Reunions FNF - A Sure and Steadfast Anchor of the Soul

Bill Boyce gave our message at our Reunions FNF meeting, exhorting us from Hebrews 6:17-20:

"So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

Transcript

Speaker: 0:00

Thank you, Skye. Thank you. Ella. Just what encouraging Wow. You know, when you when you happening on campus this right now across the campus? Uh, I think it's fair to say bit unusual, uh, unique. Um, you know, when I was tonight with, on the navigating the drop down menu about this event. Will there be an open fire? You know, things like that. Um, there was no category for And yet here we are, right? Singing songs of praise, hearing and His great faithfulness. Wow. Under God's sovereignty, she So my question for you tonight, in just a few moments that we have is what what holds you fast? And in asking that question, I'm thinking I've been reading the book of Hebrews and I'm thinking about a text from the New Testament epistle to the Hebrews. If you know that book, you know extended exhortation not to give original recipients apparently something that perhaps some of They had various reasons to be discouraged, and consequently, they were in great danger of becoming slack, sluggish in their belief. And worse, they were tempted to to revert to their former Jesus And so the author of this letter people deeply, and he writes to for their welfare. And so if you read the book, great patience, with great biblical reasoning, the author length why holding fast to Jesus why Jesus is better than any one their hope or for security. And so we're just going to look at one text, and Robbie's going to put it on this, and we're picking up in mid-stream of this long argument. And don't worry, we for sure do not have time to unpack who Melchizedek is and things like that. But I'm just going to read these So when God desired to show more promise, the unchangeable guaranteed it with an oath, so in which it is impossible for refuge might have strong the hope that is set before us. And we have this, this hope as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul. A hope that enters into the where Jesus has gone as a become a high priest forever This is God's Word. And here's my question to you What holds you fast? What anchors you? You know, reunions, graduation, always great moments of insecurity, introspection, existential crisis. This is a great moment to be What what anchors you tonight? You know, at our staff prayer sharing, uh, reminding us that it inevitably confronts each one With the inexorable passage of How can it be that twenty five since I graduated? Wait, why? Why am I marching so close to Well, what has become of that person I was when I graduated? How do I compare with my peers? AM I succeeding? AM I advancing? AM I prospering? AM I flourishing better faster AM I at least keeping even with Wait. AM I falling behind? Help! I'm spinning, I'm spinning. You know what holds you fast? All too often, as I think over have looked at various uncertain staff fast anchors that inadequate to the task. At times I've found security. I've been anchored in my good family, uh, of my sense of sense of security that derives neighborhood, uh, going to good At times, it's been the stability, security, well-being of being an American citizen, living under the rule of law, enjoying the benefits of freedom of civil order, protection, economic promise, the American dream. At times, it's been just my sense of self as someone who is intelligent, smarter than other people. Competent. Capable at times. I've found security in my my kids and family. With my friends. At times it's been my work and Yes, even my sense that I am These things have been anchors They've been my security. You know, when we were moving, Debbie and I moved away from Princeton two years ago after having lived here for more than forty years. And I realized how much my sense with all my accumulated stuff, made me feel anchored. And as I've grown older, I've more often than I care to admit Is it enough on how's the stock More and more on my health, even as I tremble at the uncertainty of riches and feel my strength ebbing away. I'm not saying that all these Many of these things, properly received, are good gifts from God. Ecclesiastes reminds us, I know there's nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live, that each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil. This is the gift of God. But the problem comes when these become our anchors. In fact, each of these, I think received with greater joy to them as our anchors and ask our soul secure. Friends, so many anchors I have Always looking for something to As the currents swirl and surge. In the tempests of life. Toss me to and fro. So many anchors. And you know for a time, for a Oh yes, this one will hold. This is good. This will hold until it does And the writer to the Hebrews, He earnestly desires for us to there is only one. Only one. Only one who can and will hold And he urges us to flee to him for refuge, to believe, to find out that only Jesus is sufficient to be the anchor of our soul. And perhaps you, like the honest, you're not so sure. And the writer who. And the writer ultimately is the The writer bends all of his powers of persuasion to turn us from the. The siren call of these false attention on Jesus. Human anchors, those worldly They will not only the promises You know, it's the job of an in the depths of the sea, Indeed, the anchor becomes even The more tempestuous becomes the this metaphor, the metaphor of assure us that that we have is and in what he has done for the anchor of our soul. And so, unsurprisingly, this is the only verse in the New Testament where that symbol appears. But the early Christians embraced the anchor as one of their symbols. Many of you are familiar with the fish, uh, as a as an early Christian symbol. And that became significant in Uh, the Greek word for fish, acrostic for Jesus Christ, Son And similarly, the anchor Became steadfast faith in the face of And the point is not that my of my faith. We know how that goes. No, but rather my security Yes we do. We need to kindle hope, but we do so not by looking to ourselves. We do so by looking to the And that is Christ. We hope in God who cannot lie, We hope in Jesus, who has loved us even to the point of Who is our great High Priest? Who. Who is our forerunner? Who has gone before us not to He has gone before us to make a very presence of God. You know, when our daughter four, when she takes our she loves to do, she uses a rope of nineteen hundred pounds. My grandkids, you know, they She uses steel carabiners. She uses carefully constructed harnesses, and the kids wear proper clothing, and they wear helmets. And the climbing rope is carefully placed anchors in the Rock climbing, that kind of It is exhilarating. But my grandkids love it, and Because they trust. They trust those anchors, and behind those anchors. Brothers and sisters, let's hold Let's hold fast to the hope that I love the I love the it's such When my. When I fear, when I fear, my Christ will hold me fast. When the tempter would prevail, I could never keep my hold For my love is often cold. He must hold me fast. He will hold me fast. He will hold me fast. For my Savior loves me so he Let's hold fast to Jesus as the you and I, hold fast to that Sky was exhorting us like Ellen. Let us be people. Let us be people who reflect him His faithfulness, his truthfulness, his loving, his inviting others spiritually, practically. Let us be people who call others find safe haven in Christ. Amen.