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Four Anchors Acts 17.25-29 Introduction:
In Acts 26 Paul is on trial and
appeals to Caesar. Acts 27 describes
part of the journey Paul endured as he traveled by ship. Verse 7 describes the sailing as slow and with difficulty; verse
9 says the sailing was dangerous, verse
17 they had a tempestuous head wind, and
verse 18 says they were tempest-tossed. It was at this point they dropped
four anchors. We want to take that thought and make spiritual application.
Somewhere in life there will be storms brewing; trials, tribulation, and
trouble. It may be personal in one facing death or a loved one, health problems,
marital problems. It may be facing financial hardships or career changes. Heb
was right in Job 5.7. When trouble
comes we will need something to hold on to, something we can believe in and will
help us. We need something to identify as an anchor. Here are four anchors God
has given us in life. I)
The Bible – the Word of God A)
It is an anchor because it is the word of God, 2 Timothy 3.16-17 1.
No other book is like the Bible. Books come and go but the Bible remains. 2.
We need to put that fact in the mind of our young men and women, Psalm 119.105 3.
We need the Bible more than jokes, poems, and nice stories.
a. The very power and wisdom of God is in the Bible.
b. There may be times when people will ridicule it (the Bill Maher
movie), people make fun of it, and some even despise it. But the Bible has
endured the test of time. B)
It is the only book that tells us about death and reality, Hebrews 9.27 1.
We will not live forever. I will die one day. 2.
I have been to many funerals where the Bible is read. I have never heard anyone
read from the writings of Carl Marx, or the Humanist Manifesto. They give no
hope and no reason for man to live. C)
It is the only books that tells us about life after the grave. 1.
They only books that tells us about heaven and hell, John
14.1-3 2.
God wants us to understand the punishment of hell and the glory of heaven. D)
It is the only book that tells us how to go to heaven, 1 Corinthians 15.1-3 1.
If we want to go to heaven, we must use the Bible as our anchor, Mark 16.16. 2.
If we go to heaven it will be because of our reliance upon the grace and mercy
of God. It will be because of our obedience to His word. II)
The Home A)
Genesis 2 & 3 tells us about the beginning of this relationship 1.
God created man and women, Genesis 2.24 2.
We live in an age where some are trying to make the home a thing of the past.
They say we don’t need marriage and a husband and wife loving each other and
bringing up their children. B)
Malachi 2.6 they were removing the foundation that God gave as anchor 1.
The security of the home is essential in facing the problems of life. 2.
We need to be able and depend on our spouses in times of trouble. We need to be
able to pray together and work together to overcome our problems. 3.
Our children need to know their Mom and Dad will be there for them. C)
Story of the prodigal son, Luke 15 1.
He left his home and wasted his goods in riotous living; when we woke up and
came to himself he realized where he could go. He could go back home. 2.
We should never justify sin in our homes or justify our children living in sin.
We must teach our young people the need for repentance and they are loved. They
need to know that they can come back home. III)
Prayer A)
Did you every stop to think what prayer really means, 1 Peter 5.7 1.
We can take all our cares to God, James
5.16 2.
In prayer we can express our hearts desire before God. B)
God has given us an anchor. We need to know that we can talk to God, Hebrews
4.15-16 1.
Do you know what to do without prayer and God? 2.
When I go and visit the sick or those who have lost loved ones; they usually ask
for the prayers of their brothers and sisters in Christ. 3.
Prayer is not intended for just the assembly, or dinner table, or bed time. 1
Thess. 5.17 IV)
The Church A)
1 Corinthians 12.18 the church is constructed as pleases God. We are the
components of that church, 1 Thess. 5.11-18; Ephesians 4.11-16 1.
We all need each other, we are to be knitted together. 2.
The local church is the family of God 3.
When one members hurts, when one members suffers, all of the members hurt and
suffer. 4.
when death comes some say I don’t know what I would have done without the
church. B)
The church is the bride of Christ. 1.
Are you a member of that church. 2. He died for you and urges you to rely upon His sacrifice, His payment for your sins. Will you do that? --adapted from a lesson I heard by Robert Jackson (D.T.) |