If you want a text, Hebrews 6
and verse 19, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both
sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the
veil. But really the theme is the theme
of hope. So I won't just be referring
to that verse or chapter but elsewhere as well now there is
so much despair today oh for something good to hold on to
is said now a hope that is based on fingers
crossed touch wood luck etc is no is no hope In the time of
the early church, Christians would cross their fingers in
order to invoke the power associated with the Christian cross for
protection when faced with evil. Moreover, Christians, when persecuted
by the Romans, use a symbol of crossed fingers along with the
ichthys in order to recognize one another and assemble for
worship services. In 16th century England, people
continue to cross fingers or make the sign of the cross in
order to ward off evil, as well as when people coughed or sneezed
touch wood possibly is more pagan in origin although no one is
really sure most people understand hope as wishful thinking as in
I hope something will happen of course it may not happen or it may not as we want This is not what the Bible means
by hope. The biblical definition of hope
is confident expectation. Hope is a firm assurance regarding
things that are unclear and unknown concerning both things on earth
and after we die. And we read in Hebrews 11, 1,
now faith is a substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen. And Romans 8, 24 and 25 says,
for we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not
hope. For what a man seeth, why did
he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see
not, then do we with patience wait for it. And that chapter
of Hebrews 11, of course, speaks much of faith and gives many
names there of the patriarchs that are given. incredible isn't it to think
of the faith of people like Noah in building the ark the ridicule
that no doubt that he got in building this ark and building
such a big ark and then the faith of Abraham
leaving his homeland for a place but he didn't know where he was
going and then in his sacrifice of
Isaac although of course Isaac was
not sacrificed but in awe that was leading up to it and then
imagine also the admire the faith of Joseph after being thrown into the pit
and then later being falsely accused and thrown into jail so tremendous faith indeed and
of course Hebrews 11 speaks much of this and others as well but I have sort of six points
concerning hope and it's a good hope and the first one is a good
hope is a hope that a man can explain 1 Peter 3 15 says but sanctify
the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer
to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is
in you with meekness and fear you know we don't have to be
a preacher or pastor to be able to explain to others why we're
Christians if we are the Lords then we can all give a reason
why we are Christians to those who ask us we can sort of do so sort of
immediately spontaneously we don't have to go away and say
well I'll come back next week with an answer for you no we
wonderful isn't it just to be able to give a reason just a
simple way it doesn't have to be some theological discourse
just a simple reason why we're Christians that I'm loved by
God that I'm a sinner and that Jesus died for me and that I'm
forgiven and that I will go to heaven to be with him one day
and he promised that and it's wonderful isn't it to hear sometimes
just a very simple testimony but a genuine testimony of one
who knows that they are sinners saved by grace. That they know forgiveness of
sins. To be able to give this reason
sort of straight away. Wonderful to be able to do that
and I trust that we can do that. then secondly we have a good
hope is a hope that is drawn from scripture now Psalm 119 there's a lot of
verses in that Psalm as we know 176 verses with really the emphasis
on the Word of God in that Psalm and we read in verses 49 81 and
114 Remember the word unto thy servant,
upon which thou hast caused me to hope. My soul fainteth for
thy salvation, but I hope in thy word. Thou art my hiding
place and my shield, I hope in thy word. And Romans 15.4, for
whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our
learning that we, through patience and comfort of the scriptures,
might have hope. It's wonderful, isn't it, to
be able to pick up the Bible, to read the Bible, and it's a
book full of hope, isn't it? You pick up a newspaper and there's
not a lot of hope in there. Not a lot of bad things you read
of in the newspaper. a lot of things to make you very
fearful and depressed but the Word of God this is a
wonderful book of hope isn't it and sometimes we are feeling
quite down and then we can be reading the Word of God and be
just lifted through reading a portion of God's word whether it's a
psalm or it doesn't have to be a psalm of course psalms often
are very helpful but there's more to God's word than just
the psalms and there's much there isn't there to lift our spirits
and when there's so much hopelessness around Here we have the sure
word of God. God who is the way, the truth
and the life. God is true. He can be trusted. His promises are never broken. I think I read somewhere or heard
somewhere about where it doesn't sort of use
the word promise as such. but instead of the word promise
is actually the word is actually word itself so God is the sort of you know
we use expression don't we I'm a man of my word you can trust
me with what I'm gonna say Well, we can use that and perhaps we're
not always can be trusted, but we can trust God. God will in no way tell us untruths. God says something, I will then
be sure that he will. then thirdly we have a good hope
is a hope that is felt inwardly in the heart a good hope is a
hope that is felt inwardly in the heart and hope this is Romans
5 5 and hope make of not ashamed because the love of God is shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us so ashamed or a hope that will
not deceive us we have the holy spirit if we
are the lords we have the holy spirit shedding in our hearts
the the love of god and so we're not we're not deceived because
The Holy Spirit is in us and we know the love of God and there's
no deception with the love of God for us. That is sure. Romans 12, 12 says,
rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant
in prayer. And so we do rejoice in in the
hope that we have in the Lord and for what lies beyond this
life but also in situations as they happen in life rejoicing
in hope and then it says patient in tribulation and that's we
all go through trials but to know that God who is true whose
promises are true his word he's a God of his word we can be sure
that he will help us in the trials of life and will work all things
together for good to them that love him and continuing instant
in prayer may we be those who are praying people our prayers you know not just
sort of praying about problems or our problems
or other people's problems nothing wrong with that but may our prayers
be full of praise to God for what he has done what he is doing
and may there be a praying indeed for For others, as I said, in need.
But the work of God throughout the world, there's so many things,
isn't it, that we can pray about and praise God for. And our Lord
Jesus Christ spent much time in prayer. So if he did, then
surely we do. We must do so as well. So it's wonderful to know, isn't
it, in the tough times that we go through in life, that we have
a calm assurance in our God. then fourthly we have a good
hope is a hope that is manifested outwardly in the life so it's
not just something inward but it's outward as well 1 John 3
1 to 3 behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed
upon us that we should be called the sons of God therefore the
world knoweth us not because it knew him not Beloved now are
we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall
be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for
we shall see him his years and every man that have this hope
in him purifying himself even as he is pure. So the love of God where in our lives it should
be evident that the love of God is in our lives in not just in
an internal way but outwardly too the way that we live the way that we react it's often said show me a Christian
it's very easy to sort of say that we're that we're Christians
to have the right words the right theology but show me a Christian
and that perhaps is a challenge really you know I've heard your
words your words are very good but I want to see that you are
Christian by the way that you behave So that's a challenge
isn't it to us? If we are the Lords then the
Holy Spirit is in us and so the evidence of holiness should be
seen in our lives. We're not perfect and we do wrong
things and we say wrong things and we're all guilty of that.
But may it be that people look at us and the world does look
at us look at us like hawks and one thing that is perhaps quite
embarrassing for the Christian is to be told well I thought
you were a Christian when somebody who's not a Christian tells picks
out, picks up on some way that they have behaved. And sometimes
we need somebody to tell us that. Yeah. May God help me to live as I
should as one of his people. So it's something inward and
something that should be reflected outwardly by their fruits, we
shall be known. And then fifthly, we have a good
hope is a hope that rests entirely on Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 1.1,
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our
Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope. And Colossians 1, 27, to whom
God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this
mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory. And we sing, don't we, in the
hymn, my hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness
that blood that was shed that cleanses from all sin and his righteousness yes the
Lord lived a perfect life didn't he he fulfilled the law he fulfilled
all righteousness it was necessary wasn't it that
every aspect of our Lord's life that there was no sin from his
conception and birth to his life and then his death he actively obeyed in the things that he did in
his life and then there was also passive obedience when it came
to his sufferings, sufferings for his people. So may we rest on the righteousness
of Christ because our righteousnesses are his filthy rags as Isaiah
64 6 says. So it's the righteousness of
Christ that we rest on and his righteousness sort of imputed,
handed over or imparted to us that we need. And really following on from
that, sixthly, a good hope is one that lasts forever. in hope of eternal life which
God that cannot lie promised before the world began. Titus 1 and verse 2 and Titus
2 and verse 13 said looking for that blessed hope and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ and for
the hope which is laid up for you in heaven whereof ye heard
before in the word of the truth of the gospel in Colossians 1
5 and then lovely words in 1 Corinthians
2 9 where it says but as it is written I have not seen nor ear
heard neither entered into the heart of man the things which
God have prepared for them that love him we know that our Lord has gone
to prepare a place for us and that's a wonderful thing
isn't to know that at just the right time the Lord will take
us to be with him either he'll come again first or he'll take
us to be with himself before but he's gone to like prepare
that's wonderful it's not as though there's nothing unprepared
about where we're going and when we think about it just you know
if we're having people to come and stay with us at home then
we sort of prepare for their visit don't we and we say well
this one who's coming they like this to eat or drink so we get
in perhaps the the food and drink that they particularly like or they need this kind of sleeping
arrangement like they need some extra pillows
I mean I tend to need extra pillows myself these days and very often
when we've stayed in a travel lodge they always have one pillow
there but thankfully there's always another pillow in the
cupboard and I always need that because it's too low otherwise
to lie down but we make preparation don't we for people to come to
stay with us and well if we do that for our
friends and family we can be sure that the Lord has gone to
prepare a place for us in glory. And we read in Hebrews 6 from
verse 13, I'll just read again those verses. For when God made
promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he
swore by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, 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 of confirmation is to them an 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. by two
immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie,
we might have a strong consolation, who fled from refuge to lay hold
upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor
of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that
within the veil. Whither the forerunner is for
us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after
the order of Melchizedek. So sometimes, as I say, sometimes
you read the word hope and we sort of perhaps think of it in
more sort of in other terms as I've mentioned. And it reminds
me there in verse 18 of the word consolation. And I recently was
listening to a sermon based on that verse. again the word consolation we
can sort of think of that perhaps in a different sort of way like
a consolation prize like well you didn't win you didn't come
second you didn't come third in fact you came last but here's
a consolation prize for you just for turning up taking part or
a football team is 5-0 down and then they score a goal right
at the end and it's considered a consolation goal it's not going
to do any difference to the match or anything
like that it's considered as a consolation goal so perhaps
you can think of it in a more sort of negative sort of way but that's certainly not the
meaning in verse 18. And so it is with hope, something
which is a lot stronger and a lot more sure. So what about our hope? I have a quote from Matthew Henry's,
well, a long quote. based really on these verses
in Hebrews 6 and he says what use the people
of God should make of their hope and comfort that most refreshing
and comfortable hope of eternal blessedness that God has given
them This is a must be unto them for an anchor to the soul, sure
and steadfast. As we read in verse 19. Here
one, we are in this world as a ship at sea, liable to be tossed
up and down and in danger of being cast away. Our souls are
the vessels, the comforts, expectations, graces and happiness of our souls
are the precious cargo with which these vessels are loaded. Heaven
is the harbour to which we sail. The temptations, persecutions
and afflictions that we encounter are the winds and waves that
threaten our shipwreck. Two, we have need of an anchor
to keep us sure and steady or we are in continual danger. Three,
gospel hope is our anchor. As in our day of battle, it is
our helmet. So in our stormy passage through
this world, it is our anchor. We've heard about armor a lot
recently, haven't we? But also that sort of strong
protection, but anchor, that's strong as well, isn't it? Sure
and steadfast. Four, it is sure and steadfast,
or else it could not keep us so. First, it is sure in its
own nature, for it is a special work of God in the soul. It is
a good hope through grace. It is not a flattering hope made
out of the spider's web, but it is a true work of God. It
is a strong and substantial thing. Secondly, it is steadfast as
to its object. It is an anchor that has taken
good hold. It enters that which is within
the veil. It is an anchor that is cast
upon the rock, the rock of ages. This thing is a rock, anchor
on a rock, and we think of Christ as our rock. It does not seek
to fasten in the sands, but enters within the veil and fixes there
upon Christ. He is the object. He is the anchor
hold of the believer's hope. As an unseen glory within the
veil is what the believer is hoping for, so an unseen Jesus
within the veil is a foundation of his hope. The free grace of
God, the merits and mediation of Christ, and the powerful influences
of his spirit are the grounds of his hope, and so it is a steadfast
hope. Jesus Christ is the object and
ground of the believer's hope, and so it is a steadfast hope.
Jesus Christ is the object and ground of the believer's hope
in several respects. One, as he has entered within
the veil to intercede with God in virtue of that sacrifice which
he offered up without the veil, hope fastens upon his sacrifice
and intercession. Two, as he is a forerunner of
his people gone within the veil to prepare a place for them and
to assure them that they shall follow him. He is the earnest
and firstfruits of believers, both in his resurrection and
in his ascension. Three, and he abides there, a
high priest after the order of Melchizedek, a priest forever,
whose priesthood shall never cease. never fail, till he has
accomplished his whole work and design, which is the full and
final happiness of all who have believed on Christ. Now this
should engage us to clear up our interest in Christ, that
we may fix our hopes in him as our forerunner that has entered
thither for us, for our sakes, for our safety, to watch over
our highest interest and concerns. Let us then love heaven the more
on his account, and long to be there with him, where we shall
be forever safe and forever satisfied." It's quite a long quote, but
it was one given by Matthew Henry that I'm sure that we often dive
into, and he's very helpful often with explaining many things. But this is it, isn't it? knowing
you know when there's so much uncertainty around to know God
is sure and and Christ is sure it's a certain a sure salvation
and Jesus is a rock and that's pretty very solid isn't it very firm
and and this anchor that says sure and steadfast we have an
anchor that keeps us sold steadfast and sure while the billows roll
that's what we need in it often the billows are rolling troubles
are coming we have one who's steadfast and sure fastened to
the rock that which cannot move grounded firm and deep in the
Saviour's love so when we fasten to the rock are we those who
are grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love and may it
be that we that we have a that we know for sure that we are
Christian and that we're going to heaven one day when the Lord
comes back or when he calls us before we know for sure that
we're going to be in heaven we don't want sort of to be there
well I hope I go to heaven basing it on well I'm quite a decent
person really well we can't No way can we rely on our works
to save us. We rely upon the finished work
of the Lord Jesus Christ, not our own works. We do good as
a result of being saved, not in order to be saved. And nor should we rely on our
church attendance or even our knowledge of the Bible. As I
said, may we can say the right things
but the way that we live is important isn't it but may we know that
we are that we're sinners that our only hope is in the finished
work of the Lord Jesus Christ that by grace that we are saved it's interesting I was listening
to bit of a tribute made there was
a cricketer who died on Monday an England cricketer who was
in his 50s I was listening to a tribute to him by a couple
of other cricketers that he played alongside and one of them who
was actually a teammate not just for country but in the same county
sort of said in this tribute because the one who died had
been seriously or with perhaps a bit of an unknown illness and
the one who was speaking said I hope that he's now found a
better place was an interesting kind of phraseology I hope now
he is in a better place and very often sometimes you might hear
people say well I'm sure he's looking down on us you've heard
that so much but here was an expression I hope that he's in
a better place the one who speaking I'm not quite sure where he stands
sort of spiritually but it was an interesting phraseology but
that's no hope if you say well fingers crossed sort of hope
that's no hope is it may it be that we have the certainty yeah
by the grace of God I'm a Christian I know I'm a sinner and I know
that I'm saved and I've been forgiven and that I'm going to
heaven because the Lord has gone to prepare a place for me and
I can say for sure blessed assurance may we have that real blessed
assurance, that assurance that we are the Lord. If we are the
Lord, we can't be lost. The Lord isn't going to turn
around at some point and say, well, actually, you didn't quite
make the mark. I mean, none of us do. None of
us are perfect, are we? But we're not relying upon our
works or whatever. is solely upon the work of the
Lord Jesus Christ. So may we have that hope when
there's so much despair and uncertainty around and fear. May we have
hope and joy in knowing the Lord, knowing that we're saved, that
we're saved now and saved forever. that we'll be forever with the
Lord and we know to be with the Lord forever well that's far
better as it's described in God's Word. So let's put our trust
in the Rock, in the sure and steadfast Lord, the one who saved
his people from the chosen before the world was founded saved in
time and saved forevermore and none of us will be lost if we
are the lords then we'll never be lost and may it be that we
are helped to work out our salvation to give evidence that we are
the Lords and that we are the Lords and that he has done wonderful
things for us and may that be evident in the way that we live. so you know if something really
good happens to you you want to tell everyone you want to
tell everyone that you've passed your exams or you've got a new
job or something like that something really good happens to you you
want to tell everyone and may there be that fervor about telling
people about what the Lord has done for us and may it be that
we in our simple perhaps just a simple way say i was lost now
i'm found i was blind now i see amazing grace how sweet this
now same how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me may
that be so with us all which hope we have as an anchor
of the soul both sure and steadfast, and we gentrify into that within
the veil. Amen. Closing hymn from Gaspis, number
408. O what shall I do, my Saviour,
to praise, So faithful and true, so plenteous in grace, So strong
to deliver, so good to redeem, The weakest believer that hangs
upon him? Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's
early light, And still they are talking of
Jesus' birth. ? Righteousness, glory, and praise
the Lord. ? in creation, and life through
the dead, burial, salvation, love, mercy, and life. Praise the Lord, all ye shall
see. ? Full of sorrow and sadness ?
? My joy shall receive ? ? And share in that gladness ? The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us
all now and for evermore. Amen.