JESUS CHRIST – THE ANCHOR OF THE SOUL.

SERIES: LIVING BY FAITH.

TEXT: HEBREWS 5:11-6:20.

Our nation and indeed the nations of the world are suffering from the corrosive immoral breath of the 21st century.

Secularism, humanism, materialism, lesbianism, commercialism have destroyed our sources of security.

Family, marriages, homes, churches once sources of security have become nightmares.

Big government and big businesses have put us in uncertainty and insecurity.

The church has obligated its authority and power at the altar of “seeker friendliness.”

The “matching to Zion” is full of travelers who feel helpless, defeated and hopeless.

Our churches are overcrowded with weak pulpits and spineless preachers and often times the pews are filled with Christians know less than unbelievers. Believers ashamed of carrying their Bibles to church, unwilling to give their testimonies to one another. Our text this morning in Hebrews speaks directly to the enemies of hope and the essentials of hope-Heb. 6:11-12.

“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of the hope until the end. So that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”

In a world surrounded with hopelessness it is important there is a strong testimony from the church that we know where true hope rests-in Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 6:11, “Show…….the full assurance of hope until the end.”

To do this we must deal with the enemies of hope as well as the essentials of hope.

Today I am here to encourage you the believer to “imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised-Heb. 6:12.

Now, you remember in the Old Testament after Israel left Egypt, they soon wanted to return (go back).

The result was that the entire generation failed to inherit what God had promised them!! They were delivered out of Egypt but they never enjoyed the promised rest in Canaan.

Many believers today make the same mistake:

• They get saved but make no spiritual progress.
• The key to understanding this passage is to keep in mind that the emphasis is, “Make spiritual progress!!” let us learn:-

THE ENEMIES OF ASSURANCE-Heb. 5:11-6:8.

1. Immaturity-5:11-6:3.

1. “Dull”-Vs. 11. “Dull” is “Laziness” or slothful.

• “Dull is a don’t care, attitude towards the word of God.
• Remember these believers started their backward journey by “drifting” from the word.
• They started by “neglecting” their salvation-Heb. 2”1-4.
• Then they “doubted” the word of God-Heb. 3:7-4:13.
• The result of “neglecting” and “doubting” is “dull of hearing.”
• The ramification of these three step. Regression is everything becomes dull-inability to listen to the word, receive the word and act on the word.
• One of the first symptoms of backsliding is a DULLNESS to the word.
• The problem is not with the Sunday school teacher or the pastor but the believer-Heb. 5:12-13.
• The Hebrew laziness towards the word led to uselessness to the cause of Christ.
• They had heard enough sermons, sat enough-they should be teachers by now-sharing the gospel.
• The hardest lessons for a child to learn is how to share, that is why in child development you buy many toys to teach your child to share with other children.
• By now you should be sharing the good news (Gospel) with your neighbors and overseas.
• Instead of being givers, they were still getters, instead of being contributors, they were consumers. Instead of being exporters they were exporters.
• Instead of feeding on solid food they were still on “baby diet”-Heb. 5:13-14.
• Milk is predigested food, suited for babies (cows eat grass, hay to make milk-cows are milk factories).
• Paul is saying “milk” is the elementary principles of the oracles of God.
• The “milk” refers to what Jesus did on earth (life, death, resurrection) meat refers to what Jesus is doing now in heaven (Great High Priest).
• Many Christians never get beyond the milk of the cross-They fail to progress (Michael Wamalwa and cartoons).
• We must not stop the journey of sanctification once we get saved!!
• We must understand the positional sanctification (salvation) and progress sanctification (maturity and completeness in Christ).
• A mature person is the believer who can carry his/her load and the burden of others (self-correcting and full trust in Jesus Christ).
• A mature church is self-governing, self-propagating and self-financing.
• The highest level of self-development is self-actualization-when you attain your ultimate goal of life which is glorification of God in your life-Phil. 3:14-21.
• A part of being immature is a lack of spiritual discernment.
• As we grow in the word, we learn to apply/use it on daily life-Heb. 6:1-3.
• Most Christians are “betweenees” out of danger, but not in the promised land-out of danger, but not yet in the place of rest and blessing.
• The three kinds of people, the natural man, the spiritual man and the carnal fleshly-1st Cor. 2:14-3:1-3.

INSINCERITY-Heb. 6:4-8.

• From these verses, there are those who believe that a “saved person” can be “lost again” that one can fall from grace and lose one’s salvation “enlightened” tasle.
• But the passage is talking about counterfeit christian, not authentic christian, the wheat and the tares, the counterfeits had seen the light, tasted the spirit of God, the word of God, experienced miracles-yet had “fallen away.”
• There are five advantages the Hebrews had:-

1. Enlightened: intellectual perception of spiritual, Biblical truth-not saved-2nd Peter 2:20-21.
2. Tasted the heavenly gifts (tasted Jesus-sampled not, not accepted/lived, only examined Him).
3. Partakers of the Holy Spirit (association with the Holy Spirit but not possessed by the Holy Spirit).

• The Bible never talks about believers being associated with the Holy Spirit (but the Holy Spirit being within them).

1. Tasted of the word of God (tasted not ate).
2. Tasted of the powers of the age to come (seen miracle after miracle, witnessed signs and wonders-they tasted without receiving).

• The passage is not talking about christians loosing salvation, but about lost people losing the opportunity to be saved.
• In verse 7-8 reminds us about the parable of the wheat and the tares.
• Insincere decisions would show it by the fruit of their lives-thorns and thistles ready to be burned.
• Let me warn you in the name of Jesus Christ. If you have never trusted Christ to the point of being saved, do it today.
• A time is coming when you are rejected by Jesus Christ. Your heart is hardening to a point you cannot respond to the gospel (that is why so few older people get saved).

THE ESSENTIALS OF ASSURANCE-Heb. 6:9-20.

1. The believer has no need to ever fear to lose his/her salvation because he/she cannot.

1. The Bible gives abundant evidence on this very issue-John 10:26-29; Romans 8:35-39.

• Look also at Philippians 1:6 and 1st Peter 1:4-5.
• We are kept in salvation by the power of God so a true believer should not worry about his/her salvation being lost.
• By Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross we can be saved, certainly by His life of power and intercession can be kept saved-Rom. 5:10.
• If His death does not save us once and for all, then we are not saved at all.

1. You can be assured of your salvation and grow in it when we discover these three truths that anchor our soul in hope-

1. Stand on the promises-Vs. 9-18.

• True believers would continue to serve God whatever happens to them outwardly.
• The true believer stands on the promises of God-Vs. 11-12.
• Abraham is a good example of faith and patience.
• It is impossible for God to lie.

1. Hiding in the refuge-Vs. 18.

• This verse refers to the book of Numbers and the establishment of 5 cities of refuge.
• Our city of refuge is Jesus Christ (I have run to Jesus Christ for my sin and from the wrath to come).
• I can hide in Jesus Christ and be protected for evermore.

1. Be anchored to the forerunner-Vs. 19-20.

• “Hope” means “an anchor rope.”
• Every harbor has great stones that are embedded in the ground near the waters edge that served as mooring for the sailing vessels.
• The big ships are led to the harbor by a “forerunner” small boat.
• Our Lord Jesus Christ is the “great forerunner.”
• He has gone to the glory and tied the anchor rope of our salvation to His throne on high.
• We are tied to the Rock of ages-our hope is Christ Himself.
• By the mercy and grace of God my salvation is sure forever.
• My salvation is infite and eternal because of His mercy and grace.
• To doubt your salvation is to doubt your God.
• Jesus Christ saved me (justified), Jesus Christ is saving me now (sanctified), Jesus Christ will save me in the future (glorification).
• We are kept by the grace of God unto salvation.

CONCLUSION

• Our hope is alive-it is a living hope-1st Peter 1:3.
• Our hope abides eternally-“Now abides hope, faith and love.” 1st Cor. 13:13-Hope is the anchor of the soul!!
• When everything goes out or sorts, when death comes calling, when difficulties arise-THE ROCK of AGES.
• Never doubt your salvation-if you are truly saved.
• If you are saved, but you have fallen-today recommit, reaffirm, rededicate, your life to Christ.
• If you are truly not born again, saved today, give your life to Christ once and for all.