Reflections: Holding Fast – A Learning Opportunity
Last Sunday evening, my pastor gave a sermon on Chapter 3 of Revelation – specifically verse 11: “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” What does hold fast mean? A simple definition is: remain strong in faith. Some other words that liken to this are: bind, bond, adhere, cling, cohere, cleave and attach. Pastor Chris used the image of God holding His children in His hands, but exhorted us to realize that we must also hold onto God. Too often we, as Christians, forget that God is our Father and our relationship is most assuredly familial in nature. Think about it…would you not hold onto your own dad or mom in a return gesture when they held you? No. You’d respond in kind – it’s instinct.
When I hold my daughter’s hand, it isn’t just me holding her hand; she holds mine, too. When I hug her, she just doesn’t stand there; she embraces me back. I remember when she was just a toddler and when I’d pick her up, she’d wrap her arms around my neck and just cling to me. As I held her tighter, she would hold tighter. Warmth. Comfort. Security. That’s holding fast.
Did you know that God’s Word to us says ‘hold fast’ 19 different times in direct relationship to Him? I’d say He is telling us unequivocally that He wants us to cling to Him. Deuteronomy 10:20 says: “You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name.” In Deut. 13:4 we are told: “You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.”
In 2 Timothy 1:13 His Word says, “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” In Hebrews 10:23 we are told, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
After hearing the sermon Sunday night, my mind as been occupied with this concept. When I have that kind of preoccupation, I seek out information. I did a search on holding fast and came across a message by J.C. Ryle that he based around 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (Hold fast that which is good). One thing he wrote that is stuck in my mind is really a combination of statements, beginning with this: There is a tendency to decay in the very best of human institutions (he was speaking of the Church)…
If we love the open Bible, ---if we love the preaching of the Gospel, ----if we love the freedom of reading that Bible, no man letting or hindering us, and the opportunity of hearing that Gospel, no man forbidding us, ---if we love civil liberty, ---if we love religious liberty, ----if these are precious to our souls, we must all make up our minds to ‘hold fast’, lest by and by we lose all…
If we would hold fast the truth, we must be ready to unite with all who hold the truth, and love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity….
Last of all, if it be right to ‘hold fast that which is good,’ let us make sure that we have each laid hold personally upon Christ’s truth for ourselves; Let us see to it that we each flee for refuge and lay hold upon the hope set before us in His glorious Gospel…
Prize it highly, for it will stand by you when everything else fails.
Matthew Henry, in his commentary on Revelation 3, states: "Christ calls the church to that duty which he before promised he would enable her to do, and that is, to persevere, to hold fast that which she had. (1.) The duty itself: "Hold fast that which thou hast, that faith, that truth, that strength of grace, that zeal, that love to the brethren; thou hast been possessed of this excellent treasure, hold it fast.’’ (2.) The motives, taken from the speedy appearance of Christ: "Behold, I come quickly. See, I am just a coming to relieve them under the trial, to reward their fidelity, and to punish those who fall away; they shall lose that crown which they once seemed to have a right to, which they hoped for, and pleased themselves with the thoughts of. The persevering Christian shall win the prize from backsliding professors, who once stood fair for it.’’
Whew! That’s a ton of information to absorb. Be blessed and be a blessing!
When I hold my daughter’s hand, it isn’t just me holding her hand; she holds mine, too. When I hug her, she just doesn’t stand there; she embraces me back. I remember when she was just a toddler and when I’d pick her up, she’d wrap her arms around my neck and just cling to me. As I held her tighter, she would hold tighter. Warmth. Comfort. Security. That’s holding fast.
Did you know that God’s Word to us says ‘hold fast’ 19 different times in direct relationship to Him? I’d say He is telling us unequivocally that He wants us to cling to Him. Deuteronomy 10:20 says: “You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name.” In Deut. 13:4 we are told: “You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.”
In 2 Timothy 1:13 His Word says, “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.” In Hebrews 10:23 we are told, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
After hearing the sermon Sunday night, my mind as been occupied with this concept. When I have that kind of preoccupation, I seek out information. I did a search on holding fast and came across a message by J.C. Ryle that he based around 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (Hold fast that which is good). One thing he wrote that is stuck in my mind is really a combination of statements, beginning with this: There is a tendency to decay in the very best of human institutions (he was speaking of the Church)…
If we love the open Bible, ---if we love the preaching of the Gospel, ----if we love the freedom of reading that Bible, no man letting or hindering us, and the opportunity of hearing that Gospel, no man forbidding us, ---if we love civil liberty, ---if we love religious liberty, ----if these are precious to our souls, we must all make up our minds to ‘hold fast’, lest by and by we lose all…
If we would hold fast the truth, we must be ready to unite with all who hold the truth, and love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity….
Last of all, if it be right to ‘hold fast that which is good,’ let us make sure that we have each laid hold personally upon Christ’s truth for ourselves; Let us see to it that we each flee for refuge and lay hold upon the hope set before us in His glorious Gospel…
Prize it highly, for it will stand by you when everything else fails.
Matthew Henry, in his commentary on Revelation 3, states: "Christ calls the church to that duty which he before promised he would enable her to do, and that is, to persevere, to hold fast that which she had. (1.) The duty itself: "Hold fast that which thou hast, that faith, that truth, that strength of grace, that zeal, that love to the brethren; thou hast been possessed of this excellent treasure, hold it fast.’’ (2.) The motives, taken from the speedy appearance of Christ: "Behold, I come quickly. See, I am just a coming to relieve them under the trial, to reward their fidelity, and to punish those who fall away; they shall lose that crown which they once seemed to have a right to, which they hoped for, and pleased themselves with the thoughts of. The persevering Christian shall win the prize from backsliding professors, who once stood fair for it.’’
Whew! That’s a ton of information to absorb. Be blessed and be a blessing!
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