Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast,
that no man take thy crown. Revelation 3:11
The answer to what it means to hold onto what you have
that no one take your crown is right here in the verse right before:
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience,
I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation,
which shall come upon all the world,
to try them that dwell upon the earth. Revelation 3:10
In other words, don’t get distracted
by whatever it is you’re suffering or going through
Hold onto your faith
Keep your eyes on Jesus, on the prize
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:
and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:8
Losing your crown is similar to losing your first love (Revelation 2:4)
to giving it up, considering it of little importance
It is also similar to being lukewarm:
So then because thou art lukewarm,
and neither cold nor hot,
I will spue thee out of my mouth. Revelation 3:16
Knowing that of the Lord
ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance:
for ye serve the Lord Christ. Colossians 3:24
Remember the two brothers, Jacob and Esau?
As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Romans 9:13
God hated Esau
Esau did not care for God either
Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup
Esau did not value his birthright, that is,
the blessing he would have received for being the firstborn,
which was a very big deal back then
and used as an allegory for our inheritance of Christ
And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field,
and he was faint: And Esau said to Jacob,
Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint:
therefore was his name called Edom.
And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die:
and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
And Jacob said, Swear to me this day;
and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles;
and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way:
thus Esau despised his birthright. Genesis 25:29-34
Here were those two twins who were so different
They were not identical in any way
Rebekah, their mother favored Jacob
Their father, Isaac, favored Esau
Rebekah deceived her husband
and conspired a plan so that Jacob would receive Esau’s blessing
With the idea of Esau giving up his birthright,
let’s look at: “Hold fast what you have that no one may take your crown”
We, too have a birthright
If we consider it of little or no value,
we can lose our crown,
which is similar to our birthright or our reward in Christ
Times are tough
They are going to get tougher
Without a very close relationship with God,
it will get harder to hold onto what we have,
to see the spiritual as more valuable in life
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled,
and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Who are kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:4-5
If we get complacent in the things of God,
we can become deceived or off-track
If we lose our focus of Christ as the center of our lives,
We might dismiss the importance of the heavenly reward
in this race we are running:
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run,
but one receives the prize?
Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
And everyone who competes for the prize
is temperate in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown,
but we for an imperishable crown.
Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty.
Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.
But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection,
lest, when I have preached to others,
I myself should become disqualified. I Corinthians 9:24-27
I saw an interview of a man last night who talked about
wind and lightning and fire showing up in his church
He said God and an angel brought them
He did mention Jesus, but he exalted the signs and wonders
He glorified the signs and wonders
He also talked about going back in time by meditating on what had happened
so he could really understand what he had experienced
and what God was a wanting to show them
I’ll give you a truth, God is always wanting to bring us closer to Himself
We should not follow signs and wonders
no matter how exciting they may seem
Remember when the disciples were mesmerized by seeing Moses and Elijah?
While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them:
and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said,
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Matthew 17:5
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;
teaching and admonishing one another
in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16
But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. Revelation 2:25