Anchor

Do we have Sailors in the audience?

A few. Okay, I love to go sailing. I don't like to be in crew, cherry and Joyce, were both really good Sailors and they were Captain Bligh one and Captain Bligh to. So if Jack or I or Terry's brother, got stuck with them as Captain stuff. We can wanted to leave very quickly. I like to sit on the deck chair and everything go by that. It's really fun, but I can leave to somebody else. You may remember the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald happened in 1995 after the Great Lakes Lake Superior Gordon Lightfoot memorialized, this in a song. And so with, that's really one of the reasons that most people will remember that particular incident about a year after the sinking. They found a bank in another one of the Great Lakes that was, in fact, an anchor from the Edmund Fitzgerald. And so there's no way to really know how significant that loss was and how much that contributed to the eventual loss of the ship. The nautical image in the Bible is really, really strong and just one of those things sometimes when I get up here and I'll say will be analogy like the shepherd analogy, we don't have that analogy. We are really but this sailing and anchor analogy. Still hold. It's still the way that you anchor boat, still the way that you slow it down, still waited to stop it. And obviously, there are major major changes because I have looked so much on my phone for things about anchors last night. When I was looking at YouTube, it just popped up a a video of the anchors being lifted on an aircraft carrier and it was Unreal. The links on that chain or about the size of a human body literally just over and over again. And it pulls up to this metal thing and it'll start actually flame and there's somebody there who's throwing water on her, for some kind of chemical to cool it down, you know, it was just an incredible Airline out of an aircraft carrier. Takes an awful lot to do that. You look at ask a up 47 we're Paul on the way to Rome to stand for Caesar. They have a shipwreck and there's a lot of detail in that book about what they tried to do in order to keep that ship from sinking and course they were unsuccessful and doing that. Jonah, had an experience in the sea, it from Jonah, chapter 12, River when Jesus is on the lake, I'd like to Galilee and there's a storm, they are the disciples frightened that they're going to literally lose their lives. So over and over again. We see passages and an analogy to scripture that we can utilize dr. David L Turner says, the sea was feared as a place of chaos and death in the time of Jesus. Remember there's no Coast Guard. There's nobody except maybe another person in the ship who would be willing to help you. So when you left the safety of the shore and went out into the water, you were literally at your own risk. How well-prepared were you, how well-prepared was your equipment so that you would actually have a better opportunity to deal with that? They were really really vulnerable. And also think about the time, there's no way to get long distances quickly, I can't get on the bus, you can't train, you can't get an airplane. If you wanted to come for a long-distance the way to do, that would have been an ocean-going vessel. And so there was a inherent risk, certainly in that tub possibility, the ground is dangerous. But the ground is still solid. But when you're on water, you don't have that. That Foundation there. What are you going to do in that situation? That's fluid. You're very vulnerable. And so when people in the Bible, right about anchors, the recipients and the reader says, immediate readers would have had a really strong image of how that works and why that was so critical and why that's important. And it has the same message even for us today.

We look at our world, though. It's easy to feel like what we have, an anchor Louis Society. What are people anchoring their lives to? Sometimes it's kind of hard to figure out. We need anchors.

Got the wrong page.

We'll go back to our text, Hebrews chapter 6, starting in verse sitting 16. People, swear by someone greater than themselves and the yolk confirmed what it said and puts it in the wall arguments. But God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose. Very clear to The Heirs of what was promised he confirmed it with a note. God did this. So by two unchangeable things in which is impossible for God to lie, we have fled to take, hold of the hope. He set it for us and we are greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul firm and secure. And that really would have been meaningful to those original readers because they would have understood that. So directly we live in a world where Sometimes you could probably ask somebody, what's your anchor? and a lot of people wouldn't know, they might not even feel like they have an anchor because sometimes I will be a lot of times, we develop our anchors subconsciously, you know, People get into politics or service or good works or special causes they pursue wealth, they pursue education for all kinds of things. And these are the things that take on their life purpose and it has things that they find fulfillment in. And without maybe wearing the badge that says, this is my anchor, this becomes their anchor And then you have to wonder sometimes, we'll do you really want to be anchored to that particular thing or two, that particular direction. Now, there's nothing wrong with it for say. But look at 2nd Peter 2:19. They promise them Freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity for, people are slaves to whatever has mastered them, whatever has conquered, then whatever is leading, then it would be a slave to sport. Entertainment. Getting ahead. Fix ass is literally endless. They're all kinds of things that we can substitute for God. Now, I understand that there are a lot of people in the world who are frustrated with organized religion, man, that certainly makes sense. You don't have to look very far until you begin to find things. That frustrate you would create problems. And so, so many people are going away. And say, I don't want anything to do with that. And yet, we look in the Bible, that organized religion is not really what we see taught there. We see Todd groups of individual people, and communities churches that come together to serve Jesus Christ, and to do what God wants them to do with their lives. And so the idea of having a lot of bureaucratic institution is going to be difficult. Because that's really not what church in Christianity was set up to be in the way it was supposed to function to function through these small groups that are responsive to the needs of the group for the church family and God had this great idea and it was a wonderful idea and it has a lot of positives and we experienced a lot of positives there but when you go up to somebody and say, what's your anchor or whatever and then you know we can drop it to the old religion and say, will God Deeds to be your anchor and people are like they turn that off for the hear about the second syllable because they've heard all that before. There's more things in life that are fulfilling their things are interesting. Their things that are stimulating their things that are challenging and often times we don't put religion into any of those categories. but as we look at our life, And what we're really going to tie onto.

What is that? And over and over. We look back at the word and it says, we go back. The dawn. Now. Anybody here we had a storm in your life. Probably not a single person in here. Who would say they haven't your people this room right now who are in the middle of their storms. The storms are raging in their lives and for so many, they're reaching out to the people of God and to the message of God, because that's what they want to use is a handle and deal with the storms. Storms Come and they can be very dangerous. So, why God? If you're in the middle of a storm and you need an anchor, or you're preparing for a storm, you're aware of a storm you're going out to sail, you want to have your anchor, they're incapable of being used and capable of working and functioning, why don't we choose God? Will this passage tells us that and it really helps a great deal when we start to think about the why There's two things that are mentioned are number one is God's unchanging nature.

Yeah, that's almost hard for us to believe because we live in a world where everything changes, that's the one constant change and were used to change, were used to change within ourselves, were used to change in relationship. We use of time creating change and this passage comes along and says no, no no. God is the same. Psalms 46:1 God is our refuge and strength. An ever-present help in trouble. He's constantly there.

When I was in college, I took a Ministry class. There were six or eight of us in there who were lying to be minister of the teacher, was a guy by the name, of some of you may have had exposure to Raymond or knew him personally. I really really super guy and occasionally. He would just let us pick his brain or Netflix that day. We just asked questions and questions on the board. He would write how you resolve that question one day when the guy says, just tell us the answer, you know, we want to know the answer, I can do that. But I'm not going to because of this. The answers don't change with the questions. Do. and I think all of us were, like, really, The biggest question in our life, the question we wanted Doctor Kelsey to write on the board was conscientious objector. This is 1971, everybody is concerned about their draft status there. People on campus who were being drafted there, people who are on campus, who don't return. After being drafted, there is this great worry and Christians should be conscientious objectors and all that is. So, this is a really big deal. And I look back on that, every one of us wanted Doctor Kelsey to say, this is what you should do. When was the last time you had a philosophical discussion about being a conscientious objector? Questions changed. Have you went to a move to a voluntary Army and no longer is that an issue with a lots of people? There were three or four other issues that were really important in our minds as a time to none of those are still around. You know, used to be when you sat down with somebody just say scripture, you would debate scripture with them and say, well, I think this is what the Bible teaches as they were say. All I think this is what the Bible teaches and you sit down today and say I think this is what the Bible he should I say.

Where does veal come from? What came from God? What is there really a god? And so it's totally different in the way you approach things, because so many people have grass or accepted those fundamental issues about God. We're not their bathing just how to interpret scripture, where the where debating, whether the scripture even has our weather even, is it gone? So all the questions have changed and the thing is encouraging and comfortable for us. is a fact that we know that our God is unchangeable as hard as that is to believe that's why I can teach My child knowing that my child will teach their child and their child will teach their child because it's still the same wisdom. All the questions are going to change. But God still is the answer and he still provides the answer for us. Other thing that's critical of this passage will be at. So what y'all, God's unchanging? What's the other things there? He cannot lie.

People say what like that says, God doesn't lie. So God, can't lie. It's totally inconsistent with who he is, and what he is. God is love. And love, doesn't lie, don't you get tired of all? The lies? We had a little storm, not too long ago. And, you know, we had that raps of people come through Dock of the door. It was interesting to me, either of the points, the places where they pointed out that our Rivers bad, none of his people. Which of you is so many things people want from us and they get that by telling us whatever we want. And so it creates literally this chaos where you don't know what to believe. So what are you turn back to? How about a God who can't lie? How about eternal truth? It's always been there and he's always going to be there. Titus 1 verse to Sicily in the hope of eternal life which God who does not like I promised before the beginning of time.

Will my anchor hold. In storm.

Jonah new. All new Jesus do there, people who've actually experienced the trauma of shipwreck and in our own world in their own history. And they know what it's like to experience that terrible frightening storm. I need you to the beginning. Gordon Lightfoot Lightfoot was the sailor who spent a lot of time sailing in the, in the Great Lakes and he was deeply emotionally touched by this event so much so that he didn't just get permission to publish and record the song, he went to every single home of every casualty on that ship and said, is it all right with you? And all of them said yes. And he writes in that song. If you're not familiar with the song, It's The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. But there's a place in the song where he says, where does the love of skating Where does the love of God go? When the waves?

Turn the hour, turn the minutes into hours. I knew a youth that up. Where does the love of God go when the water's Rising? Where does the love of God? Go when the storm is Raging? Where is the love of God? Go, when you are so afraid that your heart is literally feels like it's in a pound out of your chest, because it's fear is overwhelming, and we know we've experienced that those things happen. What are the primary phrases that the Jewish people use is? Where's God where how to love when the storm is overwhelming us? How's it going somewhere?

Still there. It's still working. Sometimes we misunderstand it. Sometimes the people who don't make it say well I guess God didn't love my person. I guess God didn't love me your care and that doesn't mean that the love goes away from us. God loves us, and he holds Us close to him and he provides for us. And even if our physical life is taken, he provides this opportunity, Rushed to be with him on the other side.

The Seas of lifted up Lord the Seas have lifted up their voice. The Seas have lifted up there. Pounding waves, that's from Psalms 93. And then Isaiah chapter 43. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The Flames will not set you Ablaze.

There. Storms coming. We all know that if you're not in the middle of a storm right now, you will be, you have been. You will be again. Will your anchor hold? That's the question. Is it built on the right source for the right reason? Will it get us through the storm of life? Would you go out with me?

Dear God, we thank you for your word, the father, we thank you for your permanent. We, thank you for the fact that you are who you are or the or the being. There are God all the way back to the beginning of time. We thank you that we have that unchanging example, and unchanging power. Father, we thank you that you're truthful with us and we pray that we might be more truthful with each other and that we might value truth and hold up the truth. Father, we thank you for rescuing us to the times of danger and we pray that we could constantly restricting ourselves. So that we're stronger and stronger to deal with those moments. We pray this to your precious son, Amy.

This morning weeks, in God's invitation, you need to respond to that. We invite you to do that while we sentencing together.