ANCHORED IN JESUS – Rev. Lyle W. Pettit,
Henry Gilmour came to the
He practiced dentistry for a number of years
-- & then spent the last 25 years of his life in gospel music.
Henry Gilmour was a gifted soloist -- &
was greatly respected as a choir director.
It was during his years in gospel music that
he wrote the song entitled -- The Haven of Rest --
My
soul in sad exile was out on life’s sea,
So
burdened with sin & distress,
Till I heard a sweet voice saying, -- "Make me your
choice!"
And I
entered the Haven of Rest.
I
yielded myself to His tender embrace,
And
faith taking hold of the Word,
My
fetters fell off, -- & I anchored my soul --
The "Haven
of Rest" is my Lord.
I’ve
anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll
sail the wide seas no more;
The
tempest may sweep o'er the wild, stormy deep --
In
Jesus I’m safe ever more.
Those words were inspired in part by the
Biblical passage found in the NT book of
In
An example is given in God’s promise to
Abraham.
Since there was no greater to swear by --
God took an oath in His own name, saying to Abraham: -- "I will certainly
bless you richly, -- & I will multiply your descendants into countless
millions."
Then Abraham waited patiently -- & he
received what God had promised
When people take an oath -- they call on
someone greater than them-selves to hold them to it. -- And without any
question that oath is binding.
God also bound Himself with an oath -- so
that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that God would
never change His mind.
So God has given us both His promise --
& His oath.
These two things (God’s promise -- & His
oath) -- are unchangeable!
They are unchangeable -- because it is
impossible for God to lie!
Therefore -- we who have fled to God for
refuge can take courage -- for we can hold on to His promises with confidence.
That is why the Hebrew writer then says in
Heb. 6:19 -- "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul -- both sure
& steadfast."
"We have this hope as an anchor for
the soul."
This
confidence is like a strong & trustworthy anchor for our souls.
An anchor to the soul; -- an unbreakable
spiritual life-line!
And verse 20 reminds us that that anchor is "even
Jesus" -- Himself.
Let me ask you a question this morning: --
Are you anchored? -- Or Are you chained? -- Which one are you? -- anchored or
chained?
There is a big, big difference -- you know
-- between being anchored -- &
being chained.
To be "chained" means that you are
bound to something.
Remember the master of magic -- Houdini -- who would chain himself in some form or another -- & hang upside down --
or submerged under water -- & then escape the bounds that hold him?
Or we can picture the old chain gangs --
where prisoners -- chained one to another to prevent escape -- work along the
side of the highways.
I’m sure you’ve heard the slang about the "ball
& chain" -- sometimes referring to a spouse.
The "ball & chain" refers to
the weight of a heavy round ball -- chained to a person’s leg -- becoming a
hindrance to our movement.
Then we have the word "anchored".
-- You have a boat & you want it to stay in a certain place -- to prevent
drifting. -- So you drop an anchor!
The anchor holds you steady -- &
prevents you from drifting!
I think you can visualize the difference --
between being chained on the one hand -- or anchored on the other hand!
So which one are you? -- chained or
anchored?
"They make these proverbs come true: --
ÔA dog returns to its vomit" -- & "A washed pig returns to the
mud" (2 Peter
What are some of the things that perhaps
chain you -- & bind you -- & makes you as a slave?
Addictions -- to drugs or alcohol can
definitely chain us.
I’ve known people to be so addicted to a
drug -- that they throw away their whole lives for that next high!
Sexual addiction can also act as a chain to
bind a person's life.
Sexual sins show no prejudice against any
race, person, or religion.
It seeks out the young & the old --
& everyone in between.
It has destroyed many a marriage -- because
of some short time fling.
Pornography is no longer a situation where
you have to go to some sleazy bookstore to get the material.
With a click of a mouse you can have all the
pornography you want in your own privacy. -- And it comes right out of the pit
of hell!
My friends -- flee sexual immorality! -- Run,
get out of there!
Don’t let yourself think that you are strong
enough to handle it!
Gambling can become a very serious
addiction!
People use the lottery as their retirement
plan.
They have their food stamps in one hand --
& bark out numbers with the cash in the other hand. -- Gambling can bind you & control you.
There are other things that can bind you --
& chain you: --
Some people are bound by the usage of bad
language.
Cuss words become a basic part of their
vocabulary.
Some people have the habit of gossiping.
You hear something about someone else --
& you feel that it’s your duty to make sure everyone else knows about it.
Your attitude can bind you. -- Or your
feelings -- such as anger -- self-pity -- insecurity -- anxiety -- depression.
You can't control your anger; -- or perhaps
you just sit around feeling sorry for yourself.
Even hobbies can bind you. -- Hunting,
fishing, golf, etc -- all are fine in themselves -- when they are put in the
right perspective.
But when you put anything
before God -- then the chains that prevent you from having a right relationship
with God -- tend to bind you.
Again I ask you this morning -- are you
chained -- or are you anchored?
If you are chained -- I have good news for
you today!
The story of the demon possessed man who
found deliverance through Jesus Christ -- certainly gives us all hope! (Mark 5).
This man was so bound -- that he lived among
the tombs -- & could not be restrained -- even with chains.
Whenever he was put into chains &
shackles -- as he often was -- he snapped the chains from his wrists-- &
smashed the shackles.
No one was strong enough to control him. --
He was out of control!
Even today -- the best that modern medicine
could offer such a man is medication & extensive treatment!
But then the man encountered JESUS CHRIST!
-- And oh, what a difference it made.
No one had a place for this demon possessed
man -- except Jesus!
Pity -- love -- & power were echoed in
the voice of Jesus when He commanded the evil spirit to vacate the demon
possessed man’s body.
The chains of sin mustered no challenge to
Jesus.
Jesus sets the man free! -- & He can do
the same for you today!
My
dear friends --
In
times like these -- you need a Savior.
In
times like these -- you need an anchor.
Be
very sure -- be very, very sure,
Your
anchor holds -- & grips the solid rock.
This
Rock is Jesus -- yes, He’s the one.
This
Rock is Jesus -- the Only one.
Be
very sure -- be very, very sure,
Your
anchor holds -- & grips the solid rock.
-- (Ruth C. Jones)
Many years ago -- a captain of an English
ship sailing near
Since there was no harbor nearby -- the
captain let down the anchor -- but the wind blew so fiercely that it began to
drag the anchor.
It could not get a grip on the sandy seabed
-- & so the ship began to drift
Another anchor was let down -- but it too
refused to take hold -- & the ship was drifting nearer & nearer the
shore -- & soon would be stranded.
There was only one little anchor
left -- & the captain felt sure that it wouldn’t be of any use.
But it was let down -- & to his surprise
the chain tightened.
Soon the ship was held steady -- & by
the help of that little anchor -- it rode out the storm.
When the time came to lift the anchors --
the big ones came up easily -- for they hadn’t caught hold of any thing on the
seabed; -- but the little anchor refused to come up.
They pulled ever so hard -- & at last it
came up little by little -- & it was very heavy. -- Something came up with
it! -- It was another anchor!
The little anchor had caught in the ring of
the anchor of a great battleship -- that had been lost 3 years before -- & that’s
why the little anchor held so firmly.
There’s a real message in that story!
If a very little anchor can slip into the
great strong grasp of a warship’s anchor -- it receives all
the great anchor’s strength.
It’s the same with us! -- Our faith may be
small -- but if it’s put into the great strong keeping power of Jesus Christ --
all His love & strength & goodness will hold us safe!
There’s a hymn that ask the question: -- "Will
your anchor hold in the storms of life ...?" -- Again I repeat the words
--
Be
very sure -- be very, very sure,
Your
anchor holds -- & grips the solid rock.
This
Rock is Jesus -- yes, He’s the one.
This
Rock is Jesus -- the Only one.
There certainly are times in every life when
we need an anchor!
Two points I want to make; -- listen to them
carefully: --
1. Jesus is our Anchor in the Midst of Life’s
Trials!
The Hebrew writer said the hope of a child
of God is an "anchor of the soul -- both sure & steadfast."
Now a sure anchor is an anchor that has been
made by an experienced iron-worker -- the prongs of which are set at exactly
the right angle so that -- when it is let down & takes hold of the bottom
-- it will never let go.
That ship on the surface may be tossed to
& fro in the storm -- but that anchor just digs deeper & deeper with
every dash of the waves & surge of the storm against that ship; -- & it
won’t let go.
A steadfast anchor is one that has been made
of steel -- that has been tempered exactly right -- & will not break.
That is what Jesus Christ is to the human
soul!
When you know Jesus Christ in your heart -- you’ve
got an anchor that won’t let go -- regardless of what the storms of life may be
like!
Whatever the trials -- or how bitter the
experiences you must face -- the anchor holds in the storms of life!
When you know you are right with God -- it
puts more courage into your heart than anything that comes into your life!
Nothing on earth makes life as worth while
as knowing you are a child of God.
My friends -- if you are right with God --
& know you are God’s child -- you can stand up on your feet -- & know
that you are somebody!
And you can know that you have an anchor
that is steadfast & sure!
It is remarkable what we can endure -- &
stand up under -- & keep on going -- as long as we know that our anchor
holds steady!
It is remarkable what we can face -- &
still fight on & on.
We can keep fighting the battle -- as long
as we have hope that out yonder some where -- that victory is coming!
Have
you ever asked yourself what it was that made Job able to stand up under what
he endured?
With everything gone -- health, money,
children destroyed; -- wife & friends turned against him &
falsely accused him -- yet Job could stand up -- & through tear-dimmed eyes
-- look up to God, & say -- "Though
He slay me, yet will I trust Him."
How could Job do it? -- You will find the
answer in Job’s own words!
When Job stood in the darkest hour in which
anybody could ever stand -- not able to understand any part of what had taken
place -- hear old Job say -- "I know that my redeemer lives."
He didn’t know why this loss -- why this
suffering; -- but Job knew one thing: -- he was a child of God!
And he was able to say – “I know that my redeemer
lives -- & that He will stand upon the earth at last. -- And after my body
has decayed -- yet in my (flesh) I will see God!" (Job 19:25.26 NLT).
Job is simply saying -- "When it is all
gone -- I’ve still got God, -- & I’ll come out on top -- knowing God will
hold me up & enable me to do it."
2. Jesus is our Anchor at the Time of Life’s Passing!
The Bible gives to those who have put their
faith & hope in JESUS CHRIST -- such a blessed assurance of what God has
prepared for His people in Heaven.
But the Bible doesn’t give anyone one ray of
hope outside of JESUS CHRIST.
It is the darkest picture that I have ever
read -- or tried to imagine -- that God gives in this Holy Book -- of a person
who dies without Christ -- & goes out into a hopeless eternity.
The Apostle Paul describes the condition of
every unsaved person on earth in one sentence in Eph. 2:12 -- "Without
Christ ... & strangers from the covenants of promise -- having no hope --
& without God in the world."
If I could put that statement into one word
summaries -- it would read: --Christless -- homeless
-- friendless -- hopeless -- godless.
That is how the Holy Spirit describes the
condition of every person who has not been born again; -- has not been saved by
God’s grace!
I read recently about a man who was an
unbeliever -- & proud of it.
He paraded his haughty unbelieving attitude
everywhere he went -- & bragged about it.
He would often say to others: -- "Only
a weakling needs a God. -- Because he can’t take what life dishes out to
him, he has to have a crutch to lean
on. -- So he invents a god as a crutch."
His favorite saying was: -- "I have
never had anything on my back that I couldn’t kick off with my heels."
However -- when the man took to his bed to die
-- for three months, --almost every waking moment -- day or night -- he would
lie there & cry out – “O Lord, have mercy! -- It’s so dark! -- O Lord, have
mercy! -- It’s so dark! -- It's so dark!"
His brother sat by his bedside -- &
listened to that pitiful cry -- until he couldn’t stand any more of it.
His brother would have to get up & go
outside to get away from it.
Still, he could hear him call upon their
deceased mother -- “O Mother, can’t you do something for me? -- It’s so dark! -- It’s so dark!"
My friends -- to face
death & eternity without any hope -- is dark indeed!
Praise God -- there will be light in the
valley -- when my day is over!
Do you have that blessed hope that comes in
being anchored in JESUS CHRIST?
In contrast to the story I have just told
you -- is the story of the passing of that man’s own sister -- who was a true
believer in Jesus Christ.
She lingered in an illness for a long time.
One night she looked over to her daughter
who sat by the bedside & said -- "Honey, I feel like I could eat
something if you will prepare it."
Her daughter prepared something &
brought it in -- & set a table by the bedside -- & said, -- “Dad &
I will have our dinner with you."
The mother sat up on side of the bed &
ate.
When she had finished -- she said to her
daughter -- "Honey, tuck me in; -- Jesus is calling me -- & I am going
Home."
Oh, -- what a difference it makes when we
know the Lord!
When the man died, the last words he said
were -- “It's so dark!"
When his sister died, --
her last words were --"Jesus is calling me -- & I am going Home."
Friend -- if you are a Christian -- a true
child of God -- & a joint heir with JESUS CHRIST -- one of these days you
are going to be made in the "image" of Jesus -- & be just like
Him! Oh, what an anchor to the soul
that blessed hope is!
One of these days -- I am not only going to
be like Jesus -- but I am going to reign with Jesus! -- I’m going to share in
His glory!
Did you know that -- when you get saved --
you are a child of God -- & God’s Son -- Jesus Christ -- is your Elder
Brother?
And when God gets through with His work of
grace in you -- you will not only be a child of God -- you will be exactly like
God’s Son -- Jesus Christ!
Conclusion:
-- My friends -- do you have this blessed hope? -- This anchor of the soul -- steadfast
& sure?
Nothing -- nothing
in life makes life as worthwhile -- as meaningful -- or puts courage into your
soul & life -- like knowing you are right with God!
On the other hand -- there isn’t anything on
earth that will make a coward out of you like knowing you are wrong with God!
There is such a thing as certainty in a Christian’s
experience of salvation
You CAN know that you are a child of God!
You need not be chained by habits -- by
addictions -- by sins -- by attitudes & feelings!
You can be personally anchored in the Person
of Jesus Christ!
Be
very sure -- be very, very sure,
Your
anchor holds -- & grips the solid rock.
This
Rock is Jesus -- yes, He’s the one.
This
Rock is Jesus -- the Only one.
The Devil says to me sometimes -- "How
can you be so sure about this? -- How do you know your sins are forgiven -- are
gone?"
Every time he does this -- I point him to
Charles
Wesley wrote: --
He
breaks the pow'r of canceled sin;
He
sets the pris'ner fee.
His
blood can make the foulest clean;
His
blood availed for me.
I am no longer chained by sinful habits; --
I am anchored in JESUS CHRIST!
Jesus is my Anchor in the Midst of Life’s
Trials!
Jesus will be my Anchor at the Time of Life’s
Passing!
Can you say for sure today -- that you are
anchored in Jesus?