Let us pray: Our heavenly Father, we thank you for a glorious day like this; a day of mercy, a day of miracles, a day of signs and wonders, a day when the cross will cross out and cancel every negative thing in every life of everyone who believes. Lord, we come today with great hope in God that those things we’ve been asking you, those things we’ve been pleading and praying for. It is this day you will accomplish it in Jesus’ name.
I pray, O Lord, the devil will not overcome any child of God here. O Lord, we pray you will crush the evil one. You will destroy the work of the evil one. You’ll set every captive free today, in Jesus’ name. We pray, O Lord, that You’ll receive the glory and the blessing will come upon the people of God today. We thank You because we know You have answered, in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
As we look at the message this morning, Anchor of Hope, the message divides itself into 3 parts:
1. The Source of Hope: Jeremiah, 17:7, 14.
2. The Reason for Hope: Hebrews,6: 16-19,: Romans, 15.4; 1 Peter, 1.13.
3. The Reward of Hope: Romans, chapter 4.18-21 1.
The Source of Hope: In Jeremiah, chapter 17, verse 7: “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.” When it appears there is no hope in any man, there is no hope in a situation, there is no hope in the conditions that surround you, there is no hope in the things you feel…you want to remember God is greater than what you see.
God is greater than how you feel. God is greater than your thought. You can put your hope, not in your feeling…you can put your hope, not in your condition…you can put your hope, not in your situation…you can put your hope in God. Your hope in God will bring blessings from on high upon your life in Jesus’ name. Then he tells us in verse 14: “Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed.” He just said, “My hope is in the Lord.” Because my hope is in the Lord, I’m now telling the Lord, he heal me.
You look away from everything around you, and then you center your hope and focus your hope in the lord. You pin your hope on the Lord Almighty, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. “Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.” 2. The Reason for Hope. We’re looking at Hebrews, chapter 6, and I’m reading there from verse 16: “For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.”
It says, when men in those days wanted to confirm any promise they gave, what they would do is to swear, one to another. When the Almighty God gave a promise to Abraham, and He gave a promise to the sons and descendants of Abraham, the people that are walking by the faith of Abraham…they look at the promises of God, and they see that God Himself has committed Himself so much and has said, “This is my promise to you. It cannot fail.”
And the promise of God is greater than what you feel. The promise of God is greater than what you see. The promise of God is greater than what any man on earth can tell you. That is on the place you put your hope: the anchor of hope. In verse 17: “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability [that means the unchangeableness] of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things [unchangeable things, immovable things] in which it was impossible for God to lie…” Can God lie? I said, “Can God lie?”
If the Lord says, “I will heal you,” is that a lie? If the Lord says, “I will deliver you,” can that be a lie? Can the devil make God a liar? Can your feeling make God a liar? Can your medical doctor make God a liar? Tell me. Can the seriousness of your sickness make God a liar? No. Nobody and nothing on earth, under the earth, or above the earth, can make God a liar. Here it says, “By two immutable, unchangeable, immovable things in which it was impossible for God to lie.” “We might have a strong consolation”
A strong consolation. When you concentrate on your feeling, you have weak consolation. When you concentrate on how other people look at you and they pity you, you have a weak consolation. But when you change everything, when you turn around and you say, “I don’t look at what I see. I’m not looking at what I feel. I’m looking at the Almighty God…that Almighty God who created the whole universe without anything.”
He created everything without anything. That Almighty God who divided the Red Sea, that’s who I’m looking at. That Almighty God that made the Jericho walls fall down. That’s the God I’m looking at. That Almighty God gave Abraham a child at the age of 100. That’s the God I’m looking at.
If that’s the God you’re looking at this morning, you have a strong, strong consolation, in Jesus’ name. “…who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor.” It is the hope we have that serves as an anchor, and all the waves of the ocean, all the storms of your situation, all the difficulties or the challenges you are facing, when you have that hope as your anchor, this morning you’ll come out of that condition, in Jesus’ name. “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil.”
2. The reason for hope: We’re looking at Romans, chapter 15. I’m reading from verse 4. “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have…” What? “…hope.” What were the things written aforetime that you have read? As you read those things written aforetime you can compare it with your condition. You can compare it with your situation. Because those things that were written aforetime were written for your learning. They were written for your admonition that you (through those things you have read) would apply it to your life, and then you will have hope.
Can I remind you of some things that were written aforetime? You have read about a woman that had an issue with blood for 12 years. She was growing worse and worse and worse. How do you understand “worse and worse?” That means the pain was increasing. That means that as you look at her stature and as you look at her physique…when somebody had been losing blood continuously for 12 years and then growing worse…obviously she would not be as fat as she was 12 years ago.
What would you see? You would see the odor and the smell all around her, and yet she heard of Jesus Christ. When she heard of Jesus Christ, she came in the press and said, “If I may but touch the hem of his garment, I shall be made whole.” And those things that were written aforetime, they were written for your learning, for your admonition…that you through the comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. You have hope this morning. I said, “You have hope this morning.”
That sickness might have been for 12 years or 10 years or 20 years, but this morning the Lord is coming your way, and He’s going to take that sickness away in Jesus’ name. You might have used all the medication you know how to use. You might have consulted all the doctors in the land. Then you were growing worse. I want to tell you this morning, the hope that is coming your way is that this morning…healing is coming your way in Jesus’ name.
It cannot fail because it says, “Those things that were written aforetime, they were written for our learning, for our admonition, for our instruction, that we, everyone, having comfort now and patience of the Scriptures…will be able to have hope.” Do you remember the man that had a child? This child…sometimes the evil spirit will come upon him. He’ll throw him into the water to drown him. He’ll throw him into the fire to burn him up or to kill him. Then he came to Jesus and said, “I brought him to your disciples and they could do nothing.
If you can do anything, have mercy on us and help us and deliver him.” And Jesus said (like He’s saying this morning): “If thou canst believe.” If you can believe this morning…I thank God you believe. I said, “I thank God you believe.” And I’m believing along with you, and I’m believing that his morning is the morning of your deliverance. It is the morning of your healing. The strength of the Lord will come into your life. When that strength comes, you will find the Lord has healed you in Jesus’ name.
“If thou canst believe.” Say, “I believe.” Everybody: “I believe.” “If thou canst believe.” All things are possible for him that believeth. And it says, “That we through the comfort and the patience of the Scriptures might have hope.” You have hope this morning. I said, “You have hope this morning.” Can I tell you something about hope? It’s not good enough to hope for one minute and then the other minute you change gears, and then you go into despair. It is not good to have hope one hour, and then the next hour you change into the negative. The hope, the hope, the hope must be to the end.
We’re looking at 1 Peter, chapter 1, verse 13. “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind.” Why is Peter saying that? To gird up the loins of your mind? Lookup for a minute. You know, the mind is like a street. Thoughts will come like personalities loitering, loafing around. These thoughts will come, just wandering around.
These other thoughts will come loafing and loitering. Close the gate and drive out all those wandering thoughts, all those ones that are loitering and loafing in your mind. Then, telling you this…stop all the discussion with those loitering, wandering thoughts. You know it’s very dangerous (if you’re in the street and you find people that are loitering, going up and down) for you to engage in conversation with those strangers. What it says is: “Gird up the loins of your mind.” All those negative thoughts coming into your mind, you drive them out, and when you close the gate. Any other thoughts you are going to entertain that will come to your heart will be thoughts of hope and the thoughts of the promises of God that will never fail and the thoughts of the fact that God is still on the throne.
Because God is on the throne, He cannot fail. He will not fail. I said, “Your God, this morning, will not fail you in Jesus’ name.” “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope…” Until when? Tell me out loud. Tell me out loud. “…to the end.” Hope to end. That’s always a secret, the secret of the anchor of hope…that you hope not just for today, not just for one week. You hope…You say, “I’ve been hoping. I thought God would heal me, but now look at my condition.” Hope to the end.
Do you remember the disciples of Jesus Christ on the stormy sea? Then, as they were on the stormy sea – “Let us go on and pass on to the other side.” I’m telling you, we’re going on to the other side. I said, “We’re going on to the other side.” Then, while they are going on, there were storms. Then there was water coming into the boat.
Now, remember Jesus is in the boat. While Jesus is in the boat, you cannot sink. I said, “You cannot sink.” I don’t care about the origin of that storm. I don’t care about the direction of that storm. I don’t care how many devils and demons and people and personalities are behind that storm. While Jesus is still in the boat, you will not sink. You cannot sink in Jesus’ name. Then they came to Jesus, and woke Him up, and said, “Lord, we’re perishing. Don’t you care?”
Of course, He cares! He cares. The point is, keep on hoping and keep on hoping, and you hope to the very end. This problem this morning will be removed in Jesus’ name. This your problem, this your calamity, this your pain, this your situation…everything will turn around and change this morning in Jesus’ name.
3. The Reward of Hope: In Romans, chapter 4, I’m reading from verse 18. “Who against hope believed in hope.” You see that – “against hope.” That means when humanly speaking the situation was hopeless when scientifically speaking the situation was hopeless, when historically speaking, the situation was hopeless…that means when you look at the situation and you look at history, you say, “There is no other case in history equal to this case.”
And yet, when it appears, there is nothing to give you hope in history, hope will come from heaven. I said, “Hope will come from heaven.” That’s why Abraham had to look away from everything historical, everything scientific, and everything human. Then: “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not…” What? Again? Tell me out loud. “He considered not his own body dead.”
Look up here. Abraham, why didn’t you consider your body? “Oh,” he said, “I heard two voices speaking to me. The God of heaven is speaking to me. My body is speaking to me. They’re saying different things. What God says is greater than what my body is saying. After all, God had been there before my body ever existed.” God’s voice will be the higher voice and the greater voice and the mightier, more powerful voice. That’s why he didn’t listen to his body. Listen to God. Every situation will change this morning in Jesus’ name.
“He considered not his own body.” Then it says, “…now dead when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb.” Can you see double deadness there: “his own body now dead” and then “the deadness of Sarah’s womb,” too. To be able to have children, Abraham had to be active and alive. Then Sarah, too, had to be active and alive. Yet it says: (1) the deadness of Abraham’s body; and (2) the deadness of Sarah’s womb. And when you have that double deadness…yet Abraham will not consider that.
Abraham knew the voice of God, and the promise of God is greater…greater than anything you feel, and greater than anything you see. I believe this morning as you consider the word of God, and as you consider the might of God, and as you consider the hope you have in Christ as an anchor…this morning, you will not fail and God will not fail in Jesus’ name. That’s why those people had hope. That’s why Abraham had hope. That’s why Sarah also had hope…because they knew the voice of God, the promise of God.
The pronouncement of God is greater and higher and heavier and weightier than anything you feel in the body, anything you see. This morning, the great God, the mighty God, the never-failing God will work in your life in Jesus’ name. I hope you will do what Abraham did if you’re walking in the steps of the faith of Abraham. And you’re saying, “O yes, Lord, I know: if you did it for Abraham, you will do it for all the people that are walking after the footsteps of the faith of Abraham.”
This morning, it will be your turn in Jesus’ name. Wait a minute. Do you remember that before Abraham, nobody manifested that kind of faith? He didn’t have any antecedent, anyone he could look to and he can say, “Because so and so believed God like that, I, too, can.” But we have such a great privilege. We can refer to what Abraham did. We can refer to how he believed in God. We can refer to how Joshua believed God. We can refer to how David believed in God.
We can refer how to the prophets of old and the patriarchs of old…how they believed God. We have antecedents. We have the people that have gone before us. If they went before us and they believed the Lord, we too can believe the Lord. This morning you are believing the Lord, and all the problems, everything will roll away in Jesus’ name.
In verse 20 it says, “He staggered not.” It’s the drunk people that stagger. You know the ideas of the world will make you drunk. You’ll be staggering. Opinions of the world will make you drunk. You’ll be staggering. But when you say, “Yes, I’m holding my anchor, my faith upon the Word of God,” you will not stagger. You will be stable. You will be steady. You will be solid on the Word of God and say, “This is what He has said because this is what He has said, ‘You will overcome.'” I said, “You will overcome.”
You’re hoping until the end. You’re not just hoping for a moment, not hoping for a day, hoping for two days, and hoping for one week. You hope to the very end. As you hope and you’re hoping to the very end, that thing you’re hoping for, it will come your way in Jesus’ name. “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded…” How was he persuaded? I said, “How was he persuaded?”
He was “fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” He will do it in Jesus’ name. Give me a good, good Amen.
