Holding Fast to Your Confession



Scripture:

Heb. 4:14 ¶ Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.
Heb. 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.
Heb. 4:16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Observation:


The topic of perseverance in faith has been around since the very beginning of Christianity.  The temptations of the world were constantly surrounding the followers of Christ but they were admonished to hold fast to their confession.  The rationale for this is found in the incarnation of Christ.  God, in human form, has come to earth and has lived this life and has been tempted and tested in every way and yet he was able to live without sin.  Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father and serves as our High Priest, our intermediary, who is constantly interceding for us before the Father. Our confession of Jesus as Lord is true and while we may face opposition, we may approach the throne with boldness and in return find the grace of God that helps and inspires us to persevere.

Application:

I am amazed at the number of Christians who seem to be falling away into secularism these days.  The culture of the world is a constant draw and the continual inundation with worldly morals and concepts becomes a drum beat to which many are turning.  Others are simply too busy to bother with faithfulness in their religious life.  The call of vacations, visits, travels, summer homes and others is simply too great and little by little we have drifted away and then we begin to question our confession. 

Christianity is questioned on every front and sometimes rightfully so, but in the midst of it all, where are those who are holding fast to their confessions?

Sadly, there are also those who are holding fast to misguided confessions, ones which do not lead them in the direction of Jesus Christ.  Instead, without realizing it, even the politics of the day have infiltrated the church and made us believe — on one side or the other — that this is Christianity.  Politics and political action will never be Christianity!  Being like Jesus is Christianity and this is to be our confession. 

Our confession is that Jesus is Lord.  In the first centuries of Christianity this declaration could cost you your life.  Emperor worship was a normal part of the culture and the people were to declare that Caesar was Lord.  For a Christian to openly confess that Jesus was Lord was to go against all cultural norms.  Christianity could not exist in tandem with Roman culture for at the very root they were opposed to one another.  Roman culture and lifestyle was rich but also vastly pagan.  Eventually the rulers themselves believed that they were gods.  Confessing that Jesus was Lord was a death sentence to Christians and yet, there were many who held fast to their confession. 

Jesus came and declared that he was the Son of God.  For this he was considered blasphemous.  He was beaten, harassed and finally killed but never swayed from his confession.  We serve a Savior who has experienced the worst of the worst and yet did not sin.  He is able to sympathize with us and so, may we not turn away from the faith.  Instead, may we hold fast to our confession. 

Prayer:

Lord, please help me to hold fast to my confession today.  Amen.

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