Jesus and Drift | Anchor for My Soul (Week 1)

Thank you for listening to the river.

Bend Church podcast Reverb in church exists.

Delete all people to know love and live New Life in Jesus

Christ. We hope that you enjoy this

message. We're diving into a new teaching

series. It's going to be a five-week

journey and it's called anchor for my soul.

And what it's going to do is walk us through the book of

Hebrews in the Bible. And so God has given me some

words, I've read this book. Over and over just kind of

meditating on it going God give me what you want me to hear as

we as I study this so that I'll know what to pour out.

And so here's my hope, I want to empty my cup of what God has

been poured into my heart over these next five weeks.

I want to empty out everything that I think God's put in me and

what he's been doing in me through this book of Hebrews.

And so I hope that you'll find Hope in this book as we read

through it. And so a couple of things were

we're going to do one is There's several pieces of this book.

There's thirteen chapters in this letter called Hebrews in

your Bible. We can't walk through all of

that in five weeks on Sunday morning.

There's no possible way to cover all of it.

What we're going to do is encourage you to read through

it, for yourself, in the lobby. Right now you can find Bibles as

the same version I read from. And so if you don't have one of

those, you know I'd really like to have one there.

They are available in the lobby. This morning on your way out.

You can pick up one. I strongly encourage you to get

in this word for your Yourself. So that you can see and you can

understand God will speak more to you than just what we're

going to talk about. But also during the week on

Tuesday and Thursday mornings at seven a.m., we're going to put

out devotionals online that you can jump on.

And it's going to connect the dots between the week so that we

can cover this entire book over a five-week span.

And so I want you to hear it for yourself as we go.

Now, as we talk about this book called Hebrews in your Bible, if

you want to get there, get there.

We can follow will have the notes.

Pierre, but who wrote This Book? Few interesting facts.

Did you know that it's one of the few books?

Maybe you could arguably the only book in the Bible, we're

not exactly sure who wrote it. And so most Scholars, say the

Apostle, Paul wrote the book If I had to just take a stab and

say, where do you stand after studying?

I'd say, I believe Apostle, Paul.

And here's the thing, most of the letters in scripture are

signed by someone. Now, here's the, here's what we

do know. We do know who it was written to

though. We know it was written by

someone who saw the life death. Death and burial of Jesus and

everything that he or she says we don't know man, or woman

wrote this book. Whoever it was they wrote this

book and it aligns completely with the rest of scripture.

Everything about the gospel is in alignment and so what we do

know is who it was written to, we don't know the location like

we do in some other books but we know racially who it was written

to. It was written to a specific

group, the Jews, the Jews and so the book of the the book is

called Hebrews, which is the title we put on it at a later.

Tom Hebrews, because it was written to the Hebrew people,

the rest of the letters in the New Testament, in large part of

the written to the Gentile church, this is one written to

Jewish followers. So, the Jews were the ones who

crucified Jesus Jesus was a Jewish man.

When he lived on the earth, if you read the first half of your

Bible, the Old Testament, tells the story of mostly the Jews,

God's people. The rest of the New Testament in

a large part, is written to us Gentiles those that are non

Jews. If you're Jewish descendant,

then you may know that. At.

But you may be part of the Jewish kind of tribe or

bloodline but for the rest of us were Gentiles and so although

it's written to Jews. Here's what I found, as I read

through it, there are so many struggles and challenges that it

speaks to and this letter speaks to us today.

And so, why are we calling the series anchor for my soul?

Why do we have this massive anchor up here on the stage?

That's a good question. The center point of this book,

lays out a key theme that we're going to see as we as we walk

through over the next five weeks.

I can unpack all of it today but I want you to see it.

So if you turn to the dead center of this book in your

Bible around Hebrews 6:18 and 19, here's kind of the theme of

Hebrews 6:18

the book overall. And here's what he says, the

Practical thing, what do we do? It is impossible for God to lie

and it was a lot of back story to that we'll get to in a few

weeks. It is impossible for God to lie

there, for we who have fled to him for Refuge can have great

confidence as we hold to the hope that lies.

Lies before. So this is not for the whole

world. It's not for just the Jews, it's

not for just the Gentiles. It is for who those who have

fled to Jesus for Refuge. Those who have decided at some

point in time, in their life. God, I know enough about you to

put my faith in you through Jesus Christ.

I have fled to you. That's what it means to flee to

Jesus. It says then we have confidence

as we hold to hope. Now let's hope hope is promises

that haven't been fulfilled yet but we have a confidence in our

God's promises to us. We have this hope that lies

before us. What is the hope that's before

us? Well, as the fact that Jesus is

with us now, and not only is he with us now, but he will be with

us all the way through death into eternity forever.

But it says, this this hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor

for our souls. It leads us through the curtain.

Now, this is an analogy to the Old Testament way of worship.

There was a veil that covered the holiest, place the holy of

holies and whenever Jesus died on the cross this Veil.

L was ripped in two from top to bottom.

It's kind of one of those weird things you may not understand

but here's what it was saying, the presence of God is now open

to all people. That's simply what it signified.

The presence of God, it says that Jesus is the one though

that leads us through the curtain.

Into the inner Sanctuary. This hope that we have, it

ensures us into the very presence of God.

So this idea of permeates the book of Hebrews, this little

letter called Hebrews that we have this hope that is an anchor

for our soul. Pause.

And so as we begin the study, here's what we're going to do

today. We're going to walk all the way

through chapter one. And we're going to talk a little

bit about chapter 2 but the theme is the same as we walk

through. But for the entire book and this

entire study, I want to give you four truths that I put in your

notes today that will guide us through all five weeks.

We will unpack these as the week's go on and here's the

first one, everyone anchors his or sold her soul to something.

Every single person has a soul anchor, every person.

And so I thought about it because I'm a visual person,

right? I got to have like weird picture

in my mind, you could see yourself like this, every person

has a soul line, something you're holding onto in your life

is connected to you. You can Envision it wrapped

around your heart, wrapped around, but you have a soul line

with a hook on it, you get to decide what you anchor yourself

to. And so this strong and

trustworthy. Anchor for our souls will call

this Jesus, right? The promises of God Jesus

himself. We have this ability to Anchor

ourselves to it, but here's what I've learned, people, anchor

themselves to all kind of things.

Let me ask you a question. What are you anchored to now as

cachet to help me this morning? So I want to pick on her a

little bit, so Shay. What are you anchored to now?

Here's, here's the thing. We anchor ourselves to so many

different things in life, right? But unless we get it anchored

down the something I had air and put this in.

And he used like a box of screws screw this thing to the floor.

So, it wouldn't fall over when we pull on it.

But here's the thing, whatever you ain't yourself to, that's

what determines the strength that you have in your life.

Sometimes we anchor ourselves to other people.

Now, show your pretty strong. I'm pretty strong right, anchor,

the other people. Now people can hold you pretty,

pretty steady at times, but do you know that people are

wishy-washy? When you anchor yourself to

somebody else, they'll be your best friend one day.

And then what happens, it will turn On you in a heartbeat right

now. I'm going to turn on you Shea.

But they will even good people. Here's the thing, even when they

don't mean to sometimes, people who you see is really strong,

they'll go through a valley. And if you've incurred yourself

to a person, then what happens when they get in the valley,

guess where you are, or when they start drifting, guess what

happens to you? We will anchor ourselves to

success in life. If I can just get successful, I

just want this platform or this Authority and while anchor

ourselves to it, here's what you find is soon as that goes away.

Guess what you? Feel like you have no soul

anchor anymore. You're holding on to it, but the

hooks is here, Is nothing there. As soon as life hits and storm

hits and Health crisis hits and all that what happens is as you

pull, there's nothing to hold. There's nothing to hold to.

And so, there's so many things that people anchor their lives

to, I found this people, anchor themselves to money, we never

say this out loud. But you know, do you know how,

you know, this is a wrestling for us, as Americans as North

Georgia. People, if I can just get a

little bit more, if I can just get my Nest Egg, a little bit

bigger. If I can just get Get my

retirement, a little more set and what we feel, like we hook

it on. And then you realize one day,

you can't take any of that with you.

Anyway, all the what you work for wasn't an anchor, wasn't

anything worth anchor and I think God gets we did before the

Lord one day after Believers. And he goes, hey man, you spent

your whole life, doing what? But also what you'll find is

money. Can't buy peace.

Money, can't give you. Comfort when the storms hit and

it can save you money. Nothing by stuff, like money.

I get it right. We need some money rise.

Like how you send the money my way.

Then if you don't want it, I'm not saying that.

What I'm saying is money is a tool God's given us.

It shouldn't be the anchor of Our Lives.

It can't be it. Can't hold us steady.

We sometimes anchor ourselves in our stuff, but here's the thing.

Everybody anchors our self to something.

Do you know what I hope? Thanks Shay.

I'll let you do that. Do you know what I hope?

By the end of this series, if you already know the Lord Jesus

Christ, I hope that you can honestly say I'm hooked on to

him. God no matter what happens in

life. I'm hooked on no matter what

comes my way, what storm? What winds blow Lord.

I got a solid anchor. That's not going anywhere.

Now, here's the second piece of this.

Look at this. The second piece, is this the

strength of your anchor determines the strength of your

life? I thought this this about it

this week. There's a precious woman.

Many of you guys may not know or she came in and out of the

church during the pandemic because her husband is a pastor

and was stuck in Colombia, but Patricia is her name, and some

of, you know, her and have prayed for.

And as a church, you may not even know this.

But we've tried to be a part of helping them, but she lost both

her legs of several weeks ago, and just a freak accident.

She was healthy woman. She all of a sudden lost both

legs. And we went to see her the other

night. I mean, Courtney, did we just

got burden? We're like she was she just Got

home from the hospital. We just, we went to see her and

I'm going to tell you what you talk about a woman who is

anchored, a woman, who is anchored in Jesus?

There's no, there's no anger towards the person who did it.

There was a piece in this woman so let me, she's just like

praising the Lord. I'm doing really good.

And I mean all of a sudden our whole life changed they're

having at are outdoors in her house to get her wheelchair

through. And I thought, you know what the

strength of your anchor, determines the strength of your

life. And for that, for that I was, I

was Humbled in her presence because here's a woman of God

who is anchored in Jesus so much that.

Even though she lost her legs and her house is being torn

apart and everything's up in the air.

It's like, but my God is good, the Lord.

So good to me, that's what she said and I'm going to read.

Are you kidding me? Sometimes, you just want to get

in your flesh and say, you've got to be kidding, you gotta

just be putting on a facade right now.

No, no. As you see the tears in her eyes

and the tears, Courtney, we tried to pray for and Courtney

just like, lost it, because we were both.

So humbled in her presence. But here's what it was.

Woman has an acre for her soul. I felt it.

I saw it. I experienced.

See, here's the thing. Your life will only be as

resilient and strong as whatever Your Soul Is Anchored to.

Now here's the third thing and you may not even agree with this

one yet and I'm okay with that because I want to walk you

through and I want to show you step by step in this word how

this holds true. But there's only one anchor

holds said that a hold steadfast in life and death and that's

Jesus. There's only one anchor and you

say well you know what? Joe the reason I have a hard

time as Jesus is invisible, if I could just have been there when

he was on the earth then I make it attached myself to him and

got really believe in him. But I love this analogy of an

anchor because you know, an Acres only doing its job when

it's invisible. You drop it down to the bottom

of the pond or lake whatever you in a boat and it digs in.

And when the invisible, you know, the do you know how, you

know the anchor though? You know, the anchor by the fact

that the vessel was held sturdy on top of the water?

See, storms will come. You're either in a storm right

now. You may be right now going man.

You don't even know how I need this today.

I got a health store, my family storm.

I got whatever it maybe I'm dealing with all this right now.

You don't even know me and I need to And what it's like to

Anchor myself, but if you're not in one, guess what?

Just keep living long enough. Something hits you out of

nowhere? Sometimes you're like why God

the questions where you go. Why why is it like this?

Here's the for truth in this. Going to guide us through this.

What you worship, not what you believe, reveals your anchor.

You go, hang on now but I believe in Jesus.

Worship reveals your anchor and also storms Reveal.

Your anchor saying that I believe something is very

different than anchoring my soul through worship something, They

like Patricia. She is scribed word to the Lord,

even though she's been through a crazy storm in life.

God, I still will worship you because you hold me Steady

through all this. I trust that not only do you

hold me Steady in life. You will hold me steady all the

way through, even in death, even when my life is gone, there's

something that can hold me Steady and it's Jesus.

So my hope is a pastor is to give us a soul check.

As we walked through these next few weeks.

Going God is Jesus, really the anchor.

God are you the anchor of my soul?

So as we dive in today, we're going to look at just a couple

of pieces of this book or a couple of chapters of this book.

And before we read some of this, I want to give you the gist,

Hebrews chapters 1 and 2. It makes a shift here, we're

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

talking about the anchor in Hebrews 6 were backing up a

chapter one. Do you know what the gist of it

is Jesus is greater than the angels.

If you study the Bible at all, you may realize that a lot of

people kind of go to Hebrews to talk about angels, because

there's, maybe more in the New Testament specifically on what

Angels functions are. Then then you can find all the

way until you get to Revelation. You see more in the Book of

Revelation. The Hebrews is it tells us a lot

about that. But here's here's the reason

that the author addresses angels and wanting to make sure people

know Jesus is greater than Angels.

He's not saying angels are not powerful.

He's not saying angel. Not real in any way.

Actually the very opposite of that.

But what he's saying is Jesus, Not Angels should be the anchor

for your soul to Greater anchor is Christ.

So he wants to prove his or her Point here in the opening

paragraph. Look what he says long ago.

God spoke many times. And in many ways to our

ancestors through the prophets, this is the first part of your

Bible. If you go back to the Old

Testament or old Covenant section of your Bible, what

you'll find is a lot of it was God speaking to us, His people,

the Jews through mouthpieces, prophets in scripture, you

actually have many of your books in the Bible in the Old

Testament named. After those profits, it was what

God said to them and then they spoken to people.

He said that used to be how God speaks.

He says, and now in these final days, now I always find this

interesting in scripture, we've been waiting for about 2,000

years for the return of Christ. Almost, you know, we're going on

it and our lifetimes will see two thousand years of waiting

before Jesus comes back. But even here, there was an

urgency in his heart or her heart, who wrote this to say, in

the final days Jesus is coming. Again, that's really in these

final days. How has God spoken?

He says he has spoken to us through his son, God promised

everything to the Sun, as it inheritance.

And that's Jesus, God, the son and through the son, he created

the universe, the sun, radiates God's glory, and expresses, the

character of God and he sustains everything by the mighty power

of His Commander by his word. Word, he sustains everything and

look at this. When it cleansed us from our

sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of

the Majestic, God of heaven, and we just looked at this in the

Jesus series. When Jesus ascended, he sat at

the right hand of God, the Father to wait until the day,

whenever it would be time to set all things, new and motioned for

him to come again. But it says this shows the Sun

is far greater than the angel. So all is first three verses

from this writer's perspective. Was I want to make sure that you

don't just trust in Spiritual Beings are higher power.

Course you should trust in Jesus, do you know today there's

a lot of people that believe in a higher power.

Really, there's a God somewhere or they believe in Spiritual

Beings. The spiritual section is full in

the bookstores, but here's the thing, Jesus made it very narrow

in John 14, when he said, I am the way, the truth and the life,

no one can come to the father but by me, so, no matter what we

know about other Spiritual Beings are what we believe, what

comes down to Christianity. What comes down to the basis of

Christianity. In our Salvation is, what do you

believe about Jesus Christ? Who Who is he to you?

Here's what he's saying, Riders. Say and he or she is saying

this, just as the name of God did Jesus.

The Sun is far greater than the Angels.

Just as the name, God gave him is greater than their names.

And so he's building this massive case about who Jesus is

and why he's better than the angels.

And so I want to walk back through this with you, for just

a moment and talk about it in this way.

Jesus, that anchor for our souls.

And here's the first thing, he is the final word, final word.

It Is it? God spoke to us in these final

days in this way? But you could really translate

that God has finally spoken through Christ.

In other words, there's not another piece of Revelation that

we are waiting on, in order to know how to be born again, in

order to know how to be a follower of God to be restored

to him. There's not anything else we're

waiting on there are things. We don't know.

They're sure they're Revelations that we don't understand, but

there's nothing else that we need to know from God in order

to to be his child. He's given us everything.

That's what it means. Jesus is the final word.

He is the final word. There's nothing coming after

him. If you turn to the Book of

Revelation when John got that, Jesus, one of the last things,

Jesus told him is don't let anyone add anything to this word

or take anything away because this is it, this is all you need

to be a follower of mine to be my child but also not only is

Jesus the final word. It says that he is the owner of

everything, the father gave him everything as an It's so why is

Jesus the worthy anchor for our souls will?

He owns everything you think about versus like Matthew

Matthew 6 · chapter mention

chapter 6 33. It says seek first, the kingdom

of heaven and everything else. You need will be given to you.

That's one of those promises where you're going.

God, I'm going to go out on a limb through faith and say, it

doesn't make sense to seek somebody.

I can't see when I, when what I really need is food, but I can't

figure it out. What I really need is money,

what I really need is for my kid to get well and I'm doing going

to the We're doing what we can but believe in the promise comes

back to this and going. But God there's an element that

I can't do. Here are anchor myself to you.

I believe your promise, I hold on to that.

Hope I do everything I can in my life at a hold on.

Why? Because he's creator of

everything. Also are also, he is creator of

everything. It says that the father gave

Jesus everything that he simply created to begin with.

And then I love this one. It says that he expresses the

glory and character of God, did you know that God was invisible

up until Jesus wrapped himself in flesh, you know, one for

thousands of years before it had been able to look on.

God, the scripture even teaches that if they had been able to

look on him they would die. They would die.

So here's the way that I put this.

Jesus Is God visible. We can go back to this story and

you can, I would encourage you to dive into and check the

authenticity of the New Testament gospels to look into

it. Dive as deep as you can to

learn. As much as you can about those

original Ray language in the question, is this, did this guy

really live? Did he really do what he said he

was going to do? That's the main question.

I'm concerned with in scripture, but he is God, visible house.

He visible to us today, but we have the story. let me tell you

if the enemy could have squash scripture by now, he would have

Do you know the greatest thing the enemy could have done over

two thousand years? Do you know how many books have

been lost in time forever and we never know about them.

There's only a handful of things from the first century that we

even have copies of. But with scripture there's over

25,000 pieces of manuscripts that allowed and then you

remember some of you guys remember if you study before you

heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls, when they were found, they align

completely and perfectly and gave us some older things to

align scripture to validate the authenticity.

But God is he is, Jesus, Is God visible.

We can look at his life in Matthew Mark, Luke and John and

see him. But also it says that he

sustains. Everything not only did he

create everything, not only the own, everything he is sustainer

of everything, he sustains our heartbeat.

How does he do that? Well, yes, through science.

Yes. Through biology God designed us.

But you could actually say if you really believe God created

heavens and earth that our hearts can't even beat without

him. Why is he a worthy anchor for

our soul? Because he's in control.

Also, it says that he cleansed us from our sin.

Now later, we'll see that this refers to the guilt and shame

that Sim brought on us. And that separation from God,

that it costs. But Jesus restored, our soul.

That's why I put it. He is restorer of our souls.

Why should we anchor ourselves to him?

Well, he's the only one that promises you that there is a way

not by your works, but simply by Faith by faith, that aligns your

life around something that belief that changes the way you

live. That kind Of Faith, even

sometimes if it's small, he says, that's all you have to

have to step into restoration of your soul.

You don't have to write all your wrongs.

You don't have to get everything right in your life, you do have

to surrender yourself to him and then the last one, maybe the

most important it says that right now, he's Seated on the

throne in heaven. Right now, he's Seated on the

throne in heaven. So in the first three verses of

this chapter, we're getting understanding of why.

Jesus, Not Angels, not Spiritual Beings is the only one Worthy?

To Anchor, our souls, to put our hope both now in this life and

then into eternity in. Because right now, he sits on

the right side of the Father in heaven.

Now, you notice this verse. It said that he, it led this

hope leads us through the curtain.

So right now there's a curtain, it's a veil.

We cannot see in the physical heaven right now, we can't see

into spiritual heaven. We have scripture that tells us

about it when we experience the move of the spirit of God,

there's just something that resonates in US.

There's an affirmation in us, but we can't see it.

But here's the cool thing about this, hope right now.

Jesus is not here on this Earth, but when we anchor ourselves to

him, we've actually anchored ourselves into eternity.

He sits right now at the right hand of the father, do you know

what he does? The bible teaches this, he

advocates for you. He says, hey, I know that was

not perfect. But remember what I did.

Father, remember what I did for him for her.

That's my son, that's my daughter.

And so the cases built Jesus is the only worthy anchor for your

soul. Now obviously, the Hebrew

Believers had become followers of Jesus, so he's not trying to

convince them to believe in Jesus, they already done that,

but they were wrestling with believing other things

somewhere. Along the way, agnosticism had

crept in and so, it's as old as history.

The word Chip of Angels, the worship of spirituality and

Spiritual Beings, it's as old as time.

But the writer here spends, a lot of time using the Old

Testament in this next section. So first, he lays out, Jesus,

who Jesus was now, the writer is going to go to the Old

Testament, which these Jewish people would have known, they

would have known it by heart. And he says, now I want to use

the scripture that you already know to prove that Jesus is the

worthy anchor. Look, what he says God, never

said to any Angel, what he said to Jesus.

Jesus. You are my son today.

I have become your father so he said not one time.

Did God ever say that the angel was his son and he was the

father and that's a quote from Psalm 27, written by David and

he said this, I will be his father and he will be my son,

second, Samuel 7:14. So he's using scripture when he

brought his Supreme son into the world.

God said this, let all of God's angels worship him regarding the

Angels. He says, he sends his angels

like the Ensign servants like flames of fire.

Now, here's a little bit of a hint and who angels are?

He says that God sends them and so they obey his commands, he

sends them like the winds They think about the wind, you don't

see the wind, but what do you see the impact of the wind?

A lot of times, spiritual things are alluded to as the winner,

ER, in our minds. It's brought to life as the wind

is the wind blows. And so it says his angels, he

sends them like wins his servants, like, flames of fire.

So they are his servants and they're like, flames of fire.

Why are they like flames of fire?

Well, if you read the book of Revelation, where you get a

picture of the Heavenly, Jesus, anything coming from his

presence is on fire. In the best of ways on fire,

with Holiness, on fire, with compassion, on fire, with

righteousness. And so, they are like, flames of

fire sent to do battle for us. We'll see that in a moment, but

he says to the son, he said to the angels, your my servants.

But to the sun, he says this verse 8, your throne o God, now

check this. This is God speaking to Jesus,

and so he's calling him. God, he says, Jesus your throne,

o God endures forever, you rule with a scepter of Justice, your

loving, you love, Justice, and hate evil.

For oh God, your God has anointed you pouring out the oil

of Joy on you more than anyone else.

He also says to the son in the beginning.

Lord, you laid, the foundation of the earth.

You made the heavens with your hands.

They will perish but you remain forever.

They will wear out like old clothing.

You will fold them up like a cloak and discard them.

Why is Jesus so worthy? Because one day and I don't

think you have a hard time believing this anymore.

One day, this Earth will be no more.

We look around our world right now.

Can't you just see the destruction and the pain and the

things going on? I mean, listen, we are called To

Build a Better Community, we are called to be Salt and Light.

We are called to say you matter were called to lead people to

Jesus but it's a limited time no matter what we do.

Right now, our job is to make Heaven as big as we can by

loving as many people to Jesus, as we can, that's our job right

now. But ultimately one day this week

in here that we feel the Rumblings of this Earth fading

away, don't People are divided for no reason.

People hate each other for no reason people.

Well a reason but not a good reason.

And here's the thing, we can see the Rumblings of discontent.

We hear all this stuff about the possibility of nuclear war.

Now here's the thing. God is in control, Jesus,

sustainer of everything, we're anchored to that fact, we here's

the thing. One day, it says he's going to

fold this place up and discard it like old clothing.

That's how big he is. It says you are always the same,

you will live forever, why should we anchor our soul to

Jesus? Well because I think we

understand that our bodies are not going to live forever, but

it says he lives forever. God never said to any of the

Angels, sit in the place of honor at my right hand, until I

humble your enemies. Now, this is making them a

footstool on her feet. This is an interesting verse

Because whenever Jesus came we celebrate the fact that on the

cross he defeated sin and death right, but we haven't yet.

Seen everything put under his authority.

Have we? You ever wonder God, why do you

still allow? If you've already defeated sin

and death, why do you allow so much pain?

Why do you allow death? Why do you allow loss?

Why do you love so much hurt in this world?

Why do my kids get sick? Why is there Cancer all?

Fair questions but here's one of the answers right now.

We're in this waiting period were even though Jesus has one

we were waiting for all enemies to be humbled underneath his

feet. So this last one right here

says, therefore, Angels, who are they only servants Spirit sent

to care for people who will inherit salvation.

So, even though this book is Not About Angels, it's about the

supremacy of Jesus and about the fact that he is the only

trustworthy anchor for our soul, the one we can put our hope in.

It does tell us a little bit about angels here.

So, who are angels their servants?

What's their job? They are spirits sent to care

for people who Inherit salvation.

So you know, that old idea of like Guardian Angel, some of

y'all work your guardian angels to death, by the way.

But actually biblically, you could say, God sends these

individual invisible, Spiritual Beings to fight on our behalf.

I don't want to get all squirrelly again.

It's Not About Angels it's about Jesus but it's okay to

acknowledge that. Sometimes you may have an

experience in your life, where you go.

I know God just intervened. Most of us.

Look back on our teenage years and Go the whole time.

Like, I had to have multiple Angels, or I wouldn't be here

today. That's my story.

Anyway, I was in a crazy car wreck when I was in third grade,

that should have taken my life as his big old scar on my head,

it should have taken my life. I really believe that God With

us that day and saved my life. I couldn't be here today if he

didn't. I really believe you probably

have those stories and listen Angels, never meant to get to

worship though. Do you know who they worship?

You know, the scripture said they worship Jesus.

So when you get to heaven, the Angels who have helped you

behind the scenes and it will have have served you and God

said, hey, my son needs needs you right now.

So go and they go because they obey his command my daughter

down there. She needs you right now and so

they go. See, we can't get so spiritual

that we forget, we about angels and other things we get our eyes

off Jesus, but you better believe that you have Advocates

fighting for you, led by the Lord, Jesus Christ himself,

scripture teaches that he says that they are his servants.

And they are spirits sent to care for people who will inherit

salvation, that just simply means for those who call on the

name of Jesus. You have helpers you have people

around you. So as we wrap this up, this And

I want to move on to chapter 2 and read you one verse here.

Because the rider was so hurt inside.

I think he saw people that used to be on fire for the Lord and

now they had kind of started to drift and worship other things.

And here's what he says, look at this.

We must listen very carefully to the truth.

We have heard what's the truth? Jesus Christ is the way the

truth and the life. There's no way to get to heaven

or to the father except through. Jesus Christ is the only

trustworthy anchor for your soul.

He's the only thing you can put your hope in that Will Never Let

You Down. Anything he is promise will

never fail you. He's the only one.

And said he got to listen to that truth.

Why? Because if you don't, you may

drift, we're at the beach. A couple of weeks ago.

I decided I wanted a paddleboard couple of years, we've rented

them and I said, you know what, I want to get me a paddleboard.

We're going to take it to the beach and so we get one of those

that you have to like inflate with a little pump.

And by the way it takes a long time it is a crazy workout to

inflate that thing. We got it all inflated though

get it out to the beach and Couple of calm days.

You know, standing up out there in the boys were having fun on

it. And so one day I went out to I

think it was just Courtney was out there on the beach with me

and I went out to where I could see.

The water was clear a little bit out and you can see way down in

there but really it wasn't that deep was maybe six or seven

feet. Deep 8 feet deep and so I got

out there and I thought man there's nobody here.

I'm just going to lay down on this paddle board just rest for

a minute. And so what I did is I took the

paddle and I extended it and I stuck it in the sand and kind of

wiggled it. Down.

And then it's laid down on my stomach on this paddle board.

Well, I kind of dozed off, I didn't mean to, and I dozed off.

And I said, you know, even if I doze off, it'll be fine because

the water was pretty smooth. And I had this paddle dug in,

but all of a sudden I start here at guy, strange guy talking,

like, right beside my head like, hey bud.

And I open my eyes, the find that I'm in the middle of a

family about 50 yards down the beach.

And I was like, I'm so sorry like this guy was like you're

really weird so I'm floating right up in his face, you know.

It's like I'm so sorry. So I almost fall off the paddle

board and I get up on my knees and I'm like getting away from

him. But here's the thing I thought

that I was anchored really good. I thought that I was like,

there's no way I'm gonna drift the, the waters calm, but but

what happened battles? Just slide along the bottom.

I didn't realize it's like 50 yards up the beach and the Lord

just kind of spoke to me as I was thinking about that story.

Do, you know the danger of having no anchor or not having

the right anchor? Either one, it's this drift.

The danger of not having an acre, it's drift.

So many people, I know, even Believers in life.

Listen it's not that you haven't heard about Christ.

It's just at some point in time maybe you Beat up or maybe that

addiction came back for that sin of the night or maybe you just

got so hurt by all the bad things.

You just said Jesus, I do believe and I hope that turns

out true. But we begin to Anchor ourselves

to other things again and then I'll watch as people like me on

the paddleboard drift away, the community that they need to be

in which is the church, the community of people who are all

wrestling and struggling and broken but need each other, they

drift away from it. Get hurt by small things, don't

agree with little small. Things.

We focus on Jesus but so many things, pull us away and we

begin to drift in one day. You wake up.

And you know what I've learned, people feel all alone once

you've drifted away. Or maybe you've been hurt before

and you said, you know what, God, I've not only church hurt,

but Lord life for you didn't let things turn out the way that I

thought they should. And you may even have a right?

You may even go got it. Yeah, you could have done, you

could have done it so much better from our perspective.

So do you know what they call is?

Today? Jesus Christ is the greatest

thing. You can ever anchor your life to

your money, can't save you, your friends can't save you.

Now friends, a great influence is not that they're not

important. Need to put good people around

you. But here's the thing, if you've

only just believed in, you've never truly anchored your soul

and started saying God, I'm going to put my faith in your

word and I'm gonna hold on to it.

Lord, when everybody starts trying to push me this way and

now Lord I'm I'm holding on and sometimes you may feel like

you're far from God to guess what, The Anchor Holds.

There's an old song we used to sing when I was little comes to

mind The Anchor Holds this, the guy that used to sing about

every other week at I can't help them mind.

Go back to my childhood thinking About it man.

The Anchor Holds because you know what?

As I've gone through stuff in my life in the seasons where I've

said, God I'm gonna believe your promises my Lord has never let

me down. Sometimes I've had to have

people remind me of this because I'll be struggling and I'll be

walking up going. You know what, you know what

God, I'll be real with you. There's been some Monday

mornings with the devil of get on me.

So bad. I'll go.

I'll have my hand on the hook. Maybe Courtney, I'll send me an

encouraging text or somebody will go.

Hey, I'm praying for you or the Lord will just show up in a

special way and I'm going. What am I doing, man?

Jesus is the anchor for my soul. We struggle with this, but can I

look at you as a Believer? If you're a believer in Jesus

Christ and just say today, have you truly anchored, every single

person gets to decide what the anchor to, that's the freedom of

this world. You get to decide.

That's the freedom of love, you. Get to the side.

Have I really believe the promises of God that he is who

he says he is. Is that it will do what he said.

He will do something is firm. It's a firm foundation that

won't shake away like everything else does in this Earth.

So maybe today is for The Drifter that you mean I feel I

can kind of preaching to the choir cause you came to church

today, but sometimes you can sit in a seat but inside, you can

go. Yeah, man, that's me, I keep

drifting this way and that way, and this way, do you know how

you come back and make sure your anchor is firm?

You just reaffirm your commitment to the Lord and go

back to his word and say, God, I want to put it to practice in my

life. So, maybe God brought you here

this morning and you weren't expecting this, but right now

he's kind of nailing. Your heart said, you know what,

big boy you don't even have an anchor for your soul, you're not

anchored to anything. You're flying around and your

pride is keeping you from just going Jesus.

I see you clear enough, I don't understand everything and I

don't know all about your but I see clear enough that you're the

only anchor for my soul. You're the only God the stepped

out of heaven for me. Lord, I want to come.

Do you know how you do this? You simply coming.

Faith and say Jesus, I Surrender my life.

I'm ready for you to be my Lord and then as you walk out of here

you go with a chain that will never break.

That will never fade away. Something is firm.

It's a foundation. You can lean on.

Will you bow with me all over the house today?

Listen, if that's you Let me ask you a question.

Is anybody here you'd be willing to admit because I want to pray

for you say, Joe. I struggle.

I'm not sure my Acres always in Jesus, just raise your hand

right? Where y'all going to pray for

you. Thank you.

Keep it up. Keep it up right now only if you

got your hand up. Look at me, there's several you

all over this room. Look at me.

You can put your hands down. I want you to look at me.

Listen, I want to pray for you right now.

Just that fact, it that you're willing to raise your hand.

And look at me, it means that I'm ready to put my anchor.

Jesus release, I'm wrestling with it.

So, here's what I want, you Do all over the room.

I want you to pray with me, I'm gonna pray for you guys.

Lord, there are so many today that said I struggle with drift

struggle and other things. Be the anchor for my soul.

So God, I just want to speak your truth Overlord.

You're working all things together.

You brought them to your house. Today, to do a work or let your

word be the center of their lives.

Again, I pray the Holy Spirit, would remind them that we have

an anchor goddess. It is about truth, but it's also

about experience because we have your spirit to help us

experience your truth and to experience you.

And so God, I pray that even now Lord there would be decisions

made in the hearts. That would be solid Lord to say,

I'm ready? To be yours.

I'm ready to Anchor myself to you for every person.

God, let him come back to you today, completely fully and

surrender. Listen, if you've never

surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, whether you watching

online, whether you sitting in this room today, listen, you can

do that. You can anchor yourself to him,

but spy offering a prayer from your heart to the heart of got a

prayer of honesty to same Jesus. I need an anchor.

I'm ready to surrender my life to you today.

I'm asking you to forgive me and to be the Lord of my life.

Will you save me? Lord, here I am.

Listen in that moment. He becomes your anchor if that's

you today. So Lord, we celebrate, what

you're doing in hearts and lives.

God, I don't want to push or press or force people, but Lord,

I'm asking you to help us be free in this moment.

So here's what I want to challenge you with today, if

you're online watching, let us know that you just made a

decision to put your faith in Jesus.

We're going to open the altar up this morning, just this front

and listen, when we get up, don't let the enemy steal that

if, you know, I need to go and pray today to just nail it down

to say, Jesus. Thank you for being my anchor.

Me and a couple of our pastors are going to be down here too.

If you want to come and pray today, will you stand with us as

we worship? Thank you for listening to the

Riverbend Church podcast. Learn more about who we are as a

church and how to connect you can head over to our website

Reverb in church, that lie.