THE SEAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

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1 THE L.I.F.E. PLAN THE SEAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT THEME 9 - EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT LESSON 3 (179 of 216)

2 THEME 9: EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT LESSON 3 (179 OF 216): THE SEAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT LESSON AIM: Share the benefits of the seal of the Holy Spirit. SCRIPTURE: (Ephesians 1:13-14) 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. The journey of life can be long, difficult, and uncertain. There are times when we seem to lose sight of God. We are not sure where he is or what he is doing. His silence at times adds to the difficulty in knowing what our next step will be or in which direction we should take it. These are the times when we are keenly aware of our humanity. We know for certain at these times that in ourselves we are not capable of so much as breathing unless God is with us to help us. These are also the times when we are the most vulnerable to the attack of the adversary. He plays upon our fears and weaknesses. He interjects thoughts into our minds like: Where is God now? Has God abandoned me? These are the times as well when something like the seal of the Holy Spirit means so much to us as believers in Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Notice that the Holy Spirit is the person of the Trinity who does the work of sealing. Each person in the godhead has his own work to do and this is one of the works done by the Holy Spirit. The sealing of the Spirit is one of those simultaneous works the Holy Spirit does in the believer at salvation. This sealing affords several benefits to us which can be drawn upon to establish and encourage us in the faith, but also in the times of uncertainty in our life as previously mentioned. Seals are used in our everyday lives in many different ways and by many different people. The President may put his seal on an official document indicating the authority behind the message within the document. The police might seal a building as a crime scene, protecting it from public traffic. The electric company might put a seal on the electrical entrance at your home to prevent someone from getting in there and touching the power line. Seals have a function in our everyday life and the seal of the Spirit has important functions as well. Let s name three of them. First, the seal of the Holy Spirit indicates possession. Contrary to what many Christians may think, the believer in Christ does not belong to himself but rather belongs to Christ. We are not free to do as we please. We are free to do as God would have us to do. This is true since Jesus went to the cross and paid the redemptive price for our salvation. The Bible says, What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We belong to God. We are stewards of not only our body but of our entire being. We belong to God from the hair on our head (this is why he keeps a count of them) to who we are at the deepest level of the heart. He purchased us not with corruptible things such as silver and gold, but with his own precious and pure blood. The seal of the Spirit indicates that we are the possession of almighty God.

3 The seal of the Holy Spirit also indicates preservation. This idea is sometimes stated in other ways such as protection or security. To use the word preservation seems to take the idea further than protection. The idea of preservation is that since Christ has purchased us and since we are his possession, he is going to preserve us from every possible foe which might arise to threaten that relationship. The preservation of the Spirit is another indication of the security of our salvation and of our relationship with God. God is not going to allow anything or anyone to put asunder our relationship with him. The devil is well aware of the dangerous ground he is on when he tampers with one of God s sealed children. He knows we are God s possession and he knows that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. He also knows that one day he is going to get what is coming to him for the mere tampering with the sealed possession of the Lord in his children. The Spirit s seal means that God is preserving his followers to see that they make it to the very end. He is preserving us from Satan, from sin, and from judgement. Finally, the seal of the Spirit indicates purpose. Since we have been sealed by the Spirit, we can set out to accomplish the purpose of God for which we have been saved and sent into the world right now. The seal of the Spirit should be one of the confidence boosters we have from which we can attempt to fulfill our general assignment and our specific purpose from God. This is another one of the built-in ways that God has shown us that we can do that which he has given us to do. He has done everything necessary to see that we can be successful. The one thing that can hinder us most from success in the Lord is our own disobedience. The seal of the Spirit also means that God is preserving us to his final finish line; the salvation of our physical body. The Bible uses three words to speak of salvation and each word refers to the salvation of a different part of man. Justification refers to the salvation of the spirit. Sanctification refers to the salvation of the soul. When the Bible speaks of the future salvation of the physical body it uses the word glorification. This is the aspect of salvation which is in view in the seal of the Spirit. We are sealed until the redemption of the purchased possession. It is the purpose of God to preserve his people through everything on earth until we finally get to heaven to experience the glorification of our physical bodies. Jesus lives today in his glorified body. One day, we will live in ours. The seal of the Spirit preserves us through it all until this finally comes to pass. Let s make two last comments about the seal of the Spirit. When the Bible says that the seal of the Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, it is saying that God has put down a deposit, a down-payment if you will, on his total investment into our lives upon this earth. He is saying that what he has started in our life, he is going to complete, and the presence of his Spirit in our life is the evidence to this fact. It is his guarantee to us that what he has started, he is going to finish. Secondly, this again should give us confidence in God not only that he is going to complete what he began in us, but while we are here, he is never going to give up on that purpose. We have to remember this during the times when we cannot see God, or hear God, or know which step to take next. We have to remember this when the skies above our foxholes are blazing from the bomb-bursts of the enemy s attacks. We have to remember this in our deepest, darkest nights of loneliness and despair when it feels like we are the only person on earth and no one else is aware of or even cares that we exist. No matter what, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. The seal of the Holy Spirit says that we are God s possession. It says that we are being preserved by God. And it says that God is going to finish the purpose he began in our life. Now, go in this confidence and be the overcomer that God wants you to be.

4 LESSON OUTLINE THEME 9: EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT LESSON 3 (179 OF 216): THE SEAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT The seal of the Holy Spirit indicates: I POSSESSION A. Christ paid the redemption price for us B. We belong to Christ II PRESERVATION A. From Satan B. From sin C. From judgement III PURPOSE A. Now B. In the future SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING 1. The seal of the Holy Spirit 2 Corinthians 1:22 Ephesians 1:13-14 Ephesians 4:30 2. We are purchased by the Lord 1 Corinthians 6: Peter 1:18-19 LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. CHRISTOLOGY The work of Christ on the cross 2. PNEUMATOLOGY The sealing of the Spirit The earnest of our inheritance 3. SPIRITUAL WARFARE Satan s attacks Using the Word of God to combat the enemy 4. ESCHATOLOGY The glorification of the body

5 QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. Which person of the Trinity seals the believer in Christ? The Holy Spirit 2. List three results of the sealing of the Spirit. We are God s possession; God is preserving us; God is going to fulfill his purpose in us 3. How did we become God s possession? Jesus bought us with his blood 4. What does it mean that we belong to God? We are not free to do as we please but free to do his will 5. What does the seal of the Spirit preserve us from? Satan, Sin, Judgement 6. How does the seal of the Spirit help us fulfill our purpose? It gives us confidence in God that he is with us to empower us for our work 7. What is the goal of the seal of the Spirit? To make sure that our bodies experience glorification 8. Share your thoughts on the future glorification of your body. Student response

6 THEME 9: EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT LESSON 3 (179 OF 216): THE SEAL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. Which person of the Trinity seals the believer in Christ? 2. List three results of the sealing of the Spirit. 3. How did we become God s possession? 4. What does it mean that we belong to God? 5. What does the seal of the Spirit preserve us from? 6. How does the seal of the Spirit help us fulfill our purpose? 7. What is the goal of the seal of the Spirit? 8. Share your thoughts on the future glorification of your body.