AN OPEN DOOR. AN INVITATION TO ENTER IN

ANCHORS.

Hebrews 6/19.ESV.
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope…..


We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain Hebrews 6 v 19. We have a steadfast anchor of the soul and that steadfast anchor is hope. The Amplified Bible puts it this way, “This hope [this confident assurance] we have as an anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whatever pressure bears upon it]—a safe and steadfast hope that enters within the veil [of the heavenly temple, that most Holy Place in which the very presence of God dwells].” The Greek word here for the soul is psyche which refers to the seat of our emotions, feelings, our very being, our Soul, our Heart.
This hope that goes all the way, from our innermost being, our heart reaches right to our heavenly Father and back again. A hope that gives your feet something, although physically unseen, yet rock-solid for you to stand upon.
To remain in position we need anchors. Ships are held in position by their anchors. Buildings have ground anchors. We also need an anchor to keep our position. Jesus is the rock, but what is holding you firm, what is keeping you in position. How do I maintain this position? Jeremiah 31 v 17 says there is hope for the future declares the Lord. Our future has hope. Hope that is spoken by the mouth of God, the very mouth that created everything, Genesis 1 & 2. God himself creates our hope. He is The Creator.
Jeremiah 29 v 11 “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord plans for welfare and not for evil to give you a future and a hope.” God knows your future. God knows the plans he has for you, he put them there. His plans for you do not include evil, that’s the enemy. But plans for your welfare, that’s your welfare, we fare well, prosper, grow, do good in him, God’s plans include hope.
What does our future involve, hope? A hope that He knows that He gives us. The hope that He instils in our hearts and minds is a steadfast hope that is rooted, born and fixed in Him. It is not a false hope a mirage, a shadow, but an anchor, it is something that holds us firm on the rock. A Hope was sown into our very being by our Father God which grows and gives place to faith, that is a certain knowledge, our hope becomes solid. That hope is born out of love, love of a father, love of a son for a father and a father for his son. A hope that is based on a love that would die for us that would go through the cross for you and for me. Not for all of us collectively but for each one of us individually. He didn’t die for a job lot of humankind, he died for me personally and he died for you personally that we might live and that we might live more abundantly. My hope is in a God that holds me close, holds me dear, holds me in His hands and delivers me whole, a God that has my best intentions at heart. He is a Father God that will cause me to fare well whatever the storm of life that I might find myself in.

The Gateways

1. There are times and instances when the life that we know all around us can come crashing down and it is quite a scary frightening time. Rahab the prostitute went through such a time as the city in which she and her family lived, came crashing down, Joshua 6. Her house had actually been built into the city wall of Jericho, Joshua 2v15. As the city walls came crashing down all around, Rahab’s home, in which her family was sheltering, remained standing and did not come crashing down. She had anchored herself by hoping in God, the symbol of that hope, a scarlet cord, the blood of Jesus. Read in Joshua how Rahab the prostitute and her family became grafted into God's family. Who or what is your safety anchor in times of trouble?
2. Noah's Anchor to God delivered him and his family through the flood. The challenge for Noah wasn’t just the building of the Ark and the verbal abuse he received, but also the drifting on the water cooped up in that boat for over a year. What do you think Noah and his family did to keep themselves in the right place with God and what might we be able to do as we wait for the Lord to deliver us?
3. As you face difficult, challenging, times what comfort and encouragement can you draw upon by reading these two stories and others? How might you implement some of these things in your own life?