Wednesday: Hope: Be Steadfast and Unswerving
Look up the texts below. What do they all have in common? What should believers hold on to?
Image © Darrel Tank from GoodSalt.com
Besides having the assurance of salvation, it is important to persevere and uphold the hope offered us all. In Hebrews, to hold fast is a serious appeal. One gets the impression that some believers were slipping away from their Christian faith and hope. The apostle had to encourage them not to let go. The text expresses quite similarly the things that are worth holding onto: hope, confidence, assurance, and confession. All of these terms refer in an objective sense to the Christian belief. We can do these things because our hope isn’t in ourselves but in Jesus and what He has done for us. The moment we forget that crucial truth, we will surely lose confidence.
These texts challenge us to be steadfast from the “beginning” (Heb. 3:14) and “until the end” (Heb. 3:6, Heb 3:14; Heb 6:11). To do so “without wavering” (Heb. 10:23, NKJV) refers to an immutable and unshaken faith. Whatever the circumstance may be, our hope remains the same, our commitment to God is unchanged, because we can trust that He is faithful and will do what He has promised.
There is no question that God is true to His Word. He fulfilled the promise that He had made to Abraham and Sarah (see also Rom. 4:19–21); He fulfilled the promise of Christ’s first coming (Gal. 3:19); and He will also fulfill the promise of His return (Heb. 12:26). God’s ultimate promise, however, is eternal life, which He promised even before time began (Titus 1:2, 1 John 2:25).
God’s faithfulness is immovable. Even “if we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13, NASB). Our unfaithfulness or disbelief will not change God’s intention for us. His promises remain unshaken by our moral lapses. The promises will still be available for us because faithfulness is part of the divine nature.
It is so easy to get discouraged because of our sins. How can we overcome those sins, and yet, at the same time, not give up when we fail? Why must we cling to these promises, especially when we fail?
(17)
"God's Faithfullness Is Immoveble"
Always remember: every saint has a past and every sinner has a future!!
It is good news if we can recognize our failures. The problem is when because of overconfidence and overexposure in the church we tend to put the crown of glory on our heads and forget that we are able to do all these things because of grace.
Unless we hold fast our faith and trust in God we all going to fall into Satan's temptation. But this is very dangerous to them that hath not behold the true light because when subjected to these words, they will hold on to the error they are in. Now the question is , what is it that you believe? Jesus kept the sabbath holy, do you keep it as per Exodus 20 or you do work on Sabbath... food for thought
The foundation of our hope must be Jesus our high Priest. Christ the Solid Rock we must stand on and our hope built on. The Plan of Salvation Jesus steadfastly endured and completed, this also we must study and understand for by this knowledge our faith and hope becomes immovable.
I have seen and witnessed many people that joined the Christian faith by a variety of reasons and when those reasons fall apart they slowly slip away from their faith in Christ. This is why is so vitally important that our faith and hope must only rooted and affixed in Christ alone. All other ground are sinking sand, Christ is the Solid Rock we must stand on. Christ is our only way to the Throne Of Grace and with Christ we are able to approach the Throne Of Grace boldly. Thanks be to God for Christ Jesus our only Hope of Glory. Cheers!!!