The Anchor that Holds

BLAST DISMISSAL

INTRODUCTION

Open your copy of God’s Word and join me in Hebrews chapter 6.

- In 1914, British explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, was commissioned to lead an expedition to explore the Antarctic. He posted this recruitment advertisement all across the city of London: “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success.” According to legend, more than 5,000 men—and “three sporty girls”—applied for the chance to join him. Shackleton chose a crew of 27 men and set sail for the Antarctic. 10 months after their journey began, the ship and crew became surrounded by thick ice and were soon frozen in and trapped.

The crew was stranded for nearly two years, facing bitter cold, starvation, and isolation. But what made this story remarkable was not just the harsh conditions—it was that not a single man died. Shackleton’s leadership, resolve, and unrelenting perseverance brought every one of them home. He crossed 800 miles of open ocean in a small lifeboat to get help.

Now, the ironic thing is, in what would be a foreshadowing of this historic and courageous journey, Shackleton’s ship was named Endurance.

I want to ask you a question—will you endure and persevere in faithfully following Jesus to the end? Will you run your race with endurance and finish well?

Hebrews 6:11–20 ESV

And we desire each one of you (moved from “collective” to “individual,” now) to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

And, now, he’s going to give us an example of one who modeled perseverance by faith and patience. He’s going to go back to the OT.

Hebrews 6:11–20 ESV

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

MAIN POINT OF THE TEXT

The author is encouraging believers to faithfully persevere to the end by trusting in and waiting patiently for the hope of God’s promises.

Now, I reminded us last week that Hebrews is a warning and an encouragement. Yes, it is a beautiful letter that holds up Jesus as greater than anything/anyone that had come before and who is the fullness of God and God’s promises. And the reason the author of Hebrews goes to such great lengths in this is because, again, he is issuing a warning and encouragement. A warning to not give up. A warning to not take your eyes off of Jesus. A warning to not go back to the former things/old way of life.

The encouragement to press on. Endure. Persevere. Why is this such a repetitive thing?

His biggest concern for them…as we have seen in the last two messages of this series—growing dull/growing sluggish (verse 12). Let me put it another way…

His greatest concern for them is apathy.

We’ve seen the author address APOSTASY. But, here, for believers, he’s concerned with APATHY. Someone who was once passionate about their walk with the Lord/once passionate about the things of God/once passionate about growing in maturity…now grown cold and disinterested.

And, if the devil can get you to that point…you’re just one step away from dropping out of the race. Giving up.

And, so, here’s the word for us this morning…

MAIN POINT OF THE SERMON

We can faithfully persevere to the end because of the finished work and ongoing ministry of Jesus.

My prayer for us this week has been that I know there are believers in this room who have grown cold in their love for the Lord…apathetic. Weary. Battered. Be encouraged with hope this morning to endure to the end.

We get so wrapped up in this life. We get so distracted and consumed by temporal/earthly things. This life is not eternity. There is coming a day where we will stand before the throne of God.

Matthew 24:12–13 “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

So, if we are going to faithfully endure…faithfully persevere in following Jesus to the end, we have to first see the…

The ROOT of perseverance

And, the ROOT of perseverance is…

Hope

Three times in this passage—in this call to endurance—the author points us to “hope.” Look at verse 11—he says that he desires that believers should have the full assurance of hope until the end. “Full assurance of hope”—complete certainty.

Then, look at verse 18—that we would hold fast to the hope set before us. Then, verse 19—we have this hope as an anchor for our souls.

I love that analogy. An anchor holds a ship steady from drifting, even when waves crash and winds howl.

What does an anchor do? It goes down deep, invisible from the surface, but essential for survival. That’s what the author is saying, here. Hope doesn’t mean that you see the fulfillment of God’s promises and the hope that lies before us IMMEDIATELY. But we can hold onto them.

So, what specifically is that hope? Well, he’s going to unpack that for us here in just a bit. Hope that there is something better/something greater coming. Hope that this world is not all there is. Hope is a confident expectation in the promises of God.

And, so, as the author tells us that the ROOT, the anchor, the thing we hold fast to in perseverance is HOPE, he then tells us the REQUIREMENT of perseverance.

The REQUIREMENT of Perseverance

Persevering/Enduring is not easy. The world is pulling at us. Life is battering our faith like a ship in a storm. Some of you are experiencing that right now. Maybe it’s the death of a loved one that is battering you around.

The author uses Abraham as an example for us to imitate.

**Walk through Abraham’s story briefly**

Abraham held fast to the HOPE of what God laid before Him…and, even though he wasn’t perfect…even in spite of a lot of struggle and sin…he walked by...

Faith

vs. 12

Patience

vs. 15

Faith and patience are distinct from one another but are inseparable in the race of endurance and perseverance. You see, faith TRUSTS what God has promised. Faith says, I believe God’s Word and God’s promises even though I can’t see it—or how it’s possible!

Abraham believed God would give him a son, even when he and Sarah were well beyond childbearing years (Romans 4:18–21).

Patience, on the other hand, waits on what God has promised.

Here’s the other thing…Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years before the promise came to pass!

Think of a farmer (James 5:7–8).

He plants by faith—believing the seed will grow.

He waits with patience—trusting the harvest will come in due season.

He doesn’t dig up the seed or panic when rain delays. Likewise, the Christian life is sowing in faith and enduring in patience until the harvest of God's promises comes.

Perseverance has its ROOT in hope, REQUIRES faith and patience, but then, we see…

The RELIANCE of Perseverance

If we are to persevere with hope by faith and patience…what does our faith and patience rely on? What do we fall on (?) when our faith is weak and our patience for hope is weary? What is our hope anchored to

Life changes and a lot of times, it changes on a dime. The weather changes, stock market changes…DANG TARIFFS ARE CHANGING…gas prices change…your health changes…your family changes…my kids get a kick out of looking at pictures of me and Kristy from high school. “You wore THAT?!?!”

APPLICATION—GRADUATES (life is about to change BIG TIME) & MILITARY (your lives are changing...where you live, your church home).

But there are three things that are eternally unchangeable—God’s Promises, God’s Purposes, and God’s Character.

(verses 15—18)

The (unchangeable) promises of God

Not one promise in God’s word has ever failed to come to pass.

Promises for the present and promises for the future.

During World War II, the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise took severe damage in the Pacific. During one battle, under heavy fire, the crew dropped anchor to prevent the ship from drifting toward enemy fire or running aground. The anchor didn’t change the storm or the battle — but it kept the ship from drifting into destruction.

Spiritual point: God’s promises don’t always remove the battle, but they hold us steady in it. When life hits hard, you don’t drift if you’re anchored in what He’s said.

The (unchangeable) purposes of God

God’s purposes have not changed. God’s purpose is laid out in His word. His glory our good. His ultimate plan for this world.

God’s purpose for your life has not changed.

The (unchangeable) character of God

God never crosses HIs fingers or goes back on His promises. God never says, “if these things work out such, then I’ll make good on my promises.”

Impossible for God to lie.

Listen to me…can you say, this morning, “Bring it on. I trust the promises/purposes/character of God?”

The REWARD of Perseverance

Eternal inheritance of God’s promises

The Bible promises eternal rewards for Christians who persevere in faith, obedience, and suffering for Christ. These rewards are not about earning salvation (which is by grace), but about the blessings and honors God gives to faithful believers who endure to the end.

**LIST**

Eternal inheritance of God’s presence

We will be with him. This is the ultimate aim/end.

The resurrection of Jesus—the ultimate proof that God will do what He says He will do. All of the promises of God find their “yes” in Jesus.

Jesus is our forerunner (v. 20). He has gone ahead to secure our place. He is the anchor behind the veil…His resurrection. He has gone on to prepare a place for us…and as he tells his disciples in John 14, if he goes to prepare a place for us…he will come again for us. And, as we’re waiting, as he is preparing the place for us, he sits at the Father’s right hand interceding for us—praying for us—continuing his ministry to us through his gift to us—the Holy Spirit. And, as the Holy Spirit works in us—giving us gifts—these are a taste of the coming kingdom—the HOPE that lies ahead of us that we hold fast to—that we long for…until the Day Jesus returns and swallows up death forever, and we rule and reign with Him forever.

FOOTBALL PLAYERS HOLDING UP “4”

Are you weary? Are you growing apathetic? Hope in Christ is not just for the future. It's for today.

You can persevere—not because of your strength, but because God never changes.

Final question: Can you say this morning, "Bring it on. I trust the promises, purposes, and character of God"?

I began this morning by asking you a question—will you endure and persevere in faithfully following Jesus to the end? Will you run your race with endurance and finish well?

A second question—Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Daniel Atkins