We're going to begin our service singing to God's praise from Psalm 71 in the Scottish Psalter.
That's on page 311. The tune is Weatherby, Psalm 71, page 311.
We sing verses 14 to 19.
But I with expectation will hope continually, and yet with praises more and more I will they magnify.
Thy justice and salvation my mouth abroad shall show, even all the day, for I thereof the numbers do not know.
And I will constantly go on in strength of God the Lord, and thine own righteousness, even thine alone I will record.
For even from my youth, O God, by thee I have been taught, and hitherto I have declared the wonders thou hast wrought.
And now, Lord, leave me not when I old and grey-headed grow, till to this age thy strength and power to all to come I show.
And I, most perfect righteousness, O Lord, is very high, who has so great things done, O God, who is like unto thee.
Sixth answer, Psalm 71, 14 to 19.
But I with expectation
will hope continually
and yet will praise it more and more
I will be magnified
My justice and salvation
My heart the broad shall show
If all the day on I dare all
that others do not know
And I will constantly go on
His strength of God the Lord
And I know righteousness
Even I alone I will report
For even from my youthful thought
By Thee I have been taught
And ever too I have declared
The wonder shall have strong
And I know Lord be me not
When I hope and great in all
Till the day on I will see
Thy strength and power
To all to come I show
I'm Thy most perfect righteousness
O Lord is there behind
Who has so great things done
O Lord who is like God to feed
Let us bow in prayer
O Lord our God as we bow before you this evening
We give thanks that we were able to sing
Your word which reminds us that
We go on in your strength
And your strength alone
The apostle was able to say
That he was able to do all things
Through Christ who strengthens me
And we pray Lord that day by day
We may discover more and more
Of that enabling strength
Because there are times that we feel
Not only physically weak
But we feel spiritually weak as well
And we wonder sometimes
How we're going to face up
And to deal with all the different challenges
That come our way
So we pray for the faith
That will look heavenward
And the faith that will fix
Our eyes upon Jesus
Who is the author
And the finisher of our faith
We pray Lord that as we worship you tonight
That we may be able to see you by faith
We have to confess Lord
That sometimes
We feel that our faith is very weak
And we realize that there are
Differing degrees of faith
Sometimes you said
To your people
That they had great faith
Other times
Weak faith
But we pray that you will give us faith
That sees you in every situation
To see you as the Lord of Providence
And as well as the Lord of Grace
And enable us Lord
To lift up our eyes
And as we heard this morning
To give you thanks
Because there is so much
To give you thanks for
And we pray that praise
Might be an integral part
Of our lives
We know it's the language of heaven
And may it certainly be
Our language here on earth
So that we will find
Our whole being lifted up
To praise you
And to magnify
And to exalt your great name
Because you are worthy
Of all honour
And praise
And glory
And we pray that
We may not be like
The nine lepers
Who didn't come back
But that we will be constant
Like the one who did come back
In order to praise
And to give thanks
To our Lord
We pray that you will bless us
In our worship tonight
We need you
We pray for a sense
Of your presence
We know that you're here
Your word has told us
That where two or three
Gather in your name
You're there in the midst
But we pray that we might have
A felt sense of your presence
And we give thanks Lord
For the gathering together
Of your people
Because we are a community
Of believers
And we seek that we might
Be given the grace
Every day to seek
To strengthen one another
In the faith
Because there's so much
In this life
To knock us down
We pray that we will
Never knock each other down
But that we will seek
Always to encourage
And to build up
One another in the faith
Help us all to remember
That we are part of a body
A very special
And precious body
In your sight
A body that you lay down
Your life for
And may we always
Acknowledge you
As the head of the body
And so we pray
That we will know
Collective blessing
And individual blessing
And we ask that you
Will do us good
We pray your blessing
Upon this congregation
Pray your blessing
Upon James and Donna
And we give thanks Lord
For how well things
Have gone with Donna
We pray that
They will know
A wee bit of rest
And refreshing
At this time
And that you will be
With them in all the
Days that lie ahead
We pray Lord
That you will bless
Their family as well
Likewise we pray
For Calamurdo
And Joanne
We give thanks
For their being here
Pray to bless them
And the ministry here
And bless their family too
And we pray your blessing
Upon all who serve you
At all different levels
In this congregation
So much goes on
Some publicly
Some very privately
But there's nothing
Private before you
Because every single thing
Is noted by you
And in the great day
Will receive its reward
And so we pray
To encourage your people
In all the different activities
And in all the different things
That take place
Day by day
And week by week
And we pray
That the seed
That has been sown
And particularly
In young lives
That it will bear fruit
And that we will see
Young people coming to faith
Where they've come
To put their trust
In the living God
Oh Lord
We give thanks
For the way that you work
In a generational work
And across generations
Where we see people
Of all different age groups
Coming to embrace
And to trust the Lord Jesus
And what we pray
For ourselves
We pray for all others
Who meet as we do
And all your people
Throughout our land
We pray to give wisdom
To our leaders
And all an authority over us
And even when they don't
Look to you
For that wisdom
We pray that you'll
Give it to them
Because if we're left
To human wisdom
It'll just bring catastrophe
And as we see so often
That laws are passed
That don't make sense
And we pray Lord
That you will indeed
Give that wisdom
That divine wisdom
From above
So that we'll be led
In the right way
Encourage all your people
Who are in positions
Of authority
Strengthen their hands
Strengthen their witness
And we pray Lord
That you will overturn
The counsels of those
Who are seeking to undermine
And destroy your cause
And we know that there are many
Who are seeking to obliterate
The Christian faith
From our land
We pray that their efforts
Will be halted
And that your name
And your glory
Will be the glory
That fills our land
We ask Lord
That you will be
With those who mourn
Those whose hearts
Are heavy and sore
And we pray for the family
Of the late Jesse Ann Morrison
Whose funeral was recently
And we pray for all
Who mourn the loss
Of loved ones
It is something that
People never really
Come to terms with
We maybe adjust
Maybe learn to live with
But there's always
A settled emptiness
And settled sorrow
And so we pray
For every broken heart
And every person
Who feels crushed
Pray Lord
For those who are
Struggling in life
Because we live
In a very difficult world
There are so many challenges
Whether they be physical
Or mental
Or economic
Or social
Or whatever way
We ask Lord
That you will help
We pray Lord
That we might have
An eye upon you
As we pray
About all these things
Remember Muriel
And ask your blessing
Upon her
Be with her in Cambodia
We give thanks Lord
For her great service there
And the blessing
That she has been
To so many
We pray for all
The missionaries tonight
And we ask Lord
That you will encourage them
Particularly those
Who might be struggling
Maybe with homesickness
Or struggling with illness
Or struggling with anxieties
Or darkness
Or oppression
Those who are finding it hard
Lord we pray
That you will be with them
In the midst of their struggles
We pray for our world
That we are part of
And we pray Lord
That you might bring peace
So often as we look out
There seems to be
Some new carnage
New horror
And we are aware
That there is so much
Bloodshed
So much pain
In this world
We long for peace
But we see that
This is part of the fruit of sin
Lord it's one of the things
That we long for in glory
Where all the enmity
And all the hatred
And all the anger
And all the bitterness
Will be gone forever
And it will be eternal peace
Eternal joy
Eternal rejoicing
We do long for that day Lord
So we ask that you will be with us
As we wait upon you tonight
Pray for those who are ill
Those Lord who are
Undergoing
Or waiting for treatment
And likewise for surgery
We ask to be with them
Remember our elderly
And those who are no longer able
To get out to church
Who are so much
An integral part of the congregation
Be with them
Where they are
And ask Lord
That they will know
Your presence
And your blessing
And so we ask now
That you will watch over us
And that we might indeed
Be conscious that you are with us
The whole time that we are here
Take away from us
Then out every sin
In Jesus name we ask it
Amen
We're going to sing again
In Psalm 31
From Sing Psalms
And the tune is
Herringate
Psalm 31
It's on page 36
1 to 7
5 stanzas
Psalm 31
Verses 1 to 7
In you have taken refuge
Lord
You are my shelter
In distress
Oh let me never be ashamed
But save me
In your righteousness
Lord turn your ear
To hear my cry
Come quickly
To deliver me
And be my rock
And firm defense
My stronghold
And security
You are my fortress
And my rock
For your name's sake
Be my sure guide
Preserve me
From the trap
That's set
You are the refuge
Where I hide
Redeem me
Lord
Oh God of truth
My spirit
I commit to you
I hate all those
Who trust false gods
I trust the Lord
For he is true
I will rejoice
And take delight
In all the love
That you have shown
For my affliction
You have seen
To you
My soul's
Distress
Is known
31 1 to 7
And you have taken
Refuge Lord
In you I take
Refuge Lord
You are my shelter
In distress
O let me never be ashamed
But save me in your righteousness
Lord turn your ear to hear my cry
Come quickly to deliver me
And be my wrong and firm defense
My stronghold and security
You are my fortress
And my hope
For you
Be my sure guide
Be serve me from the trap
You are my fortress
Then I hide
And I hide
I love you
Reveal me Lord
O God of truth
My spirit
I commit to you
I hate
I hate all those
Who trust
I trust the Lord
For he is true
I will rejoice
And take delight
In all the love
Of the love
That you have shown
For my affliction
You have seen
To you
My soul's distress is known
Amen
Let's turn to read God's word
Now in the epistle to the Hebrews
And chapter 6
Hebrews chapter 6
We read the chapter
Hebrews chapter 6
Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ
And go on to maturity
Not laying again a foundation of repentance
From dead works and of faith towards God
And of instruction about washings
The laying on of hands
The resurrection of the dead
And eternal judgment
And this we will do
If God permits
For it is impossible
To restore again to repentance
Those who have once been enlightened
Who have tasted the heavenly gift
And have shared in the Holy Spirit
And have tasted the goodness of the word of God
And the powers of the age to come
If they then fall away
Since they are crucifying once again
The Son of God
To their own harm
And holding him up to contempt
For lamb that has drunk the rain
That often falls in it
And produces a crop useful to those
For whose sake it is cultivated
Receives a blessing from God
But if it bears thorns and thistles
It is worthless
And near to being cursed
And its end is to be burned
Though we speak in this way
Yet in your case, beloved
We feel sure of better things
Things that belong to salvation
For God is not so unjust
As to overlook your work
And the love that you showed
For his sake
In serving the saints
As you still do
And we decide each one of you
To show the same earnestness
To have the full assurance
Of hope until the end
So that you may not be sluggish
But imitators of those
Who through faith and patience
Inherit the promises
For when God made a promise to Abraham
Since he had no one greater
By whom to swear
He swore by himself
Saying, surely I will bless you
And multiply you
And thus Abraham
Having patiently waited
Obtained the promise
For people swear
By something greater than themselves
And in all their disputes
An oath is final
For confirmation
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
Amen
And may God bless to us
This reading of his own holy word
We are going to sing again
From the Scottish Psalter
In Psalm 130
We sing the whole psalm
The tune is Martyrdom
Psalm 130
We sing the whole psalm
Tune Martyrdom
Page 421
Lord from the depths
To thee I cried
My voice Lord
Do thou hear
Unto my supplications voice
Give an attentive ear
Lord who shall stand
If thou O Lord
Shouldst mark iniquity
But yet with thee forgiveness is
That feared thou mayest be
I wait for God
My soul doth wait
My hope is in his word
More than they that for morning watch
My soul waits for the Lord
I say more than they that do watch
The morning light to see
Let Israel's hope in the Lord
For with him mercy is be
And plenteous redemption
Is ever found with him
And from all his iniquities
He Israel shall redeem
Psalm 130
Lord from the depths
To thee I cried
For from the depths
To thee I cried
For from the depths
To thee I cried
For from the dead to thee I cry, my voice for to the clear,
And do my soul with patience voice, if I'm not dead there be.
Lord, who shall stand if thou, O Lord, sure sparkly with thee?
But yet with thee forgiveness is, but fear thou mayest be.
I wait for God, my soul doth wait, My hope is in His word.
More than they have, for mooring watch, My soul is for the Lord.
My Savior, I may have to watch The morning light to see.
Let Israel open the door, For with Him mercy is He.
And when Jesus' redemption Is ever come to Him,
And from all His dengue is He is husha free.
Let's turn again to the chapter we read in Hebrews chapter 6.
And if we read again from verse 17, Hebrews 6 from verse 17,
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 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.
And particularly verse 19.
I'm sure we're all aware from history that way back in the early church when the times of the fires of persecution were really burning.
And people couldn't publicly share that they were Christians on pain of death.
So there had to be an awful lot of secrecy.
And we know that it's like that in some places in the world even today where there's an underground church.
People don't have the freedom and they don't have the privileges that we have that often we take for granted.
But back then when the fires of persecution were burning, it cost an awful lot to be a Christian.
And so we know that there was a symbol, the symbol of the fish, which still is to the go today.
But that's when it originated, the symbol of the fish.
And of course, it is an acrostic for Christians because in Greek, the lettering stands for Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.
So that's what a person had, this symbol, where they were stating that Jesus Christ, Son of God, is my Savior.
Because they couldn't do it publicly.
And there's a lot of, I suppose in archaeology and so on, there's a lot of these discoveries of it.
But there was also, which wasn't so common, but there was still a lot of them discovered, there was a symbol of the anchor.
And of course, that was symbolizing the steadfastness and the perseverance of the Christian faith.
And really, these two symbols speak about what Christianity is.
That Jesus Christ, Son of God, is our Savior.
And that by Him and through Him, we remain steadfast and sure in the faith.
And it's a question, before we go any further, we'd have to ask ourselves, if we lived in such a day,
could you pin these two anchors, particularly the first one, to yourself?
These two symbols, could you pin it to yourself?
Is Jesus Christ, Son of God, your Savior?
It's a very, very important question.
And one that needs an answer.
Because one day, Jesus is going to confront you and me about this very thing.
Where we have been, where we have stood, what we have done with Him.
And so we're given this opportunity even tonight.
If you haven't got yourself right with Jesus, then it's time that you did.
So that you would be able to pin these two symbols onto you.
Where you could say that Jesus Christ, Son of God, is my Savior.
And I am remaining through Him steadfast in the faith.
Now this passage from verse 13 on really is quite remarkable.
And in a sense, we're just looking at it briefly tonight here.
And our main focus is in verse 19, these words,
we have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul,
a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.
Now as we know, hope is a wonderful word.
And we often use the expression, maybe when somebody's really, really ill.
And maybe there's a, we're kind of wondering how things are going to do.
And we use the expression, where there's life, there's hope.
And that's so true.
Where there's life, there's always hope.
We hope that he or she will turn the corner and get better.
But while it's true in the natural world, it is also very, very true in the spiritual world.
Where there is life, there is hope.
Where there is spiritual life, there is spiritual hope.
And the hope, the Christian hope is not dependent upon ourselves.
If it was, it wouldn't take us very far.
Christian hope is not dependent on our circumstances of what's happening or what hasn't happened.
If it was, it wouldn't take us very far.
Christian hope is based upon the very nature and the very character of God.
And it is what we have in and through the Lord Jesus Christ.
And Christian hope is one of the great, great blessings
that we have been given when we come to faith in Jesus Christ.
The question is, do we work up this hope ourselves?
Is this something that we can conjure up ourselves, this hope?
Of course it's not.
When a person becomes a Christian, various things happen.
The moment that we're regenerated, the moment we're born again,
the moment that we come into faith with the Lord Jesus Christ,
various things happen.
That changes everything.
We're justified.
In a moment, if you remember our shorter catechism,
it tells us that justification is an act.
It is like a once and for all.
It happens right away.
God pronounces us just because of what Jesus Christ has done.
Not something that we've done, but what Jesus has done.
And following on from that,
we are also immediately brought into the family of God.
We call it adoption, who are adopted into the family of God.
And along with that, happening at the same time,
we have peace with God.
We have our peace.
Because you see, beforehand, before we came to faith,
we were on the run from God.
We didn't want God.
Or at least we didn't want God except on our terms.
But we can only get God on his terms.
And so there is this natural instinct within us to run away from God.
Why?
Because we're afraid.
That's why Adam ran.
Remember when Adam ran in the Garden of Eden?
God said, where are you?
And why do you run away?
He said, I was afraid.
I was afraid.
You see, that's how we are by nature.
We're afraid.
We run.
We're on the run from God.
But once we become Christians, we stop running.
We're not running away.
We're running to God.
We're at peace with God.
We now call him Abba Father.
We are into this wonderful relationship.
And so there's this sense of peace comes into our heart.
Through the Holy Spirit.
The love of God is shed abroad within our heart.
But also, hope is born in our heart.
And it's not the hope so of the world.
It is a firm persuasion.
Again, that everything God has promised in his word is going to come true.
And that's one of the most wonderful things.
That is why becoming a Christian changes life radically.
We're still the same people.
Still the same personality.
We still operate in many of the same ways.
Although as time goes on, we should be being conformed and changed more and more to the image of Christ.
But it's a radical change.
And that's the most wonderful thing that can happen to us.
And if you're still without Christ, I urge you to seek him and to look to him.
So God has given us this great blessing of hope.
Now, this hope is here described as an anchor of the soul.
And it's not just described as an anchor, but a sure and steadfast anchor.
And why is it so sure?
Well, this passage tells us why it is so sure.
And really, I find this one of the most incredible passages in Scripture.
Because the hope that God has implanted into our heart is all tied in with the promise that God gave to Abraham many, many, many years ago.
Now, some people think the Old Testament today is irrelevant.
They say, oh, what's the point in the Old Testament?
The Old Testament is as relevant as the New Testament.
You can't separate them.
Although the New Testament is in a new age, the two are combined.
And we cannot understand the one without the other.
And Genesis is as relevant to today as the book of Revelation is relevant.
It's all relevant.
And so when we go back into Genesis, we find that God gave Abraham a promise.
And that's what we read there in verse 13.
For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying,
Surely I will bless you and multiply you.
And so when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of promise.
And who are the heirs of promise?
Well, that's you and me.
We are the heirs of promise.
Because although there was a godly line before Abraham, Abel was a godly man.
Seth was Adam and Eve's son Seth.
There was a godly line run down that through them, the likes of Enoch and on into Noah.
But remember how God called Abraham.
And he was going to make him a great nation.
And through him, all the nations of the world were going to be blessed.
And in a sense, we can say Abraham is the father of the Jewish race.
But not only of the Jewish race, but of all believers.
He is the father of a physical race.
But he's also the father in this world of a spiritual race.
We are the spiritual seed of Abraham.
And so the promises that God gave to Abraham are promises for us as well.
We are the heirs of salvation.
But what is remarkable here is, and it all ties in with this sure and steadfast,
God wants us to be so absolutely persuaded of what he is telling us of the fullness and the wonder of this promise,
is that he has made this promise with an oath.
Now, I find that quite extraordinary.
Now, you and I make promises.
We make promises all the time.
And usually the promises we make are with every good intention.
But you and I know only too well that we break promises.
Not deliberately.
But so often because we forget.
How often have you said, oh, you know, I promise to go.
I promise to go and see so and so.
I promise to do this.
I promise to do that.
And we've forgotten.
And other times we make promises to do something.
But circumstances change and no longer are we able to do it.
But that's never so with God.
Because God knows everything.
He knows everything from end to the beginning.
And it is impossible for God to change his mind.
It is impossible for God to make a promise and not fulfill it.
God is unchanging.
It tells us God cannot lie.
And that means that every single word in this book is true.
It is impossible for God not to fulfill his word.
So God has made this promise to us.
But this promise is so important to God that he attaches an oath to the promise.
Now, that's extraordinary.
He's putting an oath.
Now, I don't know the language of courts today.
But I know that how it used to be that a person had to swear on the Bible.
A person had to say that they were telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
And the reason why a Bible was produced is because they had to take an authority that was greater than us.
And there is no authority greater in the whole world than the Bible.
So when we, like in a courtroom, would swear to tell the truth, putting our hand on the Bible or holding the Bible up,
that is making an oath by someone who is greater than ourselves.
But what God is saying here is because there is nobody greater than himself,
then God is swearing by himself.
He says, by his own name.
By my name, he says, I will bless you.
And you see how important this promise is to God.
So we have this most wonderful promise with a guaranteed fulfillment.
And we ask the question, where do we find all the promises fulfilled?
Well, all the promises, we're told, are yea and amen in Christ Jesus.
And if we're in Christ Jesus, then we're inheritors of all the promises.
And here is God's guarantee over it all.
And that's why God has gone to such lengths to demonstrate to us the importance of this particular promise,
where we have this guarantee, this sure and certain hope, this anchor for our life.
Now, what does an anchor do?
Well, obviously, an anchor gives security.
It gives a steadfast hold.
Now, God doesn't promise us that we won't have storms, we won't have troubles, we won't have trials, we won't have difficulties in life.
We will.
And God tells us that.
In this world, you will have tribulation.
But be of good cheer.
I have overcome the world.
We will have these things.
But what we will have guaranteed is an anchor, sure and steadfast in the midst of all these things.
Now, an anchor, as we know, it's an amazing thing.
And when a ship lets down its anchor, the length of the chain, and there has to be a long chain with it,
the length of the chain and the weight of the anchor is that which holds the ship in place.
There are different types of anchors.
Some of the wee boats might have a fluke anchor, and then there's a plough anchor.
And that kind of anchor can hold on to the seabed even, whether it's grassy or sandy.
And, of course, the weight of the chain and the way that it's set out will keep the boat in place.
It's an amazing thing.
Occasionally, you hear of a boat that's slipped its moorings or that's broken its anchor.
It doesn't happen often.
Well, here's an anchor that will never break.
This is a mooring that will never slip.
This is the most secure anchorage ever in this world.
Because you remember tonight, my Christian friend, you are held by the everlasting hand of the almighty creator of this universe.
You know, sometimes you look out at sea and you can see a couple of boats.
It's one stationary, maybe out in the bay, and one is moving.
The one that's moving, we know is moving because it has no anchor.
It hasn't cast an anchor.
The one that isn't moving, we know that, obviously, an anchor has been cast down.
Now, we know that it's not just storms that cause boats to drift.
We know that changing tides will cause a boat to drift.
And, you know, we live in a world where there are changing tides all the time.
We live in a world that is just a sea of change.
There are cultural changes.
There are changes in every front, economic and financial and social and the culture of the day.
You know, we live in a day that often you don't know what's what.
And sometimes we used to talk about a generational change.
But it's not a generational change anymore.
It's just a sea of change all the time.
And so often you don't know.
It's so easy to be confused.
But, you know, if you have an anchor for your soul,
in the midst of all that goes on with the changing society and the changing culture,
you have an anchor that remains sure and steadfast.
And that holds you firm against the changing tides,
against the storms, against all the things that are happening.
And this is vital.
It's so important to have.
We're told Paul, writing to the church in Ephesians,
warns them not to be blown about by every wind of doctrine.
Paul was aware that there were many teachers coming in
with fancy new ideas about this and that and the next thing.
And he said, if you're not anchored properly,
you'll get blown this way and that way.
And you'll be saying, oh, I'm going this way.
And then next day you'll go another way.
That's not how it should be.
We've got to be rooted.
We've got to be ground down in Jesus Christ.
And that's what the anchor does.
It holds us firm and fast in the truth.
So that when we are anchored in Christ,
we know what the truth is.
And the truth is unchanging.
Irrespective of what society says.
Irrespective of what the views of the culture are at the time.
God's word doesn't change.
And so we need to be embedded and firm in the word of God,
in the truth.
And you know what's so important for us?
To be anchored in Christ.
Because if we're not, we'll drift.
And can I say, and I say this lovingly,
if you're not in Christ,
do you know this, you're drifting.
And you might say, no, I'm not.
I've got a real pattern to my life.
My life is guided by Christian principles.
Well, that is great.
I applaud that.
And I thank the Lord for that.
And I know that many people
who have never come to faith
regulate their life by Christian principles.
And that's a wonderful thing.
I would say it's a first step.
But it's not enough.
We need to have the anchor.
Because if not, we will drift.
Because we don't have underneath us
that which is going to give the stability
when the storms come.
Because maybe just now
there aren't great storms in your life.
But one day there's going to break.
And we need this anchor.
Otherwise we will crash
onto the rocks of perdition.
There's no two ways about it.
So it's imperative
that we have this anchor for our soul.
And we're told it's assured and steadfast.
That's a wonderful thing.
You see, this union that we have
with the Lord Jesus Christ
is an unbreakable union.
It cannot be broken.
And that's so encouraging for us
because, you know, sometimes we think
and we think one day, you know this,
I'm going to make shipwreck.
One day, I am going to hit the rocks.
One day, and you sometimes think that you,
you look at your faith
and you think that it's so slender.
It's just like a one little thread of faith.
Sometimes we feel our faith stronger,
but sometimes we feel it so weak,
so fragile.
And then we look at ourselves
and we're so aware of our sin
and our failure
and our mistakes
and our repeated failures
and our repeated sin.
And we say one day,
the Lord's going to say,
oh, I've had enough of him.
I've had enough of her.
I give up.
No.
That is never, ever going to happen.
Even if our faith is as weak
or as small as Jesus said
as a grain of mustard seed.
And even with our sin,
the Lord will never, ever give up on us.
Paul asked,
is there anything that can separate us
from the love of Christ?
And he went through everything.
Everything in this world.
Who shall separate us
from the love of Christ?
And he asked the question
of loads of things
and even went into
the spiritual realms,
the places and powers of darkness
and even to death itself.
And he said,
no, nothing,
not even death
can separate the Christian
from the love of God
in Christ Jesus.
Why?
Because we're kept.
That's what the anchor does.
It keeps.
It's one of the greatest words
in scripture.
Kept.
You're a believer tonight.
You are being kept.
How?
By the power of God.
That's what it says in Peter.
Kept by the power of God.
Every day,
every night,
the power of God
is keeping you.
and will keep you
and will eventually,
you'll be taken home
to glory
with the Lord Jesus.
So despite all the storms
and all the batterings
and all the bruisings
and all the temptations,
the anchor will hold.
As the old song said,
we shall not be moved
and the Christian can sing that
because it is true.
You go through the Bible
and you see the lives
of all the great men
and women of the past.
They had the storms
in their life.
They had the losses,
the crosses,
the difficulties.
And yet they kept going.
Kept going to the end.
They were kept.
You know,
it's very interesting
when Jesus told Peter
that he was going to deny him.
And he said,
Satan has desired to have you,
to sift you as wheat.
But I have prayed for you
that your faith won't fail.
Now it's very interesting.
Jesus didn't pray
that Peter wouldn't deny him.
I find that interesting.
Jesus' prayer is not
regarding the sin,
but it's regarding faith.
Because faith is the key
to it all.
And so we're aware
that this,
we've been kept.
Kept by the power of God.
And the Bible tells us
that all these Old Testament
and New Testament,
the characters
and the incidents
and experiences of their life
are there for our example.
They're there for us
to learn from.
And see how God worked
in their lives
and what he did.
It's like a picture book
for ourselves to discover.
the way that the Lord
has worked.
But the last thing
that we see here
about the anchor
is normally an anchor
is let down.
Down onto the seabed.
Let down from the ship.
But the anchor that we have
moves in a totally
different direction.
We see that it's an anchor
that goes up.
It's an anchor
that goes into heaven,
goes behind the curtain
or the veil.
And of course,
when we see that
in verse 20 there,
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.
And that takes us
straight back
to the Old Testament,
to the tabernacle
and the temple.
And you remember
then the structure there,
there was one
very, very special place.
There was a holy place,
but there was then
the most holy place.
There was a curtain
that separated.
And nobody,
nobody,
ever was allowed
into the most holy place
or the holy of holies.
Where the Ark of the Covenant
was,
God's presence
was centered there.
Nobody,
on pain of death,
if you entered in there,
you would die.
The only person
who was ever allowed
in there
was the high priest.
And that was only
once a year
on the great day
of atonement
when he went in
with the blood
of the sacrifice,
representing the people
where the blood
was sprinkled
on the mercy seat.
They are.
That was the only day
that he was ever
allowed in.
And that's a picture
that's given
of what Jesus has done.
But there's a difference
between Jesus
as our great high priest
and the Old Testament
high priest.
Because the Old Testament
high priest
wasn't a forerunner.
The Old Testament priest
only went in
once a year.
And nobody else
could go in.
But Jesus
has gone behind
the veil
as our forerunner.
Which means
we're running after him.
We're coming behind.
Jesus has gone
into heaven.
And remember
how he said
to the disciples,
I go to prepare
a place for you.
And we said that
before he went
to the cross.
And that's what
he did on the cross.
He prepared a place
for us
through his death.
But in glory
tonight
he is preparing
us
for that place.
One day
he'll send
for us
to take us
home with himself.
You see
before
Jesus went
to the cross
he prayed.
coming back
to this
what we said
about kept
because Jesus
has gone
into glory.
He's there
just now.
And we're told
that he makes
continual
intercession
for us.
He continues
to pray
for us.
He prayed
for us
before he went
to the cross.
And the first thing
he prayed
a lot of things
but one of the things
was
that's the very thing
I pray not
that you take
them out
to the world
but that you
keep them.
That's part
of the high
priestly prayer
out being kept.
There's to stay
in the world
but they're being
kept.
But further on
in the high
priestly prayer
he's looking
ahead
to something
he's so
looking forward
to.
Father I will
that them
whom you've
given me
all the people
that you've
given me
be with me
where I am
that they
may behold
my glory.
That will be
the fulfillment
of the high
priestly prayer
when the whole
church
is brought
at last
into the
presence
of the king.
But at the
moment
there's a work
to be done
because you see
normally an anchor
keeps a boat
in place
although the
boat might
revolve
around the
anchor
it keeps
it in place.
We're not
kept
we're kept
firm and
sure
but not
to stay
on the
spot.
We're
working
we're
moving
because
when Jesus
says I
pray not to
take them
out of the
world but
to keep
them
keep them
from evil
or keep
them from
the evil
one.
You see
there's work
to be done.
Jesus
tells us
I have
sheep that
are not
of this
fold
them I
must bring
in.
The great
shepherd of
the sheep
is gathering
in his
flock and
who does
he use?
He uses
the sheep.
He uses
you and
me.
That's the
amazing thing.
We're kept
in this
world.
We're kept
but we're
also being
kept to be
used by
the Lord
in the
great work
of in
gathering
the sheep
into the
fold.
Tonight
Jesus is
interceding
on your
behalf and
he's not
praying
Lord.
He's not
praying to
the Father
and saying
excuse them
they can't
help that
because of
what they
are.
No.
He agrees
totally with
the verdict
of the
Father
but he's
pleading his
perfect
righteousness.
He's
pleading his
finished work.
He's
pleading the
blood sacrifice
that he has
shed for us.
The Father
looks on the
finished work
of Christ
and then
he sees
us.
He's
looking at
us through
that.
So Jesus
is there
making that
intercession
for us
as our
forerunner
and you
and I
tonight as
believers
will be
following him
on.
well the
great question
that we
have to
ask is
is that
your hope
tonight?
If you're a
Christian
that's your
hope.
You're full
of hope
not because
of what
you've done
but because
of what
Christ has
done and
because of
the word
that he's
given and
the promise
that he's
given.
But if
you're not
a Christian
you don't
have this
hope.
And you
know I
don't think
I've ever
lived in a
more uncertain
world than
we live in
just now.
It is just
it is so
uncertain at
every conceivable
front.
The world
is just
you feel
there's a
top
there's an
unsettledness
vibrating all
through it
and it
cries out
for surety
and steadfastness
and I
believe that's
why so many
people are
so many
people are
searching
so many
people are
worried and
anxious and
concerned
here's the
answer
the anchor
for your
soul
it will
change your
life
it will
change your
destiny
change
everything
you ask
Jesus
tonight
to become
the anchor
of your
soul
tonight
let's
pray
Lord our
God we
pray to
bless us
and we
give thanks
for your
tender
mercies
and for
your love
towards us
we pray
that we
might all
know that
anchorage
in you
we pray
that nobody
will go out
of here
and say I
have no
idea what
it is to
have Jesus
as my
saviour
we pray if
there are
any who
don't know
you yet
that you
will implant
a growing
desire within
their heart
to fulfil
so that they
will come to
know you
to come to
know that
hope and
that peace
that is
found in
Jesus
Christ
bless us
tonight
then we
pray
part us
with your
blessing
do us
good
and take
away our
every sin
in Jesus
name
amen
we're going
to conclude
singing in
Psalm 107
these words
of the storm
and then making
the way into
the shelter
Psalm 107
verses 26
to 30
the tune
is Loch
Broom
it's on
page 384
Psalm 107
verse 26
they mount
to heaven
then to the
depths
they do
go down
again
their soul
doth faint
and melt
away with
trouble
and with
pain
they reel
and stagger
like one
drunk
at their
wits end
they be
then they
to God
in trouble
cry
who them
from
streets
doth
free
the storm
is changed
into a
calm
at his
command
and will
so that
the waves
which raged
before
now quiet
are and
still
then are
they glad
because at
rest and
quiet
now they
be
so to
the
haven
he then
brings
which they
desired
to see
26 to
30
the
Tunis
love
broom
they
mount
to heaven
then to
the
depths
they do
go down
again
their
souls
of
faith
and
melt
away
with
trouble
and
with
pain
we
will
and
stag
are
like
one
throng
at
them
with
send
they
be
then
they
to
go down
in
trouble
cry
who
them
from
saints
are
free
the
storm
is
changed
into
account
they
come
they
come
and
will
so
that
the
ways
which
reached
before
now
quiet
are
still
when
are
they
glad
because
are
blessed
and
quiet
thou
may
be
so
to
thy
heaven
he
em
brings
which
any
start
to
see
after
the
benediction
i'll go
to the
door
on my
left
now
may
the
grace
mercy
and
peace
of
god
the
father
son
and
holy
spirit
rest
and
abide
upon
each
one
of
you
now
and
forever
more
amen