This morning, you have chosen to come to a safe haven. The Church symbolizes a place of SAFETY and REFUGE.
Hebrews 6:18b “…we have a strong consolation (solace, comfort), who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil…”
A ship drops anchor to keep it from drifting to its own destruction. It is the same with our soul. Without an anchor, we will drift from the things that are right and good to things that are harmful and even destructive.
The soul is the “seat of human emotions” and it is always subject to drifting. Therefore, our soul needs an anchor, one that is sure and steadfast.
The consolation we receive from the Holy Spirit and through the preached Word of God is full of HOPE. This HOPE becomes our anchor that keeps us from drifting to our own destruction. When trends change, our anchor holds. When storms of life come, our anchor holds.
Unlike a vessel on the ocean that drops its anchor to the ocean floor and hopes the drag of the anchor will stabilize the vessel, our Anchor is resting not down, nor even to our past, rather up in Heaven.
My soul cannot see its anchor. Yet, my soul knows it is anchored to nothing in this world. What peace knowing that my soul is anchored behind the veil in Heaven! It is unaffected by anything in this world.
This HOPE is a strong consolation.
Real Hope. Relevant Hope. Everlasting Hope.
-Pastor T. H. Sheppard