An Anchor of the Soul
Hebrews 6:19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Intro:
· 17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
· 18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
· 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
A. The Immutability of His Counsel – vs. 17a “…the immutability of his counsel…”
Immutability - not transposed, not to be transferred, fixed, unalterable
Counsel - purpose
· Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
The Counsel of God is the purpose of God agreed upon by the Godhead.
It is settled in the heavens by the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and cannot be altered or changed.
In a world where everything changes on a daily basis, I’m grateful that the counsels of God are immutable.
· Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not;
· Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
· Psalms 119:89 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
B. The Invincibility of His Confirmation – vs. 17b “…confirmed it by an oath…”
Our text says that God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it with an oath.
In Genesis 22:16, 17, God made an oath to Moses on the top of Mount Moriah.
The Bible says that God swore by himself.
Genesis 22
· 15 And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
· 16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
· 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
C. The Impossibility of His Character – vs. 18b “…in which it was impossible for God to lie”
The Two Immutable things are not complicated to discern.
These two things are clearly God’s Promises (based on His eternal immutable counsel), and God’s Oath.
You’ve heard of “double jeopardy?” This is DOUBLE SECURITY!
ILLUSTRATION: I have a small safe. That is for cash, passports, etc. I have put that safe (that comes with a key and lock) into a much bigger safe (that has a combination.) To get to the things inside that small safe, you first have to know the combination and get into the big safe, and then you have to have the key to get into the small safe.
We need to be reminded of the simple truth that God CANNOT LIE.
Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
God gave His word; His promise. Then He swore by an oath to keep that promise.
That is the level of confirmation that we have.
D. The Impregnability of His Consolation – vs. 18c “…we might have a strong consolation…”
Verse 16 reminds us that the purpose of the oath is to “end all strife.”
(SEE Exodus 22:11)
ILLUSTRATION: The United States Navy thinks so much of an aircraft carrier that it put 2 anchors on those ships.
Those anchors are 30,000 pounds each. (that’s 15 tons!)
The USS Nimitz chain had fifty-seven links, each weighing 350-pounds, and make up just one 90-foot shot of chain that weighs a total of 20,500 pounds.
These anchors can hold a ship that weighs 100,000 tons.
So here is my point.
Do you think the US Government cares more about a hunk of steel than God does your eternal soul?
We have a STRONG consolation!
Those ship anchors were made by man.
Those ship anchors were made of material that can weaken and break down over time.
The hope we have was made by God!
The hope we have was made by the words of God that are eternal and unbreakable!
Church! We have a strong consolation!!!
The Bible says “which hope we have AS AN ANCHOR OF THE SOUL, BOTH SURE AND STEDFAST!”
That ANCHOR is none other than Jesus Christ!
He is the one to whom we have fled for refuge!! (vs. 18 “…who have fled for refuge…”)
John 10
· 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
· 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
We have An Anchor of the Soul…
I. To Keep us from Doubting
Several times in these verses we see the emphasis place on our HOPE.
It is vital for us to understand that the difference in this HOPE and the hope of the world is extraordinary.
One of the greatest battles that a Christian will face from time to time is doubting God’s Word.
If He said it, He will do it.
The Apostle Paul said it like this:
· 2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
The doubting Christian has essentially cut the anchor and let it drop into the sea.
James emphasized this repeatedly.
James 1
· 5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
· 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
· 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
· 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
A wave of the sea has no stability.
It is the result of its surroundings.
It is the result of outside elements.
A wave has no ability to stabilize or stay in one place.
James and Paul both used that word WAVERING to describe a person that is doubting God’s promises.
· Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
· James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
The Psalmist David had a solution to the waves of doubt.
· Psalms 93:4 The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
Psalm 107
· 28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
· 29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
We have An Anchor of the Soul…
II. To Keep us from Drifting
Ephesians 4
· 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
· 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Paul was concerned about the Ephesian church members being tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine.
There are false doctrines on every hand.
People that are sincere in their beliefs, but they are sincerely wrong.
They have been led astray by men by sleight of hand and cunning craftiness.
We have an anchor that will keep us from chasing every false doctrine and every lie that comes down the pike.
· Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
We have An Anchor of the Soul…
III. To Keep us from Destruction
Make no mistake; the devil would do everything within his power to damn us to hell, even as saved people IF HE COULD.
Revelation 12 calls Satan “the accuser of the brethren…”
· Revelation 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Psalm 102
· 1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
· 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
· 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
· 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction;
I am grateful this morning that we have AN ANCHOR OF THE SOUL that is both sure and stedfast.
I’m not going to hell!!! Thank God I have an anchor of the soul to preserve my soul from destruction!!
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