Don't Loosen Your Grip (1 Thessalonians 5:12-23)(Key verse 21)

Definition

Hold fast - to remain tightly secured, to take a firm grasp of.

Think of holding a child’s hand while in the grocery store. You don’t want the child to get away, because you love the child. You don’t want anyone coming up and snatching your child. Satan and his minions want nothing more than to have us.

Many deceivers and false prophets are entered into the world. The spirit of antichrist is already here. (false religions, philosophy, doctrines of devils)

Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse. Seducing spirits are everywhere to take the child of God away from fellowship with their heavenly Father.

Some who were steadfast in the faith have now been carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness.

Think of a fish on a line. You can be sure that if it’s a hoss, the fisherman has got a tight grip on his rod and reel. HE AIN’T LETTING GO!

Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

2 John 8 “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward.”

Hebrews 2:1 “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.”

How is it that the church has gotten into the shape that it’s in?

How can the church be so worldly now?

How can the church ordain women to pastor, and even Sodomites?

How can the church be ok with rampant sin.

IT’S BECAUSE WE’VE LOOSENED OUR GRIP.

Don’t Loosen Your Grip on Your Confession

Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

You be sure that your saved!

You be sure that Jesus Christ is the Savior!

2 Timothy 1:12 “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”

You don’t loosen your grip on the fact that you’re saved!

Don’t Loosen Your Grip on the Cannon

Titus 1:7–9 “For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”

HOLD ON TO THE KING JAMES BIBLE AND NOTHING ELSE!

There’s not many faithful words. JUST THE FAITHFUL WORD!

HOLD ON TO SOUND DOCTRINE! SOUND DOCTRINE IS THE ONLY THING THAT WILL WORK!

HOLD THE WORD OF GOD CLOSE AND DON’T LET IT GO!

Jeremiah 20:9 “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, Nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, And I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.”

Don’t Loosen Your Grip on Your Character

2 Timothy 1:13 “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”

That “form” is a figurative representation or an example.

DON’T JUST BELIEVE THE BIBLE, BE THE BIBLE!

We have people that are very intelligent in the Bible, but do not act at all on what the Bible teaches.

Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. WE NEED TO SHOW GRACE TO OTHERS!

James 1:21–25 “Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted (implanted, ingrown) word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. (You look in the mirror, see a bunch of cheetos in your beard, and just leave them there.) But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” (The more you do, the more you’ll remember the word!)

Don’t Loosen Your Grip on Your Confidence

Hebrews 3:6 “But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.”

Don’t quit! Keep up your head! Have confidence that what we do for Christ matters!

Hebrews 10:35–37 “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”

Have confidence in knowing that God sees everything you do for him. And for you to get help with your confidence, HE IS COMING AGAIN!