THE ANCHOR
Heb. 6:16-20a
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR Husband/Wife Follies
1. A husband asked his wife about what she wanted for her birthday. She answered, "I want something that's bright and shiny, and can go from 0 –150 in 3 seconds; That's what I want for my birthday!" So He got her a bathroom scale.
2. One husband was telling about how his wife commented on his weight. He said, "I was standing in the bathroom when she said, ‘You look fat in that!’ The problem was I was still in the shower!"
3. It was one couple’s anniversary. The wife said, "Let's go eat somewhere we haven’t eaten for a long time!" The husband said, "Okay. Let's go eat in the kitchen!"
B. TEXT
16 People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. 17 Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.
C. THESIS
1. The Lord knows that we live in a world that is often filled with uncertainty and questions. God uses a very descriptive metaphor/ word picture, to tell what He’s done to aid us on our journey.
2. This world is like a sea—restless, unstable, dangerous. We’re like ships driven with the wind and tossed. We’re subject to its changes and motions, to drift by currents, and be driven by winds and tossed with tempests.
3. We haven’t yet come to the true terra firma, the solid ground of God’s eternal Kingdom. God doesn’t want us tossed around and helpless.
4. So He’s fashioned an anchor of hope for us, so that we can ride out the storm.
5. We’re going to look at the purpose of this anchor, what it’s made of, how we hold onto it, and how it holds us.
6. The title of this message is, “The Anchor.”
I. THE DESIGN OF THE ANCHOR
A. PURPOSE OF AN ANCHOR
1. GENERAL DEFINITION: An anchor is a device normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current.
2. “HOOKING” ANCHORS. Most anchors achieve holding power by "hooking" into the seabed. There are many designs to accomplish this.
3. SHEER MASS ANCHORS. Another method of connecting a ship to the seabed is by sheer mass, that is, by the weight of the anchor itself. These anchors can either be temporary or permanent.
4. A SEA ANCHOR is a device used to stabilize a boat in heavy weather. Rather than tethering the boat to the seabed, the sea anchor increases the drag through the water and thus acts as a brake.
5. Just as an anchor holds a ship firmly to one place when winds and currents would otherwise remove it, so God has given us certain Truths which are intended to hold our minds fast to the truth of God’s Word and to Himself.
B. WHY DO WE WANT TO HOLD OUR SHIP STILL?
1. TO KEEP IT FROM BEING WRECKED
a. In calm waters, we don’t need an anchor. But when weather conditions become dangerous, an anchor becomes essential.
b. When a gale is blowing and a ship can’t hold its course and risks being driven aground on a rocky coast, then an anchor is worth its weight in gold!
c. Life has storms and situations just like that: Satan tempts us, our own human weakness beset us, and the trials of the world break on us like waves and tempests.
d. But God has made preparations for His people to be saved from life’s shipwrecks— He’s provided an anchor! An anchor so sure that no storm can overwhelm us, if we use it!
2. TO NOT BE CONTROLLED BY EXTERNALS
a. An anchor is also brings “comfort” to sailors because it gives them some assurance that they’re not completely at the mercy of the elements.
b. In life, people who’re driven helplessly by circumstances are miserable people, because they become disoriented as to their current position and their future direction is uncertain too.
c. We require an anchor to hold us so that we may find peace and confidence. That’s why the Bible speaks of, “strong consolation.”
3. TO PRESERVE US FROM LOSING HEADWAY
a. Suppose a ship been making good time towards a port, but suddenly the wind changes and a fierce headwind begins to blow. The ship will be driven backwards.
b. But a wise captain will order, “We’ve gotten this far and we’re not going to be driven back and lose time. Throw down the anchor and let’s hold this spot!”
c. Sometimes God’s people face strong headwinds – our culture contradicts our beliefs, our friends press us to do something wrong, trials seem to overwhelm us with more than we can stand – so we feel tempted to give up the struggle, to go back to our old life.
d. It’s time to throw out the anchor! Hold your position until you can advance again!
II. THE MAKE OF THE ANCHOR
A. STRENGTH OF OUR ANCHOR
1. “That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation.”
2. Anchors are not made of just any kind of metal, but tough, heavy compact material which will bear all the strain that is likely to come upon it at the worst of times and resist the corrosive power of salt water.
3. If anything in this world should be strong, it should be an anchor, for upon it safety and life often depend.
B. THE CHRISTIAN’S ANCHOR
1. What is our anchor? It has two great blades, two Divine things which secure our lives.
2. GOD’S PROMISE. When God makes a promise, He never goes back on it! He never changes and His promise continues from one generation to another!
3. GOD’S OATH. To God’s sure Word is added another Divine thing, namely, God’s oath. Imagine the angel’s astonishment when God Himself raised His hand and swore an oath!
a. I tremble to speak on such a sacred topic! Conceive the majesty, the awe, the certainty of this! Who dares doubt the promise of God? Who can have the audacity to distrust His oath?
b. How could that be altered? God has pledged the honor of His name.
4. Church, I want you to see in this anchor the Lord Jesus. Can you see Him dying on the cross? If God would allow that, can you think of anything which would stop Him from fulfilling His promise?
5. Then Jesus arose and ascended to Heaven and entered within the veil and sat down at the right hand of God to represent us!
III. OUR HOLD OF THE ANCHOR
A. CONNECTION TO THE ANCHOR
1. It would be of no use for us to have an anchor, however good, unless we had a solid hold on it. The anchor may grip the seabed, but the cable connecting to the ship must withstand the pull.
2. Large vessels are not content to run the risk of breakage so they use metal cables or chains to hold the anchor.
3. So our faith must strongly lay hold on the hope of eternal life. The original Greek signifies “to lay hold such that we won’t lose our hold even if the greatest force would pull it from us.”
B. HAVE YOU GOT THE ANCHOR?
1. Christian, you’re in a storm—here is your anchor! You ask, “Can I use this anchor”? That’s the very reason God has made it available to you!
2. There’s no captain but, if he were in a storm and saw an anchor on the deck, he would use it at once and ask no questions. The anchor might not be his; it might be on board as a piece of merchandise—he would not care about that! “The ship has got to be saved. Here is an anchor, over it goes.”
C. IN TROUBLE, OUR GRIP BECOMES STRONGER
1. When storms hit a ship, the force of the wind only forces the anchor deeper into the seabed. The more the ship drags, the tighter its hold becomes.
2. Similarly, when we face trials and tests, they force us deeper into the things of God – and what the devil means for bad actually turns into good!
3. We need to get the grip of Jacob, who when he wrestled with the angel, got stronger as the night went on. Because he held on, he won the blessing from God!
IV. THE ANCHOR’S HOLD OF US
A. GOD’S HOLD ON US
1. It’s good that a ship has hold upon her anchor, but it’s most important thing is that the anchor keeps its hold upon the ship.
2. Hopefully the presence of the Lord in you has such a complete hold that you can’t get away from Him!
3. When you’re under temptation, depression of spirit, trial or affliction, can you sense God holding you?
4. When the devil tempts you to give up, does an unseen power, the Voice of God, speak from the depths and reply, “But I won’t give you up! I have hold of you and I will never let you go!”
5. Church, our security depends far more upon God’s holding us than our holding onto Him! Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world!
B. SAVES FROM PERIL, NOT TROUBLE
1. Our hope, like an anchor, won’t deliver us from all problems; no, sometimes it’ll bring them! It won’t screen us from trials—but it will save us from real peril.
2. It’s like the passenger on a ship in a storm that went to the captain and said, “Captain, we’re in great danger, aren’t we?” When the Captain didn’t answer, the passenger said, “Captain, should we be afraid?” Then the old seaman gruffly replied, “Yes, there’s plenty to fear, but not a bit of danger!”
3. We may be tossed & battered, but we’re quite safe, for we have an anchor of the soul which cannot be moved.
C. SECURITY? THE PULL OF THE ANCHOR!
1. One wonderful thing about our connection to Christ is that we can feel it. In a ship you can feel the pull of the anchor and the more the wind rages, the more you feel that the anchor pulling with opposite force.
2. ILLUSTRATION
a. Like the boy flying his kite. He let the string out so far that he could no longer see the kite.
b. A woman walked by, looked up and seeing nothing, asked the boy if he was sure he had a kite on the line.
c. He replied, “Yes, Ma’m.” “How do you know for sure?” “Because I can feel it tugging on the line!”
3. It’s the same with faith in Christ. We can’t see Him but we can feel the tug of the line in our souls.
4. So Christ our Hope has gone up to Heaven and He’s pulling and drawing us towards Himself. We can’t see our anchor, but we can feel its heavenly pressure!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION
1. Sunflowers are beautiful flowers that start off as tiny sprouts. The reason sunflowers are called sunflowers is because they follow the sun.
2. The sun rises in the East, the sunflower will point East. The sun sets to the West, the sunflower will point West.
3. These flowers throw off a lot of seeds. They are productive because they are always looking for the sun.
4. When you and I look for the S-o-n, like the sunflower looks for the s-u-n, then we will find the effects of his rays softening our hearts so we can throw off new seed, new life.
5. It’s our response to the Word that determines our productivity. Abiding in our relationship with the Son will result in the transformation and growth that many Christians are looking for.
B. THE CALL
1. In scary storms, a sailor might almost wish that he could go down to his anchor and fix it firmly. Though he can’t do it, we have a Friend who has gone to make sure ours is anchored securely.
2. Our anchor is within the veil! Our hope is connected with Christ and His work! Jesus offered the Sacrifice for all sin and sat down at the right hand of God forever. We rest in His finished work and His Resurrection. How can we doubt?
3. We’re also told that Jesus has gone within veil as the Forerunner. He’s gone where we will follow. Our Lord Jesus, by His intercession, is drawing us to Heaven and we have only to wait a little while. Our anchor is drawing us to itself!
4. My cable has grown shorter than it used to be! I’m nearer to my hope that when I first believed. A few more weeks or months and we’ll all be gathered above!
5. I suspect that some of you don’t have this anchor? A storm is coming! How will you survive? Flee for refuge to the hope set before you!
[This is a rewriting of Charles Spurgeon’s sermon of the same name.]
