This morning, I want to address this topic, which I’ve titled "Confidence That God Will Hold Me Fast." I want you to have confidence in your Christian Walk. We'll end with a hymn, "He Will Hold Me Fast" by Matt Merker, which is one of my favorites. It's a powerful song about the Lord preserving His people to the end, giving us confidence that He will not let us go, no matter what. As Paul says in Romans, nothing can separate us from the love of God. Those whom He loves and died for, He will protect and preserve until the end.
I want you to sing this hymn with your whole heart, with genuine confidence that God will hold you fast. It’s a song about the Lord's faithfulness and the confidence we can have in His unending protection.
Do you sing that song with confidence? Do you have assurance, even if it's weak, that the Lord will preserve you to the end?
It doesn’t mean we won’t have doubts or that our faith will always be strong. Just like the disciples on the stormy Sea of Galilee, even with Jesus in their boat, they struggled with their faith and worried. Similarly, we may worry at times, but even in our weakness, we can be sure that God will hold us fast.
4 Important Assurances
The Nature of God: Reflecting on God's nature brings great peace and confidence. God is good, all-powerful, all-wise, faithful, and unchanging. His goodness and power assure us that He can and will preserve us. As Paul says in Philippians 1:6, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." This assurance is rooted in the very nature of God.
The Cross: The cross of Christ is the greatest source of assurance. Romans 8:32 says, "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?" The ultimate basis for our assurance is found in what Christ accomplished on the cross. He died in our place, satisfying God's judgment so that we could be spared.
The Promises of Scripture: Scripture is full of promises that give us assurance. John 6:40 says, "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." Similarly, John 10:28 assures us that no one can snatch us out of Jesus' hand. These promises are a firm foundation for our confidence.
The Language of Scripture: The language used in Scripture is clear and strong, giving us assurance. Philippians 1:6 speaks of God's work being brought to completion. Colossians 1:13 tells us we have been delivered and transferred to the Kingdom of His beloved Son. Ephesians 1:13-14 speaks of us being chosen, adopted, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. These terms are full of certainty and assurance.
Our confidence is based on these truths: the perfect nature of God, the work of Christ on the cross, the promises of Scripture, and the language of Scripture itself. Jude 24-25 sums it up beautifully, "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen."
Remember, it is not our own strength or efforts that preserve us, but God's power and faithfulness. He is able to keep us and will hold us fast. As Paul confidently says, "I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."
So, let us rest in this assurance and work out our salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that God is faithful to complete the good work He has started in us.
