because the fact of the matter is jesus is secure but are you connected to him and are the links in
your chain secure and connected to him because if they're not the problem isn't jesus the problem is
us we need christians that are intelligent we need christians that understand the world in which we
live we need christians that can minister to the world in which we live there can be salt
and that can be light and that are not fearful of the world in which we live but that we're not
going to back down not because of it where we feel arrogant or exclusive but because we believe we
have good news because we believe we have truth because we believe that jesus is this hope we
have as an anchor for our soul and the fact is when you actually really believe what you say
you believe you want everyone else to know this good news not out of legalism not out of judgment
we don't want to use the bible to bash people over their head but because we believe it's a
book of life it's a book of hope it's a book of purpose it's a book of destiny we believe that
if people encounter a living relationship with jesus christ their life will turn upside down
and they will find hope and purpose in chaotic times well in this day basically the writer to
the hebrews was reminding them you can trust the promises of god god is not a man that he will lie
god it is impossible for him to lie if god said it god would do it and today i want to speak to that
hope in you i want to speak to that purpose in you i want to speak to that potential in you i want to
remind you that god is on your side and if your god is for you then who can be against you and
you can continue to trust him despite the trials despite the tribulations despite the challenges
that we want to be anchored to jesus in a world of uncertainty in a world of trials in a world of
disappointments i want to remind you that jesus is our hope and our anchor and so through this series
what we will be doing over the next few weeks so you do not want to miss one of these and um
as i keep lifting up this anchor over the next few weeks i'm going to develop a lot of muscles
because this is much heavier than it seems i just want you all to know but thank god that i've been
doing a bit of like you know reps by setting some girls up here because this is pretty strong but
we're going to check our chains and our links that are connected to the anchor because the
fact of the matter is jesus is secure but are you connected to him and are the links in your chain
secure and connected to him because if they're not the problem isn't jesus the problem is us and
the problem is that somewhere along the line there was a a link in the chain that got broken or that
maybe you have a weak link and unbelieving god through this series that that weak link is going
to be strengthened so that you can stay connected to this anchor and you're not going to go awol
when the storms come when the trials come when the tribulations come but you are going to stay firmly
grounded because the truth is john 16 33 this is what the bible says jesus said these things i
have spoken to you that in me you may have peace in the world you will have tribulation now that
word does not mean you might have tribulation it doesn't say that occasionally perhaps you might
pass through it says you will jesus himself said you will have tribulation i bet you're glad that
you tuned into this broadcast today didn't you in this world and then i love what jesus says
don't tell me he does not have a sense of humor but be of good cheer only jesus would say that
in this world you will have tribulation but be of gucci why because i have overcome the
world so wouldn't it be awesome if christians actually acted like jesus had overcome the world
instead of cowering and freaking out every time there is a bad report that comes on the television
every time we hear a negative report on twitter or facebook or instagram instead of cowering and
freaking out and running away in fear we go you know what i'm going to be of good cheer because
jesus has overcome the world how would that's when people would look at us and go you are peculiar
you are like weird people and we go i know i'm not saying that bad things are good because bad
things are bad tribulation is not good and you know what i'm not going looking for any yeah
i know that it's already coming some of those christians are that are always in some kind of
tribulation i'm like you need to get a life and so the fact is that some people it seems like
it's a sign they wear it like a badge of honor like i'm more holy because i'm constantly
going through stress and trials and tribulations i'm like no you need to get alive and you need to
become nice so that people like you and so that is kind of the issue but the fact is you're not
going to have to go looking for it because it's coming and that's not evil forebodings that's just
what jesus said it's in the bible and so these trials come uninvited and unexpected you never
expect tribulation it's not like whoa i thought that was going to happen that's just what happens
and that's the nature of it that's the nature of trial someone you thought you could depend on
they've just gone awol and you're like wow someone that you trusted has betrayed you and you're like
i didn't expect that's the whole point of it no i didn't expect it i didn't expect that
that investment was going to go south and we were going to lose a whole lot of our money or or our
accounts you know that you don't expect it because if you expected it you wouldn't have done it
you didn't expect that dream or that ministry to just go say you didn't expect that kid
to go way off course you've prayed over that child you believe god you've done what you believe the
bible to say you've trained that child up and so now you've got to have the courage to say okay god
that when he's older or she's older they will not depart from your way or even though it seems like
right now they have way departed and they've gone awol and they've gone south god i'm gonna
continue to trust you you're never gonna know where you are anchored until that uninvited or
unexpected trial comes and you're going to see your reaction that reaction will reveal to you
where you really are with jesus storms do not uh storms just reveal what's already in us when
a trial comes when a tribulation comes all that is going to show you is what you really believe
so the point is you better stay anchored before it comes because the fact is it's not like that
storm caused me to go off course no that storm revealed that you were never linked to the anchor
jesus because if your link and your chain was strong you would not have wavered you might have
moved a little bit but the boat wouldn't be in the middle of the ocean it would still be in the bay
and the anchor it might have pulled the chain and you might have moved as far as that rope
is but you wouldn't have gone any further and if you have now found yourself way off track
the current has taken you out the wind has taken you out the storms and the trials have taken you
out into the deep ocean you're like jesus where even are you the issue isn't the anchor the issue
is the links in the chain somewhere along the line somewhere here something got broken something got
disconnected and when the storm came when the current came when the wind came that simply
revealed to you that hey you won't join because you would not have wavered in the midst of that
and the whole purpose of this series is to reveal where perhaps some of the links in our chain
have been broken or maybe snapped or maybe they're just a little bit disconnected
and i'm believing god that together we are going to restrengthen those links that we're going to
get connected to the anchor because when we are connected to the anchor no matter what is going to
happen in our future you do not need to fear the future proverbs 31 says she smiles at the future
and i think a lot of people look at us today as christians and go why are some of you smiling
you know in the midst of it do you not see how negative things are do you not see the storm
clouds coming we're like oh yeah but we're not focusing on those we are fixing our eyes on jesus
he is the author he is the finisher my soul is anchored in him so no matter what storms come
bring it on devil because greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world in jesus name
amen at tbn our mission is to use every available means to reach as many individuals and families as
possible with the life-changing gospel of jesus christ thank you for helping make the gospel
of grace go around the world without you we couldn't do it god bless you