A Layman Looks at the Word: Anchor for the Soul

Our foundation scripture is in Hebrews. The author is not named, but I believe that it is Paul, and I am not alone. Paul wrote 14 books of the New Testament’s 27 books. Hebrews is the last in the series of Paul’s books and is the only book addressed to the Jewish Hebrews. The rest of Paul’s books are written to the Christian New Testament Church. So to understand how Jesus is represented here, you will have to know something about the religion of Judaism, for all Christian roots begin there.

After the cleansing of the Great flood of Noah, and 58 years before Noah’s death, Abram was born and lived with Noah and Shem for 39 years. God made Covenant with Abram and changed his name to Abraham.

He was God’s friend. His promised son, Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 and his wife Sarah 90.

Isaac fathered Jacob, who had 12 sons from 4 women. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel and his sons became the 12 tribes of Israel.

Genesis ends with Israel having to move to Egypt because of a great famine they were there for 400 years and ended up in slavery.

God sent Moses to deliver them with a mighty supernatural hand and they were in the wilderness of Arabia for 40 years.

At the beginning of this journey, God told Moses the Law at Mt. Sinai and made Aaron the High Priest of God’s religion.

A tabernacle was fashioned with each part representing God’s Son and His attributes. This was the Messiah that God had promised who would come; God as a man.

High Priest, represented the people before God. He presented the sacrifices and made yearly atonement before God for the people. His Mitre reads “Holiness to the LORD”.

Heb 6:17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

18 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:

19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. (Ps110:4)

Hope here is an anchor for the soul, by an oath from God that by two unchanging things we have access to God’s throne room. These two things are the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

By the Body and Blood of Jesus, He bought our redemption in the heavenly tabernacle, and was a ransom for our soul. Not only the sacrifice for our sins, but the High Priest that intercedes for us before God.

Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Paul had a revelation of this, and tells us in:

1 Cor 11: 23 ¶ For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.

Faith Hope Love scriptures

1Cor 13: 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (love..agape)

1Th 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;

1Th 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

So we see the importance of faith, hope, and love. They are interdependent on one another.

We know that without faith, it is impossible to please God, Heb 11:6.

When we look at the definition of faith we read:

Heb 11:1 ¶ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith: the substance of things hoped for… so, you have to have hope in order to have faith. And we know that hope is our anchor.

All things in the Kingdom of God work by love…for God is Love, 1Jo 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

Our hope lies in what Jesus and God have promised. The belief in the finished work of Jesus for all we need in this life. Hoping for and using your faith, produces evidence in your heart. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, Lu 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. Things spoken in faith and believed will come to pass, Mk 11: 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

If you dig into the Word and find the things that God has promised, you can be assured that the answers to your prayers concerning those promises will be yes and amen.

2Co 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

In all of things and in time of trouble, we need to trust the Lord. He is faithful and will never leave you, or forsake you, Heb 13:5.

Promise of Salvation (wholeness, right standing with God, Eternal Life)

Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. (Jer 31:34)

God had promised the Messiah, a redeemer to make amends between God and man over Adam’s sin. Jesus of Nazareth was that man, our Saviour. The Way, the Truth, and the Life..no man comes to the Father except by Him, Jn 14:6.

Jn 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

To receive this wonderful Salvation, you need to believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead for you, and confess Him before men.

Rm 10:8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

We will be resurrected, and receive a body like the one Jesus has now.

Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Php 3:21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

Promises of Healing

Ex 15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

God has always wanted to heal us. This is OT and you can see God’s intent. Under the NT of His Son, Jesus, who is the Messiah promised, the keeping of the commandments is in our faith in Jesus and under His Grace we are righteous and sin free before God. So, healing, is part of the package of Salvation.

Isa 53:4 ¶ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (griefs sorrows= sickness disease)

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

This was written by Isaiah the prophet 700 years before Jesus. Peter knew this scripture well and knew that this healing was for believers, through Jesus and what His Body took for us.

1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

In the Gospels, Jesus healed all the time. In the Acts of the Apostles, they also healed all the time in the Name of Jesus. Paul tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, Heb 13:8.

As we have read in 1 Cor11, to Paul was revealed that Jesus’ Body was broken for us.

Along with believing this promise for healing, Christians should take communion often and remember the Body and Blood of the Lord.

Protection Promises

Isa 54:14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

15 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.

16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

Lk 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Ps 91:1 ¶ He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9 ¶ Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

This word salvation here is Yeshua or Jesus.

Ps 34:1 ¶ « A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. » I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

Heb 1:13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

2 Thess 3: 1 ¶ Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you:

2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

Isa 41: 10 ¶ Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

De 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Jn 16: 33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.