Our Anchor Of Hope

Today’s message is entitled “Our Anchor of Hope,” and since we are going to encounter some nautical terms, I think we should get started with some definitions. Our terms today are anchor, dock, harbor, and bay. An “anchor” is a heavy object attached to a rope or chain and used to moor a vessel to the seafloor. A “dock” is a manmade structure built on the edge of a harbor for the purpose of loading, unloading, or repairing vessels. A “harbor” is a manmade sheltered area built within a bay, where boats can anchor, and it is somewhat shallow; and a “bay” is a natural, partially enclosed body of water, in which a harbor is built, and the water is much deeper. If you were in the navy or passionate about boating, then you are probably familiar with these terms; but for the rest of us, we need some explanation, so we can understand the imagery in our passage of Scripture.

And now, I would like to open with an illustration. A naval officer from World War II once described how the battleships he was on survived terrible hurricanes in Chesapeake Bay. When storms or turbulent seas threatened a ship that was docked in harbor, a crew of some eight or nine sailors would be sent out in a motor launch. Their mission was to haul the ship’s anchor onto planks set across the stern of the launch. Motoring out in the middle of the storm, as far as the chain would take them into the bay, the anchor would then be let down and the ship winched forward into the deeper water on the anchor chain.(1) But this maneuver has been around for centuries, and Paul alludes to it in today’s passage to provide us a spiritual application. So, let us look at what the Scripture teaches about our anchor of hope.

God’s Future Promise (vv. 13-15)

13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

The promise referred to, in verses 13-14, is the one that God made to Abraham when he proved that he was willing to offer his one and only son Isaac on the altar.(2) In Genesis 22:17-18, God promised that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens, and that from his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed. The blessing that God promised is none other than Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Savior. Abraham’s hope, which provided direction for his life, was a promise made in the present with a fulfillment at some time in the future; and so, Abraham looked ahead to anchor his hope in the future, like an anchor that is cast ahead to pull a ship forward.

Verse 15 says that “after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” The phrase “patiently endured,” means that the promise was not fulfilled immediately. In fact, Abraham would not live long enough to see the Savior born, for it would be another 2,000 years! According to commentator Adam Clarke, the statement “he obtained the promise,” probably refers to how he saw the prophecy beginning to unfold as God multiplied the seed of his son Isaac.(3) I think it is important to mention that, according to Galatians 3:6 and James 2:23, through faith, Abraham would be counted as righteous; and through faith, he would one day himself behold the Messiah in heaven.

The statement “he obtained the promise” (v. 15) also refers to Abraham’s descendants who waited and watched for the Messiah. They looked ahead and their vision was made clear, so that when the Savior finally came, they knew Him; and through faith many confessed Him as Savior and Lord (John 11:45, 12:11). They obtained the promise; the promise of salvation, that is. But, not all of Abraham’s descendants believed. Those who failed to believe remained lost, as being Jewish did not entitle them to eternal life. Galatians 3:7 says that “only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham” (cf. Romans 4:16), which includes Gentiles (cf. Galatians 3:13-14); and Galatian 3:39 says, “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

For those of us today who know Jesus as Savior and Lord; I want us to consider how our salvation and the promise of heaven happened on a specific day and time in the past. Many of us can remember the day when we walked the aisle and prayed to receive Jesus Christ into our heart and life. We were given a promise on that day that we would enter heaven when we died; and so, the promise was made on a day in the past, but the fulfillment of entering heaven is set before us, cast sometime ahead in the not-so-distant future, on the day that God calls us home. Like Abraham, we are patiently enduring until we behold the promise of heaven and see our Savior face to face.