This sermon concludes the four-week anchor series, focusing on remaining steadfast in Jesus, who is depicted as a firm and secure anchor for our souls, based on the teachings of John 15:5-8 and Psalm 23:1-3.
Welcome church! This is the last week of our anchor series, which has been an amazing 4-week series all built around a single verse of the Bible; Hebrews 6:19 which says: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…” An anchor is an amazing invention, used by fishermen and sailors for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The basic concept of an anchor is that it “is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current.” An anchor is simple in its design, but powerful in its function.
As believers, we are encouraged to remain steadfast and committed in our faith through every trial and storm that life may bring. You may remember from last week that it’s not a matter of if the storms of life will come, it’s a matter of when. And when they come, you want to be prepared, you want to have a firm grip on the anchor of your soul, Jesus.
Today we’re going to talk more about maintaining that grip throughout life. The Bible uses words like perseverance and steadfastness to describe enduring faith. But there’s another word I want us to add to our vocabulary today, and that’s the word remain.
To remain is to stay… and in our fast paced, ever changing culture it’s become more and more of a rarity to remain. To hunker down for the long haul. Whether it be relationships, or jobs, or even zip codes. We are a culture that is constantly on the move. From one thing to another, many of us become enamored with the new shiny things or tired and bored of the old ones. Whatever the case may be, this isn’t how the faith works.
In fact, God calls us to remain, to hold fast, and to root ourselves in faith and righteousness. His invitation is forever, not just for a little while.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…
One of the premises of this series is that the only firm and secure anchor is Christ. He is the one that will hold through any trial and every storm. There may be other anchors, but eventually they all give way and fail. So we learn to hold on, sometimes for dear life, but we learn to hold fast. We learn to remain.
Read John 15:5-8
This passage is acutely important for those who believe. Jesus actually says, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” But what does that mean, what are the ramifications of it all? Is it worth it to gain the whole world but lose your soul in the process? What are you holding onto? This all reminds me of a creative way that African bushmen find water.
Have you ever heard about the salt, tree, and baboon trick?
When water is scarce, African bushmen have created a way to find new sources of it ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium
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