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

This promise is so simple and direct that you’d have to get some help in order to misunderstand what it says!

Do not waver!

Hold fast to the profession of your faith, without wavering, because, He that promised is faithful! How simple is that!

How wonderful that We never have to worry about God’s faithfulness to His promises, ever! We just need to mix our faith with them and then expect (believe) them to work for us! And they do, every single time! (Heb. 4:2).

“Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” (2 Cor. 1:3-5 KJV)

When God gives us His generous comfort, as sometimes is needed, He gives it to us in such measure that we are able to not only be comforted ourselves, but there is plenty comfort left over for us to give the same kind of comfort to others.

A lesson from mom’s sourdough

When I was a teenager I lived in Alaska with my parents in a log cabin. We really “roughed it” in many ways. Mom made a special homemade bread out of sourdough. The sourdough was made from a small batch of sourdough “starter” that she kept in a bag of flour as a small lump. Mom had originally gotten her “starter” from another Alaskan who had kept theirs for years. Each time mom made a batch of bread, she would take a small amount of the sourdough from it and put it into a sack of flour to use the next time. She continued to use that technique year after year and often gave some of it to friends when they came to visit, so they could make sourdough bread, too.

In exactly the same way, the “comfort that God” gives, is like the sourdough starter and can be used over and over and be shared countless times for others as needed!

“God comforteth us so we can comfort others with the same comfort….”

And, it will never run out!

“Be still, and know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10 NLT)

No need to worry!

When something negative happens to you (anything!), pause, take a deep breath, and say to yourself, “I do not have to worry about this thing, because He is God! There is nothing greater than Him, and He is able and willing to help me!”

Have confidence!

We serve a great big, awesome, powerful, wonderful, loving and caring God, who is more than able and willing to help you with and through ANYTHING! So, with confidence you can be still and know that He is God!

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:5-7 KJV)

You get to choose!

This promise has both positives and negatives, and you get to choose what part you get. Jesus says He is “the vine” and you are “the branches”. If you will abide in (receive, obey, follow, adhere to) Him, something wonderful will then happen, you will “produce much fruit”. But, on the other hand, (the negative part) if you do not abide in Him, you will wither, die, and you will be “cast into the fire!” So, it’s a no brainier, abide!

And another wonderful promise is added at the end of this passage. Jesus said, “if my Words abide in you, ask what you will and it shall be given into you”. This promise tells you how important it is to have the Word of God abiding within you and what it will do! It will allow you to “ask God what you will, and it shall be given to you!” Wow, what a promise! Another no brainier about what to do.

Learn to cling!

Understand that what Jesus is saying to do here is not really difficult! Simply, abide in Him (cling to the branch, so to speak) and then have His Word abide in you.

No downside!

Actually, when you think about “abiding in Jesus,” there just isn’t a downside to it! Fruit is produced in your life, when you sow, and what you ask for, you will get! Not a bad deal at all.

The old oak tree!

As I was pondering this passage about abiding in the vine, I remembered an unusual old oak tree that grew near where I lived as a child. It did not drop its leaves in the fall like other trees did. Instead, its old dead leaves just hung onto that tree all winter long. But, not to worry! Because, in the Spring, when new life started to flow up within and through the trunk of the tree, into all the branches, and into every twig on the tree, the old dead leaves just fell off, and were replaced with beautiful new buds and leaves! In exactly the same way, as we abide in Jesus, those old, hard-to-budge sins that we sometimes deal with as human beings, just like those old dried leaves on the oak tree, just fall away, as the Holy Spirit flows into and through us and produces, “the fruit of the Spirit.”(Gal. 5:22-23). And, I cannot think of a better way to deal with such things.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:4-7 KJV)

Rich in mercy!

This promise starts off by saying God is rich in mercy and loved us even while we were “dead in our sins” and he “quickened” us (quickened means, to be made alive) together with Christ. And he saved us by His grace (“grace” means undeserved favor). And, on top of that, he has “raised us up, together with Jesus, in heavenly places”. You can read back one chapter to understand that Christ is seated far above all authorities and powers (and, so are you in Him!) Eph. 1:22, “Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else-not only in this world but also in the wild to come.” And, when you understand this truth, you can have great confidence! “Greater is He who is in you (Jesus) than he who is in the world (the devil). (1 John 4:4). And, “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13). Any way you look at it, you are empowered by Him! And, He even explains why, “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.” (Phil. 2:14-15)

This promise starts off with a command to do EVERYTHING without grumbling or complaining. That’s a tall order, actually, because “everything” means, well, it means EVERYTHING! And, that includes a lot of possibilities.

Small and large!

It includes little things like traffic annoyances, or someone being a little rude to you on the phone. And, it includes big things, like major automotive repairs, dealing with difficult family members, being pulled over for a traffic violation, or even having to work for a difficult boss.

Blameless and pure!

But this command comes with a wonderful payoff promise: “so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.'”

You stand out!

When you live a self-controlled life, and you resist the temptation to react negatively to life’s difficult and challenging situations, you STAND OUT from the crowd, many of which are part of “a warped and crooked generation”.

Here is the beautiful promise for your positive reaction to life’s negativity: “Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.” That makes it all worth it! And, that’s a great promise to aspire to!

“The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord.” (Psalm 37:23 KJV)

God’s personal guidance

One of the great benefits of being connected to God is the personal guidance you can expect to receive from Him. His Holy Spirit “guides you into all truth”. (John 16:13 NIV). He has a way of bringing truth into any situation as He reminds us of His Words. (John 14:26). As we read and study Scriptures, and it gets into our minds, the Holy Spirit brings appropriate Scriptures back to our remembrance at just the right moment to bring needed comfort, guidance and truth into every situation as needed. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105 KJV).

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1:13-14 NIV)

He HAS

Notice that this promise declares that “He HAS rescued us from the dominion of darkness.” It is written in past tense because it is a done deal! It is finished, paid for, and completed! Now, because of this, you no longer are a part of the old covenant system of being separated from God by a wall of sin and darkness! (Matt. 27:51) – You are now a member of “the kingdom of the Son He loves!” You have been redeemed and have been given total “forgiveness of sins.” You can now come boldly to God at any moment to instantly find mercy and grace in the time of need! (Heb. 4:16 NIV). This is a bold promise!

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36 NKJV)

Hiroo Onoda, was a Japanese soldier who didn’t know the Japanese had surrendered and that World War II was over, so he hid in the deep jungle and continued fighting it for a full 29 years more! He didn’t have to! In October 1945, he came across a leaflet from the local islanders saying “The war ended August 15th. Come down from the mountains!” But, he didn’t believe it. He decided that it must be Allied propaganda trying to get him to give up.

We marvel and shake our heads at stories like these, but many Christians are doing exactly the same thing! They are continuing to fight a spiritual war that has been fought and won for them by Jesus over 2,000 years ago. The enemy has been completely defeated by what Jesus did for you on the cross! Jesus said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). He completely paid for your freedom!

However, the enemy rages on as though the battle has not been won! But, the only “tools” he has left are deception and lies! He is a liar, a deceiver, and a thief, and he continually tells God’s people that they are not free! And, unfortunately it works when people believe his lies! Even though they are free they continually behave like prisoners of sin!

Our promise today says it very clearly, “Whom the Son sets free, is free indeed!”

What does this “freedom” mean to God’s kids? Because of what Jesus fought and won for you, you get: (just a short list here, there is actually much more!)

Freedom from the Old Testament law

“For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” (Rom. 3:28 NIV). And, “Through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.” (Acts 13:39 NASB)

Freedom from guilt

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 5:1 NASB)

Freedom from condemnation

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Rom. 8:1-2 ESV)

Freedom to come boldly to God in the time of need

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16 NKJV)

Freedom to call God your father and Jesus your brother

“God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (Gal. 4:4-7 ESV)

Freedom from fear and anxiety

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (1 John 4:18 ESV). And, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7 KJV). And, “Be anxious for nothing.” (Phil. 4:6 NASB)

Freedom from eternal punishment (hell)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but shall have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 NKJV). And, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 6:23 NASB)

Freedom to serve God

“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” (1 Peter 2:16 ESV)

Freedom to claim and apply all His thousands of promises found throughout the Bible

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.” (2 Cor. 1:20 NIV)

Therefore, the battle is won for you by Jesus!

You are free and victorious! You don’t have to do anything except to continue to stand firm in the truth! “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Gal. 5:1 NIV)