Anchored

INTRODUCTION

Did you know that Popeye was a Christian?

It’s not because he eats spinach—Paul says in Romans 14:2 that “One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.”

I’d like to think I’m a strong Christian based on my vegetable consumption.

No, actually it’s Popeye’s tattoo that gives him away.

The anchor was a very early Christian symbol—possibly older than the fish.

It became a popular Christian symbol under Roman persecution—we can see these symbols throughout the Roman catacombs.

The anchor was a symbol of hope, and of course this comes from Hebrews 6:19 “19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,”

The anchor symbolizes stability in the midst of chaos.

And what is this hope? What is this hope that serves as this stabilizing anchor? It’s that God is going to bless the faithful—that God takes care of His children.

Seniors, at Meadow View it has been our mission to pass on this anchor—this hope—to you all.

And you’re at the stage of your life where you’re going to venture off into open waters on your own.

This morning, I wanted to just revisit a couple of things that you’ve been taught concerning this anchor that been passed on to you.

I. Our Anchor is Strong.

This “anchor for the soul” is sturdy and stable enough to keep us grounded.

The Hebrews writer calls this anchor “firm” and “secure.”

The word for “firm” here in ancient Greek literature was used to refer to something that’s “not slippery.”

This anchor isn’t like a wet bar of soap in your hand that keeps slipping and you can’t seem to get a hold of it.

By using both of these words together the Hebrews writer is wanting to highlight the level of certainty and security we have in this anchor—we can trust it.

It’s one thing to say that it’s secure, but how can I know that this anchor is secure.

The first is because God vowed that it is so.

The Hebrews writer emphasizes this at the beginning of this section in v.13 “..since there was no one greater for him to swear by..”

Hebrews 6:17 “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.”

I like what the prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 40:8, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”

The second is because Christ is because of the active work of Christ.

The end of v.19 and into v.20 lets us know that our anchor is unlike a boat anchor—instead of descending into the depths of the ocean it has ascended into heaven, into the Holy of Holies.

We can feel secure knowing that Jesus offered himself on the cross in our place and continues working on our behalf pleading our case before the presence of the Father.

We can trust that this anchor—our hope—is one that we can lean on as we walk through the difficulties of life.

II. Identify False Anchors.

Beyond understanding that this anchor is strong and secure, you’re going to need to be able to identify false anchors.

In life we’re presented with things that claim to give us the stability and assurance in life that our hope in Jesus can.

Truly, nothing can give us the same stability that Jesus can.

If we choose to anchor ourselves to relationships we will inevitably face heartbreak.

If we choose to anchor ourselves to money we will inevitably face poverty.

If we choose to anchor ourselves to politics we will inevitably face strife and disappointment.

But when we allow Jesus to be our anchor and stabilizing force, we will be able to walk through the trials of life.

There’s a big difference between the anchors of this world and the anchor we have in heaven—Paul says in Romans 5:5 that our anchor “does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Jesus demonstrates this in Matthew 7:24–27 “24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.””

In this new stage of life, it’s vital that if we have any of these weak anchors in our lives that we replace them with the solid hope we have in Christ.

III. Being Anchored Doesn’t Mean You Don’t Sway

Life is difficult—and truly that’s an understatement.

Even though we have an anchor that is stronger than any steel any human can make, the waves of life can still rock our boat—and that’s ok.

When we look at the pages of scripture we read of plenty of people who felt the same way even though they knew their anchor was secure.

James wrote in James 1:2-4 to consider it joy when we face trials knowing that these trials refine us.

The Psalmist writes constantly concerning trials and the pit and then writs in Psalm 46:1–2 “1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,”

And Paul put it perfectly in 2 Corinthians 4:8–9 “8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”

He finishes his thoughts in v.18 by saying 2 Corinthians 4:18 “18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Know this, just because you may find yourself in the eye of a storm in this new season of life don’t think that God has let you go—your anchor is still holding.

IV. The Anchor is Not a Decoration.

We’ve talked about this in our Luke class a little bit.

In Luke 6:46-49, Jesus urges his audience to have His word be the foundation, the anchor, of their life.

He then illustrates what happens when you do this through the metaphor of a house.

A house with His word as the foundation withstands the winds and the waves, while a house with a faulty foundation is washed away.

Sometimes, we don’t allow Jesus to be our foundation.

We’ll allow Jesus to be the curtains or the pretty lamp in the corner.

We say we believe in Jesus.

We may attend church and we may know some scripture, but we don’t allow that scripture to change who we are.

When we don’t allow Jesus to be our foundation—our anchor—we will inevitably get swept away.

Jesus, your anchor, is more than just an ornament in your life—He needs to be the foundation of your life moving forward.

CONCLUSION

Seniors, you and you alone get to choose what the anchor of your life is.

I’ll leave you with the words of the hymn We Have An Anchor:

“Will your anchor hold in the storms of life, when the clouds unfold theirs wings of strife?

When the strong tides life, and the cables strain, will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

WE HAVE AN ANCHOR that keeps the soul steadfast and sure while the billows roll;

Fastened to the Rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

If you’re here today and need an anchor to ground you and to guide your life, choose Jesus today.