The Blessing of the Anchor - March 25, 2020 - a podcast by theCrossroads, UPC

The Blessing of the ANCHOR
Wednesday Teaching (Online)

This week we will be discussing our ANCHOR – our HOPE!

Hebrews 6:15-20
And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

– The anchors of the ancient days on the sea worked because of their sheer weight and friction as they lay at the bottom of the sea. In modern times, the anchor has a long cable attached to it that allows it to actually drill into the bottom of the ocean floor, or to lodge into the coral reefs or a bed of rocks. Still it works on the same principle: To keep the ship steady on the seas.

– In an age of great change, when morality is scoffed at, when at times the world even encroaches the borders of the church, when the straight paths of righteousness are frequently avoided, men have chosen substitute anchors to try to hold them in place in the stormy seas of life.

-Because of the lack of anchors, men often spend themselves in perilous pursuits. There is the search for significance, a search for some semblance of value as they live out their lives. Because the wrong anchors are chosen, life loses it’s value. Life becomes nothing more than a seeming quest for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

-The word “anchor” only appears four times in four verses. Yet, Paul makes an allusion to this word when he wrote to the Hebrews. There is nothing like having the Creator to be able to anchor the soul.

-Paul knew the great Jewish minds that He would be addressing over this particular issue. The Holy Ghost, driving both the mind and pen of the Apostle, faithfully warns of apostasy in the opening segment of the chapter. It is the Holy Ghost that is commanding that men be faithful to their God. Yet, as it often is with the Holy Ghost, the closing segment of this chapter confers to men great comfort.

We have to understand WHO we are TRUSTING in…
This – is the REASON for our HOPE which is the ANCOR of our SOULS.

Our Hope is Jesus

It is knowing that we will spend eternity with Him
Knowing that He will wipe every tear from our eyes
We can endure the storms of life because of our PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE Hope that is wrapped up in Jesus Christ.

Our hope is not in GOVERNMENTS

Our hope is not in SCIENTISTS

Our hope is not in MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS or FIRST RESPONDERS

Our hope is not in BANKS, MONEY, or FINANCE

THE ONLY TRUE HOPE OF A CHRISTIAN is JESUS CHRIST and ETERNITY WITH HIM.

To rely or hope in anything else will only lead to drifting and loss of purpose in this life and the life to come.

 

WHY WE NEED THE ANCHOR

-The anchor has the capacity to hold the wind-tossed, the storm-torn, and the weary sailor can find rest in the most perilous times of life.

A. To Hold During the Storm
– There is a small debate about the purpose of the anchor during the storm. A small group of sailors say that it is best if the anchors rest in the sterns and bows of the ship. They hold that the ship should be able to “roll with the flow.”

– The vast majority of sea-worthy sailors determine that the anchors should be dropped to the depths. The anchor should find the lodging among the rocks thus holding the ship in a steady position throughout the tossing. The anchor holds and keeps the ship from capsizing.

– The great howling around the ship, the creaking of the timbers, the tremors of the mast are all a physical part of the storm, yet the anchor holds.

1 Peter 4:12-14 — Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.

John 16:33 — These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

– The anchor can relieve the dread of destruction. The anchor of Jesus Christ is of such quality that no matter how strong the storm is, the heavier the strain that comes upon it, it’s hold grows deeper and firmer. The storm, no matter how great, does not drive men from the Savior it merely anchors their soul deeper in the Rock of Ages.

B. To Hold The Ship During Discovery

– There are certainly times that the sailor will drop his anchor because he has found great wealth in the sea. When the sailor finds the productive place that the great catch is made, the anchor must be sure.

– There are times in life that God wants us to stay directly where we are. Nothing that God does is without purpose. He does not suddenly entrust men to a great soul overnight. Great buildings are not built overnight. They are built nail by nail, board by board, and brick by brick. Great souls will find themselves at times static without any seeming growth.
-Yet, God who has determined the purpose for our lives directs that the anchors remain down in the depths. There are great treasures that are coming to the nets below.

Luke 21:19 — In your patience possess ye your souls.

Hebrews 6:11-12 — And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

-Patience is the journey of the making of a man or woman of God. Keep the anchors buried there are some great reasons that we have been placed in such a place:

Love

Joy

Peace

Longsuffering

Gentleness

Goodness

Faith

Meekness

Temperance

-Let the anchor stay down long enough until you are free from:

The acid of bitterness.

The heat of anger.

The rival of jealousies.

The rot of covetousness.

The snare of the substitutes.

The lethargy of complacency.

– The anchor holds men against drifting away from the more important things that can be harvested from the sea of life.

Noah anchored deep and built an Ark.

Joseph anchored and delivered the world with God’s help through a global famine.

John anchored his soul and became the disciple of love.

Daniel anchored and walked out of the lions den.

Aholiab and Bezaleel anchored long and worked patiently and crafted the furniture of the Tabernacle.

Peter anchored and came back from failure to preach the most popular sermon in the entire New Testament.

Ruth remained anchored and in her patient gleaning found destiny at the hand of the kinsman-redeemer.

– A great prayer life is not built overnight. A great command of the Word of God is not captured overnight. A great ability of fasting is not found in the unstable life. Stay anchored to the place that God has determined for you to be.

C. To Give Rest

– Another purpose of the anchor is to give rest to the soul.

Matthew 11:28 — Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Job 34:29 — When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? and when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only:

Psalm 36:7-8 — How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.

– The anchor of Christ has brought rest to many souls throughout history. There is nothing like taking the struggles of life and placing them on an altar. In doing this, we affirm, “God I have done all that I can do, You have to take it from here.”

-How much easier it would be if we could learn this in the beginning, to take the difficulties to the Lord in prayer.

D. To Keep the Ship From Losing Ground

– Another purpose of the anchor is to keep the ship from losing ground. There are times that the ship must navigate around the dangerous rocks of the headwaters. The anchor is run out and dropped, then the sailors will work the cable and swing around the treacherous point.

– It takes time, effort, and great energy to operate a ship in this manner. Yet, by doing this no ground is lost. In our quest for revival, the ship must not lose ground.

Repentance is not a loss of ground, it is the seed bed of growth.

Sacrifice is not the loss of ground, it is the strong cost and effort of revival.

Scheduled prayer is not a loss of ground, it is the energy of revival.

Daily being in The Word of God is not a loss of ground, it is the only way to keep moving forward.

– The ship does not lose ground when the anchor of Christ is guiding it around the horn. There is nothing that unifies and consecrates a life like some strongly held hope.

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