding it together right now.
That includes the very atoms of your body. It includes your relationships, your emotions, your family, your job, your future.
Jesus is before your pain. Before your plans. Before your fears. And He holds them all together, even when you feel like you’re falling apart.
Real Peace Isn’t Found, It’s Given
We tend to think peace is something we can find if we work hard enough. If I pray more. If I plan better. If I finally get my act together.
But Paul reminds us that peace is not discovered, it’s given.
“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things… making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Col. 1:19–20)
Peace comes from a Person. Peace was purchased on the cross. It’s not about managing your chaos, it’s about surrendering to Christ.
When Jesus reconciled us to God, He gave us peace we could never earn on our own. And that peace doesn’t fade when circumstances change.
You’re Not Who You Were
Paul ends this passage with a reminder of identity.
“You, who were once alienated… he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach.” (Col. 1:21–22)
Your past doesn’t define you. Your failures don’t disqualify you. Who you were is not who you are.
Through Jesus, you are holy. Blameless. Above reproach. That’s not something you achieve. it’s something you receive.
What This Means for Us Today
Colossians 1:17 is more than a poetic line. It’s a daily reminder that:
You don’t have to be the glue. Jesus is already holding your life together.
Peace isn’t earned. It’s given through the cross.
Your identity is secure. You are not who you were; you are who Jesus says you are.
So if you’re exhausted from trying to hold it all together, hear this: you don’t have to.
The God who holds galaxies in place is the same God holding your life right now.
Final Word
When life feels like it’s falling apart, remember: it’s not your job to hold it together. It’s His.
Say it out loud today:
“Jesus, it’s Yours. I trust You.”
That’s enough.
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