Hebrews chapter 6, beginning at verse 13. And the writer here is trying to encourage the Jewish Christians to go on with the Lord. He says, for when God made a promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no one greater, he swore by himself, saying, surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you. So after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. And here's our verse. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become high priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek." Please keep your Bibles open there. In Malaysia, there's a place called Johor, and there's a fisherman there. I think he's a shrimp fisherman, and he is famous now because for a long time he was using something he found in the water for his anchor that was very heavy. Unfortunately, it came to him after a while, this looks rather like a bomb. He got the army to come and have a look at it, and they said, yes, it's a bomb, and it's an unexploded bomb. It's a leftover bomb from World War II, and this poor fellow had been using it as an anchor, pulling it up and dropping it back in the water. To his surprise, he hadn't been blown up, so they had to take it away and dispose of it properly for him. Does it matter what your anchor is? Yes, it does. It does very much, because the quality of your anchor will depend on your safety. Anchors are very, very important. We're talking tonight about the Christian's anchor, and our anchor is our relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. As he says in the previous verse here of this passage, he says, we who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. We fled for refuge to the Lord Jesus Christ, and we've laid hold of the hope that is set before us. And this hope, he says, is our anchor for the soul, our relationship with God, which will take us to heaven. And anchors are very important and they have to be strong and our Lord Jesus is very strong. You know the heaviest anchor known is the Nock Nevis anchor. which is 40 tons. Now, the ship itself hasn't survived, but the anchor has. Isn't that remarkable? It's absolutely huge. To give you an idea of how big it is, I got this out of a book. The anchor from the Nok Nevis, that was the name of the ship, weighs 36 tons or 40 tons, normal tons, more than seven African bull elephants. It's the only part of the ship that remains. Isn't that huge? You think of the weight of that. It has to be very strong. Well, the Christian's anchor is very strong. It's our relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is something of Paul's message. I believe it was Paul who wrote the book of Hebrews. It's something of his message to the Jewish Christians who were in Jerusalem, tempted to go back to Judaism to avoid persecution, to remember that their anchor is the Lord Jesus Christ and their relationship to God through him. And it's interesting that Paul was writing to the Jews in nautical terms, because the Jewish people aren't famous for being seafaring people. Now, we do read about the tribe of Dan in the book of Judges, who went down to the ships in Judges chapter 5. But generally speaking, they weren't seagoing people, apart from Jonah, of course. And we learned about him this morning. But Paul was very interested in ships. It's interesting. I had a child's Bible, as many of you would have done, and this was a picture in my children's Bible of Paul, or Saul of Tarsus, as he was as a young boy, out of the docks in Tarsus looking at the ships. And it's just an imagined scenario, but I think it was very real that that's what Paul did as a young lad. And he learned a lot about shipping, and that's very evident. both in the book of Acts and in the book of Hebrews, because he uses so many nautical terms. I'll just give you one illustration, that in chapter 2 of this book, when he talks about backsliding, he says that we must pay very careful attention to the things we've heard, lest we drift away, and that's a picture of a ship drifting away, coming off its moorings and going away. There's many illustrations of that in this book. Here he uses another one, a great one, perhaps the greatest of all, the message of the anchor. The ship's anchor that he would have been familiar with would have been an anchor from a Roman galley or grain ship. which would have been in the stow. You remember in Acts 27, Paul himself was on a ship journey to Rome, and the ship got in difficulties because they didn't listen to Paul, and it got into a storm, the Euryclidon, and in the end they had to run the ship aground, and it was running aground at Malta, and it says specifically in Acts 27 that they dropped the ship's four anchors. Paul would have noted that, they noted that detail, I mean that's the interest, and the nautical terms in Acts 27 are fantastic. Paul, they would have dropped those from the stern and they reportedly found those anchors, what they believe are those anchors, Malta. There was an elder in the church that we were previously at. who said he had seen them when he was in Malta. And I've heard this from a guy who was an expert on archaeology as well in a talk he gave. So Paul would have seen this firsthand. He understood how the anchor worked with the ship. And he said, that's like our relationship with God, with the Lord Jesus. It's an anchor for us. And this really captured the imagination of the early Christians. They really got it. Because in the early days of Christianity, symbols were important markers of identifying where a Christian home was or a Christian was buried. And you have the ichthys, the fish symbol, and things like that, which are famous. Well, in the catacombs in Rome, there are over 66 anchors on Christian graves down there. It became a very well-known symbol for the Christian faith. Well, I want to talk to you tonight about the Christian's anchor. And I want you to see tonight some basic truths about this fundamental thing that we have spoken about in this verse. I want you to see tonight its spirituality, its strength, and its situation. So just a simple message, but I believe it'll go to your heart as it has done to mine. First of all it's spirituality and this is really spoken of in the first part of the verse where it says this, this hope we have as an anchor of the soul. Now, if you have an anchor, of course, you want to throw it in the water or to the place onto the shore where it's going to hold you steady, and you need to do that. But to do that and be effective, of course, it has to also be tied to the boat, doesn't it? Otherwise, you're just tying a rock in the water or an anchor in the water. It's no good. You've lost it. It has to be tied to the boat as well. Where is the Christian's anchor? Where is the anchor of our relationship with God, with Christ, anchored to us? Well, at our end, it is anchored at our soul, just like it's tied onto the ship at the other end and the anchor at the other end, which is in the water. So with us, it's an anchor of the soul. And the inner man, the invisible spiritual part of our lives, which no man can see, but which is the real us, that is the place where the anchor is and so what we're talking about tonight is something spiritual it's a spiritual anchor it attaches itself as it were to us on the inner man or inner woman and it is our connection with God through the Lord Jesus Christ and This is very important to understand because God has put it in a place where it is most effective for us in our lives. This is why this anchor is something that can help us in the difficulties of life because it is in the inner man, in the place of our deepest feelings and need and place. If my anchor was in money, then my money could only help me to a certain degree, couldn't it? They say that money is the answer to everything, and it is until you've got an incurable illness. Money can't buy a cure because there isn't one. So what do you have then to help you? You know, they say that, you know, fame and power are the things to go for. But again, you know, they have their limitations until suddenly, like, you're someone like some of these famous people who stepped out of line and suddenly they go from being a superstar to being a supervillain. And, you know, somebody doesn't like something you said or did and suddenly, you know, you can't show your face in public. No, the anchor is spiritual. It has to be to the soul and it has to be to God at the other end. And so it's a spiritual thing in the place where we need it most. And this is why it is able to be effective for us in the storms and challenges of life. It is able to because it reaches us in the inner person. And the way we come into this relationship with God is by laying hold of the hope that's set before us. As he said there in the previous part of the verse before, at the end of verse 18, to lay hold of the hope set before us. Now, what is the hope set before us? It's the hope of salvation and going to heaven through what Jesus did when he died on the cross for us, to pay for our sins. And when you come to God and you ask him to save you, you're laying hold of that hope. You're fleeing for refuge to the Lord Jesus. You're laying hold of that hope, and that then becomes yours, and that anchor is tied to your soul. Your soul is saved. And that's what we say, isn't it? How many souls got saved tonight? Or something like this. It's soul salvation. I praise God it's whole salvation as well, because Jesus is going to raise my body as well in the resurrection. But it's the soul that it connects with at this end. And that's invaluable. That means it's the thing that cannot be lost or broken and which will hold us in all the situations of life. Let me just tell you a few stories just to help try and bring this home. I read a fascinating book that had a number of testimonies in it from different places around the world. And there was a story in there, which I believe came from Switzerland, about two young men called Henry and Garrett, like our friend Garrett Howells, who comes to speak here, the same spelling, I think. And these young men grew up in a pretty you know, nice environment with mountains and all the rest of it around them. But they were pretty, it was a pretty spiritual wilderness. And their parents didn't bring them up in the faith. They were Christians, but their parents didn't bring them up in the faith. And as a result, they had no fear of God and no respect for his people or his word at all. In fact, Henry himself particularly became very, very antagonistic against Christians and he began to despise them more and more and more. And there was one old man in the village called Mr. Tolbo. Mr. Tolbo was a strong Christian and he loved to read the Bible and he loved to tell others about it. And often in the evening, you could see him, you know, through the net curtains on his house, when he had them drawn on his curtains, you could see him in his living room, reading his Bible at his desk. And he loved to study the Word. And this would really irritate Henry, and he became more and more... They got into bad ways. What I'll tell you is, this young man, he became murderous towards him. And he decided, I'm going to go into his house, And while he's studying his Bible, I'm gonna finish the old man off. He really thought that, and he broke into the house, and he found the old man, he saw the old man, he threw the crack in the living room door, saw him at his desk and reading his Bible, and he thought he will never know what hit him. And he came in and he picked up something heavy to cosh him on the head with, and Henry went to hit him and started bashing him, and the old man turned around and he saw who it was, and he said, Henry, Henry, he said, why are you doing this to me? Now, it shocked him that he'd seen him, and it shocked Henry that his voice had carried out with his name on it, and that worried him. But the old man, who was a Christian, he said, Henry, you may kill me. He said, but God will call you to account on the day of judgment. And do you know what? He dropped the influence of death, and he ran out the house. And it so struck him. That was the first time anybody had talked to him. There's going to be a day of judgment, and you're going to stand before God. And you know, it led to his conversion. Praise God. He found Christ as his Savior and Lord, having been convicted of his sins by that. Now, Gerrit was also a bad lad. And even though the two of them sort of drifted apart a lot because now Henry was a Christian, Garrett wasn't. They didn't go together so much anymore. But they would occasionally meet up and go for a walk. And they would go for long hikes in the hills together. They still kept in contact. And Henry would always be trying to win Garrett for the Lord, always witnessing to him, telling him about what the Lord had done for him. Isn't it amazing, the mercy God had to me. I was going to be a murderer, God save me. And they would talk about nature and things like this. And Garrett would just say, look, I'm not interested. Not interested. You just make an excuse for this new way you want to live now. I'm not interested. And Henry would say to him, Henry, Gerrit, you need to get saved. There is a day of judgment coming. You're going to stand before God. And if you don't know the Lord, then you'll be lost. Do you know what? They were walking along, and they heard this rumble. and they look back up the hill and they saw a white wall of snow coming down the hill. It was an avalanche. And if you've ever seen pictures of avalanches on the news and things like that, they move at such speed, you know, you can't outrun them. And they could see with fear these trees just snapping like matchsticks before this. And wild animals trying to flee out of the way of this avalanche. And there was a tree next to them. And they said, we've got to stand here. But Henry was pleading with Gary. He said, Henry, you've got to be safe now. This will be your last moment. And do you know what? Garrett never got to pray. They just prayed. Henry just prayed, Lord, save us now, save us now. And the avalanche came down. And do you know what? The tree where they were became like a fork. And the avalanche divided either side of them. And when it stopped a few seconds later, there they were in the only bit that hadn't been totally covered by snow around them. And Garrett knew there was a God. And he was shaken, and he became a Christian as a result of this experience. You know, it shook him, didn't it? That he could have died. He had no anchor for his soul. And the shaking of what happened in his life brought a reality to him that he needed to be saved. You know, we need that spiritual anchor to moor us to heaven. More than any other time, we need that. We need that now. I think a lot of people are waking up to this in our day and age. You know, before David, Jeremiah died, I heard one of his last sermons from 2024, and he gave this statistic which I found fascinating. He said Bible sales for 2024 have gone up more than any other time. They're up 22%, and I assume he means in America. Last year, the year before, was 2023, 9.7 million Bibles were purchased, and then in 2024, they had 13 million Bibles purchased. Isn't that fascinating? I think a lot of people might be looking at the state of the world and say, you know what, I need an anchor. The world's going crazy. and they're hearing that there is an anchor for the soul and it is the Lord Jesus Christ. How real is that though? When you're really in the difficulties of life, I mean, how real is it? Well, you know, I've had a few issues, but I want to tell you about somebody who's really had issues, alright? I mean, anything I've had, and probably you as well, will pale in significance with what this man went through. His name is Horatio Spafford. Some of you will be familiar already with this story. He was a successful attorney in America in the 1800s. And he was what they call a real estate investor. In other words, he bought property. But there was a great fire in Chicago in 1871, which was also instrumental in the ministry and life of D.L. Moody, you may remember. But he lost, Spafford lost everything in the great Chicago fire of 1871. Well, as if that wasn't bad enough, at the same time, his four-year-old son, which he absolutely loved, died of scarlet fever. It was a very low and difficult time for him and his family. And he felt, you know what, we all need a holiday. We need a break. And so he planned a vacation to England for his family. Now, he had some business to sort out, so he sent his four daughters and his wife ahead of him to England by boat. Unfortunately, on the journey across the seas, the ship had a collision. And over 200 people died on that boat, including his four daughters. His wife survived, but his four daughters were all lost. She sent him a telegram when she got to England that said these words, saved alone, what shall I do? I mean, what a loss. It's like the story of Job, isn't it? And this guy, he set off to go to England on the next ship to go and join her in her grief. When the ship came to the place as it crossed the Atlantic of where his daughters had drowned, the captain of the ship told him, this is where it happened. This is where the ship went down. And Spafford sought the Lord and prayed to him and found the peace and strength that the Lord gives. And he wrote this beautiful hymn that many of you will know already. When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul. Now, it wasn't well financially. Wasn't well with his family, but he was well with his soul. With his soul. That's where the anchor was, you see. He had something that kept him. I want to ask you, do you have that type of anchor? Do you have that anchor? Is there an anchor for your soul tonight? It can be if you come to God through the Lord Jesus Christ, if you lay hold of the hope set before us in what Christ has done. It's a spiritual anchor. We must understand that. Secondly, I want you to see its strength in verse 19, because it says here, this hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. both short and steadfast. In my preparation, I consulted lots of books I've got, which I've accumulated for children's talks and things like that, and they're general knowledge books and that. And I came across a fascinating story about a guy, well, not really a story, but a general knowledge thing about a guy who was reckoned to be the strongest man to walk the Earth. He was a Scotsman who lived between 1825 and 1863 by the name of Angus MacAskill. And he was a huge man. He was over seven feet tall, but he was very, very strong. And he actually ended up becoming a performer with P.T. Barnum's traveling circuits. But his famous thing that he was known for was lifting to his chest a 2,800 pound ship's anchor and carrying it. Think of that. Think of the weight of that and being able to lift it and carry it. How strong he must be. Well, that's impressive. But you know what? Our strength is not in ourselves. Our strength is in the anchor, not in our strength to lift the anchor. It's in the anchor's strength to look after us. And that's the point of what he's saying here in this verse. This verse, this anchor we have is both sure and steadfast it's a strong anchor it's a steadfast anchor and i've just been singing the hymn all week long we have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure while the billows roll fastened to the rock which cannot move grounded something deep in the Saviour's love. I can't remember all the words, but there you go. But I've been singing it in my head. And this is what it is. It's a sure and steadfast in its strength. Now, what do those terms mean? The commentators tell us the fact that it's sure means it cannot break. Anchors have to be made of very strong material so that they don't break under the corrosion of the salt water and under the pressure of the water down at the sea and whatever else they may crash against when they're dropped in. It's short, but it's also steadfast. It can't slip. It's not like suddenly the boat jolts and, oh no, the anchor's moved. It's not moored up properly. No, the anchor is steadfast. It's not going to budge at all. That's the strength of this anchor. That's exactly what we need in this day and age, isn't it? We need an anchor which is strong and sure and steadfast for us. The boat itself will go up and down with the waves. The boat itself might go left and right. The boat might even keel with the wind blowing. But the anchor, that's not going anywhere. That's sure and steadfast. And you and I, our emotions may go up and down. We may be blown by the affairs of life and what's going on in the world. Doesn't change the anchor at all. The anchor is sure and steadfast and it's trustworthy. This is what we need. This is not something which is trivial to consider. It's absolutely the thing that we need most of all. There's a man who illustrated this so beautifully to his friends and family, a beloved Christian man from the 18th century, a pastor by the name of Samuel Medley. And I have to say, I like even the look of him, because he looks like he'd be the sort of person I'd get on well with. But you know what? He was a godly man. And towards the end of his life, he had a ministry up in Liverpool. And towards the end of his life, his health failed, and he took to his deathbed. And when he was told by his doctor he was really near the end of his life, he called his friends to come to his bedside. He wanted them to see how a Christian died. Isn't that a remarkable thing? And he called them to him, and he said these words. He said, you see me now on my dying bed, and a sweet bed it is to me. What mercies I am now enjoying in it, thanks be to God. I am full of comfort and consolations, and am able to recollect God's precious word. The promises are like an army of soldiers. When I finish with one, another presents itself. They just keep marching on in a row. All the promises of God just kept coming to him to encourage him. He said, the doctrines I have preached, I am fully persuaded of, are the truth. And they are now the support and consolation of my mind. Isn't that wonderful? That's a real anchor when you need it. You know, I've seen people on their deathbeds, and not everybody's sure. A lot of people are very wobbly on their deathbeds. And that's the one time you want to be sure. That's when you want an anchor that's sure and steadfast. And I want to tell you, it won't be money that'll do it. There won't be fame and power or anything else that will do it. There's only one thing, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. So it's a wonderful anchor in its strength. So take consolation in that. If Christ is your anchor, you have a strong anchor, a sure and steadfast one. Yes, your boat may go up and down, may blow side by side, but it's still moored well to the anchor. The third and final thing I want you to see is its situation, because the last thing we're told about this anchor in verse 19 is, the verse ends by saying, and which enters the presence behind the veil. Now, you notice the word presence is in italics, and that's because it's been supplied by the translators to help us understand the meaning. It says, literally, it's entered behind the veil, but it means into the presence of God behind the veil. Now, what's the veil he's talking about? He's talking about heaven, and he's mixing his metaphors. He's had the temple as a metaphor for a lot of the Book of Hebrews, and going to God is like going into the Holy of Holies. And he said, that's where our anchor is. It's gone into the Holy of Holies. And this is, of course, referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, who, when he died on the cross and then rose again, he, 40 days later, ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father for us. And this is what verse 20, the following verse, goes on to explain. It says, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus. Now, you know what a forerunner is? A forerunner is someone who goes before, isn't it? John the Baptist was the forerunner of the Lord Jesus. Well, here's the amazing thing. The Lord Jesus is the forerunner for us. He has gone into heaven. Now, this is still nautical in its terms. I found this very helpful from Erwin Lutzer in his book, Five Minutes After You Die. He says this. He says, the picture here is of the forerunner used in ancient times to help a vessel enter the harbor safely. And he's talking about a person. He would jump from the ship, wade to the harbour, and fasten the strong rope of the ship to a rock along the shore. Then, by means of a winch, the vessel would be brought in. Just so, our forerunner has gone to heaven, where he stands ready to guide us safely to the Holy of Holies. Isn't that an amazing picture? So clear and helpful. Christ has gone into heaven before us, and by means of him being our anchor and this rope, we are connected to him. It's a beautiful picture. Other ships' anchors, they go down. Our anchor goes up. I use this as an illustration in a children's talk. I had an anchor tied to one of these ones. It goes up, up into the heavenlies. Now, that means a couple of things. It means, first of all, that it's invisible. It's invisible. Now, don't be put off by that. Every ship's anchor is invisible. When the captain of the ship commands the men to chuck the anchor into the water, unless it's peculiarly clear water like somewhere in the Caribbean and they're in shallow water, they can't see the anchor when it goes down, down, down into the water. It's invisible. It goes down out of sight. They can't see it. It goes into the veil of the waters, but it's there. They know it's there, it's still holding them steady. They can't see it, it's invisible. And that's the point for us as well. Into the presence, behind the veil, it's up in heaven. And Christ is in that situation for us as an anchor. And we can't see him, but he really is there. I've said this before, in Christianity, it's what you don't see, that's what you get. People say, what you see is what you get. Well, in Christianity, it's the other way around. It's what you don't see is what you get. That's the message of the book of Hebrews. It's all about the invisible. And Hebrews 11 especially is that way. We sing that hymn, tell me the old, old story of unseen things above. That is it. That's exactly it. And we need to trust in what we cannot see. This is the nature of faith. And we need to live according to what we cannot see. You know, we're very much people who are orientated by sight, aren't we, and what we can see. This came home to me. I read a story, a fascinating story, about a shop worker in America by the name of Jim Davis, and he worked at a checkout counter in a supermarket. I feel for these people sometimes. They have to put up with everybody and their children. Badly behaved children were the grind of his life. He was always struggling with badly behaved kids in the shop. Why don't the parents discipline him? Why don't they do something about him? He would hear sometimes the parents shouting at the kids and never taking control properly. And he used to, you know, just shake his head. Anyway, one day, he's working away at the till, running the tins of groceries and all the rest of it through, one after another. And you see these people, and you say hello to them, and they don't lift their heads, do they? They just keep going. And he was busy doing this. And he heard this voice behind him, this dad come in, and this voice said, get down. And he said, oh, here we go, here's another one. And he imagined this kid climbing around. And the man said again, he said, get down! And he said, oh, we've got a real one today. And the voice went on, I said, get down! And he just carried on running the stuff through the checkout. And when he got to the end, he turned around and he said to the lady, that's $89.95, please, ma'am. And he looked around. She wasn't there. Neither was anybody else. And then he looked, and they were all on the floor. And he turned around, and there was a man fleeing out of the shop. And the guy at the till next to him said, he just did a stick-up. And when he said the third time, get down, he had the gun pointed towards you. You see, because he couldn't see it, he didn't respond. He didn't take it seriously. Sometimes that's like us, you know, we read this in the Bible, yeah, yeah, yeah, great, wonderful, praise the Lord, I have another sermon that doesn't really help, you know, I have an anchor, yeah, great, wonderful, but tomorrow's still gonna be terrible. Well, we've gotta learn to believe what the Bible says. It's real. Because we can't see it, it doesn't mean it isn't there. It really is. And faith in the Bible is trusting in the word of God, even in things we can't see. He has entered the presence behind the veil. And that should give us great consolation. It's invisible. But that also means it's invaluable. Because what that means is, if my anchor is already in heaven, my security of heaven is guaranteed. Have you ever heard someone say this phrase, you know, oh, so-and-so, oh, they've got one foot in the grave? I know you've heard of the television program, you know, one foot in the grave. And it's a phrase people say, don't they? You know, someone's near the end of their life, you know. And I know a preacher used to say of a certain person, he's got one foot in the grave and the other's on a banana skin. Like, it's not long now before this person dies. Can I put it to you like this, in all honesty, we have got one foot already in heaven. Because we have an anchor in heaven. We've already taken possession of heaven by means of our anchor that isn't going anywhere. Do you realize what this means? This means our assurance is guaranteed. Because Christ has gone there, we are secure. He's not going to let go. It's an anchor to my soul. I can't put my hand on my soul. I can't undo the knot. The devil can't get to it. It's up in heaven. He can't get there to that either. I'm secure. I have heaven guaranteed. It's invaluable. And this is why the anchor means so much. The Christian's anchor is so important. And you need that. fascinating story when I was looking up all this stuff from a book from 2016 about a man. This was a fisherman in Newfoundland, Canada. Stan Bennett was his name. And he died in July 2012. And his boat was harbored in St. John's Harbor. The day he died, strangely, his boat sank in the harbor, mysteriously. Isn't that weird? Just on its own, just sank. I want you to know, when I die, my boat isn't sinking. It's going to land safely on shore. I'm going to get to heaven, because my anchor is already there. Can you say that? An infidel was scoffing, somebody who mocks Christianity was scoffing the gospel and said to a particular Christian person one time, they said, I hear that you expect to go to heaven when you die. And he said, well, can you tell me what type of place heaven is? And the wise old Christian said, yes, he said it's a prepared place for a prepared people. That was a good answer. It's a prepared place. Jesus said, I've gone to prepare a place for you, but you have to be prepared for it too. You have to be born again. You have to be saved. You have to lay hold of that hope, that anchor for the soul so that you will be able to get safely there. So if you haven't yet come to the Lord Jesus Christ and ask him to be your saviour, I plead with you to do it tonight. It's so simple. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Lay hold of the hope set before us that you may be secure in Christ. Trust in his finished work for you. and Jesus will be your anchor, and you will have one foot in heaven. It's invisible, but it's invaluable, and it'll be real for you. I heard an old sailor say this once, and it's the best piece of advice I can end on. He said, when you see a storm coming, get the anchor down before the storm begins. You know, that's a good bit of advice. Don't wait until the storm's begun and then throw the anchor out. He said, get it down before the storm begins. That storm is coming in your life and mine. It's coming in the world. You need an anchor for the soul. Get your anchor down. Amen. Let's sing our final hymn, shall we? You're the Word of God, the Father.