Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

Heb 6:13-20  “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.”

Introduction:
“A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird’s mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird’s attitude by saying only polite words, playing soft music and doing anything else he could think of to clean up the bird’s vocabulary. Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hands, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer.

For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he’d hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John’s outstretched arms and said, “I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I’m sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior.”

John was stunned. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, “May I ask what the turkey did?”

Red Bird
By James Paulin, March 13, 2008

Bleak and sterile in white and evergreen  Almost colorless, bitter season of cold
Except a sparse berry or cardinal seen   In flight or alight, red feathers appear bold

Perched high atop trees or electric wire  Round feeders or aflutter, glimpses of joy
Year round male birds wear cheerful attire  Brown females contrast a scarlet red boy

Herald of spring with sweet echoing song   Demanding attention of every ear and eye
Scan treetops quickly, it wont perch for long  Even the downhearted are beckoned on high

Singing to awake all round it with glee  Exciting to admire for a moment or two
Remarking how pretty one bird can be  Times we notice beauty are often too few

I.          The Promise, 6:13-15
A.        Context
Heb 6:11-12 “And we desire 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.”

The writer was us to experience the assurance that hope gives.
He lifts up our role models and urges us to imitate them.

God’s promise to Abraham

Gen 12:1-3 “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.  And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Abraham’s response
Gen 15:5-6 “And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he (Abraham) believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

The importance of God’s promises
2 Peter 1:3-4 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,  by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”  We live by his precious promises.

Promises from God: John 1:12; 3:16; 5:24; 8:12; 10:9-10; 10:27-28; 11:25-26; 14:13-14; 15:5; 16:24;

Exhibit A: Abraham
God made a promise of many descendants to Abraham, 12:1-3.
That promise was restated over and again.
Finally, the promise was stated again with an oath.

Gen 22:15-18  “And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

Abraham’s faith had grown over 25 years and he obtained the promise in that God gave him a son, Isaac!  And this increased his hope that the promise would in the future be completely fulfilled.

John 8:56  “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”

Be assured that God keeps his promises.
TS: The writer now applies this truth to his readers and to us…

II.         The  Point:  Be Encouraged!  Don’t give up hope. God always keeps His promises, 6:16-18

Hebrews 6:18  “which it is impossible for God to lie”

What is God like?  Can he make a rock heavier than he can lift?

He cannot arbitrarily do anything whatsoever that we may conceive of.
He can do only things that are proper objects of his power.  Thus, he cannot do the logically absurd or contradictory.  He cannot make square circles or triangles with four corners. He cannot undo what happened in the past, although he may wipe out its effects in the present or even the memory of it.  He cannot act contrary to his own nature – he can not be cruel or unconcerned. He cannot fail to do what he has promised. In reference to God’s having made a promise and having confirmed it with an oath, the writer here says: “God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we…may be greatly encouraged”

All of these “inabilities” are not weaknesses, but strengths. The ability to do evil or to lie or to fail is a mark of positive strength rather than failure.

One aspect of God’s power is that he is free.  While God is bound to keep the promises he makes, he is not under any compulsion to make them.

It is impossible for God to life = integrity

Not only that God does not and will not lie.  But “God cannot lie” – it is against his nature
1.         He is genuine

2.         He tells the truth
He represents things as they really are.
What God says is accurate.

Tit 1:2 “in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began”

2 Cor 4:2  “But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.”

The God of truth is best served by those who have turned their backs on deception and work hard at speaking the truth.

3.         He is faithful – he is true to his word, to his responsibilities
God keeps his word!

Num 23:19  “God is not man, that he should lie…Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”

He keeps his word and so should we.
If we make a commitment then we need to fulfill the commitment.

III.        The Anchor of the Soul, 6:19-20
Every soul tends to drift!
The word “soul” at least refers to the inner life of the person.  It is there that we face temptation, doubts, distress, discouragement and turmoil.  Where are we to find inner stability?

A sea anchor, used to stabilize a boat in heavy weather, anchors not to the sea floor but to the water itself, as a kind of brake. Sea anchors are known by a number of names, such as drift anchor, drift sock, para-anchor, and boat brakes. These all function the same way, by pulling large amounts of water along as the boat moves, and they are all used to counter the effects of high winds.

Design
Anything that can act as a source of drag in the water can act as a sea anchor; a common improvised sea anchor is a long line (a docking warp or anchor rode) played out into the water; while this does not provide much drag, it can act as a drogue and aid in running downwind. In The Sea-Wolf, author and sailor Jack London described using various torn spars and sails, tied to a line, as an improvised sea anchor. A sail, weighed down with an anchor chain or other heavy object, will also work as an improvised sea anchor.

Early sea anchors were often improvised from spare parts aboard ship. An 1877 book used by the United State Naval Academy describes methods of making sea anchors. These took the form of a wooden or metal framework forming a simple kite-like shape of sail canvas, backed with a net or closely spaced ropes to provide strength. A small anchor attached to one corner kept the sea anchor from twisting. If the framework was wooden, the wood’s buoyancy kept the sea anchor just under the surface, while an iron framework used a buoy to keep it at the proper depth.

Modern commercial sea anchors are usually made of cloth, shaped like a parachute or cone, and rigged so that the larger end points in the direction of the boat’s movement. When deployed, this type of sea anchor floats just under the surface, and the water moving past the sea anchor keeps it filled. Some varieties are cylindrical, with an adjustable opening in the rear that allows the amount of braking to be adjusted when deployed.

The size of the sea anchor determines how much water it can displace, and how much braking it can provide. It is also possible to use more than one sea anchor to increase the braking, and one type, the series drogue, consists of many small anchors spread out along a line to ease retrieval under heavy conditions.

Most larger sea anchors will provide a mechanism to collapse the anchor for retrieval. This is called a trip line, and attaches to the rear of the anchor, allowing it to be pulled in back first, shedding water rather than filling. This trip line can be rigged a number of ways, depending on the preference of the user

Use
Sea anchors can be used by vessels of any size, from kayaksto commercial fishing vessels, and were even used by sea-landing naval Zeppelins in World War I. While the purpose of the anchor is to provide drag to slow the vessel, there are a number of ways this can be used:

• The first, and probably most well known use, of the sea anchor is to aid vessels in heaving to in heavy weather. A boat that is not kept bow- or stern-on to heavy seas can easily be rolled by the action of the waves. By attaching the sea anchor to a bridle running from bow to stern, the boat can be held at any angle relative to the wind. This is useful in sailboats in conditions too windy to use the sails to maintain a heading, and in motor vessels that are unable to make sufficient headway to maintain steerage.
• Sea anchors also reduce the speed at which a vessel will drift with the wind. Often sold as drift anchors or drift socks, sea anchors are used in fishing vessels to hold them stationary relative to the water to allow a certain area to be fished, without having to use the motor.
• A sea anchor can provide directional control of a sailboat in the case of a steering failure. By towing a sea anchor from a bridle off the stern, the direction of the boat can be controlled on a running course.
• A sea anchor can be used to control the speed of a sailboat, in cases where delicate handling is required in high winds.
• A sea anchor can be used behind a towed vessel to maintain tension on the towing line, and prevent the radical side-to-side motion exhibited by some vessels under tow.
• Sea anchors may also be used as anchors to allow warping of a vessel in deep water.

What specifically is our hope?
Our perfect priest who is a priest after the order of Melchizedek has entered the holy play.
He has already entered heaven on our behalf and stands ready as our high priest.
He has given an appeasing sacrifice and offers mercy and grace.
He imparts forgiveness.
He offers help in time of need.
He stands with us as our advocate.
He comes along side to give us comfort and strength.

Like an anchor attached to a boat in time of a storm gives stability so our High Priest has entered God’s presence to give us safety and stability as we are battered and beaten by the storms of life.

We have placed all our faith and hope in Jesus who has entered heaven ahead of us.  He sits on the throne.  He offered his life as our sacrifice.  He pleads our case.  He prays for us.  He helps us.  He strengthens us and gives us stability.

What Sea Anchor users have to say:
“We’re alive! Thanks to the parachute [Sea] anchor which secured us for 53 hours in Cyclone Justin…”

“The sea anchor definitely saved the boat and I’m sure our lives. It operated flawlessly on those two days [985mb storm] and the other three days during the other two gales … We did what should have been done and came through a very violent storm and survived with no damage. Thank you again for everything.”

“My parachute [Sea Anchor] is one of the few items I purchased which performed as advertised and no defect or surprises. I appreciated the quality and performance more than I can express. Wouldn’t leave port without it, ever!”

“… I consider your equipment the most important safety item on my boat … I will never make an ocean passage without one on board. People must realize that ocean cruising can be safe if you go with the idea that you will go into a defensive position before the seas build too high …

Commercial fishermen have been using parachutes at sea for decades … on long excursions the parachute is indispensable for sea layovers, for heaving to and for otherwise maintaining station on fishing grounds. With the engine shut off, drift is reduced up to 90% with the bow pointed comfortably into the seas … “other vessels went into port with broken trips … we stayed, and in this respect the [Sea] anchor paid for itself.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL112E3NjqU

The Anchor Holds
Words and music by Lawrence Chewning and Ray Boltz

I have journeyed   Through the long, dark night
Out on the open sea  By faith alone  Sight unknown
And yet His eyes were watching me

CHORUS:
The anchor holds, Though the ship is battered
The anchor holds, Though the sails are torn
I have fallen on my knees, As I faced the raging seas
The anchor holds, In spite of the storm

Ive had visions, Ive had dreams
Ive even held them in my hand
But I never knew
They would slip right through
Like they were only grains of sand

CHORUS (Repeat)
I have been young, But I am older now
And there has been beauty, That these eyes have seen
But it was in the night, Through the storms of my life
Oh, thats where God proved, His love to me

1994 Word MusicASCAP (a div. of Word, Inc.) and Shepherd Boy MusicASCAP (adm. by Word, Inc.).