Sermon Central
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The Anchor Still Holds!
Contributed by Lark Lewis on Jul 14, 2011 (message contributor)
Summary: This sermon is about faith in God in hard times.
The Anchor Still Holds!
Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: "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: '`'Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Some people see education as the anchor of civilization, but it was the best educated nation on earth that gave birth to the Nazis. Some see health as an anchor for life, but much of the work in the world is being done by people who don't feel like doing it. Some see stability in wealth--it is their anchor. They may have an experience similar to that of the ship Marine Electric, which sank off the coast of Virginia early in 1983, costing the lives of thirty-one sailors. The reason was this: the ship's eight-ton anchor came loose and battered the hull of the ship until the ship went down. The vessel was destroyed by its own anchor. If wealth is your anchor, it may destroy you. Our hope in Christ is the only unfailing anchor for the soul.
If ever you have the chance to visit the catacombs in Rome, those tunnels under the ancient city, where many of the early Christians were buried, you can see the symbols of faith on their tombs. Three common symbols appear: the dove, the fish, and the anchor. The dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit. The letters of the Greek word for "fish," ichthus, stand for the words Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior. The anchor came from the idea that as Christians were going through difficult, insecure times, their hope anchored their souls. The anchor was a popular symbol in the early church. At least sixty-six pictures of anchors have been found in the catacombs.
Our hope in Christ is like an anchor for the soul.
This World is like a Sea with human life upon it ... there is the heaving, shifting surface with great tempest that rises and falls, uncertainties with endless and unknown complications.
It is without question that every soul needs an anchor!
An Anchor is that which supports or keeps one steadfast in the time of trial or of doubt.
An Anchor is there to hold the ship firmly to one place when winds and currents would otherwise remove it.
If anything in this world should be strong it is an anchor, for upon it safely and often life depends on it.
To ground hope on a false supposition is like trusting to a weak anchor.
An anchor to be of any good must be cast on good ground!
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever" (Hebrews 13:8).
It is alright to be caught between a Rock and a Hard Place as long as the Rock is Jesus!
"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, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever" (Jude 24-25).
"Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations" (Deut. 7:9).
"For I am the LORD, I change not" (Malachi 3:6).
"God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9).
"Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it" (1 Thes. 5:24).
"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6).
"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" (2 Tim. 1:12).
"Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:5).
"Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator" (1 Peter 4:19).
Why do we need an anchor for the Soul?
1. To keep it from being wreaked!
2. To keep you from drifting!
3. To preserve us from losing the headway which we already made.
4. To keep us constant and useful.
An anchor would be of no use unless we have a hold on it!
