Christ, the Anchor of Our Souls

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What are the words from that sweet hymn, We have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure while the billows roll? Let’s look at The Anchor of the Soul, coming up from the International Gospel Hour.

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Hi, this is Jay Webb for International Gospel Hour. Welcome to our broadcast today. For over 90 years, Churches of Christ have proclaimed God’s Word through our broadcasts. Just ahead is another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archie of International Gospel Hour. Let’s begin.

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Well, thank you to our J-Web and greetings to all of you. It’s good to have you with us today. And we love to share from time to time. We love to share some things with you that we hope will help you in your study of the Word of God. Before we begin our study, allow me to mention our friends at AddedToTheChurch.com. That’s AddedToTheChurch.com. This is a great effort by DJ and Sarah Curry of Parkersburg, West Virginia. Exceptional articles by them and others. And you can subscribe free to two digital publications, The Mountain Messenger and The New Testament Expositor. We’d love for you to check them out at addedtothechurch.com. Once again, and that’s one whole word, addedtothechurch.com. Let’s consider Hebrews chapter 6 as we begin. Beginning with verse 13, the Bible says, For when God made a promise to Abraham, because he could not swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become high priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. You know, when we think about an anchor, it is a source of security or stability as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary. When we dig a little bit deeper into its meaning in the original language of the Greek according to the Vines Dictionary, that this anchor was so-called because of its curved form. It’s from a Greek word, anchos, which means a curve. You know, the curve of an anchor has a double strength. Well, one, it can hook into the ground beneath the sea, or when it may drag, it cannot drag, for it catches something that will hold it. You know, when you think about it, friends, for the Christian, hope in Christ, and Christ as our hope, he is truly an anchor of the soul. It’ll hook and hold, or he will not get dragged very far. It gives us that security and stability. So let’s look at this text a little bit more in just a moment. But first, here’s a few words from our co-laborers at House2House.com.

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We love our friends and fellow servants at HouseToHouse.com. It’s a great website for researching topics. It has an excellent media section and free materials are available, for example. Please request a free copy of their publication, House to House, Heart to Heart. Check it out today at HouseToHouse.com.

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From verse 18, notice with me that with Christ, the anchor of the soul, there is a strong consolation. You see, with that hope in Christ, one is grateful for the consolation, a word that means to come alongside of, to console, to ease. And as Jesus is there as the high priest making intercession for the child of God, Hebrews 7, 24 and 25, he also serves as the mediator between God and man, 1 Timothy 2 and verse 4, and the advocate for the Christian, 1 John 2, 1 and 2. In Psalm 119, verses 49 and 50, Remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, for thy word hath quickened me, or made me alive. When we consider God as the Father of mercies and God of all comfort from 2 Corinthians 1, 3 and 4, That word comfort means to come alongside of, or in Latin the meaning is to brave together. There is a strong consolation in Jesus Christ, our anchor of the soul, that the Christian should flee unto that consolation, the hope that is in Christ and an anchor that will keep. Consolation through God, His word, our brothers and sisters in Christ as fellow Christians. That’s a strong consolation and a comfort. Continuing in verse 18 of Hebrews 6, with Christ, the anchor of the soul, there is a safe place. And I cannot help but to think of the church of Christ, the church of our Lord, that is a safe place. I’m referring to the church that we read of in the New Testament. I’m referring to the church that Jesus promised to build in Matthew 16, 18, based upon the purpose of God, the eternal purpose in Ephesians 3, verses 9 through 12. I’m speaking of the church that Jesus purchased with His own blood, Acts 20 and verse 28. Indeed, it is a safe place because when one is in Christ, one is in His church, parallel that with Romans chapter 8 and verse 1. And Jesus is the anchor that will keep one there, for there is no other place to go and no other place to be. Let’s look at verses 19 through 20. With Christ, the anchor of the soul, there is a sure entrance. Peter said to the Christians in 2 Peter 1, 10 and 11, Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble. For so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It was the late Brother James C. Bays who penned in an article titled, The Christian Graces, Calling and election never makes a man passive in the matter of salvation, nor do these terms destroy man’s own free will. It is God who provides salvation, calling us through the gospel, 2 Thessalonians 2.14, and man elects to accept this salvation, or he may reject and thrust it from himself. Luke 7, verse 30 Again, that’s James C. Bayes, The Christian Graces, the article first printed in the Gospel Advocate, and we turn back the clock to December 6, 1958. The Christian indeed will give all diligence. We note that going back in verse 10 of 2 Peter 1. And that sure entrance is there as God will supply exactly. He will supply the entrance into the kingdom of Christ, our Lord and Savior, and our hope, the anchor of the soul. Let’s talk a little bit now what we’ve covered. With Christ, the anchor of the soul, there is a strong consolation. There is an opportunity to brave together to help us press onward. There is the safe place, the church, wherein we find the saved of God, Acts 2 and verse 47, the non-denominational body of Christ. The sure entrance. We can be certain and sure as Christians. And then we note also, with Christ the anchor of the soul, there is that steadfast hope. Verse 19. It is that ground upon which hope is based. Colossians 1 in verse 27, It’s Christ in you, the hope of glory, the object upon which the hope is fixed. That is 1 Timothy 1 in verse 1. It simply says, The Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope. Again, that anticipation, that hope, that desire is based upon solid ground. It’s not just simply a guess that we think we are alright, but it’s based upon solid ground to know of the hope that is in Christ. We are not as those who are without hope, as we note in Ephesians 2 and verse 12, that steadfast hope in staying the course, battling the storms because Christ is indeed our hope. Let’s consider what we have talked about today. Christ, the anchor of the soul, our hope, provides a sure consolation and comfort. Christ, the anchor of the soul, our hope, places one in a safe place, the church. Christ, the anchor of the soul, our hope, pursues the safe entrance, keeps one in comfort and safety. And Christ, the anchor of the soul, our hope, prompts us to anticipate the good and to help others that we may press onward. How beautiful it is that Christ is indeed our anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil where the forerunner has entered for us even Jesus. And to God be the glory. Friends, we want to pause here and ask you, how is your hope in Christ? Do you want to know more about Christ and His hope? We always encourage good Bible study in between our broadcast. We do so with a number of tools that we may offer. Not only our friends at HouseToHouse.com we mentioned earlier, and our friends, the Currys, with AddedToTheChurch.com, but now… Maybe a situation where you’re thinking, I don’t have email, Mr. Archie. Don’t have that available. Well, friends, we know you have mail available. And allow our J-Web to tell you how you can receive our free Bible study course by mail.

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Our long-time free Bible study course by mail is always available. Have you tried it yet? Just call us toll-free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, address, and just say, Home Study. That’s it. You may also go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the Contact tab, and leave us the same information, name, address, and type Home Study in the message box. Study the Bible at your own pace. Again, it’s free from your friends here at International Gospel Hour.

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and how through the promise of Abraham, God brought forth through the seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ, of which we are part of the seed that has been scattered, if you will, more numerable than sand on the shore, as stated. That’s indeed the Christian, the one that is walking according to Christ. Let’s continue our studies together at another time, and thank you always for joining me here on the International Gospel Hour. I’m Jeff Archie, and friends, keep listening.

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God be with you till we meet again.

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Thank you for listening to our broadcast today, and we hope you continue onward with your search and study of God’s Word. Please join us next time and visit our website at internationalgospelhour.org.

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God be with you till we meet again.