I think we're good now. Wonderful
song. Being at West made me really realize even more
how precious it is for us to be able to gather together. How
precious it is for us to be able to gather together in fellowship
and in unity and around the gospel and Because the gospel is not
preached everywhere. And so what we have is precious
and wonderful. And it makes us thank God for
it, doesn't it? Turn if you would to Hebrews
chapter 6. Hebrews chapter 6. The name of the message is Strong
Comfort in Christ. Strong Comfort in Christ. Hebrews chapter 6. Beloved of God, are you in need of comfort? Are you in need of comfort? Has
the world and all the things in the world lost the appeal
they once had before the Lord saved you? Are you in need of comfort? As
you go through trials in this life, in tribulations which so
often occur in our lives, are you in need of comfort while
you go through those things? Do you find yourself in constant
need of comfort from God? This is the state that the believer
finds themselves in. in a state of needing comfort
from our great God as we journey through this world. And I hope
and pray that this message will be a comfort to God's people,
that we can leave this place holding fast to our great God
and King, who is the God of all comfort. And I'd like us to consider what
a strong comfort or consolation, as it says in the text, meaning
comfort, we have in our great God, our great King, and our
Savior, and our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn, if you
would, to Hebrews chapter 6. We'll read from verses 13 to
20. And we see the certainty of God's
promise to his people in and through Christ Jesus, our Lord. And through him alone to we who
are called or they who are called. The heirs of promise. The heirs of promise. Look at
verse 13 for when God made promise to Abraham because he could swear
by no greater he swear by himself saying surely blessing I will
bless thee and multiplying I will multiply thee and so after he
had patiently endured he obtained the promise for men verily swear
by the greater and an oath for confirmation to them and end
of all strife wherein God willing more abundantly to show
unto the heirs of promise. The immutability of his counsel
confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which
it is impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation. Who have fled for refuge to lay
hold upon the hope set before us. Note the words there, strong
consolation. Which hope we have an anchor
of the soul, both sure and steadfast, in which entereth into that within
the veil, whether the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus
made an high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. Now
take note of verses 17 and 19 and note the word consolation. wherein God, willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel,
confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which
it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation. who have fled for refuge to lay
hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an
anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, in which entereth
into that within the veil. Whether the forerunner is for
us entered, even Jesus made an high priest forever after the
order of Melchizedek. Note that our text, in our text,
that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for
God to lie, we might have a strong consolation. And here's those
who are spoken of as the heirs, who have fled for refuge to lay
hold upon the hope set before us. So this is written to those
who have fled for refuge to Christ. And what a hope we have. What
a hope we have. We who are God's blood-bought,
born-again, redeemed people, what a hope we have. Our hope
is Christ and Christ alone. Now the word in our text's consolation
is defined in the Greek as to besiege the act of exhortation,
encouragement, comfort, a cheering and supporting influence, joy,
gladness, rejoicing, cheer, enjoyment, comfort, consolation, encouragement. This Greek word is translated
consolation 14 times in the New Testament, exhortation 8 times, and comfort
6 times. In all of the scripture we know,
all the scripture is an exhortation, admonition or encouragement for
the purpose of strengthening and establishing the believer
in the faith of which Christ is the object. Turn, if you would,
to Romans chapter 15, and we see that in the scripture we're
looking at four places where this Greek word is used, consolation
for consolation. Romans 15.4 Romans 15.4, we see it translated comfort
here. For whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience
and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Same Greek word.
Comfort. Comfort from the scriptures.
And who's our hope in? Our hope's in Christ. Now turn,
if you would, to Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter
2. In Philippians chapter 2 we see
it translated consolation. Which Gail brings forth means
exhortation. Exhortation. And Paul is here speaking about
Christian unity. Philippians chapter 2 verses
1 and 2. If there be therefore any consolation
in Christ, if any comfort of love If any fellowship of the
Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy that ye be
like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord of
one mind. Now turn, if you would, to Hebrews
chapter 12. And Paul is here writing to the
Hebrews in chapter 12 in the book of Hebrews. He uses the
same word. It's translated exhortation in verse 5. But we'll read verses
1 to 6 to get the context. Paul is exhorting the believers
in Christ to not grow weary when under the chastening rod of the
Lord, as he only chastens those whom he loves. And note in verse
2, he sets, before he brings this out, he sets their eyes
upon Christ. And this is something we see
Paul do often in the book of 1 Corinthians. The whole first
chapter, read the first chapter and note how many times the Lord
brings out Christ. So what he's doing before he's
even gonna correct them. And never once, this is amazing
too, as I was traveling and studying, I found this and I thought this
was just a gem. The commentator brought out the fact that when
Paul is writing a letter of correction to the Corinthians, he never
once tells them they're not believers, never once. He's correcting them in love.
But the first chapter, he points them right to Christ. And again,
it's like Brother Norm said, he takes a musical tuning fork,
before he even brings any correction in, right to Christ. Let's look
right to Christ. But in Galatians, now the contrast
in Galatians, when he's writing to them, and they're mixing,
they're mixing. Now the first, in Corinthians,
they were in sin, weren't they, right? But never once does he
say they're not believers. But in Galatians, where the Judaizers
are coming in and they're mixing grace with works, Paul hits it. He hits it. So there's the difference. We're all sinners. We all struggle
with sin. But look at this here. So Paul's
going to write about the chastening hand of the Lord, but before
he does that, he sets their eyes upon Christ. Hebrews 12, verses
1 to 6. Wherefore, seeing we also are
compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
lay aside every weight and the sin which would thus so easily
beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set
before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith, who for the joy that was "...set before him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand
of the throne of God." So, right away, he's got their eyes on
Christ. "...For consider him that endured
such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied
and faint in your minds. Ye have not resisted unto blood,
striving against sin, And ye have forgotten the exhortation,
there's the same Greek word as consolation in our text, which
speaketh unto you as unto children, my son, despise not thou the
chastising of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him,
for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom
he receiveth. And in turn, if you would, the Hebrews chapter
13, one chapter over, and again we see the same Greek word translated
as exhortation. Hebrews 13, 22. And I beseech
you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation, for I have written
a letter unto you in few words. So we've seen it translated as
comfort, consolation, and exhortation. Let's go back to our text in
Hebrews chapter 6. Hebrews chapter 6, and look at
verse 17. Wherein God, willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs of promise, The heirs of promise have scriptural
grounds for assurance. You know why? Because we have
a strong consolation, a strong comfort in Christ, in Christ
alone. The only assurance of salvation
that we as believers have is in Christ. And those who are
favored of God are called, in verse 17, heirs of promise. Now, let's bring that right home.
You who are here, God's blood-bought people, you are called in this
text an heir of promise. An heir of promise. You have been favored by God.
Now think of this. If someone is an heir of promise,
it at once excludes those who are relying upon their own merits
to make it to heaven. It excludes them. Do you confess that you have
nothing of your own to boast in for salvation? Nothing. Do you hope alone in the mercy
of God in Christ Jesus? This is what the heirs of promise
proclaim. This is what we proclaim, that
our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Heirs of promise, our text here
in verse 17 proclaims. Again, this excludes those who
are heirs according to their own supposed free will. It excludes
them. Those who scoff at the mighty
work of grace and believe that their own supposed free will
and choice has saved them. This text excludes them. Because those spoken of here
are heirs of promise. God's people are heirs of promise
by God's will alone. That's wonderful. Not according to the power of
the flesh, but according to the power of God. My salvation is wholly dependent
upon God. Everything is yours. If it's
not, it's not true salvation. We are either saved by grace
alone, through Christ alone, to the glory of God alone, or
we're not saved at all. Heirs of promise. Now think,
think upon what a strong comfort we who believe what the scriptures
proclaim. Think about what a strong comfort
we have. That salvation is of the Lord. That salvation is not in any
way dependent upon me. Or you. That we who believe our salvation
is wholly dependent upon Christ and Christ alone. Think of what
strong comfort that is for us. Religion is so burdensome. They put things on people and
say, you must do this in order to be saved. You must be baptized,
or you must attend a certain church, or you must do this,
you must do that. And it's just do, do, do. Oh, beloved, praise
God, our hope is built on done. And it's all that Christ has done. What strong comfort! What strong
consolation for the believer! This is what the Scriptures proclaim.
So let us ponder today and consider from our text the eternal supports,
as one commentator said, to build us up in the faith of God's elect,
which are here before us. And this will bring great comfort
to God's people. the ones who are spoken of here
in verse 17 as the heirs of promise. Wherein God, willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel,
confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which
it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation,
a strong comfort, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the
hope set before us. Which hope, and that hope is
in Christ, right? In Christ alone. Which hope we
have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, in which
entereth into that within the veil. My, We who are the people of the
Lord are a weak people, and we need Christ desperately, don't
we? All the time. We've been shown our need by
the Holy Spirit of God, and He continues to show us our need. God shows His poor, feeble, trembling
people the immutability of His counsel. That's here in our text. does not only give one promise,
but he adds another, and another, and another, to all the promises. Where it's almost difficult,
as one commentator said, to count as the stars. Or number the sands
in the seashore. I was just at the ocean, I was
thinking about that. When I was looking at the ocean, and my
goodness, you just see that ocean come. But you look at, I was
looking at the sand. There's so much sand. God's people are more than the
sand of the seashore. My goodness. My goodness. It's amazing. What a blessing we have in Christ.
In Christ Jesus our Lord. And he confirms every promise
by an oath, not just by one, but by But by two, the promise
and the oath in which it's impossible for Jehovah to lie. Look at verses
17 and 18. Wherein God willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs a promise, the immutability of his counsel
confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things in which
it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before
us. Oh, that his people may never
dare to doubt again, one commentator said. That we might have strong
consolation in our great God and King. But we're sinners,
aren't we? What a strong comfort we have.
Note four things here in our text. God's immutable counsel.
Again, I'll read verses 17 and 18, wherein God, willing more
abundantly to show unto the heirs a promise, the immutability of
his counsel confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things
in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong
consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope
set before us. And this is his eternal decree
to accomplish salvation for his people. And it's all to the praise
of the glory of his grace. all to the praise of the glory
of His grace. His decree or purpose is eternal. It's unchanging. It's unchanging. As His own character,
therefore, His salvation, which is in Christ, think of this,
beloved. Because God is unchanging, His
salvation in Christ, who's God, is unchanged. Oh, what comfort that brings
us. What comfort that brings God's
people. Our salvation in Christ is unchanging. It's not dependent
upon us. It's a completed, finished salvation. This is good news. This is wonderful
news. Now, the love of Christ constrains
us, doesn't it? We don't want to do the things
that we once did. We battle sin every day, but
oh, what comfort and joy I can draw from the fact that my salvation
in Christ is unchanging. I am the Lord, I change not,
scripture declares. Therefore, ye sons of Jacob are
not consumed. That's good news. Therefore, those whom He saves,
He keeps, all by His almighty sovereign power, in His mercy
and His grace towards His people in Christ, is unchanging. Unchanging! Again, what peace this can give
the blood-washed saints of God, as we journey through this world.
Now the Greek word there for immutability in verse 17 and
the word immutable in verse 18 is the same Greek word and it's
defined as this. Unchangeable. Unchangeable. Immovable. Immutable. Sure. Fixed. Unalterable. That's like a A well of fresh
water for the believer after you've been going through the
desert. Oh, what comfort again is here
for the blood-washed saint of God. If our God is unchanging,
which He is, then the believer's salvation is secure and fixed
in Christ. who is God incarnate in the flesh. Our refuge is secure, beloved. It's secure against all things
that come at us. Because it's outside of ourselves.
And it's in Christ. And we are heirs of the promise
in Him. In Him. Man may make a promise
that he cannot keep, but through the everlasting ages the promise
was on Jehovah's heart before he spoke it with his lips, one
commentator said. Men sometimes make promises that
they cannot keep due to circumstances which do not permit them to keep
that promise. But God can never be in a place
where he cannot keep his promise. Our God keeps that which He has
promised. He makes these promises from
His infinite wisdom, as well as His infinite power.
And He has all power to keep that which He promises. Because
He's God. And the promises of God will
surely stand. Will surely stand. He will show
mercy to the unworthy. And every believer says, I've
experienced that. I've experienced that. Oh, the promises of God will
surely stand. Because He is God. Turn, if you
would, to Acts chapter 2. Acts chapter 2. And think upon
this, that the Lord Jesus Christ was delivered for our sins according
to the determinate counsel of God, according to the unchanging,
and remember, the unchanging, immutable counsel of God, the
Lord Jesus Christ died on Calvary's cross. God didn't go to plan B when
Adam fell, like some folks like to lie about. Oh, look at this wonderful scripture
in Acts 2, verses 22-24. Think of this in light of His
counsel as fixed, immovable, immutable, sure, unalterable. Ye men of Israel, hear these
words of Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by
miracles and wonders and signs which God did by Him in the midst
of you, as ye yourselves also know Him, being delivered by
the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. Ye have taken, and by
wicked hands have crucified and slain, whom God hath raised up,
having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that
he should be holden of it. The Lord Jesus Christ went to
Calvary willingly and all according to the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God. And he died and he bled on Calvary's
cross, and he took the wrath of God that was justly due for
the heirs of promise, and he paid it all, and he cried, it
is finished. My, and it was all according
to the determinant counsel and foreknowledge of God, beloved. What a savior. What a Redeemer
is Jesus Christ our Lord. Our wise God is working everything
out in our salvation according to His counsel of His own sovereign
will. Turn if you would to Ecclesiastics
chapter 3. It's so in the Old Testament
and it's so in the New Testament. Look at Ecclesiastics chapter
3 and then put your finger in Psalm 33. Then we'll go back
to Hebrews 6. It's so in the Old Testament.
Ecclesiastes 3, verse 14. His will and his counsel shall
be accomplished. Ecclesiastes 3, verse 14. I know that whatsoever God doeth,
it shall be forever. Nothing can be put to it, nor
anything taken from it, And God doeth it that man should fear
before Him. Our God is sovereign, beloved.
He's sovereign. Now turn, if you would, to Psalm
33. Psalm 33. And then we'll go back to Hebrews
chapter 17 and 18, and we'll read that in light of these two
passages in the Old Testament. Psalm 33, verses 11 and 12. The
counsel of the Lord standeth forever. Beloved, it's fixed. It's sure. The thoughts of His heart to
all generations, blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord
and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance. Beloved,
we are heirs of the promise, all according to God's own choosing. Wonderful. Wonderful salvation. Let's go back to Hebrews chapter
six, verse 17 and 18. We'll read that in light of how
God's unchanging. Same God yesterday, today and
forever. Heard somebody not long ago say,
oh, the God of the Old Testament was he was harsh and he was and
and the God of the New Testament, he's just love. I've got news. The God of the Old Testament
is the same God of the New Testament. He's the same yesterday, in eternity,
today and forever. He's unchanging and he's a God
of love and mercy. And we who are the heirs of promise,
we can attest to that, can't we? And he's a great God of mercy
and love. Wherein God, willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs a promise, the immutability of his counsel
confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things in which
it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before
us. His counsel is immovable. For of him, and through him,
and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Romans 11.36. The second point I'd like us
to consider from our text is God's confirmation by His oath. God's confirmation by His oath. Wherein God willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs a promise, the immutability of His counsel
confirmed it by an oath. God has with an oath sworn by
Himself that all the heirs a promise shall be blessed forever, shall
be blessed forever in Christ. Now, who among us dare doubt
that we are blessed in Christ and by God, because surely we've
been blessed by God in Christ with all spiritual blessings. God willing to show the believers
the unchangeableness of His purpose and promise of life in Christ
bound Himself by an oath. Turn if you would to Hebrews
chapter 9. So that Christ is our surety, sacrifice, our mediator
of the covenant promise to secure our everlasting salvation. Hebrews
chapter 9. Starting in verse 11, we'll read
all the way to 28. But Christ being come, and high
priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood,
He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained..." Oh,
this salvation is complete, beloved. Having obtained what? Eternal
redemption for us, for the heirs of promise, beloved. For the
heirs of promise. For if the blood of bulls and
goats and the ashes of an heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctify
it to the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood
of Christ, God, God incarnate in the flesh, the God-man, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot. Look at
that. He's perfect. He's sinless. He's the spotless Lamb of God. Purge your conscience from dead
works to serve the living God. And for this cause He is the
mediator. There's only one mediator between
God and man. And it's no man in Rome. That
man's a deceiver. There's only one mediator. That's
the Lord Jesus Christ between God and man. He is the mediator
of the New Testament, that by means of death for the redemption
of the transgression that we that were under the First Testament,
they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there
must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a
testament is a force after men are dead, otherwise it is of
no strength at all while the testator liveth. Whereupon neither
the First Testament was dedicated without blood. For when Moses
had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law,
he took the blood of calves and goats and water and scarlet wool
and hyssop and sprinkled upon the book and all the people,
saying, This is the blood of the Testament which God hath
enjoined unto you. Moreover, he sprinkled with blood
both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. And
almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and without,
here it is, Without the shedding of blood, there's no remission. Oh, Christ dies and sheds His
blood to pay for our sins, to pay for the sins of all the heirs
of promise. It was therefore necessary that
the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with
these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices
than these. For Christ is not entered into
the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the
true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence
of God for us, for the heirs of promise." For the heirs of
promise. nor yet that he should offer
himself often as the high priest entereth into the holy place
every year with the blood of others." The high priest had
to offer that sacrifice every year. Christ offered the sacrifice
once. It's finished. I was talking
to someone about the temple being rebuilt. You know how the dispensationalists
go crazy over that. You got to rebuild the temple.
They got to they got to do all this stuff, right? They got to
they got to get all this stuff. And I was talking to a friend
of mine and we were talking about that very thing. And I said.
I said, why would the temple have to be rebuilt? Any of those
sacrifices offered in those temples would be an abomination to the
Lord, because Christ was the final sacrifice. It is finished. No need. Remember, they were
types and chattels and he's the substance. He's the fulfillment
of all those types and chattels of the love. Oh, what a great God we have. Nor yet that he should offer
himself often as a high priest enters into the holy place every
year with the blood of others. For then must he often have suffered
since the foundation of the world, but now once in the end of the
world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifices of
himself. And as it is appointed unto men
once to die, but after this the judgment. So Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many, not all, many. And those are
the heirs of promise. And under them that look for
him, shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. What a savior, what a redeemer
is Jesus Christ, our Lord. And through the Lord Jesus Christ,
the heirs of promise in our text in verse 17, receive the whole
inheritance. The whole inheritance, beloved
of grace. Now, while we're here on Earth,
right? and in glory forever. The third point I'd like us to
consider from our text is the fact that God's refuge of hope
is set before us. We're in God more willing wherein
God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise
the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that
by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to
lie, we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay
hold upon the hope set before us." What strong consolation
or comfort God's people can find here before us. The Lord Jesus
Christ is the refuge of our souls. He's our hope. He's our hope. He's spoken of here in verse
18. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is that refuge set before us
in the preaching of the gospel. Every time a preacher proclaims
the gospel of the free grace of God in Christ, each time salvation
by grace alone is preached through Christ alone, this hope is proclaimed. This hope is proclaimed. Our
hope and salvation is revealed in the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ, who entered into glory for us and is now seated on the
throne. In his atonement, his death on
Calvary's cross. His rising from the grave. Is our hope. That he accomplished
the work of the salvation of our souls. And Peter writes about
our blessed risen Savior when he says, who has gone into heaven
and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers
being made subject unto him. And I brought out this morning
how there is not one maverick molecule in this whole universe,
not one. It is all under God's control. It's all under the control of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Everything. Things visible and
things invisible. Now, what strong comfort and
what strong consolation that brings we who are in Him. That's our God. That's our Savior. The last point I'd like us to
consider in our text is God's anchor for our soul, the
Lord Jesus Christ, He's sure and steadfast. He's sure and
steadfast. We're in God willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs a promise of the immutability of His counsel,
confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things in which
it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation,
who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before
us." And whenever I see that, who have fled for refuge to lay
hold upon the hope set before us, I always think, Thy people
shall be made well in a day of His power. He made us willing
to run, to flee to the refuge. It's wonderful. Salvations of
the Lord. Which hope, being Christ, we
have as an anchor of the soul. An anchor of the soul. Look at
this, both sure and steadfast. in which entereth into that within
the veil. An anchor is used to secure a ship, to keep it safe
in the storm and to prevent it from drifting, to keep it being
held fast. And the ship is held fast by
something outside itself. They drop the anchor down, right?
And it hits the ground, it hits that sea, doesn't it? That sea
bed, and it anchors in there. Even so, the Lord Jesus Christ
is the anchor of our soul. We who believe. We who are heirs
of the promise. He sustains us and keeps us in
the stormy sea of this troubled world. And we are often tossed
to and fro, aren't we? Circumstances come up that we
do not expect. And we're tossed to and fro.
But the anchor holds us, beloved. And that anchor is Christ. He's
sure and steadfast. Sure and steadfast. Turn, if
you would, to John chapter 10 and then put your finger in Daniel
6. John chapter 10 and Daniel chapter 6. John chapter 10 verses 27 to
29, and think of this in light of how our hope, the Lord Jesus
Christ, is like an anchor for us. He's an anchor of our soul,
isn't He? He's sure and steadfast. He's immovable. We're tossed
all over, aren't we? But He's immovable. He's our
anchor. And look at that. In light of
that, look at John 10, verses 27 to 29. My sheep hear my voice,
and I know them. Again, that's genoske in the
Greek. That's that intimate knowledge. And they follow me. And I give
unto them eternal life. Now think of this in light of
the anchor. We're anchored to him, aren't we? And I give unto
them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand. We're in the anchor, we're connected
to the anchor, beloved. And it's a sure anchor, steadfast. My Father which gave them me
is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of
my Father's hand. Oh, what comfort this brings
God's people. What great comfort this brings
us. Surely there is nothing sure and steadfast in us, is there?
Nothing in us that shirred steadfast. Our salvation, our assurance
of salvation rests upon the weight of the anchor. Rests upon the
weight of the anchor. And our souls are anchored to
Christ. And Christ is upon the throne
of God. In the Holy of Holies. In the
heavens. High above us. And the Lord Jesus
Christ is enthroned below. He is enthroned, ever living
to intercede for us, to appear for us. He is our anchor. He is our security. Let's close with what King Darius
wrote about the God of Daniel. After our great God had delivered
Daniel from the power of the lions, Daniel's enemies thought,
well, we're going to get him thrown in there and he's just
going to get devoured. That's what they thought. That's
what they thought. God delivered Daniel from the
power of the lions in the lion's den. And let us remember this,
that the God of Daniel is the God of every blood-washed saint
of God. The God of Daniel is our God. Look at Daniel chapter 6 verses
25 to 27. Then King Darius wrote unto all
people, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth,
peace be multiplied unto you. I make a decree that in every
dominion of my kingdom men tremble in fear before the God of Daniel
for he is the living God and steadfast forever in his kingdom
that which shall not be destroyed in his dominion shall be even
unto the end. Look at this. He delivereth and
rescueth. And oh, how he's delivered us,
beloved, and rescued us from our own sin. He delivereth and
rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and on
earth who have delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. What an anchor. What an anchor
for our soul we who believe have. What a Savior and Redeemer the
Lord Jesus Christ is. And my hope and prayer is that the truths from this message
would be a great comfort to we who are his people. Gracious
Heavenly Father, we thank thee. We who are your blood bond people,
We thank you for what comfort we can glean from the scriptures.
We are tossed about to and fro in this world and in the storms
of this life. But oh Lord, we are anchored
to thee. And you are an anchor that is
sure and steadfast and immovable. Let us cling to thee, Lord Jesus. You who are the refuge of our
souls. We praise thee and we thank thee.
for this time that we could spend together. And I pray that your
people will go leave here being comforted by the great comfort
which we have in thee, Lord Jesus. And it's in your name we pray.
Amen.