A. One day a young mother was feeling rather down and hopeless when she heard the phone ring.
1. The young mother picked up the phone and said, “Hello.”
2. A woman’s voice immediately said, “Honey, it’s mom. I called because I know that you’re overwhelmed with the three children, and I want to give you some help. I’m going to stop by to clean the house, take care of the baby, and prepare dinner for when the boys get home from school. I want you to get ready to go to my beautician, I paid her already, and she is going to give you ‘the works,’ your appointment is at 1:00. Give George a call at the office and tell him that you will meet him at The Cheesecake Factory for dinner, my treat...”
3. The young mother suddenly interrupted and asked, “George, who is George?”
4. “George is your husband, of course,” said the caller.
5. “My husband’s name is John,” the young mother replied.
6. The caller asked, “Is this 555-3212?” “No,” replied the young mother, “This is 555-2212!”
7. “I’m sorry,” said the caller, “I have called the wrong number.”
8. After a pause the young mother asked, “Does this mean you’re not coming over to help me?”
B. There are certainly times when exhausted young mothers need help and hope.
1. There are times when people feel hopeless because there are too many bills and not enough cash.
2. There are times when people feel hopeless because the test results reveal cancer and the doctor says there is nothing that can be done.
3. There are times when people feel hopeless because their company or their spouse has decided the relationship is not working out and they need to go in a different direction without them.
C. On August 12, 2000, the largest submarine in the Russian fleet, named the Kursk, suffered an internal explosion and went down in 350 feet of water in the Barents Sea.
1. 118 men were aboard.
2. Deep sea divers went down to assess the situation and to determine if anyone had survived.
3. As they were circling the ship deep beneath the sea, they heard a pinging sound and began to listen more closely.
4. What they were hearing was a type of Morse Code coming from some of the men in the sub.
5. The divers deciphered the code, which turned out to be a simple question: “Is there any hope?”
D. “Is there any hope?” - That’s a question a lot of people are asking today.
1. So where do we turn when it seems that hope runs dry?
2. Today, I want to point us to the same place I have been pointing us during this sermon series: to the great and precious promises of God.
3. The Hebrew writer says: 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. 20 Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner… (Heb. 6:19-20).
E. None of us need to be told what an anchor is.
1. We’ve either seen or held those iron castings with the pointed prongs.
a. Perhaps you have actually thrown one from a boat into the water and felt the yank when the anchor found a firm and secure place.
2. Anchors have only one purpose – they are designed to steady the boat and hold it fast.
a. We all need a good anchor in order to weather the strong winds and the storms that come.
b. We need one that can hook securely to an object that is stronger than the storm.
F. And why do we need a good anchor, because we are a valuable vessel – each of us is carrying an eternal soul within us.
1. When God breathed into Adam, He gave him more than oxygen, He gave him a soul.
2. And it is the presence of a soul that separates us from the animals.
3. Many people love their pets – whether they are dogs, or cats, or goldfish.
4. Certainly, we have a lot in common with our pets – those things we share in common include, eyes and ears, mouths and tongues, and some of us even look like our pets!
5. Although we may be very much alike, there is one huge difference between us and our pets – we have a soul and they do not.
6. Because we have a soul, we wonder why we are here.
a. Because of our soul, we wonder where we are going.
b. Because of our soul, we wrestle with right and wrong, and we value the lives of others, and we get nostalgic when we think of the old good days.
c. Animals don’t do those kinds of things.
7. Our souls separate us from the animals, but our souls unite us with God.
8. Our souls need an anchor; our souls are fragile.
a. Our souls feel the pain of death and feel the concerns for the future.
b. Our liver may suffer from a tumor, but our soul suffers from the questions.
c. That’s why our souls need an anchor, an anchoring point that is sturdier than the storm.
G. Notice that the Hebrew writer said that our anchor is set in the inner sanctuary behind the curtain where Jesus our forerunner has entered on our behalf.
1. In other words, our anchor is set in the very throne room of God.
2. Visualize your anchor being attached to the very throne of God and that it can never break free.
3. And no matter what storm or attack that comes against us, the anchor of the promises of God, spoken from the very throne of God, give us hope and keep us strong.
H. Let’s quickly review the promises we have covered in this sermon series.
1. When the wave of death sweeps into our life, we can cling to the promise that death is not the end of life – death has been swallowed up in victory.
2. When the attacks come against our self-image, we can cling to the promise that I am somebody important to God – I am made in His image and He loves me.
3. When the storms sap our strength and exhaust our resources, we can remember that we are children of God, co-heirs with Christ, and we have an inexhaustible heavenly inheritance.
4. When the attacks of Satan come against us, we can remember that the devil is a defeated foe, and God will give us the victory over him.
5. When the attacks of doubt and failure come, we can hold on to the promise that Jesus understands us and will help us.
6. When we feel all alone with our struggles and problems, we can cling to the promise that Jesus is at the right hand of God and is interceding for us.
7. And in addition to our Savior interceding for us we also have the promised Holy Spirit who lives in us and empowers us.
8. Then, in addition to Jesus and the Holy Spirit working on our behalf, we are also promised that our prayers have power – the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
9. In this world we may face injustice and suffering, because life isn’t fair, but we are promised that someday God will make it right; in the end justice will prevail.
10. We are also promised that our sorrow won’t last forever, weeping may last for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
11. If we begin to feel like the powerful and prideful always end up on top, and that God doesn’t have a place for the small people, we can remember God’s promise that He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
12. And then, finally, if we fear that God can’t or won’t forgive our sins, we must cling to the promise that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
I. Nothing and no one can take away our hope, because nothing and no one can take away our Jesus.
1. Neither sin nor death, neither betrayal nor sickness, nor disappointment can overcome the promises of God, if we cling to those promises.
2. And cling to those promises is all that God asks us to do.
J. That’s what a man named Jonathan McComb did – he clung to the promises of God.
1. The McCombs were the picture of an all-American family.
2. They had a terrific marriage and two young, beautiful children.
3. Jonathan worked ranches and Laura sold pharmaceuticals.
4. They were God-fearing, happy, busy, and carefree, but then came the storm.
5. The forecast included rain, but it didn’t include a once-in-a-century flood – no one saw it coming!
6. The Blanco River rose 28 feet in 90 minutes and roared through the South Texas hill country, taking homes, cars and bridges with it.
7. Jonathan and his family sought safety on the second floor of the cabin that they had rented, but safety was nowhere to be found.
8. The house was yanked off its foundation and they found themselves clutching a mattress while riding in white water rapids.
9. Jonathan survived, but no one else did – not his wife, and not his two children.
10. Max Lucado says that when he and his wife visited Jonathan in the hospital, he could hardly move from the pain – but the broken ribs and hip were nothing compared to the broken heart.
11. Jonathan tried to talk, but could only muster tears.
12. A couple of weeks later, Jonathan found the strength to speak at the funeral for his wife and two children.
13. It seemed the entire city of Corpus Christi, Texas was present – the church had no empty seats and no dry eyes.
14. For more than half an hour, Jonathan described his wife and children; he spoke of their laughter and joy, and how empty his house had become.
15. Then Jonathan said, “People have been asking me how I am doing and how I can stay so strong and positive in a time like this. I have told them that I have been leaning on my family, friends, and most importantly my faith…After church every Sunday, Laura would always ask, ‘How do we get more people to come to church and learn about salvation?’ Well, Laura, what do you think? They’re here.
A particular verse I have loved over the years has also helped me along. ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding’ (Prov. 3:5). I have no explanation for why such a tragic event like the flood takes place and lives are lost, but I know that God is not going to give us anything we can’t handle. I know that we are here for a little while, but trust me – if I could have every bone broken in my body to have them back, I would do it, but it is not our call…Yes, I know that this entire tragedy is horrible, and I have been angry, upset, confused, and left to wonder why. I have cried enough tears to fill that river up a hundred times. But I know that I can’t stay angry or upset or confused or continue to ask myself why, because I will find out that answer when my time comes and I am reunited with them in heaven. But trust me, that will be the first question I ask.”
K. Whenever we face tragedy, struggle and loss, there are always many, many things we don’t know.
1. We often don’t know the “why” of everything on this side of eternity.
2. But we can’t allow the things we don’t know to overshadow or to have more power over the things we do know.
3. Did you notice how Jonathan was very clear about what he did not know, and about the things that he did know?
4. Jonathan was not naïve or dismissive and didn’t respond with a superficial, shallow faith.
5. He readily admitted that what happened to his wife and children was a horrible tragedy, and that he didn’t know why it had happened.
6. But Jonathan chose to focus on the things he did know:
a. He knows that God does not give us anything we can’t handle.
b. He knows that we are here only for a little while.
c. He knows that someday he we will be reunited with loved ones in heaven and he knows that all his questions will be answered.
7. Jonathan found no easy answers, but he found The Answer – God and God’s promises.
8. Jonathan made the deliberate decision to build his life on God’s promises.
L. That’s what God wants all of us to do.
1. Jesus encourages us to “always pray and never lose hope” (Luke 18:1, NCV).
2. Paul’s prayer for the Roman church included: Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:13).
a. Notice that Paul believes that our God is “the God of hope”!
b. And Paul believes that our God of hope can fill us so much that we overflow with hope.
c. Other translations use the word “abound” – “abound in hope” (NKJV).
3. There are many things in life that we want to receive an abundant amount of, an overflowing amount of, right?
a. We want an abundant, overflowing harvest – bushels that overflow.
b. We want the waterfall to be overflowing and abounding with water – not just a trickle.
c. We want our bowl of ice cream to be filled to the top and overflowing – at least I do!
4. God wants our hope to be like that – overflowing, abounding, abundant.
M. Where do we find that kind of hope? Only in God, the God of hope.
1. And going back to our scripture reading from Hebrews 6, we notice that hope is found at the throne of God: 17 Because God wanted to show his unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. 19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. 20 Jesus has entered there on our behalf as a forerunner…(Hebrews 6:17-20).
2. The Hebrew writer wants us to know that God’s promises are true, because God cannot lie.
a. He wants us to flee for refuge to God and His promises so that we will find strong encouragement and seize the hope that is set before us.
3. Look at how Eugene Peterson paraphrased these verses in The Message: Grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us.
a. Grab God’s promised hope with both hands and never let go – that is so good!
b. God’s promised hope is an unbreakable spiritual lifeline – an anchor that is unmovable.
c. That lifeline and anchor is in the very presence of God, at His throne where Jesus has a permanent position.
N. Ultimately Jesus is the only person worthy of being our anchor.
1. Everyone anchors themselves to something.
2. Some people’s anchor is themselves – they are the only one they trust in.
3. Some people anchor themselves to others – it might be a parent, or spouse, or preacher, or celebrity.
4. Other people anchor themselves to things – bank accounts, retirement accounts, houses, jobs, their health.
5. The question we must ask ourselves is: Is what I’m hooked to stronger than what I will go through?
6. I believe that if we hook ourselves to anything other than Jesus, then what we are hooked to isn’t strong enough to carry us through the storms of life and the questions of eternity.
O. Let me ask you: Would you anchor your boat to another boat? No you want to be anchored to something that goes deeper and holds firmer than other floating vessels.
1. Whenever we anchor ourselves to the things of this world – people and things – it is just like one boat tethering itself to another boat.
a. Can a retirement account survive a depression? Probably not.
b. Can good health weather a disease? Not likely.
c. These anchors offer no guarantee.
2. Experienced sailors would urge us to hook on to something hidden and deep and solid.
a. They would tell us not to trust another boat, and not to even trust our own boat.
3. When the storm hits, we should trust no thing and no one but God alone.
4. That’s why Paul declared, “We have put our hope in the living God” (1 Tim. 4:10).
5. God and His promises are the only things worthy of our trust.
6. The promises of God are trustworthy and true – they work – they are time-tested.
7. The promises of God and the hope they deliver can walk us through horrific tragedies, and can buoy us in our day-to-day difficulties.
P. Russell Kelso Carter was a man who trusted in God and His promises and experienced these truths.
1. Russell was a gifted athlete and student.
2. In 1864, at the age of 14, during a prayer meeting, he decided to surrender this life to Christ.
3. Russell became an instructor at the Pennsylvania Military Academy in 1869.
4. Russell led a diverse and fruitful life that included stints as a minister, medical doctor, and even a song writer.
5. But it was Russell’s understanding of God’s promises that makes his story relevant to us.
6. By the age of 30, Russell had a critical heart condition and was on the brink of death.
7. Connie Ruth Christiansen writes: “He knelt and made a promise that healing or no, his life was finally and forever, consecrated to the service of the Lord.”
8. Christiansen goes on to say that from that moment on the Scripture took on new life for Russell and he began to lean on the promises he found in the Bible.
9. Russell committed himself to believe, whether or not God granted him healing…and Russell lived for another 49 years.
10. Russell’s decision to trust God in the midst of his difficulties gave birth to a hymn that is likely one of your favorites:
Standing on the promises of Christ my King, Through eternal ages let His praises ring,
Glory in the highest, I will shout and sing, Standing on the promises of God.
Standing on the promises that cannot fail, When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of God.
Standing, standing, Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.
Q. I want to end this sermon series the way that Max Lucado ends his book about the promises of God with these words: “Build your life on the promises of God. Since his promises are unbreakable, your hope will be unshakable. The winds will still blow. The rain will still fall. But in the end you will be standing – standing on the promises of God.”
Resources:
Unshakable Hope, Max Lucado, Thomas Nelson, 2018
