The Ministries of Today- Part 2 There are seven (7) ministries of the H.S. we want to look at. two (2) of these are ministries to the unsaved world. four (4) are ministries to all believers. one (1) is a ministry to all believers who come into right adjustment with God. 1
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Restrainin g- Reproving - Regeneratin g- Residing (Indwelling ) Ratifying (Sealing) Receiving into the Church (Baptizing) Reigning (Filling) 2 Thess. 2:3-11 John 16:5-11 11 Titus 3:5 Rom. 8:9-11 Eph. 1:13-14 14 1 Cor. 12:13 Eph. 5:18 Unbeliever s Unbeliever s All Believers All Believers All Believers All Believers Some Believers Last week we looked at (3) three: 1. The the : Restraining 2. The the : Reproving 3. The the : Regenerating Today we will look at (2) two more: 2
1. The Indwelling (Residing) 2. The Sealing (Ratifying) 1. The Indwelling (Residing) The indwelling ministry of the is the heart of the distinctiveness of the s work in the church age. Charles C. Ryrie 3
"When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off for all whom the Lord our God will call. " (Acts 2:37-39). "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this he meant the, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified." (John 7:37-39). 4
The doctrine of the indwelling is foundational to the other ministries the performs today. Who are the persons indwelt? All Christians and only Christians are indwelt by (not just super saints ). The evidence is NOT tongues! "Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?" (1 Corinthians 12:30). 5
"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by, whom he has given us." (Romans 5:5). "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the, if the of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." (Romans 8:9). "Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies." (Romans 8:23). "Don t you know that you yourselves are God s temple and that God s lives in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16). "Do you not know that your body is a temple of, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). 6
"For we were all baptized by one into one body whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free and we were all given the one to drink." (1 Corinthians 12:13). "Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Corinthians 5:5). "Because you are sons, God sent the of his Son into our hearts, the who calls out, Abba, Father. " (Galatians 4:6). "We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his." (1 John 4:13). A. The Holy is a gift "So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God? " (Acts 11:17). B. The absence of is an evidence of an unsaved condition. "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the, if the of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." (Romans 8:9). "These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the." (Jude 19). 7
When are Christians indwelt? The moment they are regenerated. "And you also were included in Christ when you (having) heard (aor. act. part.) the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed (aor. act. part.), you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy," (Ephesians 1:13). having heard and having trusted Is the indwelling permanent? (in the OT it was temporary) "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever " " (John 14:16). Sin in the Believers life can grieve the HS but can not remove His presence. "And do not grieve of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30). 8
2. The Sealing the Holy "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal (aor. ind. pass.), the promised Holy," (Ephesians 1:13). σφραγίζω sphragizo - to use a seal to close or to make something secure to seal, to put a seal on, to make secure. Louw, J. P., & E. A. Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament : Based on Semantic Domains. electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. New York: United Bible societies, 1996, c1989. Vol. 1, Page 59. Who are sealed? All Christians (even the carnal Corinthians) "set his seal of ownership on us, and put his in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Corinthians 1:22). Scripture nowhere exhorts any believer to be sealed. Notice the contrast with Paul s imperative/command to be filled with the. "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the." (Ephesians 5:18). 9
Why are we sealed? Two reasons: Authenticity & Security 1. Authenticity We belong to God! a) A seal is used to confirm an object or document as being true or genuine. Illustration: The United States seal on a passport It s proof that we are truly saved. b) A seal was used to mark an object as one s property. We are God s property! 2. Security We are kept by the power of God! This is the chief idea behind the believer s sealing; for the primary meaning of sealing is security (sphragizo). Illustration: Pilate sealed the tomb of Jesus. " Take a guard, Pilate answered. Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how. So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard." (Matthew 27:65-66). 66). Seal in this passage is the same Greek word used in passages which speak of the sealing of. A.T. Robertson says that the sealing of the stone was probably by a cord stretched across the stone and sealed at each end as in Dan. 6:17. The sealing was done in the presence of the Roman guard who were left in charge to protect this stamp of Roman authority and power. In an even more meaningful way, when seals us or puts His mark on us, we are secure in Christ. 10
Billy Graham, The Holy, An English missionary died in India in the early part of this century. Immediately after his death his former neighbors broke into his house and started carrying away his possessions. The English Consul was notified, and since there was no lock on the door of the missionary s house, he pasted a piece of paper across it and affixed the seal of England on it. The looters did not dare break the seal because the world s most powerful nation stood behind it. When the believer is sealed he is secure. "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39). 39). 11
How long are we sealed? unto the day of redemption "And do not grieve of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30). You can grieve but you can t grieve Him away. The Guaranteeing aspect of the sealing ministry of. "who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God s possession to the praise of his glory." (Ephesians 1:14). Down payment (NET) Pledge (NASB) Earnest (KJV) Signet (The Message) Token payment (WEUST) ἀρραβών: the first or initial payment of money or assets, as a guarantee for the completion of a transaction or pledge (in the NT ἀρραβών is used only figuratively in referring to as the pledge or guarantee of the blessings promised by God) first installment, down payment, pledge, guarantee. J. P., & E. A. Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament : Based on Semantic Domains. electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. New York: United Bible societies, 1996, c1989. Vol. 1, Page 576. 12
It s a foretaste of what was to come. For us, the Holy is a foretaste of Heaven. "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6). earnest was also used for an engagement ring. Our relationship with God is not simply a commercial one, but also, a personal experience of love. 13