["Pomp and Circumstance"]
Folks, welcome to Anchor Baptist Church.
We're going to go ahead and get started this morning.
If you would, find a seat, grab a hymnal, and turn to our first hymn, number 420.
It is officially December, so we've got to break out the Christmas songs.
420, there's a song in the air.
420 will sing there on the first.
["Pomp and Circumstance"]
Amen. We'll open with the word of prayer if you bow your heads with me.
Heavenly Father, we just thank you again for another day to gather together freely.
Lord, in that we just pray that this is not a repetition or something that we pray without thinking about it,
that we are truly grateful for our church and our opportunity to gather together and worship you.
I just pray that you would be with us for the service,
that everything would be done decently and in order,
and that you would incline your ear to us as we sing out praises to you.
These things we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
All right, for our next hymn this morning, turn if you would to 422.
Thou didst leave thy throne.
hymn number 422, 422.
Thou didst leave thy throne.
["Pomp and Circumstance"]
422 on the first.
Thou didst leave thy throne and thy kingly crown,
Where thou aimest to earth for me.
Thou, in Bethlehem's home, was there found no roof
For thy holy anxiety.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is proof in my heart for thee.
Heaven's arches ring when the angels sing,
Proclaiming thy royal decree.
But a holy birth is now come to earth,
And in great humility.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is proof in my heart for thee.
The foxes can rest and the birds can nest
In the shade of the forest green.
But thy crown dropped a spot, O thou son of God,
In the deserts of Galilee.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is proof in my heart for thee.
Thou came as the Lord with the living word
That should set thy meaningful dream.
Thou came as the Lord with the living word
That should set thy meaningful dream.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is proof in my heart for thee.
When the heavens shall ring at the angels sing,
That thy coming to vent for me.
Let my voice call me home, saying,
Yet there is proof, there is proof at my side for thee.
My heart shall rejoice for Jesus
When thou come rest and callest for me.
Good morning, everyone.
Welcome to Anchor Baptist Church.
Glad to have you with us this morning.
And glad to have the Fur Family with us from Texas.
Good to see you guys.
And we miss you.
Glad you're doing well in Texas.
On the front is our Bible memory verse,
Hebrews chapter 6, verse 17.
Getting close to the end there.
You'll also see on the front is our updated
contact information.
Our new website is live.
It's really nice.
Thank you again to all those software developers
that worked hard on that.
It looks really, really good.
On the inside is our service times listed.
Sunday morning at 10.30.
Sunday evening at 4.30.
And our Wednesday evening Bible study at 7 o'clock
through the book of 1st Samuel.
Our soul winning times are all listed there.
And all those do meet here at the church building.
Nursing home ministry schedules listed there.
And just make note there is no service today.
They did cancel that for today.
But as far as I know it should be picking back up
on December 8th.
Our year to date statistics for soul winning is there.
You could see the month of November was a great month
of soul winning.
Great job and thank you to all that work hard
out preaching the gospel.
I just encourage everyone, even though it's cold,
to keep it up throughout the winter.
I know it's cold, but people are still dying
and going to hell.
And it's our job to make sure that we save them
from the fire.
So please do keep going.
Soul winning on the right is our list
of expecting ladies.
Please be in prayer for the Reed family
for their expecting baby.
And our upcoming events are listed there.
December 9th, we're going to go Christmas caroling
that's going to meet here at 6.30pm.
And then we're going to caravan together
to a nice neighborhood nearby.
And we'll go Christmas caroling.
December 20th is going to be the ladies Christmas party.
That's going to be here at the church.
And I'll put the time in there pretty quick
because it's coming up sooner rather than later.
December 21st is our Christmas soul winning push.
That's going to be a Saturday soul winning rally.
But we're going to cater some food and coffee
for that morning.
So we'll start eating at nine
and we'll start the rally at 10 o'clock.
Looking forward to that.
December 31st is going to be
our New Year's Eve party.
That's going to be also our service for the week.
So we're not going to have a Wednesday night service.
It's going to be Tuesday.
That's going to be a men's preaching night
starting at 7 o'clock pm.
There's a sign up sheet in the back if you'd like to preach.
Just please write your name and what topic
you're preaching on.
And we will have a men's preaching night after that.
We'll have dinner catered.
And we will also just have a time of fellowship
and games and fun.
And you're feel free to stay till midnight.
Bring in the New Year here at church.
It's a great way to start the year.
And if you've got young kids, I also understand
if you don't want to do that, I'm not sure yet if I will.
But that option is open to you guys.
If you want to give online, there is a QR code there.
It brings you to our website.
On the back is our prayer list.
Please keep everyone in prayer.
A couple of new additions this week on there.
And please, if you have any prayer requests,
as usual, email the church.
I'd be happy to add that for you.
That's going to be it for announcements this morning.
Let's go to our third song.
All right, for our third hymn this morning,
turn if you would to 424.
O come, all ye faithful.
424.
O come, all ye faithful.
We'll sing there on the first.
O come, all ye faithful.
Joyful and triumphant.
O come, ye O come, ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold him,
born by King of angels.
O come, let us adore him.
Christ the Lord.
Sing, fires of angels.
Sing in exultation.
O sing, all ye primos of Bethlehem above.
Glory to God, all.
Glory in the highest.
O come, let us adore him.
Christ the Lord.
Yea, Lord, we greet thee.
Lord, let's have we glory.
Jesus, to thee be all glory there.
Word of the Father.
Now in flesh of clearing.
O come, let us adore him.
Christ the Lord.
Amen. Great singing this morning.
If you would, as the offering plates are being passed,
turn in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter number six.
Hebrews chapter number six.
Hebrews chapter number six, verse number one,
says therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ,
let us go on unto perfection,
not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works
and of faith toward God,
of the doctrine of baptisms
and of the laying on of hands
and of resurrection of the dead
and of eternal judgment.
And this we will we do if God permit,
for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened
and have tasted of the heavenly gift
and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost
and have tasted the good word of God
and the powers of the world to come
if they shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance
seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh
and put him to an open shame.
For the earth which drinketh in the rain
that cometh off upon it
bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed
receiveth blessing from God.
But that which barath thorns and briars is rejected
and is nigh unto cursing
whose end is to be burned
but beloved we are persuaded better things of you
and things that accompany salvation though we thus speak.
For God is not unrighteous
to forget your work and labor of love
which ye have showed toward his name
and that ye have ministered to the saints and do minister.
And we desire that every one of you
do show the same diligence to the full assurance
of hope unto the end.
That ye be not slothful
but followers of them
who through faith and patience
inherit the promises.
For when God made promise to Abraham
because he could swear by no greater
he swear by himself
saying surely blessing I will bless thee
and multiplying I will multiply thee
and so after he had patiently endured
he obtained the promise.
For men verily swear by the greater
and an oath for confirmation is to them
an end of all strife.
Wherein God willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs of promise
the immutability of his counsel
confirmed it by an oath
that by two immutable things
in which it was impossible for God to lie
we might have a strong consolation
who have fled for refuge
to lay hold upon the hope set before us
which hope we have as an anchor of the soul
both sure and steadfast
and which an entereth into that
within the veil.
Whether the forerunner is for us
entered even Jesus made an high priest
forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Let's pray dear Heavenly Father God
let's pray that you have blessed the services
blessed the preaching
I pray that you will fill Pastor Oz
with the Holy Spirit
and continue to bless this church throughout the years.
We pray this thing for your sense and amen.
Amen, alright well we are in Hebrews chapter 6
which hopefully you know by now
that this is the theme chapter of our church
Anchor Baptist church
and read verse number 19
this is our theme verse here it says
which hope we have as an anchor
of the soul
anchor and steadfast
and which entereth
into that within the veil
and you know we are in an exciting time right now
times of transition
can always bring excitement
and of course last week we transitioned from
steadfast Baptist church
to anchor Baptist church
this is an independent Baptist church
and this morning I would like to preach a sermon
about our new church
and kind of talk about why I named this church
anchor Baptist church
one was for a sentimental reason
I'll explain that to you first
you know read that verse again it says
which hope we have as an anchor of the soul
both sure and steadfast
and in 2017 I moved
to Vancouver Washington
to be a part of sure foundation Baptist church
which if you were here last week
Pastor Aaron Thompson is the pastor of that church
he preached the evening service for us
and you know what I loved my time
at sure foundation Baptist church
I learned a lot I went soul winning
great friends and really grew in the Lord
being under pastor Aaron Thompson
and I appreciate all the things
that he taught me and I love that church
and I think that this verse kind of can pay
respect to him and the fact that
you know no one is a self made man
no church is a self made church
there's people that have invested into all of us
and we should love and respect
the people that do that in our lives
also it says and steadfast
and of course in 2020
I moved to steadfast Baptist church
to be on staff for pastor Shelly
and I was there until August of this year
and again some of the best
years of my life were at steadfast Baptist church
I learned a ton from pastor Shelly
seeing him be steadfast
truly through persecution
and it was just an absolutely invaluable
experience for me
and so that's a reason
why I wanted to name this church that is because
we have an anchor that's
sure and steadfast
and even though pastor Thompson is not my pastor anymore
I don't go to sure foundation
pastor Shelly is not our pastor anymore
we don't go to steadfast Baptist church
yet this church still has a sure foundation
the same sure foundation
in Washington the Lord Jesus Christ
and this church may not be
steadfast Baptist church
but this is still a steadfast church
and we still love and appreciate those
men and you know what
I still love and appreciate my friends
and I don't turn on my friends
I respect the men that train me
and I'm not gonna just trash them
and throw them under the bus because that's what
a crappy person does
go to look at verse number
10 the title my sermon this morning is
we have an anchor
we have an anchor let's go through a little bit
of this chapter it's really important we understand
this chapter especially being that this is our theme
chapter for our church so let's break this down a little bit
Hebrew 6 verse 10 it says
for God is not unrighteous to forget
your work and labor of love
which you have showed toward his name
in that you have ministered to the saints
and do minister
you know that's a good motivation for us to
serve God is the fact that
God is watching God sees everything
and God does not forget
your work and labor of love
let me tell you something about serving Jesus Christ
it's a lot of work
you know being saved is easy
it's like drinking a glass of water
it's like walking through a door
it's like eating a piece of bread
but if you want to be a disciple
but God is not unrighteous
he's not like an unrighteous employer
that's just putting you to slave labor
and not rewarding you
appreciating your work
God sees our work and he's not unrighteous to forget
that work verse 11
it says and we desire
that every one of you do show the same
diligence to the full assurance
of hope unto the end
that you be not slothful
but followers of them
who through faith and patience
the promises
so now we see the desire
of this author
which I believe is the Apostle Paul
and he's expressing his desire for this group of Christians
what is the thing that he desires
well first it says that we would show all diligence
to the full
assurance of hope unto the end
see if you're saved you already have
the assurance of hope
the Lord Jesus Christ
I mean if you're saved
you are assured that Jesus is God
the hope that he died on the cross
that he was buried that he rose again
and you're fully assured of that
but what we need to do is not just have that hope
but show diligence
unto that hope unto the end
that's not just believing
that's doing works and that's doing works
your whole life unto the end
then it says
how do we show that diligence
it says this by not being slothful
but following the godly example
of Christians that come before us
see that is the desire of the author
in Hebrew 6
is that you would take that hope that you have
and you would show full diligence
unto the end of your life
how do you do that by not being slothful
and if you are going to be someone
who's truly anchored
if you want to identify with this term anchor
anchor Baptist church
you have to be someone that is not slothful
verse 13 says
for when God made promise to Abraham
so now he's going to bring up an example
of one of those godly men we should look to
it says because he could swear by no greater
he swear by himself
saying surely blessing I will bless thee
and multiplying I will multiply thee
and so after he had patiently
endured he obtained
the promise
go to keep your place there and go to Genesis 21
and let's remind ourselves
of this story that this is referring to
of Abraham
because of course
God did make a promise
to Abraham right
his wife was barren for most of their life
but God promised Abraham
to give him his son Isaac
but once he
fulfilled that promise God
asked Abraham to sacrifice
his son a very
big deal there look at Genesis
22 verse 1
says and it came to pass after
these things that God did tempt Abraham
and said unto him Abraham
and he said behold here am I
take now thy son
thine only son Isaac whom now lovest
and get thee into the land of Mariah
and offer him there a burnt offering
upon one of the mountains
which I will tell thee of
and Abraham rose early in the morning
and saddled his ass and took two of his
young men with him and Isaac his son
and claved the wood for the burnt offering
and rose up and went unto the place
of which God had told him
then on the third day Abraham lifted up
his eyes and saw the place
of the fire off and Abraham said unto his young
men abide thee here with the ass
and I in the lad will go yonder
and worship and come again to you
and Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering
and laid it upon Isaac his son
and he took the fire in his hand
and a knife and they went both of them
together and Isaac spake
unto Abraham his father and said my father
and he said here am I my son
and he said behold the fire in the wood
but where is the lamb for a burnt
offering and Abraham said
my son God will provide himself
a lamb for a burnt offering
so they went both of them
together and of course this is a really
emotional story to think about that
you have been waiting for a child your whole
life your wife has been barren
and finally God gives you that son
that you wanted and then all of a sudden
God tells you to go sacrifice
your son that's
asking a lot isn't it and that
talks and you know in the New Testament Jesus says
that if you want to be his disciple you have to
forsake all and follow
him and Abraham is
an example of a man that was willing to do
that he was willing to sacrifice
his son and we're not going to read the whole
story for sake of time but in the
story you know he gets the knife he gets
ready to sacrifice his son
and the angel of the Lord calls out to
Abraham and tells him to not do
it that now God has seen his faith
God knows that Abraham now is willing to
do anything that God asks of
him and that's why
in Hebrews 6 when he's bringing up
the examples of people who
through faith and patience
inherit the promises are people like
Abraham people that were willing
to lay it all in the
line for the Lord to do anything that God
asks and you know recently someone told
me of a preacher that said
well Abraham was
willing to sacrifice
his son Isaac but I never
would but let me tell you something
that's not the type of people that God is looking for today
God is looking for the type of people
that are willing to forsake
all and follow the Lord Jesus Christ
whatever he asks of us
whatever his word commands
we should be the people that are ready
and willing to obey God
go back to Hebrews chapter 6 Hebrews 6
you know God doesn't give us examples like this
so that we could look at this story
and say well that was a wrong thing to do
no actually God was pleased with this
and God even says in the New Testament
look towards people like this as your example
of people who inherit the promises
through faith and patience
Hebrews 6 verse 16 says
for men
verily swear by the greater
and an oath for confirmation is
to them an end of
all strife
he's saying when men get together and they're making an agreement
and they swear to each other then that ends
the debate for a lot of people
if someone just says hey I swear I'm gonna do this
for a lot of people that's just the end of the conversation
verse 17 says
wherein God willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs of promise
that's us the immutability of his counsel
confirmed it
by an oath
see here's something we can anchor our souls to
is the fact that you know what's more sure than
men's oaths is God's
oaths
see when man makes an oath to you for a lot of people
that's the end of all strife that's the end of the conversation
they believe that end of story
but guess what they could still lie to you
they could still break their oath
break their promises
but God he wanted to confirm
the immutability of his counsel
to us the heirs of promise
and so he confirmed it by an oath
that's an oath you could actually trust in
verse 18 says
that by two immutable things
in which it was impossible for God
to lie
we might have a strong consolation
who have fled for refuge to lay hold
upon the hope
set before us
two immutable things
two unchanging things
for us to be consoled by
for us to be comforted by
it's the fact that God promised
that's number one and number two
God can't lie
and so this is something that's just an iron clad
guarantee
that we could anchor our souls in
because God cannot lie
then it says those who are saved
have fled refuge
to take hold on this hope
we've fled for refuge
in salvation believing on the Lord Jesus
Christ now it's going to talk more
about this hope it says verse 19
which hope we have
as an anchor of the soul
both sure
and steadfast
and which enter into that
within the veil
see what is an anchor an anchor is
something that keeps you grounded
an anchor is something that keeps you stable
if you're in a ship in a storm
what do they do they drop that anchor
so that the storm isn't blowing them
off course isn't
blowing them all over the place on the sea
when you drop that anchor it's sure
it's steadfast you're not moving
and this hope that the Bible is talking about
the Bible is saying it's an anchor of our souls
it's something that we can hang on to
and it's sure meaning that
it's a fact it's a known thing
it's not going to fail you and it's steadfast
it's going to endure it's not going to give up
it's not going to fail then it says that
with this hope it says which enter
into that within
the veil
here's the interesting thing about
this hope
is that this hope has entered
into that within the veil
you want to know what that's talking about
this is talking about a person
this hope that we have as the anchor
of our soul is not some just abstract
concept of just hope
like Obama you know hope and change
that's not what this is talking about
this hope has entered into that within the veil
this hope is actually alive in heaven right now
look at verse 20
whether the forerunner is for us
entered even Jesus
made in high priest
forever after the order
of Melchizedek
you want to know what the anchor of our soul is
it's the Lord Jesus Christ
number one this morning we have an anchor
in the Lord Jesus Christ
that's why I named this church
anchor Baptist church because we have an anchor today
it's a person
it's the Lord Jesus Christ
and he is the supreme
he is the preeminent
he is the most important thing in this universe
he is the forerunner that's gone before us
into heaven into that within the veil
and because of that we have hope today
a real hope
a sure and steadfast hope
go to Hebrews 13
flip the page there
Hebrews 13
I want to be anchored to the Lord Jesus Christ
that is what we want to be anchored to
why? Hebrews 13
Jesus Christ the same
yesterday and today
and forever
see one of the things that
often annoys people is that life is
constantly changing right the only thing
that's constant is that things are changing
that's a truth in our life and sometimes
we're going through periods of life
where things are good and periods of life where things are bad
when our health is good when things are bad
when our marriage is good when our marriage is bad
when our finances are good when our finances are bad
but here is the anchor of our souls
the Lord Jesus Christ
why? because Jesus Christ the same yesterday
today and forever
that's something that you could actually hang on to
and hold on to in your life
that when you're going through the storms of life
you could drop that anchor
and hang on to the Lord Jesus Christ
go to 1st Timothy chapter 1
1st Timothy chapter 1
verse 1
Paul
an apostle of Jesus Christ
by the commandment of God our Savior
and Lord Jesus Christ
which is
our hope
I find it interesting that when Paul is writing to Timothy
before he even gives him any of his
instruction before he gives him any of his doctrine
he starts off
his letter saying this
Jesus Christ is our hope
why? because that is the foundation
of anything else in life
that is what you have to understand
and believe for anything else in the Christian life
to work you have to realize
that Jesus Christ is our hope
that everything in this universe
hinges upon the Lord Jesus Christ
go to 1st Corinthians 15
1st Corinthians 15
1st Corinthians chapter 15
the great resurrection chapter
reading verse 12
Paul says this
now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead
how say some among you
that there is no resurrection of the dead
but if there be no resurrection of the dead
then is Christ not risen
and if Christ
be not risen then is our
preaching vain and your faith
is also vain
Paul saying look if Jesus
wasn't who he said he was
if Jesus didn't do
if he said that he did
then all of our preaching is completely meaningless
and our faith
our trust our hope in this anchor
would be completely meaningless
if Jesus didn't actually
rise again from the dead
but the flip side of that is that
if he is who he said he was
if he did what he said he did
then he can be the anchor of our souls
why? because he's God in the flesh
that's why
verse 15 says
if Christ be not raised
whom we raise not up
if so be that the dead rise not
for if the dead rise not
then is not Christ raised
and if Christ be not raised
your faith is vain
you are yet in your sins
he's saying look if Jesus didn't actually
die and raise again from the dead
then that would make us all false prophets
because that's what we're teaching people
and isn't that what we teach people as well
we go to the door and we explain to them
people it's the death, burial and resurrection
of Jesus Christ
and we're trying to tell people that hey
you can have that full assurance of hope
you can have that anchor of the soul
if you actually believe that this happened
if you actually trust that this
was sufficient to take you to heaven
not trust in yourselves but guess what
if this didn't happen then that's completely vain
that's completely meaningless
and that's what a lot of people think today
a lot of people who don't believe in Jesus
think that what we're doing today
a waste of money, tax the churches
they think this is all just a joke
they think it's vain
verse 18 says
if in this life only we have hope in Christ
we are of all men
most miserable
Paul's saying if Jesus
didn't actually die and raise again from the dead
then we are the most miserable people
on earth
why because the worldly mentality
out there is that you only live once
and because you only live once
you should just make the most of this life
that you have right now
and in your 20's you should be out there living it up
and fornicating and drinking alcohol
and partying
why because this is the only life you got
so you might as well have as much fun as possible
and you might as well just try to get as rich as you can
and make as much money as you can
and take as many vacations as you can
and just be lazy
and care about yourself and serve yourself
why because that's the only life that you have
yet here's men the apostles
that are sacrificing their lives
for Jesus Christ
that are going out working tirelessly
skipping meals, getting beaten
getting thrown in jail, getting mocked
being hated by the world
being the off scouring of the earth
for what if Jesus didn't die again
he's saying we'd be of all men most miserable
and you know
those of you that do a lot of work in the ministry
you're sacrificing a lot of your time
and you know
for me I work two jobs
why would I be doing that if Jesus didn't rise again from the dead
why would I be sacrificing so much time and effort
we would be of all men most miserable
right the world would look at us and say
you're just wasting your life
but if Jesus was who he said he was
things change look at verse 55
it says
O grave where is thy victory
the sting of death is sin
and the strength of sin is the law
but thanks be to God
which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ
therefore
now that's a very important word right there
this was the theme verse of steadfast Baptist church
and it starts with a therefore
you have to understand the chapter
to understand the power of verse 58
and the Bible this whole chapter is talking about the fact that Jesus
did actually rise again from the dead
he actually is who he said he was
he actually did what he said he did
and because of that
look at verse 58
therefore my beloved brethren
be ye steadfast
that's being anchored right there
unmovable
always abounding in the work
of the Lord for as much as you know
that your labor is not
in vain in the Lord
see he plays this theoretical thought
experiment saying well if Jesus
didn't rise again then all this is meaningless
and we are of all men most miserable
but here's the thing
he actually did rise again from the dead
he is alive in heaven today
and because of that we need to be steadfast
because of that we need to be anchored
and because of that our work
is not in vain in the Lord
why do all this work? Why be Anchor Baptist church
because of the Lord Jesus Christ
our anchor
go to Matthew chapter 14
Matthew chapter 14
when I think of
Anchor Baptist church when I think of the word
anchor I always think about the story of Jesus
walking on the sea
because it's a you know maritime story
look at verse 25 it says
and in the fourth watch of the night
Jesus went unto them
walking on the sea
and when the disciples
saw him walking on the sea
they were troubled saying it is a spirit
and they cried out for fear
I have a feeling some of us might be troubled
if we saw that at the time too
what is this Jesus walking on the sea
it's not something you'd expect
but verse 27 says
be of good cheer it is I
be not afraid
and Peter answered him and said
Lord if it be thou
bid me come unto thee
on the water
I love Peter's attitude he's like I want in on this
this is pretty cool like why not just ask
and you shall receive why not just ask Jesus
if I could just walk on the water with him
verse 29 and he said come
when Peter was come down out of the ship
he walked on the water
to go to Jesus
and I think sometimes in life
we probably feel like Peter
feels like things are going great
it feels like we're walking on water with Jesus Christ
and let me tell you what if you're doing the Christian life
there should be times where you feel like that
it's not just all suffering and pain
yes God has called us to those things oftentimes
but a lot of times
you wake up in the morning
and you read the sweet honey of God's word
and it's so refreshing it's so encouraging
that you feel like you're walking on water with Jesus Christ
there's times in life
where it feels like that
when God gives you a spouse
when God gives you a child it feels like you're walking on water
when God gives you
great friends in the faith and a great church to go to
you could feel like that spiritual high
like you're walking on water with Jesus Christ
but look at verse 30
but when he saw the wind
boisterous he was afraid
and beginning to sink
he cried saying Lord save me
see then there's other times in our lives
where the wind comes
where that Oklahoma tornado comes
and feels like it just destroyed everything in your house
and everything in your life
and there's nothing standing
sometimes you may come to a point in your life
where you feel like this
sometimes you can come to a point in your life
where you have a tragedy and you lose a child
you can have something happen where
your friends forsake you
people lie about you
you're persecuted and it feels like the winds
are boisterous around you
and during those times people are often tempted
to take their eyes off of Jesus
and you know what they do
the ship that is
not structurally sound during a storm
is going to start to sink right
verse 31
and immediately Jesus, remember that's the anchor
stretched forth his hand and caught him and said unto him
oh thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt
and when they were come into the ship
the winds ceased
and they that were in the ship came and worshiped him
saying of a truth, thou art the son of God
and you know whenever we do go through those
times in life or through those times
as a church and the winds are boisterous
and the storms are beating
we have to remember not to be of little faith
but to remember that that anchor is there for us
and that anchor is sure
and steadfast
and we, though we are weak, though we often fail
though we're not sure, we're not steadfast
in the flesh, you know what we have an anchor
that is that we could always hold on to
it doesn't matter what storms of life you're going through
that anchor is stronger
than all the storms
that anchor is the underground tornado shelter
that will save you, okay
that anchor does for us
go to Acts chapter number 20
Acts chapter 20
now someone in life
who was anchored
his whole life was the apostle Paul
this man was steadfast
this man was anchored
and in Acts chapter 20
he's giving kind of a farewell speech
to the elders at Ephesus
and it says in verse 16
for Paul had determined
to sail by Ephesus because he would not
spend the time in Asia for he hasted
if it were possible for him to be
at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost
and from my latest he sent to Ephesus
and called the elders of the church
and when they were come to him he said unto them
you know from the first day
that I came into Asia after what manner
I have been with you at all seasons
serving the Lord
with all humility of mind
and with many tears and temptations
which befell me by the lying
and weight of the Jews
in fact nothing that was profitable unto you
but have showed you and have taught you publicly
and from house to house
testifying both to the Jews
and also to the Greeks
repentance toward God and faith
toward our Lord Jesus Christ
and now behold I go bound in the spirit
unto Jerusalem notice these next words
not knowing
the things that shall befall me there
save that the Holy Ghost
witnesseth in every city
saying that bonds and afflictions
abide me
think about the great faith that the Apostle Paul
has here when he says hey I'm going
to Jerusalem and I don't know the things
that are going to befall me there
except I know this that in every city
I go to you know it's waiting for me there
bonds and afflictions
now how many people today
if you sign them up for a missions trip
and you said hey I just want to let you know
it's an ironclad guarantee that if you go
on this missions trip you're going to get people saved
you're going to do great works for God
you're going to get upside down for Jesus Christ
but you will be in bonds
you'll get arrested and you'll be afflicted
how many people would still knowingly go through with that
Paul knew that
he said I don't know what's going to befall me there
except for these negative things
but notice his attitude verse 24
but none of these things
move me he says I don't care
I'm still doing it anyways
I'm still going to go preach the gospel
neither count on my life
dear unto myself
I'm still doing the course with joy
and the ministry
which I have received
of the Lord Jesus
to testify the gospel of the grace of God
he says hey I don't care what's coming my way
I know that persecutions and bonds and afflictions
await me
but I received something from Jesus Christ
and that's all that matters
that's what he looked for
he said I don't count my life dear unto myself
I don't care what I want in the flesh
I don't care what the apostle Paul wants to do with his life
but Jesus Christ
and that's what mattered to him
and guess what us in this room
we've been given a job by the Lord Jesus Christ
the bible talks about how we are ambassadors
for Christ
we have received the ministry of reconciliation
you know what should keep you anchored
during the storms of life
during the problems of life
is knowing that you've received something from Jesus Christ
you've received something from the God
that entered into that which it within the veil
who's in heaven today
Galatians 2 20 says I am crucified
with Christ
nevertheless I live
yet not I but Christ liveeth in me
and the life which I now live in the flesh
I live by the faith of the Son of God
who loved me
and gave himself for me
you know many Christians
cannot say that verse
truly in their hearts today
that they truly live by the faith
of the Son of God
of course every single Christian is saved
spiritually by the faith of the Son of God
but you know what we should also
allow our lives, our physical lives
to be crucified with Christ
not count our lives dear unto ourselves
but actually be willing to walk by faith
why because of the Lord Jesus Christ
number one we have an anchor in the Lord Jesus Christ
number two we have an anchor
in the King James bible
look at Hebrews 1 verse 1 it says
God who at sundry times
and in divers manners
spake in time past unto the fathers
by the prophets
see the bible saying that
in old times especially in the Old Testament
God spake in a variety
of different ways to a variety
of different people you see God
speaking to Samuel when he's a child
in a dream Samuel Samuel
and he's like oh behold I serve in hereith
and he comes to the man of God Eli
God speaking to him that way
you see God open the mouth
of the ass to rebuke Balaam
you see Belshazzar
where God writes with the hand
of a man on the wall
that's a diverse way
that God doesn't speak to us today right
I mean we see all these different stories
in the Old Testament Joseph getting
dreams from God but today
God has given us his word in a different way
look at verse 2 it says
hath in these last days
spoken unto us by
his son whom he hath
appointed heir of all things
also he made the worlds
see God today has spoken us
through his son Jesus Christ
what you have to understand is that
the word of God and Jesus Christ
these are inseparable things
some people think that these are two
different concepts that oh you gotta
worship Jesus but you guys can't make an idol
out of the word of God you guys take the word of God
too seriously you guys worship the bible
well let's stay there let me read for you
John 1 1 in the beginning was the word
and the word was with God
and the word was God
verse 14 in the word was made flesh
and dwelt among us
we beheld his glory the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father
full of grace and truth
see the bible teaches that Jesus Christ
is the word of God
he is the word of God
in flesh and the bible says
forever oh lord thy word is settled in heaven
and guess what Jesus Christ has eternally
existed as God
but of course he came to earth
and that's why we celebrate Christmas
look at verse 3 it says
who being the brightness of his glory
and the express image
of his person
and notice this
upholding all things
by the word of his power
when he had by himself purged our sins
sat down on the right hand
of the majesty on high
see the truth is is that
if you believe that Jesus Christ
is our anchor you also have to believe
that the word of God is our anchor
because the bible teaches us that Jesus
is the word of God
and that all things
are upheld by the word of his power
the reason why this world exists
the reason why this universe exists
the reason why things like love exists
the reason why this church exists
is because it's all being upheld
by the word of his power
and at any time Jesus Christ
could just burn this earth
at any time Jesus Christ could take us home to heaven
at any time by the word of God
he could open up the earth
and cause wicked people to fall in
that God can do anything by the power of his word
and the bible says that all things
are upheld by the word of his power
you know what that means is that we could anchor
to this because all things hinge on the bible
all things are upheld by the bible
the success of this church is going to be dependent
upon the word of his power
the success of your marriage
of your child rearing
of your finances of your life
all things are upheld by the word of his power
and we have to prioritize
the bible and have it as an anchor in our life
and I'm so sick and tired
of these weak
new evangelical
liberal fake Christians
that want to tell us you guys make an idol
out of scripture
you guys over emphasize scripture
how can you over emphasize Jesus
how can you make an idol
of the words of Jesus Christ
no you're just a fake Christian
is what you are you're just a false prophet
that would try to
disconnect Jesus Christ from the word of God
like Andy Stanley where he said
that the bible is not our final authority
Jesus is our final authority
translation
he doesn't believe that Jesus is the word of God
look at
Hebrews chapter number four or I'm sorry
first Peter 1 I'm going to read for you Hebrews 4
first Peter 1
well I read
Hebrews 4 12 the bible says for the word of God
is quick meaning alive
and powerful and sharper than
any two-edged sword
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul
and spirit and of the joints and morrow
and as a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart
see if this isn't
the words of Jesus Christ if the word of God
isn't God then why does the bible say that it's quick
why does the bible say that it's alive
see I know of no other
book today that's alive
I mean does anyone have any books at their house that are alive
okay if you are you're probably doing one of these weird drugs that
oklahomans are into
stop smoking the pot okay
no no no this book is actually alive
why because Jesus Christ is alive
and his words are
settled in heaven and this is the word of God
before us today
first Peter 1 2 or 23 he says
being born again not of corruptible
seed but of incorruptible
by the word of God
which liveth and abideth
forever see the bible teaches that we're born again
we're saved by the incorruptible
word of God many people today
don't believe that this bible is perfect
they think that it has been corrupted
and probably because many of them do have a corrupted bible
it's called the NIV it's called the ESV
it's called the new king James
but God's true word is not corrupted
verse 24 says
for all flesh is
as grass and all the glory of man as the flower
of grass the grass withereth
and the flower thereof falleth
away but the word of the Lord
endureth forever
sounds like something you can anchor to
and this is the word by which the Gospels
preached unto you
so we see that the bible is a sure thing
it's something we can anchor to
but not just the bible
in a vague sense I believe
that the king James version of the English bible
is that anchor we can
anchor our souls to now I'm going to read from you
from our doctrinal statement
you can check it out on our website but I'll just
read it for you says we believe
that the king James bible
is the perfectly preserved
word of God in English
and has been faithfully translated from the
originally inspired Hebrew, Greek
and Aramaic one does not need to learn
the original biblical languages
to understand the true meaning of scripture
since the king James bible
is a perfectly preserved translation
of the originally inspired
words of God it is
also inspired
we reject the doctrine of double
separation we reject all modern
versions of the bible
now I'm going to go to a few verses to prove
why I believe this go to
Psalm 12
so you have people today making a big fuss
and even a lot of king James
onlyists will say
that the king James bible is not
inspired because
inspired is being given by the
breath of God they would say well
only the original authors were inspired
but they will still say that this is
the perfectly preserved word of God
but hold on a second if they were inspired
and this was
perfectly preserved of the inspired words of
God then this is inspired
now of course we don't believe that
God re-inspired the king James
translators we don't believe that God
gave the king James translators
special revelation or that
he you know controlled their tongue
or controlled their pen or anything like that
but we do believe that the king James
bible is the perfectly
preserved inspired word of God
look at Psalm 12 verse 6 says
the words of the lord
are pure words
as silver tried in a furnace of earth
purified seven times
thou shalt keep them oh lord
thou shalt preserve them from this
generation for ever
the bible teaches that it is God's
responsibility to preserve his
word not mans
because today a lot of people struggle with the idea of
how could we after all these
thousands of years how could we possibly have
a perfect translation
when men are translating it
men are involved in the work of translation
men make mistakes
well it's because the bible says that
he will preserve those words
if God just left it up to us
of course we would screw it up
but since it's his responsibility
God said hey I got this
I'm gonna make sure to preserve
these words from this generation
and forever and here's the thing
that has eternally existed
and he lived and he's alive right now
and he will eternally exist
and he's the word of God when it makes sense
that the word of God can also be preserved
for all of eternity
go to if you would Isaiah 59
Isaiah 59
9 verse 21 says this
as for me this is my
covenants with them sayeth the lord
remember God can't lie
that is upon thee
in my words which I put in thy mouth
shall not depart out of thy mouth
nor out of the mouth of thy seed
sayeth the lord from henceforth
and forever
God saying hey Isaiah
these words that I'm giving you
they're gonna be with you your whole life
not only your whole life your children's whole life
not only their whole life
your grandchildren's whole life
and also just from henceforth and forever
God's not going anywhere the word of God
is not gonna be lost it's not gonna be
in a trash can in a monastery
no God preserves his word for all of eternity
stay there
or actually you could turn to Colossians 1
Matthew 24 35 says heaven
and earth shall pass away
but my words shall not
pass away
now why is this important
why is it important to be King James only
how are we gonna relate this to anchor baptist church
well because there's a doctrine out there today
in particular amongst churches
I would say that the vast majority of churches
believe what I call
original manuscript onlyists
original manuscript onlyism
what they teach
and if you look at the doctrinal statement
of just any pick a church around here
I guarantee you 9 out of 10 times this is what it's gonna say
we believe that the word of God
was originally inspired in the original languages
that's what they'll say
they don't say that we have it today
if you ask them hey where's the perfect word of God today
they'll say well this is the best we've got
well we think that the ESV is the most accurate
or we use the NIV
or we use the new American standard or whatever
but they'll tell you oh yeah
the word of God was perfect
back thousands of years ago when it was given to them
but guess what that doesn't help us today
and let me tell you something
the original manuscript onlyism doctrine
is a doctrine of convenience
for false prophets
now I'm not saying every person that believes this is a false prophet
but it is a perfect doctrine
for false prophets
here's why
because they can go to a verse in the Bible
and you could read it, you could look at it with your eyes
and it's like here's what the Bible says
but then the preacher
because he believes in original manuscript onlyism
he gets to stand up before the congregation and say
well I know that the Bible in front of you says this
but
if you actually go to the Greek
it says something completely different
and the preacher now has an ability
to manipulate his audience
to twist the words of God
to teach whatever
he wants
that is a cult
and people say you guys are cult because you're King James only
excuse me, the King James Bible in front of us
is the final authority
and if I'm reading it to you
and it says something and you're looking at it
it's always right
and if I ever say something that's different than the Bible
the Bible's right and I'm wrong
but the real cult leader is the one that says hey
the Bible's wrong and I'm right
so who's the cult here?
King James onlyist or original manuscript onlyist
the omos
those people are the real
cults today
Colossians chapter one
so number one we have an anchor in the Lord Jesus Christ
number two we have an anchor in the King James Bible
number three we have an anchor in the promise
of heaven
look at Colossians one verse three it says
we give thanks to God
and the father of our Lord Jesus Christ
since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus
and of the love which you have to all the saints
for the hope
which is laid up for you
in heaven
where have you heard before in the word of the truth
of the gospel
so here's the cool thing if we believe that Jesus
is our anchor and is our hope
and we believe that the word of God
is our anchor and is our hope
that means that everything that the Bible says
we can anchor our soul in
and have hope in including this promise right here
verse five it says for the hope
which is laid up for you
in heaven
one of the sweetest promises
in the Bible that can help us
endure affliction and trouble in our life
is the promise of heaven
because guess what you don't only live once
and we are not of all men most miserable
but actually Jesus Christ did die
on the cross he did conquer death and hell
and we have a promise waiting for us
the promise of heaven
look at 2nd Corinthians chapter five
now why is this promise so sweet
why is this something we can anchor ourselves to
one of the reason
is because getting old sucks
which I'm not old yet
but I've heard it sucks
and I have had some a lot of injuries
okay so I know I'm young
but my body is pretty jacked up
but I'm looking forward to getting a new body someday
now I'm going to read
look at 2nd Corinthians 5 verse 1
it says this
for we know
that if our earthly house
of this tabernacle were dissolved
we have a building of God
and house made
not with hands
eternal in the heavens
the Bible is talking about this house
and how someday this house is going to be dissolved
but God has a
building for us waiting in heaven
now what I think this is talking about
is the fact that we're getting a new body someday
that's the building that you're getting in heaven someday
and I'll prove this
stay there I'll read for you Romans 822
it says
for we know that the whole creation
groaneth and travaileth
in pain together until now
that's you and you get out of bed
verse 23 says and not only they
but ourselves also
which have the first fruits of the spirit
even we ourselves groan
within ourselves
waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption
of our body
the Bible is literally talking about how you're going through all this pain
eventually goes through all this pain
and we're groaning and travailing
waiting for the redemption of our bodies
now some of us are groaning for this a lot more than others
but the truth is
all of us will be groaning for it someday
verse 3 says this
of 2 Corinthians 5 it says
if so be that being clothed
we shall not be found naked
this is talking about your body here
for we that are in this tabernacle do groan
being burdened
not for that we would be unclothed
upon that mortality
might be swallowed up of life
now he that hath wrought us
for this self same thing as God
who also hath given unto us the earnest of the spirit
therefore we are always
confident knowing this
that while we are at home in the body
we are absent from the Lord
for we walk by faith
not by sight
and jokes aside
you know the promise of heaven
is something that we can anchor our souls to
this is that as people get older
if you do have health problems
or just anything going wrong with your body
that can often cause people to stop serving God
and sometimes you literally have no choice
like if you can't walk, yeah I get it
you can't go soul winning, you know at least you can't go door to door
but what's encouraging
and what keeps us in the faith
and what excites us looking forward to the future
is that someday all of us are actually getting
a new body
a glorified body where everything's going to work perfectly
we're not going to have any pain
there's not going to be any more death
there's not going to be any more crying
that's something that we can look forward to
and the Bible said in Colossians that that is a hope
that we have
the hope that's laid up for us
in heaven go to Revelation 22
Revelation 22
while you're turning there Romans 8 18 says
for I reckon that the sufferings
of this present time
are not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us
what helps you get through sufferings
the sufferings I'm experiencing now
are not even worthy to be compared
with the glory that's going to be revealed in us
when we get to heaven
Revelation 221 says this
it's going to explain some things about heaven
it says
and he showed me a pure river of water of life
clear as crystal
proceeding out of the throne of God
and of the Lamb
you know I'm someone that enjoys nature
I like going outside
I like visiting the mountains
and I think it's cool that in heaven
there's going to be a pure water of life
that's pure and clear as crystal
that's going to be just a beautiful thing to look at
that's something that I have hope and I'm excited to see someday
verse 2 in the midst of the street of it
and on either side of the river
there was there the tree of life
which bear twelve manner of fruits
and yielded her fruit every month
and the leaves of the tree
were for the healing of the nations
and there shall be
no more curse
and the throne of God
and of the Lamb shall be in it
and his servants shall serve him
and they shall see his face
and his name shall be in their foreheads
see that's exciting that we're going to get to serve God in heaven
that his servants shall serve him
and that we're going to get to see
the face of God
see no one can see the face of God
the Father right now and live
you would die immediately
but someday we're going to be able to behold
the face of God
it's always going to be daytime
and they need no candle
neither light of the sun
praise God I always talk about
there's not going to be any more sunburns in heaven
I am excited for that
that is a great blessing
for the Lord God give it them light
and they shall reign forever and ever
he said unto me these sayings
are faithful and true
and the Lord God of the holy prophets
sent his angels to show unto his servants
the things which must shortly be done
behold I come quickly
blessed is he that keep it the sayings
of the prophecy of this book
you know what should motivate us to keep
the sayings of the prophecy
of the Bible what should motivate us
to continue to be steadfast
to be anchored to always
be abounding in the work
of the Lord because pretty soon
Jesus is coming that's why
because pretty soon we're going to blink
our eyes and we're going to be old and gray
I mean I don't know about you
I have a pretty good memory and I could think back
to being a young child
I could think back when I was four years old when 9-11
happened I could immediately just
close my eyes and I'm right there in the living room
I could see my mom crying I could put myself back
into memories really quick it's just weird to think about
how I can remember that and it's like boom
here we are in 2024 and someday
we're going to be old someday we're going to be
on our deathbed and you're going to be thinking
like I was just a child
I was just an anchor map this church
when it started in 2024 I was just getting married
like life goes so quickly
and pretty soon we're going to be in heaven
pretty soon none of this
earthly stuff is going to matter your job
isn't going to matter what type of house you lived in
isn't going to matter your car isn't going to matter
your status and your cool clothes
and being loved by the world all that's
going to be trash because pretty soon Jesus is coming
and you're going to be standing eternity
in heaven you know what the promise of heaven
excites me it anchors
my soul to want to keep serving
God
number one we have an anchor in the Lord Jesus Christ
number two we have an anchor in the King James Bible
number three we have an anchor in the promise of heaven
number four we have an anchor in the local
New Testament church go to if you would
Matthew 16
Matthew chapter number 16
this is another anchor we have in our lives
is the New Testament church
Matthew 16
verse 13
Matthew 16
verse 13 says
when Jesus came into the
coasts of Caesarea Philippi
he asked his disciples
saying whom do men say that I the son of
man am they said some say
that thou art John the Baptist some
Elias and others Jeremiah's are one of the prophets
he saved unto them but whom
say ye that I am
Simon Peter answered and said thou art
the Christ the son of the living God
see Peter knew who the anchor was
Verse 17, And Jesus answered and said unto him,
Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood have not revealed it unto thee,
but my father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loose in heaven.
See, the truth we can learn from this passage is that the institution that Jesus Christ
founded on this earth, that he purchased with his own blood, the gates of hell
will never prevail against the local New Testament church.
The institution of the church cannot be defeated. Never has been, never will be.
And there's been attempts, of course. And here's the thing, individual churches can fail.
Pastors can fail. Churches can get lazy, stop soulwaning, and lose their candlestick.
Churches can get wicked, and far from the Bible, and start teaching false doctrine,
and lose their candlestick, and not be a legitimate church. But in general,
the institution of the local New Testament church will never fail.
And let me tell you what, there's been tons, tons of attempts to cause the church to fail.
You have the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church in the Dark Ages
tried to stop the Word of God from being given to the common man. The Catholic Church literally made
laws in, I made a short about it where it was the exact year, I'll have to reference that,
but they literally made laws to where it was illegal to translate the scriptures into the
common tongue. And you had guys like William Tyndale, who at the stake of his own life
was illegally translating the scriptures into English. And he was eventually killed
by being burned alive on the stake, saying, Lord, open the King of England's eyes.
And then less than 100 years later, King James commissioned the beginning of the translation
of the King James Bible that we hold in our hands today. You know, the Catholic Church did try to
destroy the true church of God. Because let me tell you what, the Catholic Church is not
the true church, they are the church of Satan. They are ministers of the devil. The true
church is the one that Jesus Christ established, which is local, independent churches. And even in
our own lives, haven't we seen people try to stop churches before? Haven't we seen the law fair
against our churches? Haven't we seen the protests and the death threats and the news
articles and all these things? We've seen the gates of hell try to come against the
church, but guess what? Did it prevail? No, it didn't. Why? Because Steadfast Baptist Church,
the one I'm referring to right now, was anchored. Steadfast Baptist Church had the
anchor of the Lord Jesus Christ, had the anchor of the King James Bible. And so of course, Jesus
is saying, hey, the gates of hell is not going to prevail against that church. And let me tell you,
the gates of hell will never prevail against Anchor Baptist Church when we're doing what's
right in the sight of God. When we're following the King James Bible, when we're worshiping
and praising and obeying the Lord Jesus Christ, there's nothing that could stop this church.
It doesn't matter what threats come against us. It doesn't matter if some of us get arrested
or killed even. Nothing can stop this church if it's pleasing to God. Go to 1 Timothy chapter 3.
And you know, like I said, individual churches can fail. Pastors can fail. But my goal,
my desire, my heart's hope for Anchor Baptist Church is that Anchor Baptist Church will be
an anchor for you. That this can be a place where you can anchor your soul and anchor
your family. 1 Timothy 3.15 says this, But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how
thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God,
the pillar and ground of the truth. You know, if we want this church to be successful,
this church has to be the pillar and ground of the truth. And I have to dedicate myself
and be diligent that I'm studying the Bible and that I am presenting the truth to this church.
And that all of us as a church family that we together are rallied around
the truth. And when we do that, that is a church that the gates of hell will not prevail
against. Go to Psalm 92. Psalm 92. Psalm chapter 92. You know, we need to get back
to a culture in Christianity where church is not a game. Church is not a social club.
Church is a place that you come to hear the truth. And so many churches today,
they focus way too much on growth and just getting as many people in the doors as possible,
being pleasing to the community, being in the news in a positive light, you know, having
the police chief come to their building and give all these awards and stuff like that.
But they do those things oftentimes at the expense of the truth. Because what Jesus said
is that when you preach the truth, you'll actually be hated of all men. And Jesus Christ,
who is the truth, who never told a lie was hated so much that he was brutally murdered on the cross.
And so this church, I'm not interested in just seeing how much prestige we can get,
how big we can get just at the expense of telling the truth. This church needs to be a place that
preaches the truth. Psalm 92 verse 12 says, the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree.
He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord
shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age.
They shall be fat and flourishing to show that the Lord is upright. He is my rock.
And there's no unrighteousness in him. See, the Bible tells you that if you plant yourself
in the house of the Lord, that you will flourish. And you know what I've seen in my life
that people that are faithful to church, people that are three to thrive,
people that seek first the kingdom of God, you know what they have? All these things added unto them.
You know what you see? People that spend their whole life investing in the things of God,
investing in the people of God, investing in souls. You know what's cool about them is that
they get to old age and they're still bringing forth fruit. You know, it makes me think about
my friends, Tony and Eva Garcia, that are great pillars at Steadfast Baptist Church,
that are great examples to look to, that you could say, hey, here's some empty nesters.
They don't even have young kids anymore, but you know what they're still doing? Super faithful.
I saw today, Brother Tony this morning at 9 a.m. was preaching the Spanish service
and he helps with the security and he helps with the ushering and they clean the building.
They do a ton of work even in what a lot of people would consider old age. I don't think
you guys are old if you're watching. Okay, I love you guys. But if they continue doing
that, they will still be bringing forth fruit in their old age. They will still be flourishing.
And that's a promise that you get from God when you do what? When you plant yourself
or when you anchor yourself in the house of the Lord. And you know, I want to encourage everyone
in this room to just make the decision in your heart to anchor yourself into this church.
And look, I say go to the best church in your area. If you think that there's another church
in Oklahoma City where you're going to be able to hear better preaching, where you're
going to be able to hear more truth, where you're going to be able to do
more works for God, more soul winning. Hey, I'm not here to stop you. Go ahead.
I'm for you. I'll go with you. If the church is better, I want to be in the best church as possible.
But if you believe that this is the best church in this area, just make the decision in your heart
saying, you know what? Anchor Baptist Church is my church. And I'm going to anchor myself in
this church. I'm going to plant myself in the house of the Lord and I'm going to watch God
flourish my life. That is a promise from God. Psalm 84, Psalm 84.
While you're turning there, I'll read Psalm 27 says, one thing, have I desired of the Lord?
That will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
And you know, I could honestly stand before you this morning and say that that is the desire
that I have for my life is to be in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.
And even if I never became a pastor, I was going to be in church all the days of my life.
Whether I was on staff, whether I'm a pastor, whether I'm a layman, whether I'm a nobody,
I want to be in the house of God. That is the attitude that the spirit-filled Psalmist had.
And if you don't have that attitude today, you need a heart check. You need to read the Bible,
you need to pray to the Lord and get anchored into your New Testament church.
Psalm 84, one says, how amiable are thy tabernacles? Oh, Lord of hosts,
do you feel that way about church? Do you think how lovely God is it to go to church?
How wonderful it is? What a blessing it is. What a privilege today that we have
to worship freely in the New Testament church. That is a blessing. Verse 2,
My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh
cryeth out for the living God, yea, the sparrow hath found in house, and the swallow a nest for
herself, where she may lay her young, even nine altars. Oh, Lord of hosts, my king and my God,
blessed are they that dwell in thy house, they will still be praising the sea law.
You know, we need a comeback in America of going to church. There is a huge dearth in our country of
people forsaking the house of God or downscaling church attendance. We need to have the attitude
of the Psalmist here saying, how amiable are thy courts? Oh, Lord, saying, look, my soul,
my flesh is longing to go to church. Not waking up thinking, oh, I got to go to church
this morning. Should we even go? Should we just sleep in? Should we not go to church this
morning? You know what, that's not a heart that God's pleased with. That's not someone that's
a man after God's own heart or a woman after God's own heart. That's someone that is weak
and backslidden. You know what, you should have the attitude saying, I want to go to church.
I want to be there Sunday morning. I want to be there Sunday night. I want to be there
Wednesday night. I want to go to the church events. I want to go to the soul-winning
times. I want to be a part of God's house. Why? Because this is the institution
that Jesus Christ died for. This church isn't about me. This church isn't about you.
This church is about Jesus Christ. This church is about the anchor of our souls. Go back to
Hebrews 6. Hebrews chapter 6. Hebrews chapter number 6. So I hope you could see that. I didn't
just name this church because it's a cool sounding name, though I think it is a cool
sounding name. Or just because we could make cool logos, though I do think we could make
cool logos. That's not why I named this church that. You know, this is a powerful
verse in the Bible when you really understand it. When you understand what
Hebrews 6 is teaching and the fact that we have that anchor of the soul. You know what's
cool is that, hey, we're still Sure Foundation and we're still steadfast as well.
Hebrews 6 verse 19 says, which hope, that's Jesus, we have as an anchor of the soul,
both sure and steadfast and which entereth into that within the veil. Whether the
forerunner is for us entered even Jesus, made in high priest forever after the order of
Melchizedek. You know, I'm really excited about the future of this church. I'm really
thankful to be the pastor here. I'm thankful for the people that attend this church.
I would just, you know, encourage you to just plant these truths deep into your heart
to really internalize these things and to really say for yourself personally
that you have an anchor. You have an anchor in the Lord Jesus Christ.
You have an anchor in the word of God. You have an anchor in the promise of
heaven. You have an anchor in anchor Baptist church. Let's pray, Lord. Thank you for
this day. Thank you so much for the opportunity to preach these dear people.
I just pray that you would bless this church, help us all to grow spiritually,
help us all to mature together and help us to be a church that's anchored to the
Lord Jesus Christ, to his words. And I pray that you would just enable us to
do great works for you, for your honor and glory. We love you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
All right. For our last hymn this morning, if you'll grab your hymnals, turn to hymn
number 140. We have an anchor.
Hymn number 140, 140. We have an anchor. We'll sing their starting on the first.
Down's unfold their wings of strife.
When the strong tides live in the gable strength.
Will your anchor drift or remain?
We have an anchor that keeps our soul.
Stand fast and sure while the billows roll.
Fasten to the rock which cannot move.
Ground it firm and deep in the Savior's love.
It is safely poured, will the storm withstand.
For it is well secured by the Savior's hand.
Though the tempest rain and the wild winds blow.
Not an angry blade shall our mark or flow.
We have an anchor that keeps our soul.
Stand fast and sure while the billows roll.
Fasten to the rock which cannot move.
Ground it firm and deep in the Savior's love.
When our eyes behold through the gathering night.
The city of gold, our harbor cry.
We shall anchor fast by the every shore.
When the storms all pass forevermore.
We have an anchor that keeps the soul.
Stand fast and sure while the billows roll.
Fasten to the rock which cannot move.
Ground it firm and deep in the Savior's love.
Amen. With that you are dismissed.