An Anchor For The Soul

Hebrews 6:13-20 ESV

13For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

The Word of God says we have this HOPE “as a sure and steadfast ANCHOR of the soul” and then says this “HOPE enters into the inner place behind the curtain…”

• And tell us that the HOPE is JESUS, who has gone as a FORERUNNER on our behalf. He has gone before us as a forerunner, achieving for us the salvation of our souls.

• He has become the HIGH PRIEST forever – and the Jews would understand this well because of the OT sacrificial system – Jesus is the MEDIATOR between God and man.

• He has become the only eternal Mediator between God and man, reconciling us with God our Father.

• He is our only HOPE in life. The author points us to a PERSON. Our hope is in the person of Jesus Christ, not in ourselves, not in the circumstances, not in this world.

The Hebrews then were facing many trials and persecutions. The author writes to encourage believers to put their trust in Jesus Christ despite the difficulties.

That’s what we must do today too, despite all the twists and turns in life.

• We have experienced many changes in the last 2 years and there will be more to come.

• The world is changing. The climate is changing. People are changing. Our bodies are changing. I am no longer the same me 2 years ago. I have 3 stents in my heart and have to take pills every day.

• Changes cause anxiety and stress to many BUT our HOPE is in Christ. The author reminds us that Jesus is the ANCHOR of our soul.

• Our salvation is secure. We are saved by Him and sustained by Him (cf. 1 Cor 1).

When everything else is changing, we cling on to the One who is not. Jesus Christ is the ANCHOR for our soul.

• That word is beautiful. Anchors hold the ship in a storm so that she does not drift or hit the rocks.

• Jesus is our forerunner and we are following Him. Heaven is our inheritance. We are always safe and secure in Christ.

In this constantly changing world, Jesus Christ is our HOPE. Our lives are in His hands.

• But can we trust Him when the going is so tough? When the circumstances around us are getting more difficult with every passing year?

YES, the author says. In a few words, he seeks to convince us that we can trust God.

• In at least THREE ways – that’s how I summarise it:

(1) The Certainty of His Promise

(2) The Certainty of His Purpose

(3) The Certainty of His Person

• No matter what happens this year – whether there will be a recession, inflation continues unabated, or supply chains are disrupted, our trust is in Jesus Christ.

(1) THE CERTAINTY OF HIS PROMISE

God is unlike us. We can trust what He says. His Word is true and it will never change.

• The author uses Abraham as an example of one who has experienced the faithfulness and trustworthiness of God, despite the long wait and the difficult circumstances.

It’s so easy to read from verse 13 to verse 15, just 3 verses. “God made a promise” and then it ends with Abraham “obtained the promise”.

• But do you know that in reality, it took 25 years to go from verse 13 to verse 15.

• When God made him a promise, that’s in Gen 12 when he was 75 years old.

• And when he finally “obtained the promise” and got a son through his wife Sarah, that’s in Gen 22 when he was 100.

Abraham’s faith in God was not easy. God promised to bless him and made him a great nation, but he has to leave his homeland Ur.