Years ago in Mira Mesa, California, two men were attempting to anchor a U.S. Navy dirigible to a docking mast. They carefully maneuvered the two ropes attached to the nose of the airship. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew the airship up into the air, catching the rope handlers by surprise. The men held on to their ropes as the airship climbed several hundred feet into the sky. One man let go and fell to his death. The other man wrapped the rope around his wrist, leg and whole body, and gripped the rope tightly. In about half an hour, the airship slowly returned to the ground, and the man who had held fast had saved his life!
The Bible tells us to hold fast, and not let go of the spiritual treasure God has given us—His truth! There are many scriptures that urge us to hold fast, to hang on and to persevere. Will you hang on to God's truth until the very end of your life? Will you continue to live by every word of God? Or will you compromise?
Most of us are familiar with Christ's message to Philadelphian Christians. After describing the open door He sets before them, and reminding them that because of their faithfulness they will be protected from the greatest tribulation ever to come upon the world, He gives this exhortation: "Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown" (Revelation 3:11). Or as the NIV states it: "I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown."
Our Father in heaven has called us to train as kings and priests. That awesome calling leads to eternal life in the royal family of God, but it requires perseverance. The Apostle Paul persevered and wrote about that promised crown of royal rulership: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:7–8).
Think of physical situations in which one holds something tightly. We already saw the example of a man who held fast to a rope and saved his life. Circus acrobats and aerialists will somersault through the air from trapeze to trapeze. They catch each other flying through the air, supporting one another by an interlocking grip—they hold tight, they hold fast. By contrast, some of us become careless and may even drop a glass of water or a plate of food. Can you imagine someone challenging you in a tug-of-war, trying to snatch away your crown? Will you hold fast with determination?
We need to ask: to what should we hold fast spiritually? Billions of human beings are holding fast not to the truth, but to false doctrine and false authority. In this article, we will consider five spiritual treasures—five spiritual fundamentals that we need to internalize, develop and hold tightly until we die! These will overlap, but each has a special emphasis. We need to hold fast to these five essentials.
Key 1: Hold Fast to True Values
God tells us: "Test all things; hold fast what is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). The King James Version states: "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good" and the NIV states: "Test everything. Hold on to the good." We know that God's word is "good" and that He is "righteous in all His ways" (Psalm 145:17).
God's word teaches us true values and how to recognize false values. God expects us to apply the principles of His commandments, statutes, and laws in every facet of our lives. Godly character includes honesty, wisdom, patience, giving, caring, responsiveness, and diligence. God's people need to recapture true values of life, work, family relations, entertainment, industry, business, literature, music. The very process is stimulating! Consider humor for a minute. Do you laugh at every joke you hear or "humorous" e-mail you receive, just because others find it funny? My wife and I enjoy good humor. We can appreciate the irony, the exaggeration, or the incongruity of a situation or story. Some humor effectively illustrates a biblical principle. But I am generally on guard to filter and test what this world has to offer. Think before you laugh.
You may have heard Mr. Davy Crockett's sermon, "Recapture True Values" (Sermon 408, which should be available in your local congregation's library and is also available online at www.lcg.org), in which he emphasized modesty, temperance and frugality. We need to ask ourselves: Are we honoring God in our dress and appearance on the Sabbath? Are we setting a good example in our lifestyle? Are we applying God's financial laws in our life?
Once you have tested certain principles in life, you can enjoy life with confidence, and with God's blessings. The book of Proverbs compares living with wisdom to the sweet taste of honey: "My son, eat honey because it is good, and the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste; so shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul; if you have found it, there is a prospect, and your hope will not be cut off" (Proverbs 24:13–14).
Brethren, hold fast to true values, hold fast to that which you have tested and proven is good. As the Apostle Paul wrote, "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good" (Romans 12:9). Recapture true values, based on the word of God and hold fast to what is good!
Key 2: Hold Fast to the Words of Truth
We all know that God's word is truth (John 17:17). How thankful we are that God's truth, when applied, gives us true freedom (John 8:31–32). Paul wrote to Titus that an elder must be blameless, "holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict" (Titus 1:9). When we determine to live by God's word and not compromise, we internalize God's way of life, and it becomes a part of our spiritual character. But we must study and apply the words of truth. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" or as the NIV translates it, "a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).
How many in this world of 6.5 billion human beings understand the truth of the Bible? Even if as many as 65,000 understood, that would be one out of 100,000 people. Brethren, I hope you will come to understand the incredible blessing it is to know the truth! Years ago, when I was a young man being called into God's Church, the Protestant minister of my former church asked me, "Why are you leaving the church?" I told him, "When you find the truth, you go after it!" He replied (and I believe God led him to say this), "Oh, the Pearl of Great Price!" I said, "Yes!"
Jesus gave several parables illustrating the precious value of the Truth, including the parable of the Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:45–46) and the parable of the Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44). How many of us have been willing to give up all of our selfish desires, and go after the true treasures? Do we understand how priceless and valuable the truth is?
What truths do you treasure? Here are just a few of the many we could list:
- The nature of God. He is the Creator and Lawgiver, and He is love.
- The purpose of life. We are preparing to be born into God's Kingdom as glorified children in His Family.
- The truth about heaven, hell, death and the resurrections. The truth frees us from false religious myths and deceptions.
- God's way of life. We strive to live by His every word and to fulfill His law of love.
- God's plan of salvation. He reveals His plan through the weekly Sabbath and the annual Holy Days.
- The purpose and revelation of prophecy. God wants His people in the end-time to understand how He is working on the earth, so we can be ready for His return.
- God's promises to His children. His promises lead to the abundant life now, and in the future. Brethren, we should be striving to be faithful disciples (students and followers) of Christ and should be studying God's word daily. We must hold fast to the words of truth!
The Apostle Paul exhorts us "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you— unless you believed in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:1–2).
Key 3: Hold Fast by Committing to Persevere
Remember that Christ has given us a command to persevere! "Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth" (Revelation 3:10). All of us who have been baptized made that commitment to persevere to the end; we "counted the cost" and gave our lives to Christ as His servants. Every year, as we examine ourselves for the Passover, we ask ourselves, "Am I still deeply committed to persevere to the end? Am I willing to continue in the faith and even give my life for the faith? Will I be faithful to God and Christ until the day I die?"
There are many physical analogies for perseverance, especially in sports. The 2008 Summer Olympics provided many examples of those who did not give up under pressure and stress. The book of Hebrews exhorts us to run with endurance: "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1–2).
God gives us the spiritual strength to "run" daily. He promises us: "He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:29–31).
We all face trials, and Satan tries to discourage and deceive us. But we must resist the devil and persevere in the Truth! Think of all our faithful brethren who have endured, and those who in the past few years died in the faith. The faith chapter, Hebrews 11, assures us: "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (v. 13).
Hold fast to your commitment to endure: "But he who endures to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 24:13). Always persevere in your commitment to supporting God's Work of preaching the Gospel to the world (v. 14).
Key 4: Hold Fast to Hope by Exercising Vision
God has revealed an awesome future to His children. Bible prophecy gives us a vision of the Kingdom of God on earth and the glory of the Millennium and beyond. This vision gives us hope for the future. We must never lose hope; we must hold fast to the hope God has given us. The book of Hebrews emphasizes this principle several times: "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23).
We must exercise faith in God's promises. We demonstrate that faith by the way we live, which includes our observance of the weekly Sabbaths and annual festivals that give us vision for the future. The next two verses of Hebrews 10 exhort us: "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching" (vv. 24–25).
Some of God's people are "letting go" instead of holding fast, by neglecting Sabbath services when they could make the effort to attend. Certainly, some face genuine obstacles of insurmountable distances and unaffordable fuel expenses, which we in the ministry do understand. However, we must do what we can, as best as we can, to obey God's instruction that we assemble ourselves together.
The book of Hebrews also discusses the faithfulness of Moses and Christ. Christ is building a spiritual house—but will we remain faithful as a part of that house? "And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end" (Hebrews 3:5–6).
In one sense, hope is an enthusiastic expectation of the future. We must hold fast to that hope, based on God's promises, and on the vision He gives us for a glorious future.
Key 5: Hold Fast to God
The first great commandment is: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). God has called us to have an intimate, close relationship with Him. The Apostle John wrote that "truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3). God expects us to fellowship with Him and with Christ throughout each day. We pray throughout the day; we give thanks to God throughout each day and we may even sing psalms and hymns in praise to Him.
How committed are you to stay close to God? The Apostle James tells us: "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8). Several scriptures exhort us to hold fast to God. Moses told ancient Israel, "For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do—to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him— then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves" (Deuteronomy 11:22–23). Joshua, in his farewell address, warned ancient Israel to avoid idols, and exhorted them, "but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day" (Joshua 23:8).
The prophet Isaiah shows us that we must persevere; we must aggressively and humbly "wrestle" with God as did Jacob (cf. Genesis 32:22–31). Isaiah warns us: "And there is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You; for You have hidden Your face from us, and have consumed us because of our iniquities" (Isaiah 64:7).
Brethren, we must hold fast to God, and we must stir ourselves to take hold of Him. We must hold fast to true values, to the word of truth and to our commitment to persevere, keeping our hearts in the Work and our eyes on the hope and vision God has given us.
It is a tragedy when people lose their grip and fall to their death physically. Others, even more tragically, have neglected to hold tightly to the Truth, and as a result have fallen to their impending death spiritually. God has given us exceeding great and precious promises for our salvation and for our future. Brethren, we must hold fast to God's spiritual treasures, to the spiritual fundamentals and to God's truth! We need to internalize that truth and hold onto it tightly until we die! We should be striving to persevere as faithful servants of Christ, doing the Work of God. We need to rejoice in His love, and always remember His message: "Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown" (Revelation 3:11).