“The Profession of our Faith”

Hebrews 10:19-24

19) Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

20) By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

21) And having an high priest over the house of God;

22) Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

23) Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

24) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Introduction

W

e hear of and are taught about many concepts in the Bible. One of those concepts is “faith.” Even so, in general, the people of God have little practical knowledge of what faith is.

Whether one knows what it is or not, the only way that one can prove that he possesses it (faith); show that he believes God, is to follow what God has said that he must do. This is the definition of “exercise(ing) one’s faith.”

Main Thought

Generally, when we think of the word “profession,” we think of what we have said. In our text today, it is used to identify the job that one has been called to do by God.

It is mandated by God that we make the winning of souls our “profession.” No matter what we do in our natural lives in order to make a living, we must remember the profession that we have been given by the Lord. There is no other “occupation” that can bring one richer reward.

Just because we are told that God takes care of us does not mean that nothing unpleasant will come to one. Too often, we seem to think that if things do come, then God must not be in the situation. This illustrates that the people of God are missing the point of the reason that the Lord “called out” a people and a Church.

When we miss what God is saying and what He has done for us, we also seem to miss our blessings. No only is this true in the case of understanding that we are “tested” that we might be witnesses of His goodness, but it also, it applies to the symbolism attached to everything that concerns Him.

For example, when we think of the blood of Jesus, contrary to being a point of anguish and sorrow to His follows, we should think of the death of Jesus. Likewise, when we are baptized, we must embrace the fact that we are buried with Him and our natural lives put to death. The latter must be embraced, for flesh is always going to try to prove itself. It will never give up, acknowledge God’s will and follow it.

Because of the “nature of our makeup,” the Lord allows tests to come to us that it might be proven to us exactly where we are in Him. Once this is revealed to us, if it is unacceptable to God, we will “fix” it and get past it only by accepting the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for ourselves.

Here is really where the “proof” lives. You see, we speak of His death, burial, and resurrection for us, yet, prove through our actions that we have not accepted the same for ourselves. What the gospel is meant to do will go unrealized in our personal lives apart from its application.

The fact that He already did it relieves us from the pressure of trying to do anything for ourselves. We have to fix nothing; we are responsible for producing nothing; we have to “do” nothing. Whatever victory we need, in whatever area, is tied to our acceptance of the Gospel.

Accepting the above should relieve us of the tendency toward panic that human beings experience when confronted with anything with which they are not familiar. You see, this is generally a response to the fear that one can be potentially “messed up” by what he does not know. By “messed up,” we can mean “embarrassed,” “shamed”—any number of things. But, you see, when one accepts that the Lord has taken care of everything, then one can have confidence.

No matter what you may be going through; no matter that you may feel ass if you could not possibly get through it, one must still tell others how good God is. One will never be let alone in a test, so for this, alone, He deserves the praise. No matter the situation, no matter its severity, no matter its “cause,” no situation can change who God is.

Tests are no barometer of anything concerning God, but rather, are for the purpose of training us, shaping us, and molding us for the job that the Lord has for us to do. “The profession of our faith” must be changed from only that which one says to that which one stands behind—no matter the cost.