We are living in times of uncertainty. Just this morning the gas station’s prices jumped by fifteen cents overnight. Everyday there is a new trend, fad, disaster or divisive issue. A new year has begun with the same uncertainty as every year and each day brings. We don’t know the details of this afternoon, let alone the rest of the year. The world has not just grown to be uncertain, but also unstable. Uncertainty breeds instability. In these days, people are looking for something to cling to. Many chose education or experiences. Some seek political or social activity. Others cling to family and finances. Then some chose some sort of religious belief or traditions. The sad reality is that folks in the world and in the Church are uncertain about the world around them and are growing unstable in their minds, hearts, and lives. If anyone is to be certain and stable in this world it ought to be believers in Christ. A.W. Tozer writes, “We must meet the uncertainties of this world with the certainty of the world to come.” I’m saddened that many professing Christians are uncertain about the world to come and are unstable in their profession of faith today. Jesus addressed this in Matthew 7:24-27 saying, “ 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” How familiar this passage is, but how important the principle of it is for today. What is your life built on? What is your eternity resting in?
Can we be certain in this uncertain unstable world? Yes, we can, and we must. Christians may and must be certain that they are certain that they are in Christ. Christians may and must be certain that they are certain that Christ is sufficient and sovereign in these uncertain days. Christians must be certain that they are certain that Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore (Heb. 13:8). I am certain that these are uncertain days, but I am certain that God said uncertain days would come. 2 Tim. 3:1 says, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” I believe that the things that we see today are to make us more certain that the Word of God is true so that we may hold fast in these days that we have been entrusted to live in. The believers to whom the book of Hebrews is being written were living in uncertain unstable days. They were being persecuted heavily causing discouragement, doubts, and distrust of the promises of God. Many were shrinking back to their former Old Testament living for temporary comforts’ sake. These struggling believers were doing the same things that many are doing today. They were giving in to false doctrine and fleshly doubts. They were giving up due to the difficulties that plagued them. They were giving out in defeat, even departing from the faith altogether. Dear believer, God doesn’t want you to give in, give up, or give out. He wants you to draw near and hold fast. Warren Wiersbe writes, “Nothing paralyzes our lives like the attitude that things can never change. We need to remind ourselves that God can change things. Outlook determines outcome. If we see only the problems, we will be defeated; but if we see the possibilities in the problems, we can have victory.”
Hebrews 10:19-25 is given for us to be encouraged and equipped to endure the Christian life by experiencing the life of Christ in us. This is seen only as we learn to live by faith drawing near to Christ, holding fast to our profession, and considering one another. This passage reminds us that all that God is and does is for the eternal good of His Church and the eternal glory of Christ. Today, we will focus specifically on verse 23, but let’s look at the whole passage once again.
Heb. 10:19-25 says,
“19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
Don’t give in to false doctrine and fleshly doubting. The first portion of verse 23 says, “let us hold fast the profession of our faith.” We have already been exhorted to draw near to God through Christ, not on the basis of our righteousness, but on the basis of our relationship to Christ. We may and must draw near by the blood of Jesus in true, genuine, and fully assured faith. As we do this, it leads to today’s exhortation to hold fast to our profession of faith. I believe that the greatest way to hold fast to our profession of faith is to draw near to Jesus Christ in faith. I believe that God wants us to be concrete in our doctrine so that there is no room for doubts to take root. We must know what we believe and why we believe it. Faith takes all of your mind and all of your heart. Nothing more or less. The book of Hebrews later says in Hebrews 13:9, “Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.” One of the greatest concerns that God deals with in the New Testament is the believer living with deep roots in true doctrine (See Eph. 1:17-23; 4:12-14). Doctrine is not just facts, but it is transformational truth that is found in the Word of God. Paul deals with the need for concrete doctrine and not giving into false doctrine or fleshly doubts in 2 Tim. 3:12-17 saying, “12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” Doctrine is not just for learning, but for living. It is revealed by grace, and we respond to it by faith holding fast to the transformational truth in Christ and His Word. The issue with the struggling believers in Hebrews is that they were abandoning the transformational truth of and in Christ for the old traditions. Doctrine is not man’s tradition, it is the message of truth and transformation by the Word, work, and will of God in Christ.
We are exhorted to “hold fast,” but what does that mean? The word is “katechomen” (katecho from katá = intensifies meaning + écho = have, hold) means to retain as by avoiding the relinquishing of something). In a very literal understanding, it would mean to have down or hold down. The implication of this word is that there is a thorough possession and retention without relinquishing something from its grasp. Remember that Heb. 10:19 begins with “having.” There are things that we have and must hold on to. Here we see this world for “hold fast” used in Luke 8:15 for the good heart that hears and keeps the word of God. It is also the same word in 1 Cor. 15:2 translated as “keep in memory” in reference to the gospel. Hebrews also uses this word in reference to the believer’s faith and hope in Christ in Heb. 3:6; 4:14. God wants your doctrine to be concrete. He wants you to hold onto what has captured you in Christ. This word is also in the present tense which implies continual application. We are exhorted to keep holding on, don’t give in, and don’t let go of the truth that has transformed us from the inside out. We can hold on to Him because of His hold on us. Keep holding on to the One who keeps holding on to you. His grasp and grip of grace will never slip. This is something that we can hold fast to.
We are told not merely to hold fast of any old thing, but to “hold fast the profession of our faith.” In what and where you put your faith matters. Our profession of faith is simply the Lord Jesus Christ. Our profession of faith is in His person and work. It is in His promises and provision through the gospel of grace. Those that profess Christ, possess Christ and He possesses us. A profession is a confession or professing something that we believe to be true or that we agree upon. Heb. 1:1-3 gives us a brief statement of the profession of faith that we hold fast to saying, “1God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:” Throughout the book of Hebrews, we are reminded that ultimately all Bible doctrine is in connection to Christ. Every major and minor Bible doctrine for that matter points to Jesus Christ. Even Heb. 10:19-21 reminds us of what we profess about who Christ is, what He has done, is doing, and will do. What you believe about Jesus is the most important thing about you. We are to be concrete on our doctrine of Christ. We hold fast to Jesus and all that God’s Word has revealed about Him. The temptation today is to minor on the majors or major on the minors, but the reality is Jesus is major, and all minor doctrines tell us something of our relationship to Jesus Christ. A believer that isn’t concrete on their Bible doctrine, but specifically their doctrine of the person and work of Christ will be tempted by fleshly doubts. Doubts come from distrust in doctrine. We need to be faithful in our profession because He is faithful to His promises. By the way, your profession is more than what you believe, it is how you behave. Your behavior tells the world what you believe about Christ. Your relationships with man are the fruit of your relationship with Christ. Are you holding fast to your profession? Do you know about Jesus or do you know Him? Are you growing to know Him more? Does the profession of your behavior match the profession of your belief? Don’t give in to false doctrine and fleshly doubts. Don’t give in, dig in to God’s transforming truth!
Don’t give up! We must be consistent in our doctrine and devotion to Christ. Heb. 10:23 says that we are to “hold fast the profession our faith without wavering.” If you waver in your doctrine, you’ll waver in your devotion. I believe the greatest need in our day is to be concrete in our doctrine so that we can be consistent in our devotion. We often ride the waves and the wind. We go up, down, left, and right. True faithfulness to Christ is holding fast in our doctrine and devotion. We aren’t to be uncertain or unstable, rather we are to be certain and stable in our doctrine and devotion. Too many Christians are more moved by everything else but God. The phrase “without wavering” is the word “aklines” meaning “without bending.” The struggling believers of the book of Hebrews were bending and leaning back to their old doctrine. Christians ought to be pliable like clay in God’s hands, but when the world seeks to mold us, we must not waver. Don’t bend, don’t break. Heb. 6:13-20 reminds us that we have an anchor of hope in our profession and trust in His promises that enables us to not give in or give up in our faith. Hebrews 12:1-3 does much the same saying, “1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” It is much harder to give up in your devotion to Christ when you see His infinite devotion to save you. Don’t let your problems be bigger than His provision and promises in your life. We must be unwavering and unashamed of our profession of faith, both doctrinally and devotionally. The Lord is unwavering in His provision and promises to those who belong to Him and draw near Him in faith. Therefore, because we belong to Him and have these eternal benefits, we must be unashamed and unwavering in our profession of faith. Don’t give up hope. Don’t give up your faith. Don’t give up your devotion. Don’t give up in defeat. If you must bend, bend your knee to Christ. If you must lean, then lean on the promise of His Word.
Don’t give out! Be confident in dependence upon Christ. Many Christians are giving out in defeat and despair because distractions, discouragement, and distrust in God’s Word. It ain’t quitting time. Dear believer, you are just getting started. Eternity is a long time, and it is never time for us to quit on God’s Word and work. Heb. 10:23 ends with the motivation of why we are able to not give in to false doctrine and fleshly doubt while also giving us the motivation of why we can’t give up by wavering. It is the promises of God in Christ that provide for us the power to persevere. We are told that we can “hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised;” All the promises of God to His believers are in the person and work of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). We must and may only depend upon one thing in this life, that is the promises of God. The Word, work, and will of God in the Lord Jesus Christ has promised us many things, but they are wrapped up in one word, deliverance. Our justification at conversion delivered us from sin’s penalty. This is a promise given to all who come in repentance and faith. Our sanctification from sin’s power is Christ delivering us from this present world. This is a promise to all who live by faith by the promises and power of God. Then, we have the promise of our glorification that we will be delivered from the presence of sin forevermore. This promise is the blessed hope of the believer that we cling to in uncertain and difficult days. To depend upon the promises of God is to depend upon His faithfulness, not your own. He is faithful to His promises, and we are not. We make promises that we can’t or even don’t intend to keep. Every promise of God in Christ He intends to keep and always will keep. By faith we must rest upon His promises so that we don’t give out. You may be tired, weary, and doubting; but you can rest assured that God is still faithful. He always has been and always will be. The evidence and expression of faithfulness and Christian maturity is faithfully enduring even at the delay of His promises. Heb. 10:26-39 goes on to expound on the idea of the faithfulness of God to His promises. Focus in on Heb. 10:35-39 which says, “35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” The very next chapter of Hebrews will be dedicated to giving examples of those who expressed faith in the promises of God and endured while waiting for the realization of it. However, you and I have something far greater than them. We have all of the promises of God found and fulfilled in the person and work of Christ. Those old saints of God had sins, sufferings, and struggles too. However, they didn’t give in, they didn’t give up, and they didn’t give out. They persevered in faith in God’s faithfulness to His promises. Don’t give out. Keep standing on the promises of God! As the old hymn goes,
“1 Standing on the promises of Christ, my King, Through eternal ages let his praises ring; Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God.
Refrain: Standing, standing, Standing on the promises of God, my Savior; Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.
2 Standing on the promises that cannot fail. When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail, By the living Word of God I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]
3 Standing on the promises of Christ, the Lord, Bound to him eternally by love’s strong cord, Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword, Standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]
4 Standing on the promises I cannot fall, List’ning ev’ry moment to the Spirit’s call, Resting in my Savior as my all in all, Standing on the promises of God. [Refrain]”
Let us hold fast in these uncertain times! Don’t give in to false doctrine and fleshly doubts. Root and build yourself in the knowledge of Jesus Christ through His Word and by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Be concrete in your doctrine and devotion. Don’t give in to the lies of the world, the flesh, and the Devil. Trust in the transformational truth of Christ. Don’t give up on your doctrine and devotion. Don’t throw in the towel. Be consistent in faith. Be unashamed and unwavering. Don’t give up when the wind howls and the seas toss. Lean upon the Lord and live what you have learned. Behave how you believe and believe in whom you belong. Don’t give out. Be confident in dependence upon Christ. You can and must trust Him. Rest in His faithfulness to His promises. He won’t let you go, and His grip is sure. This is not the time to retire or retreat. This is the time to reinforce your doctrine and reengage in unwavering devotion to Christ our King. The modern adaptation by the Gettys and Selah of the hymn, “He Will Hold Me Fast” says,
“When I fear my faith will fail Christ will hold me fast When the tempter would prevail He will hold me fast I could never keep my hold Through life’s fearful path For my love is often cold He must hold me fast He will hold me fast He will hold me fast For my Saviour loves me so He will hold me fast Those He saves are His delight Christ will hold me fast Precious in His holy sight He will hold me fast He’ll not let my soul be lost His promises shall last Bought by Him at such a cost He will hold me fast He will hold me fast He will hold me fast For my Saviour loves me so He will hold me fast For my life He bled and died Christ will hold me fast Justice has been satisfied He will hold me fast Raised with Him to endless life He will hold me fast ‘Til our faith is turned to sight When He comes at last! He will hold me fast He will hold me fast For my Saviour loves me so He will hold me fast”
I leave you with this, it is not your grip on Him, but His grip on you that you can trust. It is not your grit that holds you fast, it is His grace. You are held in His grasp, by His grace, for your own good, and His own glory. Jude 24-25 says, “24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Don’t give in, don’t give up, don’t give out! He is faithful! Hold fast to the One who holds you fast!
Grow With Pastor Joe 
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