The Anchor of the soul

1. The Anchor of Hope – 7th
February 2016
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary
behind the curtain…”( Hebrews 6:19).
Whenever we read from Hebrews we always have to remember that the intent of this Epistle
was to win Hebrew people, over to faith in Christ. That’s why Hebrews has so many references
and ties to the Old Testament and why so many quotations from the Old Testament are found
in this Epistle. Hebrews, the recipients of these words knew the Old Testament well and they
needed to be won over to the Good news of salvation that Jesus brought. So, in order to
achieve what Paul wants to create in them in Christ, the Apostle first sets forth the background
to that hope which goes all the way back to Abraham the father of the faith. Once he has
demonstrated how God dealt with Abraham and gave him hope, with that Paul had the basis on
which he could point Hebrews towards hope in Christ. Because our faith in Jesus Christ is the
very anchor of our Hope…
Since man’s natural tendency is always to question and doubt, we can find that Abraham too
experienced that tendency. God called him out of Ur of the Chaldeans and told him to go to a
land that he would show him. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will
make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever
curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12: 2- 3).
Abram believed God and left his homeland and his family and went where God led him. From
time to time God repeated his promise to him: “Look up at the heavens and count the stars – if
indeed you can count them….so shall your offspring be’” (Genesis 15: 5). Years went by. Abram
believed, but he also questioned for no child was born to him and Sarah his wife (both were
way beyond child bearing age). We all know that the bible tells us that Sarah bore Abram a son
and named him Isaac, meaning laughter. Abram could now laugh with joy at the fulfillment of
God’s promise which he had before questioned. That’s why his own name had been changed
from Abram to Abraham meaning the father of many and we also refer to him as the Father of
faith.
We know that when there is a promise by someone, there is the beginning of Hope. Abraham
was promised by God and whatever the circumstances were, he had hope in the fulfillment of
that promise. What God did for Abraham, his promise to him carries over to us today who put
our hope in Christ. Abraham was led to believe and to accept a promise and in that to have
hope. As Christians we are also called to believe and have faith in promises made by God that
we can learn through the bible…There are many of them – and in them is our Hope. The bible
teaches us of Gods promises and that is “the hope that is offered to us.” It is the hope, which
we have in Christ Jesus our Lord…the anchor of our Hope.
The Bible often speaks about hope, and that is Christian hope. It is different, from a non-
Christian’s hope. Non-Christian hope is fearful of uncertainty and it is nothing more than a
gamble of sorts. “I sure hope I never have another heart attack” or “I really hope I win the
lottery”. That kind of hope is nothing more than a wish, a gamble, an unfounded desire.

2. Christian hope is what the Scriptures speak of. It is through this hope we were saved. But hope
that is seen is no hope at all. Nobody hopes for what he already has. But if we hope for what we
do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” We can learn from Romans 5: 1, 2: “Therefore, since
we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we
rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”
Christian Hope is based, on certainty like Abraham’s, not on uncertainty. Our hope is grounded
in our acceptance of God’s Word that Jesus is God’s son sent into the world to save us from our
sins. Our hope is based on the promise that all who believes in him will be saved through him.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believes on him
shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3: 16). Then we have more biblical promises for us
to anchor our hope as we learn in Romans 10;9, “…if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is
Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”
Our hope is based upon the truth of what Scripture says about Christ’s vicarious suffering and
death and his resurrection on the third day. Our hope is anchored on the promise that all who
believe in Jesus Christ will themselves one day have the possibility of eternal life. Jesus said: “I
tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and
will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5: 24). Through the bible
our hope is based upon the promise that one day he is going to come again and we will enjoy
heaven with him and a glory such as no eye has seen and no ear heard and no mind has
conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.
These are some key promises we have been given as Christians and thay should be the anchor
of our Hope. Abraham was told he would have a child and a land. We are promised a Savior and
“an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade – kept in heaven for you” . We can learn in I
Peter 1: 4,“…and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept
in heaven for you…” Therefore as Christians our hope is not a gamble of sorts, but is through
God’s word and hence the hope offered to us in which we may now be greatly encouraged.