Holding Fast

Introduction. Fastening things together is a crucial part of manufacturing. The weakest links in the metal holding bridges, cars and planes together are often the welds, nuts & bolts, and rivets. Our homes are held together with screws, tacks, staples and nails. During times of duress, these fasteners keep us safe and our purchases durable. When those who are assembling these things are careful, the products will be dependable and safe for many years. 

Fastening becomes a little more complicated in human relationships. But when basing our future on the decisions of others we seek as much assurance as possible that they will be stable. So in our financial dealings we use contracts. In marriage, we want vows of lifelong commitment to create the stable relationship necessary to build a family. Nations are held together by patriotism and in sports it is the power of competition and desire to win that holds a team together.
 
The Scriptures also use these terms to describe the essential need for those who make commitments to each other to keep their promises. Both the Old Covenant and New Covenant depict a binding agreement between God and those who want to have a relationship with Him. God has revealed His own character to us as unchanging and completely reliable. He is faithful, never lies, never changes, and always keeps His promises. Any commitment we make with Him is guaranteed, at least on His side:

• “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.” (Heb. 6:17-18).

First we have His promise and second, we have His oath. These are the two immutable things. In every relationship where we bind ourselves to another, these are the strongest fasteners that exist. When we add to this it is impossible for Him to lie, we have strong comfort. In addition, we have all the examples of His faithful character in how He dealt with those who lived before us. He has never failed or forsaken anyone. When we place our spirit in His hands we are as safe as Jesus was when He did. The encouragement to “entrust our souls to a faithful Creator” is ironclad.

• “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’  So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’”  (Heb. 13:5-6)

When He encouraged us to take His yoke, and place our lives in His hands, Jesus promised to be meek and humble. He will not take advantage of us in how He works with us as so many others promising more and giving lesshave: 

• “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Mt. 11:28-30). 

When we obey this new covenant and take this yoke upon ourselves, there will be no bait and switch. No promising more than can be delivered. Nor will the burden be greater than He said it would be. 

Jesus is the vine and we are the branches (Jn. 15). Jesus is the shepherd and we are the sheep (Jn. 10). He is the husband and the church is His bride (Eph. 5:22). He is the king and we are the kingdom (Jn 18:36). He is the head and we are the body (Eph 1:21). In all these figures, He is the dependable one - the vine who will always give sustenance and the shepherd who will always care and protect His sheep. He is the faithful husband and the mighty King of kings who will always protect those in His kingdom.  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Heb. 13:8)

When we align ourselves with Jesus by entering into the new covenant in His blood, the only variable is our own free will. God will always do what He has promised. He has already paid for our sins with the death of Jesus on the cross. He has made all His promises and assured us of His veracity. We can not only trust His word and faithfulness, but also the power to do what He has promised.

• “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.  And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand.” (Jn. 10:27-29).
• “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies... Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Rom 8:31-34, 37)

So we are the only thing that could be unreliable. We are the weak link in all the fastening. Jesus asks of us one thing: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev. 2:10).  Whether we will do this or not is within ourselves. We make all the decisions and we bear all the responsibility. The unfaithful treachery and betrayal we see around us among those who enter a contract and then violate it or make marriage vows and then break them, must not be allowed to enter into our own heart. 

Jesus warned of the tribulations that can come. He also warned that the cares of this world and the desire for other things that can choke out the word. What we so fervently promised when we were baptized and entered into the covenant can dim with time. What can’t happen with God or His Christ is common among men. It should be among our greatest concerns. We did sign a contract and we made a vow in our good confession. We need to be monitoring our faithfulness. 

Conclusion. What are our fasteners to hold us to Him? In the physical work, the fasteners are appropriate to the things being fastened:

• Solder           – Circuit Boards       Welds   – Steel         Rivets      – Airplanes/Skyscrapers
• Nuts/Bolts    – Engines                  Staples – Paper       Concrete – Roads/Foundations
• Glue/Screws – Furniture               Nails     – Wood       Thread    – Clothing/Upholstery

In the spiritual realm, what do we have to keep us joined to Him? How do we stay loyal, steadfast, faithful, and loving our entire lifetime? There will be so many ups and downs that life will bring and there will be changes in our own priorities that come as we move from our youth into middle and then old age. What will hold us? Obviously there is “no one size fits all.” Each must “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” 

If we just apply what keeps us faithful in all our other relationships and then monitor them, we can do it! Simply take our loyalty, integrity, devotion, patriotism and commitment to our job, marriage, home, contracts, and country, and use them to assess our relationship with God. He is such a loving and faithful Creator. There is nothing but our own selfish heart that we need fear.