AnchorAnchor ofof thethe SoulSoul “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…” Hebrews 6:19 Michael Gifford Hope - Anchor of the Soul Michael Gifford Published by New Heights Marketing, Inc. Dacula, GA SoundBibleStudies.com 770-606-9195 Copyright © 2015 by Michael Gifford All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal. Scriptures taken from the NEW KING JAMES VERSION®. Copyright© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. This book is dedicated to my Godly and beautiful wife, Emily, who is truly a blessing of hope in my life. 2 Table of Contents Introduction Chapter One Hope - Anchor of the Soul ......................................... 5 Chapter Two Hope’s Firm Foundation ............................................ 14 Chapter Three Hope's Partners in the Heart ..................................... 24 Chapter Four “Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here” ............... 35 Chapter Five In Defense of Hope .................................................... 45 Chapter Six Hope and Obedience .................................................. 55 Chapter Seven Hope for Today .......................................................... 65 Chapter Eight Hope in the Psalms .................................................... 75 Chapter Nine Hope in Jeremiah ....................................................... 85 Chapter Ten Hope in Romans ........................................................ 95 Chapter Eleven Inspiring Hope In Others ........................................... 105 Chapter Twelve Jesus’ Victory – The Reason for Our Hope ............... 115 Chapter Thirteen Hope’s Ultimate Fulfillment ...................................... 125 Appendix God’s Plan of Salvation ................................................ 134 3 Introduction The word “hope” is used in a variety of ways in our world. A child hopes for a particular item for his or her birthday. A man gets his hopes up when an opportunity for a better job arises. A lady hopes that her boyfriend will propose to her. A traveler passing through a storm hopes that the bad weather will pass. Each of these hopes represents an expectation, an anticipation of something good. Hope is a positive thought or feeling. Its value and desirability are summed up in the well worn phrase, “There’s always hope.” As happy and peaceful as hope can be in the scenarios of the previous paragraph, it takes on a much greater meaning when it comes from the mouth of God and the pens of His inspired writers in the Bible. The Lord said in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts." As together we study the precious word “hope” in this book, let us allow the Lord’s usage of it to lead us into even deeper joy and peace. The hope offered by God is not a mere wish like the child’s hope for a present. It is not an ordinary earthly desire like the man’s hope for a better job. It is not controlled by the feelings of a man like the lady’s hope is controlled by her boyfriend’s desire or lack of desire to marry her. It is not temporary like the hope of the traveler. No, the hope of which we read in the Bible is long- lasting and can, in fact, be life-lasting because it is the hope that God provides. Hope that finds its basis and fulfillment in the Lord is, therefore, far above anything this world can produce. It is a genuine guardian of the heart to protect us against despair throughout our earthly days. May this book cause its readers to search the Scriptures more diligently and find that hope that God offers and that we all want. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD." (Jeremiah 17:7). Michael Gifford - August 2015 4 Chapter One Hope – Anchor of the Soul Memory Work: "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.” (Hebrews 6:19) What comes to mind when you think of an anchor? Do you think of something heavy and sturdy? Do you picture a huge ship being held in place in storm-stirred waters? Does your mind turn to thoughts of something that is stable and firmly grounded? If you pondered any of these images then you have a good grasp of an anchor’s purpose and usefulness. Anchors are designed to prevent their watercraft from drifting. They do so, not only by virtue of their weight and sturdiness, but also by virtue of their hooking onto a solid bed beneath the water’s surface. The title of this book and of this chapter and the verse from which both come are found in a Divinely inspired New Testament epistle written to Christians who were drifting spiritually. For some of them, the pressures of the world had become overwhelming. Their hands were hanging down and their knees were buckling (Hebrews 12:12). Their strength was waning, if not already gone, and they were gradually heading back into the dangerous sea of sin. In the sentences leading up to Hebrews 6:19, the inspired writer reminded his readers of the great promises of God. Because of God's promises and His faithfulness to His promises, they could have tremendous comfort ("strong consolation"). He then reminded them that they had fled for refuge and laid hold of hope. The English phrase, "fled for refuge" is actually the translation of a single Greek word. It indicates one's flight to a safe haven. While various commentators suggest that the remote reference here is to the Old Testament cities of refuge (Numbers 35:6ff), it's clear that the immediate reference is to the original readers' turning to God for salvation in their obedience to the Gospel. They found safety in the blood of Christ when they became Christians (Acts 4:12). Not only that, they found hope, 5 the hope that would anchor them in their struggles against the pull of the world. It's interesting, but not at all coincidental, that these words are essentially part of a parentheses that begins in Hebrews 5:11. The inspired writer had wanted to talk to these brethren about Melchizedek. He had many things that he wanted to say about the king of Salem, each of which would have been beneficial to the readers in their defense of the faith. He wasn't able to go into as much detail as he would have liked to though because they had stopped growing and could not handle the depth of knowledge that he wished to impart to them. In Hebrews 5:11-6:8 we find a rebuke for their spiritual indolence. Hebrews 6:9 launches a series of encouraging words, beginning with, "But, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you." He knew they could do better. He was confident that they could grow beyond the first principles of the faith. He was certain that they could build the spiritual muscle needed to fend off the attacks they were facing. Thus, he encouraged them to remember the faith and patience of those who had gone before (Hebrews 6:12). God had made promises to their forefathers in faith and had kept each and every one of them. God had made promises to these children of His as well. He would keep the promises. He would bless here on earth and, ultimately, in eternity. What these early Christians needed to do was to go back and recall the refuge they found in God when they obeyed the Gospel and then hold onto the hope that they realized at that time. This hope would ground them, sustain them and move them along to greater spiritual heights. In an effort to make personal application of these Bible passages, let us each take stock of our own spiritual lives. If we are living in a Godly manner, we are daily confronting the pull of the world just like these first century Christians were. Paul wrote, "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." (II Timothy 3:12). There is a depth of faith which we can attain and which will, in turn, feed our hope in the face of adversity. But are we distracted? We did not let anything distract us when we initially ran to God for refuge in obeying His Gospel. Do you remember the joy and peace and hope you felt when you had your sins washed away by the blood of Christ (Acts 8:36- 39)? Do you still have all of that? Is your hope greater or smaller 6 than the moment that you arose from the water as a new creature (II Corinthians 5:17)? Are you distracted from growing in the faith and feeding your hope? Of course, God is not going to speak audibly to any of us today, but if He did, would He have to talk to you and me like He did to the original readers of the letter to the Hebrews? Would He have to interrupt His words of encouragement to us and rebuke us for not putting forth the effort to be stronger in the faith? It's clear to see from the inspired text that hope is a great blessing that can carry us through the darkest night. It's also clear to see that hope is developed and strengthened when we purposefully and diligently seek the source of that hope, God Himself. Verse 19 defines the focus of hope.