Our Anchor Of Hope Series

The last couple of weeks we’ve been talking about Staying Afloat in the Storms of Life. We’ve talked about how we all have to endure storms… times of upheaval… that come our way. Most of the time these storms are unexpected. They come upon us suddenly and we don’t have a whole lot of time to prepare. Sometimes we’re given a bit of forewarning and we can kind of brace ourselves for the inevitable.

The storms of life can be caused by any number of things. The death of someone we love, the loss of a job, a prolonged illness, an unexpected accident, relational problems, financial pressures… so many things can cause a personal storm.

We’ve addressed some of these things over the past couple weeks and talked about some of the ways that we can handle these storms when they come. If you’ve missed the past couple weeks and would like to catch up, you can find those messages on our website. This morning, though, we’re going to talk about the one thing that is able to encourage us, sustain us, and keep us going despite the storms. Hope.

Hebrews 6:19 (NIV)

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

Hope is described in the Bible as an anchor. Why? What good is an anchor? What does an anchor do?

PARTICIPATION

[steadies a ship, holds it fast, keeps it from drifting away or off course, lets you sleep easy]

An anchor has the ability to steady a boat in surging waves or shifting tides. It keeps the vessel from losing its way or drifting off course, it keeps the ship from being at the mercy of the winds. If you’re out on a ship and you want to go below into the cabin and catch a nap, you can drop the anchor and not worry about where the ship is going to go while you’re asleep. They provide a certain peace and assurance that everything’s all right.

Here’s something else about anchors: anchors are not always used. When the weather’s fine and you’re just out sailing around, you’re not using the anchor. The anchor’s pretty much useless at that time. But it’s there for when you need it.

And that’s what Hope is like. Hope gives us the peace and assurance that everything will be all right. It keeps us from being at the mercy of the storm. It’s there for when we need it.

“Hope sees the invisible...feels the intangible...and achieves the impossible."

~ “Did You See That?” (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2000)

“When there is no hope in the future, there is no power in the present.”

~ John Maxwell

So this morning we’re going to talk about this Hope. Specifically, we’re going to look at the basis of our hope. And as we do that, we’re going to identify four of the reasons we can have hope. You can use your notes to follow along.

The Basis of Our Hope:

We’re going to take the word Hope and form an acronym with the letters. One reason we can have hope is because of the…

Holy Spirit’s Presence

The presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer gives reason for hope. The Holy Spirit is often referred to as the Third Person of the Trinity… which means He is God. And when the Holy Spirit enters your life, He makes certain offers to you. Let me list three of them.

The Holy Spirit offers…

Peace

Romans 8:6 (NLT)

If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace.

And there are several other verses that link the presence of the Holy Spirit with peace, comfort, encouragement and rest. In John 14 for example, Jesus is telling His disciples that He will soon be leaving them. He tells them…

John 14:26-27 (NLT)

“But when the Father sends the Counsellor as my representative—and by the Counsellor I mean the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you. I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

[Note: some translations use "Comforter" instead of "Counsellor"]

There’s an old song I used to sing while growing up that says…

Where The Spirit Of The Lord Is

By Stephen R. Adams

Where the Spirit of the Lord is

There is peace

Where the Spirit of the Lord is

There is love

There is comfort in life’s darkest hour

There is light and life

There is help and power in the Spirit

In the Spirit of the Lord

© 1973 Pilot Point Music (Lillenas [Admin. by The Copyright Company])