Looking out the window
In life we begin with a hope innocent child like faith that cannot be wavered an inspiration that without a doubt is unstoppable, youthful innocent impressionable sponges that are willing to take any risk yet understanding that we cannot cross that line because we are warned that there are borders, so we attend school and by some amazement we connect with teachers that see our drive, our sense of urgency, our potential and they begin to help us tap into that promise, we are shown new things that spring up new opportunities and we run into hopefuls that try to live out their failed lives through us, desiring for us to be successful and push us to the be the best, they direct us to not make the same mistakes they made and live in the same mistakes they lived in, in hopes that we take heed and finish the race successfully so they can feel some type of achievement through our lives. These are truths in all our lives, their has always been someone that has tried to direct us into a another world that contradicts their world so we would not have to feel the sorrow of failure the way they have felt it, so we too will not have to look out the window of sorrow while living in shambles and disbelief.
Sin has a very strong hold on people, sin blinds, it taints, it shames, it destroys and it consumes, it is not friendly yet it is deceptive into making some believe that it has the best intentions to please you while in the same instance it is killing you both morally and spiritually, sin Is no friend of the flesh. Sin will leave you hopeless and leave you so empty that you will find no hope in this life yet desiring to start over, it will tire you out and distress your soul and leave you looking out the window of hope.
Being able to preach truth this morning and being able to present to you that there is one who we worship and one who desires for us to live a life that will be one of great hope and joy, one who replenishes the soul and brings hope to the hopeless, the starting over and the master of second chances, this wonderful majestic savior is Jesus Christ. You will no longer have to be the one looking out the window of hope yet you can be that hope to the one that is looking out of the window of sorrow.
“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,”
Hebrews 6:19
1st Point “We need the anchor of hope”
The anchor was the symbol of hope. So we look at this symbol of hope, the anchor, what does this entail, wealth, fame what is it? Beloved "Wealth is a weak anchor; fame is still even weaker. What then are the anchors which are strong? Wisdom, great-heartedness, courage, faith in Christ--these are the anchors which no storm can shake." This anchor will come from the maker Himself, God almighty through Jesus Christ.
We need to have this anchor of hope, because life will take its course, life will have its peaks and valleys and we are to find ourselves unmovable when the storms come as we are in our valleys. Beloved Jesus is our hope and our anchor. Storms will come you have to be anchored in Christ, tragedy will come be anchored in Christ, death and chaos will come you must be anchored in Christ.
“Do you have an anchor? I have found that a solid anchor is indispensable to one who intends to live life fully in Christ. To have an anchor is to be centered and well grounded. It is to have a vital spiritual base.” A life centered on the only begotten Son Jesus Christ.
There are many things that have wavered our faith, and have not allowed us to anchor our lives in and through Jesus Christ. We want to believe on the Savior of the world but how can we when we see the church world mocking the very one who can save us? It is so hard for me to believe in the very one who you exploit people with. I had hope but now I am hopeless. What do I do?
These are real questions and this is probably your reality. This morning this might be you. You are trying to figure out what’s real and what’s not, you would first need to realize the real to point out the fake. If you want to have this hope in Christ and know that who you believe in is going to be your sure anchor you must first know him. You must build a relationship with Him, you have to know Him yourself.
“Federal agents don’t learn to spot counterfeit money by studying the counterfeits. They study genuine bills until they master the look of the real thing. Then when they see the bogus money they recognize it.”
You are to know the real Christ in order for you to know the real anchor of your life, and when you know the real you can spot the phony. Without it you will waver, you will fall, you will continue in the bondage you’ve been in, you need sure and strong faith in a strong and sure savior. There are Christians living in unbelief, they are living in sorrow with tormented minds, how can this be? What can be said of this tragic epidemic? They have never had a relationship with the true and living God of Heaven. For arguments sake no sin is greater than any other, sin is sin to God and it will leave you wanting and needing, so before people begin to say that they have done so much wrong, they can never be forgiven, we serve a God that says He will forgive all sin that is sincerely confessed and truly repented of. Church this is real.
2nd Point “The God of Glory, a sure anchor and hope in times of trouble”
This hope we have as an anchor: The anchor was a common figure for hope in the ancient world. Here the idea is that we are anchored to something firm but unseen (which enters the Presence behind the veil).
We are to be anchored to Christ, His word, His promise, all that we strive for in life has everything to do with the one who we find our lives secured in. This life will take its toll, yet we have a sure promise we are to take a hold of in Christ alone. Nothing in this life will complete your security, your identity but Christ, nothing in this life will fulfill your desires other than the hope in Christ. Your work, your children, your spouse, your family or friends these are good, but they are the benefits of being in Christ, you are able to enjoy them in Christ, for they too will involve trouble. This is why we need to be anchored in Christ not only for ourselves but also for those whom we love.
i. You don’t need an anchor for calm seas. The rougher the weather, the more important your anchor is.
ii. Beloved the issue of todays view of Christianity is they paint a picture of no trouble, in other words the wrong perception of Christianity is being delivered to an already ignorant people, see beloved we live on planet earth where life does happen, and in this life we are going to need a sure steadfast foundation, that is not shaken or wavered when storms and quakes arise to keep us steadfast in our journey. So that is why we are to be anchored in Christ and Christ alone.
· We need the anchor to hold the ship (Faith) and keep it from being wrecked.
· We need the anchor to stabilize the ship (Faith) and keep it more comfortable for those on board.
· We need the anchor to allow the ship (Faith) to maintain the progress it has made.
Beloved without an anchor we will be driven away by the issues that have captivated our hearts, that have blinded our view and that have darkened our minds. The glory of God is seen even in the darkest parts of our troubles. With Christ involved there is always a silver lining to be seen. Hope is not a fantasy but a reality, hope is what we cling onto knowing that the answer for our lives is just around the corner. The unanswered questions are now answered in hope, the doubt now becomes belief and the fear now becomes the very faith in Christ. Troubles can do many things, but when anchored in Christ all it does is build us up more to see the Savior exalt Himself for He is a glorious God.
ii. The ship must have hold of the anchor, even as we must lay hold of hope in Christ. The anchor itself may have a strong grip and be secured to the ocean floor, yet if it isn’t securely attached to the ship, it is of no use. But there is also a sense in which the anchor has hold of the ship, even as hope has hold of us.
iii. But the anchor analogy doesn’t apply perfectly. We are anchored upward in heaven, not down in the ground; and we are anchored to move on, not to stand still.
iv. “Our anchor is like every other, when it is of any use it is out of sight. When a man sees the anchor it is doing nothing, unless it happens to be some small stream anchor or grapnel in shallow water. When the anchor is of use it is gone: there it went overboard with a splash; far down there, all among the fish, lies the iron holdfast, quite out of sight. Where is your hope, brother? Do you believe because you can see? That is not believing at all.”
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1
a. Now faith is the substance: Just as our physical eyesight is the sense that gives us evidence of the material world, faith is the “sense” that gives us evidence of the invisible, spiritual world.
i. Faith has its reasons. But they have to be understood spiritually. “Faith extends beyond what we learn from our senses, and the author is saying that it has its reasons. Its tests are not those of the senses, which yield uncertainty.”
ii. “Physical eyesight produces a conviction or evidence of visible things; faith is the organ which enables people to see the invisible order.”
b. Of things hoped for... of things not seen: If you have the substance before you or if you can see it, there is no use for faith. Faith is needed for what we can’t see and can’t touch.
Beloved the truth is you couldn’t see the trouble before it came but it eventually showed up, see this is also truth when it comes to God showing up, you might not see how He is going to do it but better believe as you keep the faith, He will show up.
i. Faith does not contradict reason, though it may go beyond reason. One may objectively prove the Bible is the most unique book ever published and has impacted society more than any other book. But only faith can prove that the Bible is the Word of God. Therefore, this is a belief beyond reason.
c. Faith is the substance... the evidence: Faith is not a bare belief or intellectual understanding. It is a willingness to trust in, to rely on, and to cling to God.
2. (Hbr 11:2) Faith enabled people in the past to overcome. Faith, an anchor in God through Christ for our lives.
3rd Point “The hope we have He said I go and prepare a place for you”
I could remember for years looking out of the window asking questions about my life, the shambles my life was in, the pain and hurt that I have endured looking for answers in all the wrong places. And for years I would ask God if your real then where are you, how come I can’t see you? I’m pretty sure we have had similar questions, for some you might’ve been driving or maybe riding a train or a bus asking the question God what is this life worth?
Jesus was so sure of your life being worth it He spread His arms for it. He took the cross for it. It is when you begin to build a relationship with Him that you begin to realize who He is in your life and in your heart. You this morning who have been looking out the window of sorrow have an opportunity to do so when you come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
From Parade magazine comes the story of self-made millionaire Eugene Land, who greatly changed the lives of a sixth-grade class in East Harlem. Mr. Lang had been asked to speak to a class of 59 sixth-graders. What could he say to inspire these students, most of whom would drop out of school? He wondered how he could get these predominantly black and Puerto Rican children even to look at him. Scrapping his notes, he decided to speak to them from his heart.
"Stay in school," he admonished, "and I'll help pay the college tuition for every one of you." At that moment the lives of these students changed. For the first time they had hope. Said one student, "I had something to look forward to, something waiting for me. It was a golden feeling." Nearly 90 percent of that class went on to graduate from high school.
I began to think of the hope that these students had in a man they have never met let alone they would probably never see again. And yet God who is not a man that He should lie has said this to give us a hope and a foundation to stand on, He said this:
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
John 14:1-4
Jesus never said we would have life without trouble, but He promised that we could have an untroubled heart even in a troubled life. Instead of giving into a troubled heart, Jesus told them to firmly put their trust in God and in Jesus Himself. This was a radical call to trust in Jesus just as one would trust in God the Father, and a radical promise that doing so would bring comfort and peace to a troubled heart.
i. “What signalizes Him, and separates Him from all other religious teachers, is not the clearness or the tenderness with which He reiterated the truths about the Father’s love, or about morality, and justice, and truth, and goodness; but the peculiarity of His call to the world is, ‘Believe in Me.’”
Jesus spoke with complete confidence about heaven, here spoken of as His Father’s house. Jesus didn’t wonder about the life beyond this earth; He knew it and told His disciples that there was room for all in heaven (many mansions).
There will be many such dwelling places. Jesus could see what the disciples never could – millions upon millions, even billions from every tribe, language, nation in His Father’s house. He may have even smiled when He said, many mansions – many indeed!
Love prepares a welcome. With love, expectant parents prepare a room for the baby. With love, the hostess prepares for her guests. Jesus prepares a place for His people because He loves them and is confident of their arrival.
The entire focus of heaven is being united with Jesus. Heaven is heaven not because of streets of gold, or pearly gates, or even the presence of angels. Heaven is heaven because Jesus is there.
i. We take comfort in knowing that even as He prepares a place for us, Jesus also prepares us for that place.
3. (Jhn 14:5-6) Jesus is the exclusive way to the Father.
How will you go if you are not in tuned with the anchor of your soul? Listen to me church too many people are trusting in the wrong things, I petition you this morning to take an honest look at your life and ask the question, do I really trust and hope in Christ? If not you need to make that decision today and begin to trust in the one who has promised you a place in heaven with Him and His DAD. Let God be the anchor of your soul through Jesus Christ. And star looking out the window of hope.
