Let Us Hold Firm

Good morning once again everyone and welcome to church. Last week we started to look at Hebrews 4 and the three “Let us” statements that we find there. Last week we covered the statement of, “Let us make every effort to enter that rest.” The rest that is talked about is sabbath rest that comes from God. How we can rest from our work, our struggles, our worries, because of what Jesus has done. So I hope that everyone had some way or chance of experiencing that rest this week. Whether it was a whole day, half a day, even just a few hours, I pray that you were able to rest in God and experience the Sabbath rest that we talked about last week.

This week, we are to the second “Let us” statement. Now, the second and third statements go hand in hand, so there will be some mention of this one next week, but our “let us” statement for today is, “Let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.” As we get ready to read scripture let’s go to God in prayer and ask him to be our teacher.

Prayer

Engage

As we start this morning, I first want to see if we have any roller coaster fans at church, who likes or even loves roller coasters? Who doesn’t like them? For a long time when I was a kid I hated roller coasters and I can tell you exactly why I didn’t like them. It wasn’t just because I thought they looked scary, it was because I thought I was going to die on one when I was young. We had gone to six flags as a family and I remember getting on a roller coaster and being extremely excited for it. Most of the ride went okay, except for the last drop. The last drop on this roller coaster was the biggest one in the ride and as the roller coaster started to go down I got scared out of my mind. As we went down it seemed like I was not big enough for the ride. There was a gap between the tops of my legs and the safety bar, the one that keeps you inside, and as we went down I could feel myself coming off of my seat. And for a few seconds, it felt like my entire body was off the seat, my legs were pressed against that safety bar, and I was holding on for my life. Truthfully, it probably wasn’t like that, but that is how my mind perceived it at that age! It felt like I was holding on by a thread and my entire life might be over if I let go for even a second. Now, even though I probably wasn’t in life threatening danger, it sure felt like I had to hold on to something to survive and what I held on to mattered. If I had just held on to myself I wouldn’t have had any comfort, if I held on to the person sitting next to me I might have some comfort but they are strapped in just like me. In order to really feel any sense of comfort I had to hold on to the safety bar of the ride, the thing that was designed for me to hang on to.

Tension

Whether it came from a roller coaster or other circumstances in life, chances are you have felt like this. Something bad happens in life and you are just trying to make it through, you just want to survive the next 30 seconds or few days so you can make it through this rough part of life, the downward slope. It’s in these moments that we find out what we have been putting our trust into, because when life takes that turn and starts heading down, you are going to hold on to whatever you trust the most just like I held on to that safety bar. You might cling to your family, your spouse, your job, finances, whatever it is that you ultimately believe will keep you safe and get your through that moment. We cling to these things and hope and pray that they are strong enough to save us. As you can probably guess, the biblical response is not to cling to any of those things. As tough and important as our family and friends can be, there is not always a gurantee that they can get you through whatever downward spiral you are facing. We have to hold on what is actually going to get us through that time, what is actually strong enough to save us and provide comfort for us. This leads us to the second “let us” statement that we find in Hebrews 4.

Let Us Hold Firmly to the Faith We Profess

Hebrews 4:14–15 NIV

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

What do we Hold Fast to?

The author of Hebrews doesn’t tell us to hold firmly to our family, friends, or finances. Instead, the author urges us to hold firmly to the faith we profess. One of the best ways that we can summarize our faith and what exactly it is that we believe is to look at the apostle’s creed. Some churches have a moment to read the apostle’s creed all at once as a way of affirming what they believe, which is something that we will do at the end of the sermon, but I just want to read it for us and hear what the basics of our faith are. Remember though that this isn’t scripture, it was written as a summary of what Christians believe.

Apostle’s Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

This is what we believe, this is the faith that we hold on to throughout our life. When we face hardships, our faith is what we should be holding on to for safety and to give us a measure of comfort. We hold on to the fact that God created the world, that Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected, that the Holy Spirit indwells believers and grants forgiveness of sins and the resurrection of our body. We cling to it, we hold on to our faith like our life depends on it. This passage in Hebrews then gives us two reasons why we should cling to our faith.

Hold Fast because we have a Great High Priest

The first reason we cling to our faith is because of who Jesus is. Jesus is presented to us here as the great high priest. For the people back then, priests served as the middle men in the relationship with God. The priest would offer sacrifices on behalf of the people, they would offer prayers and intercessions for people and plead for the people before God. They helped to reconcile the people to God through these sacrifices. However, despite everything they did they could not bridge the gap between a holy God and a sinful people. It didn’t matter how many sacrifices they made, how long they spent in prayer, their work was temporary.

Jesus on the other hand, is referred to as the great high priest. When Jesus enters into the equation as the middle man, as the bridge between a fallen world and a perfect God, a permanent solution is found. This is one of the core beliefs that we hold on to for our lives. Jesus sacrificed himself, taking our sin upon himself once and for all. One way that we know this is how Jesus responds on the cross. Jesus says that it is finished. The process of reconciling us to God was and is complete in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Because of what Jesus did, we now have access to God in a way that had only been experienced by Adam and Eve. (We’re going to pick up on that idea next week though) But this is one of the reasons we hold firmly to our faith, because we have a great high priest who bridges the gap that we could never cross on our own.

Hold Fast because we have a sympathetic High Priest.

The second reason we hold firm to our faith is because we have a high priest who is able to empathize with our weaknesses. Jesus himself know what you are struggling with. He knows what weaknesses and temptations you face on a regular basis. But Jesus goes even farther than just knowing about what we struggle with. Jesus himself has been tempted in every way that we have, yet despite of the temptations, remained free of sin.

Sometimes we can get this idea confused. We do not need a person to have the disease to understand what we are going through. Here is what I mean: a surgeon does not need to have a disease to be a skilled surgeon and to understand your situation. Your surgeon does not have to have cancer to be a skilled surgeon who can understand your condition and give you the help you need. In the same way, Jesus does not have to sin to understand our condition and help us. He needed to be human and experience life the way we experience it so that he can be the surgeon we need. He can be the great high priest we need because he understands our condition and has the ability to help us the way we need.

But what does Jesus think of our weaknesses and struggles? Is he just constantly in a state of anger towards us? Is he constantly wondering why you are struggling and getting upset with you? No, as he looks on us he is empathetic towards us. He understands why these things that we are tempted with in life are so difficult, he understand the pain that you are going through. It’s not just that he can imagine how hard it must be to deal with such weakness and temptation. It’s that he knows exactly what it’s like because he has “in every respect” experienced it all the way to the end without giving in. No one empathizes with you like Jesus–not your spouse or pastor or best friend.

This means that, even though we “are naked and exposed” (Hebrews 4:13) before him, he’s sympathetic. So not only is he an able high priest, he is a willing high priest.

Inspiration

When someone asks how you are doing, one of the responses that we tend to give is, “Well, I’m hanging in there.” One of the phrases that I’ve heard with it says that when you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. It is important that we persevere in life because of what we are hanging onto. Don’t hang on to your job, relationships, whatever earthly thing you look to for comfort. Instead, cling to Christ, hold so firmly to your faith in him that you need nothing else.

Among the mighty warriors in King David's army, was a man named Eleazar, who was one of "The Three" who were renowned for courage and valor in battle. His bravery is demonstrated in a story told in 2 Samuel 23:9-10. There we read that when Israel's army was confronted by a force of Philistines, all the soldiers fled all, that is, except Eleazar. He alone stood his ground and fought the enemy single-handedly. The sacred record says he "struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword" (NIV).

His hand froze to the sword! Even in his weariness, when the battle must have seemed hopeless, Eleazar's hand instinctively clung to his sword and would not let go! Therefore, the account says, "The Lord brought about a great victory that day.

The writer of Hebrews similarly encourages his audience and you to remember that in your difficult times, tie a knot and hold on. Hold on to the confession of your faith. The risen Christ is the assurance of this faith.

Action

Apostle’s Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.