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Anchor of the Soul, Part 1

Delight in Grace / Grace Bible Church / Rich Powell
The Truth Network Radio
October 3, 2023 10:15 am

Anchor of the Soul, Part 1

Delight in Grace / Grace Bible Church / Rich Powell

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October 3, 2023 10:15 am

If God is not the answer to the basic questions of life – the questions of origin, meaning, purpose and destiny – then you’ve affirmed yourself as the greatest and most important reality with nothing to live for but yourself.  That disposition leaves you with one destination – despair.

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Music Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. If God is not the answer to the most basic questions of life, the questions of origin, meaning, of purpose and destiny, then you've affirmed yourself as the greatest and most important reality, with nothing to live for but yourself. That disposition leaves you with one destination, despair. Romans 1 18 informs us that the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. In the first part of this message, titled Anchor of the Soul, Pastor Rich discusses the road we take when self is the center and focus of the universe.

Let's listen in. A couple weeks ago, we discussed the four basic questions in our understanding of Hebrews chapter 5 in verse 14, speaking of the mature believer, the one who has come to a genuine and maturing faith in Christ, one who has their senses exercised by reason of use to be able to discern good and evil. And we addressed then in that the four basic questions of human existence. There are five. The fifth one is how then shall I live? But we cannot adequately or accurately answer that question until we answer the first four first.

And they are, where did I come from? Who am I? Why am I here? And where am I going? God gives us the answer to those questions.

Biblical Christianity has a solid answer to every one of those questions. Where did I come from? Who am I? Why am I here? And where am I going?

And here is the truth of the matter. If God is not the answer to each of those questions, then you have affirmed yourself as the greatest and most important reality. In the center of your focus and your universe is you.

You have nothing to live for but yourself. And there is only then one destination and that is despair. You are in fact living on the eye land of doom. The eye land of doom.

It's not a mispronunciation. You're living on the eye land of doom in the midst of the sea of unrighteousness. But you're not alone. You see we are all born with this problem.

It's called the problem of self preeminence. It is from this that the creator redeemer has come to rescue us. And to give us the answer for those four and five questions. Where did I come from? Who am I? Why am I here? And where am I going?

How then shall I live? God is the answer to those four questions, those five questions. In this text of Hebrews chapter 6 verses 13 to 20 there is a great deal of imagery. There's a great deal of maritime imagery in this. So I'm going to be appealing to that in the exposition of this text today. As you see this before you, you might see it, appreciate, understand it as an arriving storm. So on this eye land of doom in a sea of unrighteousness, the question then is what is coming?

What is coming to this eye land? It is a tsunami. It is a tsunami of God's necessary wrath and justice. Romans 1 18 tells us that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Yea, even the wickedness of men itself is a foretaste of God's wrath and we are many times impacted by that. The eye land then quakes from rumblings of the volcanic eruption of God's justice.

Now that we know what's coming, let's consider some more imagery as introduction to this paragraph. First of all, there is a dock. You've probably all been on a dock. Why would somebody build a dock out into the water? Because that dock is going to lead them to a boat. There will be a boat there and the dock leads to it.

The dock does not span the waters, but the dock leads to the boat. What is the boat then? The boat is the means of rescue. What is it rescuing us from? It is rescuing us from wrath.

Not only is it rescuing us from wrath, but it is rescuing us to safety and satisfaction. In that imagery then, what you have is the dock and you walk on the dock and the dock leads you to the boat. The boat is the means of rescue, not the dock. The boat is the means of rescue because the dock ends.

And so to be rescued, what is it that you have to do? You have to step in the boat. That's faith. You have to step in the boat. Faith is not sitting on the dock with your feet in the boat. Faith is not one foot on the dock and one foot in the boat.

These are the warnings of Hebrews. Either you are in the boat or you are not. You cannot be on the dock and in the boat and expect to be rescued. So heed the warnings of Hebrews because there are some who are trying to extend the dock. There are some who think we're just going to keep building more and more onto this dock and hopefully it'll get us to the other side. Hopefully it'll get us to rescue.

Meanwhile, there are others who just want to brave the waves on their own. They want to navigate the waves in the sea of unrighteousness on their own thinking that maybe they can swim to rescue in their own effort. Now with this imagery, we come then to the text where we understand that God has made a promise. God has made a promise of rescue. And to read that promise, we see it right here in verse 13. When God made a promise to Abraham, so what was that promise and where was that promise and exactly what did he promise? Turn with me in your copy of the scriptures back to Genesis chapter 22. You remember the story where God called to Abraham and said, Abraham, I want you to take your son, your only son, and sacrifice him. What did Abraham do?

He took the steps necessary to obey the Lord. We come then to that place in Genesis chapter 22. Look with me at verse 16 of Genesis 22. Because Abraham did this, and of course we know the story that God stopped him. He did not kill his son. He did not sacrifice his son. God stopped him and he provided a sacrifice there.

And Isaac was okay. Verse 16, this is what the Lord says. By myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son. Blessing I will bless you and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore.

And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. Verse 18, in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice. So God made a promise.

The Creator looks and sees the island of doom in the sea of unrighteousness and he makes a promise of rescue. And he makes this promise to a specific man in history, Abraham, who is called our father of faith. The promise that was made to Abraham when he says all nations of the earth will be blessed, there is a three part promise involved in this. Number one, he promises a people.

I will multiply you, he says. Abraham, you're going to have many, many descendants. I am promising a people that will come through this man to whom he made the promise. Who is that people? It is Israel. Which is why in the Old Testament, beginning with Genesis chapter 12, the whole focus of the Old Testament is on Abraham and his family. The people that God promised as a part of this promise.

I will multiply your descendants. These people are the dock. Israel is the dock.

The law is the dock. It in itself is not the means of salvation, it is not the means of rescue, but it leads to the means of rescue. Not only did he promise a people, but he promised a person. In you all nations of the earth will be blessed.

So he promises a person, in your seed all nations of the earth will be blessed, and that person is Jesus Christ. He is the boat. He is the means of rescue. And so getting in the boat is faith, because he alone is the means of rescue. Continuing on the dock, if you just keep walking, you'll end up in the water. The dock will not take you to the other side. The dock will not take you to safety.

The dock will merely take you to the boat. But if you're going to be rescued, you have to get in the boat. We're so glad you've joined us for Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. You can hear this message and others anytime by visiting our website, www.delightingrace.com. You can also check out Pastor Rich's book, Seven Words That Can Change Your Life, where he unpacks from God's Word the very purpose for which you were designed. Seven Words That Can Change Your Life is available wherever books are sold. As always, tune in to Delight in Grace weekdays at 10 a.m.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-10-03 12:44:04 / 2023-10-03 12:48:15 / 4

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