The Anchor

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