“Anchors During Adversity”
(Romans 5:1-11)
Weds. Night
I’m glad you’re here tonight. You know, one of the things that has always been kind of a mystery to me is why more people don’t come to church on Wednesday night. I know that some people get home late and can’t come and I know that some people work at night and can’t come. Then there’s sickness or disabilities and all kinds of legitimate activities that keep us from coming. But folks, I always enjoy our time together on Wednesdays when we pray and open God’s Word. I think it’s special every time we do that as a church family. And I know we come home tired from the stresses of the day. But to me I need that middle of the week shot in the arm, so to speak, to get through the rest of the week most of the time, don’t you? Please say yes!
It’s probably no secret to you and certainly not to me that when I get an opportunity to share from God’s Word, I am more of a teacher than a real fireball from the pulpit. I know that! And I’m not ashamed of that because that’s how God has used me my whole Christian life. As a preacher I have things to say that I feel God wants you to know and to me just to present them and not show you how to apply them, doesn’t do you or me much good. So when I have the privilege of bringing a message, I want it to be something you can relate to and apply, because that’s how we get through life in this world until we go home. So tonight I want to speak about something we all face as believers in Jesus Christ.
I’ve entitled tonight’s message, “Anchors During Adversity.” Turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 5. The writer of Romans, the apostle Paul, certainly knows this subject well and I think if we were with him in his day all we would have had to do was follow him around for a little while to see why. Look at chapter 5, verses 1-11 (Read / Pray).
We’ve heard a lot in recent months and we hear particularly at this time of year coming up a lot about hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, and floods. In one part of the world hundreds of thousands lost their lives in a devastating tsunami that people in that nation are still trying to recover from. In a way those storms are symbolic of other storms we face in life.
We have physical storms, we have emotional storms, we have financial storms, we have family storms, and certainly as believers we have spiritual storms. But sometimes it seems they all hit at once and when they do, it seems unbearable at times. I remember in 1997 this was the case with me (Brother hurt, lost my job, my mom died after a long battle with cancer, my dad had a heart attack, and on top of everything else I was about to turn 40 years old). Folks, if I didn’t have Christ in my life I couldn’t have gotten through that, but I did! One of my favorite songs is a song called “The Anchor Holds” by Ray Boltz. Christ was my anchor during that time. What does an anchor do? It keeps a boat or a ship steady in a storm but it also keeps it in place. It’s a source of security and stability. It keeps the boat or ship from drifting into waters you want to keep away from.
How many times have you heard someone say during some crisis in their life, “Oh, what’s the use” and just give up? An anchor won’t let you do that! It holds you in place during the storm you’re going through until there is calm water again in your life. We all have storms in our life but you know what? God has given us spiritual anchors, and they are truths that can help us stay steady during whatever storm we are in the middle of. In Romans 5, verses 1-11 that we read, there are 5 anchors that help us through adversity. The first one is,
I. Realizing Our Present Position – Verses 1-2
If you’ll notice in verse one, it begins with therefore, which points us back to the four chapters that are before this one. Now, if you read the first four chapters, you see two things. First of all, you see the reality of human sin and the depravity that goes along with that. Then you see atoning work of the Lord Jesus on the cross for sinners. Now when Paul gets to the first verse in chapter 5, he looks at where we are now in Christ. We are justified through faith in what Christ did. And because of that, we have two things,
A. Acceptance by God – Paul tells us we have peace with God. What a concept this is! Chapters 1-4 make it clear that God is not at peace with sinners, but rather at war with them because of sin. As a matter of fact, if you take a close look at chapter one, the phrase Paul uses is the wrath of God. Then he tells how Jesus has satisfied God’s wrath against sin by taking our place and our punishment on the cross. Not only do we have acceptance by God. Secondly, we have,
B. Access to God – Look at the first part of verse 2, “through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” We have the privilege of entering God’s presence at any time. Heb. 10:19 says, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus.” By His grace, we can approach the Almighty God. Before we were justified, we stood before God as condemned criminals and now because of what Christ has done, we can stand before Him as sons and daughters. Folks, when the storms of life batter us around, we can be anchored in the truth that we are not what we once were. By God’s grace, we have been justified, “declared righteous in the eyes of God.” The first anchor that helps us through adversity is realizing our present position. The second anchor is,
II. Reflecting on Our Future Hope – Look at the latter part of verse 2 (Read).
Now, when I think of the word rejoice, I don’t think of something like a half-hearted smile. I think more along the lines of jubilation. The word hope here in the Greek isn’t really like the English word for hope, which kind of conveys something uncertain. Biblically, hope means that something that hasn’t happened yet will come to pass and when it does there should be praise and thanks given for that. The English word that comes closest to hope is the word confidence or assurance. In the midst of a crisis, even when we seem at our lowest point, we can be confident because of our future hope. Listen to what Romans 8:18 says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall (not might) be revealed in us. The third anchor that can help us through adversity is,
III. Recognizing God’s Purposes - Look at verses 3-4 (Read).
You know, usually the first thing we say when we’re going through some real difficulty is “Well, why did this have to happen to me or to my loved one or whatever?” How many in here would honestly say, “I love to suffer?” Nobody in their right mind likes to suffer. Man I’ll be the first one to say that my specialty is not glorying in tribulations. But I will tell you this, I have learned a thing or two about my growth as a Christian through trials. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say some of the times I’ve felt closest to God have been during and after a storm I’ve encountered when I was driven to my knees seeking God’s guidance and comfort and strength when I didn’t think I could go on. There’s something about trials that we go through that brings out the true character in us that maybe wouldn’t surface if the trial hadn’t come along. Why does God let things happen to us that we don’t understand? I don’t know, but I will tell you this, the last time I checked, the human race is pretty stubborn sometimes and we don’t listen very well. Sometimes God lets things happen to wake us up. Sometimes He lets things happen to us so that other people will see how we react and where our strength comes from when tragedy strikes. Maybe He has a lesson for us to learn that can’t be learned any other way. Maybe He wants to use your suffering to reach somebody else. I don’t know why He lets things happen to us that we don’t like. All I know is I’ve learned from His Word and experience that somehow it’s all for my good.
It’s almost like there’s a curtain with all of the answers on the other side. And from time to time God pulls back that curtain and lets us see why things happen the way they do, and then it’s closed again. Sometimes it’s closed for a long time. Sometimes we don’t ever get to see why things happen. This passage of scripture doesn’t attempt to explain everything we need to know about suffering, but it does highlight the fact that sufferings work together to promote spiritual growth. When I was preparing for tonight I found this little poem. Listen to this,
“I walked a mile with pleasure, she chatted all the way
But left me none the wiser, with all she had to say.
I walked a mile with sorrow, and never a word said she,
But, oh, the things I learned from her, when sorrow walked with me.”
Can we really have confidence in God through the storms of life? Look at verse 5 (Read). God may let you suffer difficulty but He does not disappoint in the end! We can be anchored when we realize God’s purpose. The fourth anchor that helps us through adversity is,
IV. Recalling God’s Amazing Love – Look at verses 6-8 (Read).
When we think about the possibility of us dying for someone, who do we think of? Our spouse, our kids, our parents, our friends, but for an enemy? Are you kidding? You know, in several of these verses, people without Christ are described as without strength, ungodly, sinners, and enemies. Did you know that God’s love for us was not motivated by anything in us? We’re sinners! That means we’re sinful! That means we’re full of sin!
But……..because His love is unmerited and is not dependent on us, it will never, never change! Did you know that there’s nothing you could ever do to make God love you more than He already does? Or…….any less! He loves us and His love is something we always have. Now, He doesn’t like some of the things we do and He has to whip us from time to time (okay, everyday) but His love is unconditional. During my Christian life when I have opportunities to share, I always tell people that I still have problems as a Christian, but I have someone that loves me that I can take those problems to and I have many, many, many times.
When you’re going through a storm in your life, do you ever feel alone, like nobody cares? Folks, when we pray, we don’t have to ask God to be with us. If He lives inside of you, He is with you and He goes through everything you do with you. He goes to the same places you do, and when you hurt, He hurts. The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus suffered and was tempted and because of that He’s able to help those are tempted. It also tells us how Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses. Folks, if you don’t hear anything else I say tonight remember that Jesus loves you and He wants to help you through the storm you’re facing. Nobody ever loved you like Jesus does!
Remember in Matthew chapter 14 when Jesus went up on a mountain by Himself to pray? Well, while He’s praying, the disciples get in a boat start toward the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Well, when they get out in the middle, it says the boat was tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. What was going on? They were in a storm! But the very next verse says, “Jesus went to them.” He could have let them fight it on their own and possibly drown. But He didn’t! You know why? Because He loved those guys! And you know the story, He goes walking on the water and as soon as He gets in the boat the storm ceases. He came to them in the midst of a storm and went through it with them for a time. And that’s what He does! And that’s what He’ll do for you when you need Him.
The final anchor is,
V. Rejoicing in God’s Person – Look at verses 9-10 (Read).
We’ve already talked earlier about justification. Salvation involves justification. We have been saved from the penalty of sin. It involves sanctification. We are being saved from the power of sin. And it involves glorification. We will be saved from the presence of sin one day. And in God’s high court whatever Satan throws at us, because of the blood of Jesus, God says over-ruled. He has already given His verdict. And in Jesus Christ we win! It doesn’t matter how much damage the storm has done because we still have Him. And when you have Him, you have all you’ll ever need because He will supply. You know, David said in Psalm 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” And he was right!
Now, all of these anchors that help us through adversity revolve around the truth given to us in verse 11 (Read). Jesus is the anchor above all others and it’s through Him that we have reconciliation. We once were enemies, but not now because of what Jesus has done. The storms of life are gonna come. You can count on it. James says when you encounter trials, not if you encounter trials. But when they come we can turn to these anchors of truth I’ve shared with you tonight.
Now, I told you earlier that one of my favorite songs is “The Anchor Holds.” Listen to the words and see if you can relate (Read lyrics).
THE ANCHOR HOLDS
Anchor Holds VERSE 1:
I HAVE JOURNEYED
THRU THE LONG DARK NIGHT
OUT IN THE OPEN SEA
BY FAITH ALONE
SIGHT UNKNOWN
AND YET HIS EYES WERE
WATCHING ME
Anchor Holds CHORUS :
THE ANCHOR HOLDS
THO THE SHIPS BEEN BATTERED
THE ANCHOR HOLDS
THO THE SAILS ARE TORN
I HAVE FALLEN ON MY KNEES
AS I FACE LIFE’S RAGING SEAS
THE ANCHOR HOLDS
IN SPITE OF THE STORM.
Anchor Holds VERSE 2:
I’VE HAD VISIONS
I’VE HAD DREAMS
I’VE EVEN HELD
THEM IN MY HAND
BUT I NEVER KNEW
THAT THEY COULD SLIP RIGHT THRU
LIKE THEY WERE ONLY GRAINS OF SAND.
REPEAT CHORUS ONCE :
Anchor Holds VERSE 3:
I HAVE BEEN YOUNG
BUT I AM OLDER NOW
AND THERE HAS BEEN SUCH BEAUTY
THESE EYES HAVE SEEN
BUT IT WAS IN THE NIGHT
THRU THE STORM OF MY LIFE
O, THAT’S WHERE GOD PROVED HIS LOVE TO ME.
Anchor Holds REPEAT CHORUS ONCE TAG :
I HAVE FALLEN ON MY KNEES
AS I FACE LIFE’S RAGING SEAS
THE ANCHOR HOLDS
IN SPITE OF THE STORM.
Tonight I want to leave you with two questions, “Are you anchored” and “What are you anchored to?”
Let’s pray!
