Hold Firmly Till The End The Confidence We Had At First

Hebrews 3:6,12-14 - But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory…See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.


Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

Application:

· The heart is deceitful, tortuous, uneven, and crooked like a road. My will is deceitful. My emotions are deceitful
· I should examine myself carefully. If there is no evidence of perseverance in faith and obedience, then there is real reason to doubt that I have ever been saved
· Am I exhibiting endurance? Am I persevering? Am I a child of God?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Great Confidence...My Joy Knows No Bounds

2 Corinthians 7:2-7 - Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place in our hearts that we would live or die with you. I have spoken to you with great frankness; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds. For when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.


2 Corinthians 6:4-10 - Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

2 Corinthians 2:14 - But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Application:

· I have everything in Him who is Lord of all
· My apparent defeat is temporal. Spiritually, I am victorious.
· God’s comfort flows to me when I suffer for Jesus sake.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Confidence

Ephesians 3:12 - In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Hebrews 3:14 - We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.

Hebrews 4:16 - Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

1 John 4:17 - This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.

Application:

· Do I belong to Christ and participate in the blessings?
· Does Christ stand ready to give immediate and sympathetic help when I am tempted?
· Am I like Christ? Does He live in me? Do I have confidence that on the day of judgment I will be saved?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV