Hold on tight to the end
(Hebrews 17) Hold fast to the end
Hebrews 3:14
If we look at the verse 14 given today, He says, “If we hold on to the certainty from the beginning to the end, we will become partakers of Christ.” For Christians, the beginning and the end are very important. God is Alpha and Omega. It means the beginning and the end. If the beginning is good but the end is bad, it is not a good thing because it is the reality. The Galatian church members heard Paul's rebuke that the beginning was good but the end was bad. “You foolish Galatians, who deceived you when Jesus Christ was clearly seen crucified before your eyes, are you so foolish? What started with the Holy Spirit was very well done, but what it finished with the flesh was very wrong, and what started well was not profitable as a result.
1. Christian faith where the beginning is important
It is important to start a life of faith. If we look at the cases of those who have succeeded in faith in Christ, we can see that almost all of them are people who have started their lives of faith well. So, what kind of person has a good start?
First of all, I am a person who goes to church well. If you think that giving an office will improve your faith, you are wrong. If you see a person who has grown up in faith without being able to keep the Sabbath at first, even after 10 years of receiving an office, the habit will continue as it is. We still only have Sunday worship services, and we do not even go to other worship services. Why, then, does a fuzzy faith rule his whole life? It's because you didn't grab what you had to hold firmly from the start. If relay players run unconditionally without holding onto the baton of the running player, no matter how well they run, they will not be ranked. Because I ran without grabbing what I was supposed to catch.
What, then, should Christians be certain of in the first place?
2. What Christians Should Grab
(1) Regarding this, Hebrews 10:23 says this. “And he who promised is faithful, so let us hold fast to the hope of our faith.” The first thing we should hold fast to is the hope of faith. Then, what does the hope of the believer mean? Let's look at Philippians 3:9-14.
The hope of faith that we must hold on to is first the righteousness born of Christ. We are people of this righteousness. This righteousness is the perfect righteousness approved by God. It is not through our merits or efforts that we have this righteousness. Only through Christ who died on the cross for me is the righteousness of Christ. We have this righteousness as our own only through faith in Christ, and God has recognized this righteousness as our own. We must hold fast to this righteousness until the very end.
(2) The next thing we must hold fast to is the name of Jesus. It is very important to hold on to the name of Jesus because he will be with me forever from the moment we step into the church. Have you ever heard a name more beautiful than the name Jesus? Have you ever called a name more lovely than the name Jesus? This Jesus is the only name that can be called during sickness, during failure, or on the death row of martyrdom. Why don't you hold onto the name of Jesus? Why are our hearts so cold and indifferent to Jesus? Why are you being so stingy with him?
We must hold fast to this Jesus from the first time we believe. If we put our hope in this person and spend our lives holding on to only this person, our lives will be worthwhile and beautiful because of this Jesus. Please hold onto this Jesus firmly.
(3) The next thing we must hold fast is the power of resurrection. Christians and the Resurrection are inextricably linked. Because our Lord is risen. What is the Gospel? It is divided into two categories. One is the atoning death of Christ and the other is the power of Christ's resurrection. And our spiritual union with Christ lies in these two facts. By his death we received the grace of atonement, and by his resurrection, we received new life in heaven and eternal life. If Christ is not risen and is buried in the tomb, what kind of life do we receive and where is our hope? We must hold fast to the hope of this resurrection.
(4) Next, we must firmly hold onto the prize of the calling from above. A Christian who cannot see the reward of the heavenly calling has no motivation. There is no heat in my heart. We must hold fast to this hope.
Conclusion: Gentlemen, the starting point of our belief is important. Christ's righteousness and resurrection power and heavenly reward are certain. God has assured us by an oath of absolute certainty to which we must hold fast. He who promised this to us is faithful. He does not lie, and even if heaven and earth pass away, his words do not change, even one jot or one tittle. We need to trust him and hold fast to him. Then you will be able to fully enter the rest of God.