Anchor of the Soul, Part 2

Welcome to Delight in Grace, the teaching ministry of Rich Powell, pastor of Grace Bible Church in Winston-Salem. Romans 1-18 informs us that the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. But the good news is that the Creator looks to our self-focused land of doom in the sea of unrighteousness, and He makes a promise of rescue. The only rescue we have from the coming tsunami of God's holy wrath is in God Himself. Jesus Christ is our rescue boat, who takes us to the Father. As people who are in the rescue boat, in Christ, we are people of hope, because we have an anchor of the soul that guarantees our safe arrival home. This is part two of the message entitled, The Anchor of Our Soul.

It was first preached on July 29th, 2012. 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. Which is why Paul uses the terms for those who are Christians, his favorite term was being in Christ. That's rescue, in Christ. So in this promise to Abraham, not only is there a promise of a people, not only is there a promise of a person who is the means of rescue, but there is the promise in that of a purpose.

And what is the purpose? It is the rescue itself. And that is to rescue you from the island of doom in the sea of unrighteousness, and to rescue you to the mainland. That's where the Father is, the Creator, the Redeemer. And you are rescued to eternal safety and delight, away from corruption and destruction. But to arrive at what you were created for, fellowship with God. That's the purpose. Because on the island of doom in the sea of unrighteousness, you are an island.

You are alienated. And there is a coming tsunami. And we need to be rescued from that. This is the promise that the God of Abraham made. And it is the promise from which we benefit today. Now, not only did God make the promise, but he guaranteed the promise. This is part of the text that we have before us today. Verse 15, and so after he had patiently endured, he obeyed, he obtained the promise, for men indeed swear by the greater, and for 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 this council, confirmed it by an oath. He guaranteed the promise. By myself, he said in Genesis 22, by myself I have sworn, says the Lord. Now, there is a swearing and there is an oath, and we think those two mean exactly the same thing.

They are two different words, and here is the differences between them. To swear is to make a solemn promise. To make a solemn promise.

And this is what God did to Abraham. He says, I am going to create a people, through that people is going to come a person, through that person is going to come rescue, salvation. And so that is the promise. Not only did he make the solemn promise, but he guaranteed it with an oath invoking himself. An oath is to guarantee a promise by invoking the witness of the highest authority. Is there a higher authority than the creator himself?

Certainly not. And so as the creator was speaking with Abraham, we understand, as it says in the text, it was impossible for him to lie. Why is it impossible for God to lie? Because God is good.

He is infinitely good. He is infinitely holy, and for him to lie would mean that he would have to act contrary to the very essence of his character. He cannot do that.

God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. And so being that it was impossible for him to lie, he pledged himself. He guaranteed his promise by pledging himself. And he gave himself as the guarantee.

Why did he swear by pledging himself? Well, first of all, because we on the island of doom in the sea of unrighteousness, we don't see the mainland difficult for us to grasp it. Not only can we not see it, but we cannot work towards it. We have to trust. If we're going to be rescued to the mainland, we have to get in the boat. We have to trust. The second reason is because we didn't earn it.

This is why he promised with a pledge. We did not earn it. And we know there's nothing about us that deserves to be rescued. Because we came to this island as rebels. We're not just victims. We are simply victims of our own rebellion.

We don't deserve it. And so we think, you came to rescue me? Really? And God says, yes, I promise. The third reason is because it is his essence to be true.

It is impossible for him to lie. And so we move on then, and we start looking at some of the language in the text before us. He refers to heirs of promise. Looking again, once again at verse 15, and so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. Patiently endured, he obtained the promise. And he refers to us then as heirs of promise. Verse 18, that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation to have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

This hope we have is an anchor of the soul. We are heirs of promise. Who are the heirs of promise? They are the people of the boat.

Those who are in the boat. When he calls them heirs of promise, he's simply saying this, there is a guaranteed arrival to safety for those who are in the boat. If we look back at verse 12 at the end of the last paragraph, he says, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Through faith and patience inherit the promises. What interesting that he would say that because we get off the dock and we step into the boat. We entrust ourselves to the boat. That is faith because the boat will rescue us.

The boat will take us to safety. But there is something there still we have to understand that we are still floating in the sea of unrighteousness. We're not adrift and we'll touch that on here in a minute.

We're not adrift, but we're still floating in the sea of unrighteousness. But he refers to the heirs of promise as we who have fled for refuge. We who have fled for refuge. What is it that we have fled from? We have fled from the wrath of God, the coming wrath of God, the coming tsunami, the island is quaking from the impending volcano of God's justice. So we have fled the wrath of God, the coming tsunami. We have fled from God, his wrath, but how? We have fled from God, in God.

Our only safety from God is in God himself, the boat. Not only have we fled from the wrath, but we have also fled from the domain of darkness. What is that domain of darkness?

It is the island of doom, where evil rules the day. That which is not under the submissive following of God's will. So we come then to what he calls the anchor of the soul, and this is where he appeals to a great deal of imagery in verses 19 and 20. And by the way, after we get done with chapter 6, we enter into chapter 7, 8, and 9.

Chapters 7, 8, and 9 are the detailed unpacking of verses 19 and 20. Jesus Christ, the anchor of our soul, that is a reference to his high priestly ministry for you and me. We have a high priest. We must understand the ministry of the high priest. He is the anchor of my soul. Chapters 7, 8, and 9 unpack that truth. So keep this imagery, because not only is he the anchor of our soul, but he is the forerunner that has gone into the presence behind the veil.

That's where the high priest does his work, his unique work that only he can do. So when he refers then to the anchor of the soul, he is the anchor of the soul for those who are in the boat. Christ is not only the boat, but part of the boat is the anchor that is attached to the boat. And those who are in the boat are Christians, those who are in Christ, people of the boat. And it says that the anchor of our soul, very interesting the way he puts it here, we have this hope 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. Okay, now let's unpack that for a minute. This is using imagery to help us understand what it means that Christ is our high priest. And he's going to unpack this for the next three chapters. So you think maybe the Lord wants us to understand what it means that Jesus is our high priest.

Obviously he does. And it means, by introductory, it means this, that the creator came to our island and pledged himself for our rescue in order to take us back to the Father. So get this, there is the dock.

You have to step into the boat because the boat will lead you to rescue. 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.