Soul Anchor
Hebrews • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 22:36
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· 130 viewsThe resurrection of Jesus gives us an anchor of hope for our souls.
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One of my favorite verses in the whole Bible is quoted on the cover of our bulletin this morning.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
According to Peter the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us a living hope! A few years ago I preached from this verse on Easter morning. If you recall that message I compared and contrasted the living hope we have in Jesus with the dead hope this world offers. Hope is the life blood of the human soul. I mentioned a few Sundays ago that the life expectancy of American is declining for the first time in our history. The reason for this increase in deaths among younger Americans is not wars, famines or disease—the traditional causes of increases in mortality, but self-inflected causes. All across America lives are being cut short by drugs, alcohol, reckless living and suicide. The reason people are adopting a lifestyle that is cutting their lives short is because they have lost hope. If the future does not have much to offer you, you might as well shine brightly for a moment and then go into the darkness.
So it is a very precious thing to have a living hope. But how does the resurrection give us a living hope. That is the answer the author of Hebrews gives us. Let’s true in our Bibles to Hebrews 6:19-20.
19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Three things I want to you notice about our hope that make it “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul”:
Our Hope is a Person
Our Hope is a Priest
Our Hope is Forever
Our Hope is a Person
Our Hope is a Person
Most people still “hope in heaven”. They base this hope on another hope. Their hope is either:
A Sentimental, “All Dogs Go to Heaven Faith” Hope
2. A Prideful, “I have lived a good life” Hope
Both of these hopes are not “sure and steadfast anchor’s of the soul.” If you press such people they can’t give you any good reason for their hope. It is just the only hope they have. If fact, because it is the only hope they have they are offended and sometimes distressed you would even question their hope.
The Christian hope however, stands up to hard question because it is based on a person—Jesus Christ. This is why the resurrection is so important. Without the resurrection we would have no hope. The apostle Paul is quite honest about this.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
What a difference those ten words make, “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead!” Because our hope is in a person, the resurrection makes our hope a living hope!
But why is Jesus, even if he is living, such “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul?” It because he in not just any person, he is a Priest after the order of Melchizedek.
Our Hope is a Priest
Our Hope is a Priest
Many Jews in the first century, placed their hope in the Temple and the Aaronic Priesthood. The book of Hebrews was written prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, the Second Temple and the Aaronic Priesthood by the Romans in 70 A.D. We know this because Hebrew Christians were being tempted to abandon Christ and return to the Old Covenant order. The book of Hebrews was written to show these Hebrew Christians that Christ is superior to the Old Covenant order.
In the context of our text this morning, the author of Hebrews does this by saying that Jesus is a Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was the priest king of Jerusalem in the days of Abraham and the author of Hebrews argues that Melchizedek must have been superior to the Levitical priesthood because Abraham paid Melchizedek tithes, not the other way around. Then he turns to Jesus and writes this:
15 This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is witnessed of him, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” 18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.
Did you notice what the author of Hebrews did? He not only quoted Psalm 110, but he speaks of Christ’s resurrection. The author of Hebrews is saying that the resurrection shows us that the words “You are a priest forever,” are not just poetic hyperbole, they are FACT. Jesus IS and priest forever because of “the power of an indestructible life!”
It is Jesus’ indestructible life that makes him such a “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.”
23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
This brings us to our last point.
Our Hope is Forever
Our Hope is Forever
Much has been said already about how Jesus is an eternal high priest by virtue of his resurrection, but there is one aspect I want to explore about the forever nature of our hope. It is found in chapter 9 of Hebrews.
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
The resurrection proves that Jesus’ blood has the power to save. The sheep and goats that were sacrificed under the Old Covenant bleed, died and never came to life again. Consequently,
11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
Do you now understand the significance of the resurrection? The significance of the resurrection is this: When Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” it really was finished! You sins were paid for once and for all! This is why we have a “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.”
Have you laid hold of that anchor? The storms of life will wash away all lesser hopes. Because he lives we can face tomorrow. Let’s sing our closing hymn. Hymn #220 He Lives.