We are living in very challenging
times. We saw the COVID become a pandemic and we hoped that things would get
better over time, but there has been no respite. The death toll has been
devastating. Whole industries have shut down, businesses have come to a grinding
halt or reduced significantly! Millions have been rendered jobless. In 2021, we
are still in unchartered territory. Fear can grip us because of health and
economic needs. IN the midst of all that is happening, I want to share how to
anchor our lives in Christ.
Heb 6:19- 20 “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor
of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20
where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek.” The hope is in verse 14 – I will
surely bless you and give you many descendants.
The full prophetic word was in
Gen 22 which concerns us, because we are the descendants of Abraham. It
anchored Abraham’s life in turbulent waters. Without an anchor, a ship can drift
or crash against the rocks. The anchor keeps it safe.
In this stormy waters, where is
our anchor? It is in the word of God. So we will look at some promises in the
word that will be our anchor. Let’s pray.
Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and
I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
This Psalm is about the goodness
of the Lord to us. Come to this Psalm when you are anxious, worried, fearful,
etc.
1.
God’s
goodness is there for us: Psalm 139 talks about God’s involvement in our
life.
3 You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it
altogether.
5 You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your
presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are
there!
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my
mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
the days that were formed for me,
when as yet there was none of them.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand.
I awake, and I am still with you.
There
are angels watching over your life. God is watching over you. It does not mean
bad things don’t happen to us. But even though bad things happen, God will work
it out for good. Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things
work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose”
2.
His mercy
/ loving-kindness follows us: His mercy is when God doesn’t give us what we
deserve. Jesus died in our place so God can have mercy over us. Goodness
relates to his provision, mercy relates to his pardon. We need mercy all the
time.
Eph 2:4-5 “4 But[c] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which
he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together
with Christ—by grace you have been saved”
Micah 7: 18 “Who is a
God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast
love.
He will again have compassion on us;
he will tread our iniquities
underfoot.
You will cast all our sins
into the depths of the sea”
God is not mad at you. He is mad
about you.
Exodus 34: 6 “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and
gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,”
When we commit a mistake, we need
to run to God. The confidence is in what He has done. God loves to show mercy
and his nature is good.
The Lord is my shepherd. And
behind the sheep are two sheep-dogs, goodness and mercy. IN the midst of all
the uncertainty, His goodness and mercy follow us ALL the days of our lives.
3.
Dwell in
the house of the Lord forever: People fear death more than anything! If you
have put your trust in Jesus, there is no fear of death. Our eternal destiny is
settled. Death is just a doorway into resurrection life. Jesus is preparing
something beautiful for those who love Him.
All the things
that plague us on earth will no longer be there in heaven. As Christians we
need to focus on heaven. We need to have a long term plan, knowing our future
is secure in Jesus. Heaven is the place where God dwells. It is filled with the
glory of God. What we see is just a glimpse of what His glory is. No eye has seen,
no ear has heard and no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who
love Him. We need to be a people who are anchoring our lives in heaven. No one
can take that away from you. Romans 8: 18 “For I consider that the sufferings
of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be
revealed to us.”
What were
Pauls Troubles? 2 Corinthians 11:23-33“with
far greater labours, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often
near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes
less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times
I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent
journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own
people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness,
danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through
many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and
exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of
my anxiety for all the churches.”
Whatever
trouble you have this morning, it is light and momentary compared to the riches
of heaven. Even being martyred is no big thing. Phil 1:21 “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Let us be a
people who love heaven.
How shall we respond to this?
1. Be grateful:
When we look around and see how blessed we are; we
need to be grateful to God. This is the antidote to fear. Write down on a
journal the things we are grateful for.
Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore
let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let
us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe”.
2. Generous:
Let us be a people who not only receive but give
freely.
3. Be gracious and merciful to others:
Eph 4:32 “Be
kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ
forgave you” Don’t hold on to grudges but extend forgiveness and grace.
1 John 4:18 “There
is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with
punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love”
4. We are living for God’s glory:
When our mind is focused on doing good deeds, we are
bringing glory to God.
When we are anchored to these
things, we are steady through the storms of this life.
Let’s pray!
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