ARE YOU CHAINED OR ANCHORED 1/27/03
Hebrews 6:19-20
Are you chained or anchored? What is the difference?
To be chained means that you are bound to something. Remember the master of Magicians, Houdini, would chain himself in some form or another and hang upside down, or submerged under water and he would escape the bounds that hold him. Or the old chain gangs where they would take the prisoners and let them work or the roadways chained with one another to prevent escape. Then I’m sure you heard the old slang about the ball and chain. (Usually when referring to the spouse) This refers to the weight of a heavy round ball chained to a person’s leg becoming a hindrance to ones movement.
Then you have anchored. I have a boat and when I want to stay in a certain place to prevent drifting, I will drop my anchor. This allows me to cast my line in a particular place in order to catch the big one. You see when you drop your anchor it prevents you from drifting. When you drift it can cause you to move from where you want to be to some place you don’t.
I think from the description I just gave, you can see where this sermon is going. So today we will look at some of the sins that bind us and look at what we should be anchored to.
Sins that chain us (2 Peter 2:18-20)
ADDICTIONS
1. Drugs and Alcohol
I’ve heard stories about Mom’s willing to sell their children for a few dollars so that they can get that next hit. I’ve seen people to be so addicted to a drug that they throw away their whole lives for that next high. A friend of mine, who made six figures, had the nice house, the nice cars, the Rolex, the wife and four kids. He threw it all away for a drug call Oxeye Cotton. Alcohol is a drug to. A legalized drug that has been the death of many a home. Some feel that you cannot be addicted to beer. Ask the liver Doctors about that. Substance abuse of any kind binds you from the relationship that God desires.
2. Sexual
Sexual sins are one that shows no prejudice against any race, person, or religion. It has seeks out the young and the old and everybody in between. It has destroyed ministries of some of the largest churches. It has destroyed many a marriage because of some short time fling. Pornography is no longer a situation where you have to go to some sleazy bookstore to get the material. With a click of a mouse you can have all you want in your own privacy. Satan uses this tool to reach our children. I had a friend of mine who recently found her husbands addiction to pornography was to the tune of $ 1,000 per month causing their home to almost be foreclosed.
1 Corinthians 6:18, Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body; but he that commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
Do you understand what the word flee means? Run, get out of there. Don’t let yourself think that you are strong enough to take it. Don’t let yourself be put in those situations. How many lives have been ruined because something got started and they just couldn’t stop. Many affairs started with innocent flirtation.
3. Gambling I recently had an invitation to the opening of the new section of our local Dog track. Because of the relation of my other job and them being a loyal customer, I accepted. Upon my arrival I found not only a nice free meal, consisting of Prim Rib, but also an open bar with all you could drink. I stood amazed wondering how it the world they could afford to give all this away. Then I looked at the people at the slots machines, dropping in dollar after dollar, and I saw how they could afford it. By giving the alcohol away, they were making the people not think properly and not worry about that car payment and those bills. They were going to win that money back and more. I know of a person that lives in this valley who has lost his home(s), his business and everything because of the addiction of the dog track. People use the lottery as their retirement plan. They have their food stamps in one hand and bark out numbers with the cash in the other. Gambling can bind you and can control you.
Habits
1. Your Mouth
What comes out of the mouth is caused by habits. I’ve had people use bad language in church before. People have said, “I can’t believe they used that language in church”. It doesn’t surprise me because that is just part of their vocabulary. They have the habit of using foul language to the point that they don’t even realize what they are saying. Some people have the habit of gossiping. You hear something and you feel that is your duty to make sure everybody else knows about it. We all need to make the habit of only good things coming out of our mouth.
2. Your Attitude
Your attitude can bind you. Some people have the not me attitude. You ask them to do something and they without consulting God say, “I can’t do that”. You can be bound by your attitude. Remember what God’s word say’s in Philippians 4:13, “ I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”
Feelings
1. Anger
2. Self Pity
3. Insecurity
4. Anxiety
5. Depression
All improper feelings can bind you from being what God has for you to be. When you don’t control your anger, you lose your witness. When you sit around feeling sorry for yourself, you miss the opportunity of looking around at the other people who are in a lot worse shape then you. When you are worried and insecure you are bound by your lack of trust in God. Why should you be depressed? With God on your side, you have no worries. We should be the best feeling people there are. God is on our side.
Philippians 4:4, “ Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice”.
Hobbies
Hobbies can bind you. Hunting, fishing, golf, boating, racing; they all are fine when they are put in there right perspective. You see when you put anything before God then the chains that prevent you from having the right relationship with God bind you. He says in His word, “Thou shall not have any other Gods before me”.
You see the list goes on and on. God has a plan for each of our lives. But we are not puppets that strings control our movements. We all are created with a free will. So whatever chain(s) are binding you, preventing you from the relationship that the Lord desires to have with you, can be broken.
John 8:32,” And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
When you lose those chains then you need to be anchored.
Being ANCHORED (Colossians 2:4-7)
To be anchored you have to have something for the anchor to hold to. The scripture I just read tells what we, as Christians need to have our anchored holding on to. “Steadfastness of your faith in Christ” or not drifting in your faith.
That is the problem with a lot of people. They accept Jesus and then they never drop their anchor. They are tossed to and fro by every little storm that passes their way. They never get firmly anchored so they drift from one place to another.
How to be anchored is (found in verses 6 and 7) is four parts.
Walk with Him
Paul uses four words to describe the walk with Christ.
1. Rooted
Webster defines rooted as fixed, firm, steadfast, immovable. Have you ever tried to move a tree or even a plant without first digging up the roots? This is a problem with the new Christian. Satan comes and tries to uproot them like a weed before they grow and their rooted get firmly. It is our job as Christians not only to reach but to also teach so that new Christians how to mature in their walk with Jesus.
2. Built Up
When I thought of how to get the message of built up across the vision of my kids early childhood came to mind. They would ask me to build them something and I would take time and effort to place the blocks in the proper place only to have them knock it over and laugh at my efforts. As Christians we need to be lifting up others instead of knocking them down. We will welcome them into Christ’s family and then be ready to kick them out when they make a mistake. Pray for one another; find something good to say about someone instead of saying something about their weaknesses. Lift one another up in prayer. Build up, not tare down.
3. Established
Webster defines established as to make permanent. We need to look in God’s word and define permanent values. What is wrong is wrong, not well every one else is doing it so it must be ok and or just this once. We need to come to Church, read God’s word, and spend time in prayer as a good habit, not just when we feel like it. Daniel prayed three times a day. Our great President George Washington spent an hour each morning and an hour at 9:00 each night on his knees with a chair and an open Bible on it every day. We need to establish good habits and stick to them.
4. Abounding with thanksgiving.
Abounding means to have plenty. And we surly have plenty to be thankful for. If I had a choice of receiving a nickel for every time someone ask God for something or receiving a dollar for every time some one would thank Him for something He has gave them; I’m afraid that I would be the richer for the asking rather then the thanking. So often we ask God for something and them we neglect to thank Him after he provides it.
So are you chained or anchored? If you are here today you can be released from those chains. If you are here today and have never accepted Christ, today can be the day of salvation. If your are here today and you have some sin in your life that is keeping you from having the relationship that Christ desires, then you can take it to the Lord. If you are here today and haven’t anchored yourself in believer’s baptism you can do so today. Let’s all make sure that we have our anchors secure in Christ. As the song says, “our hope is built on nothing less then Jesus blood and righteousness” and it is on Christ the solid rock we stand and have on anchors in.
