Eph 1.13-

Chad Myhre

Ephesians • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

Ephesians 1:13–23

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Verse by verse study through Ephesians

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WELCOM GUESTS!

Ephesians 1:13–14 ESV

13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Intro:

The Christians in Ephesus could have easily developed some attitude problems..

As we remember from our first study.. this was a pagan city..

There was no identifiable Christian presence..

There were no church buildings..

No Christian coffee houses..

Ephesians 1:13-

Intro:

The Christians in Ephesus could have easily developed some attitude problems..

As we remember from our first study.. this was a pagan city..

There was no identifiable Christian presence..

There were no church buildings..

No Christian coffee houses..

There was no Christian based, or Christian friendly law..

The main businesses in the city were focused on idol worship..

And on every street corner, there was a different temple, to a different God..

Amongst some temples.. worship was expressed, through drunken experiences..

And sexual indulgencies..

It would have been very easy..

For the Christians to become..

Arrogantly pious..

And overtly judgmental.

But.. even though this culture embraced the ungodly practiced, and gave no recognition or preference to the Christians..

It doesn’t appear, as if these believers.. are having an attitude problem..

We don’t read about the radical Christians in Ephesus..

.. carrying signs and protesting different events..

We don’t read about them..

Shaking their fists.. going to the press..

..demanding apologies.. demanding equal representation..

We don’t read about the church in Ephesus..

Raising any kind of stink.. about the godless state of their culture..

They seemed perfectly content.. to gather together in their home fellowships..

Worship, pray and study the Bible..

And go out, to be good witnesses.

If some of us, were transplanted from our time period here in the U.S.

To that time period, in Ephesus..

We might struggle.

We might think..

.. what a difficult place.. to be a Christian..

What a difficult environment.. to try and live for the Lord in..

My..

.. how bad it must be.. to face the opposition and absence of support.

And we might complain.. to our fellow Christians in Ephesus..

Who would in turn, look at us..

Baffled and amazed..

Because.. as far as they know..

They think.. they’ve got it good.

Chapter one.. has been driving this point home..

As a Christian.. we’ve got it good!

It doesn’t matter how “God-Friendly” our government is..

It doesn’t matter if we are supported or excluded by society..

It doesn’t matter if we have church buildings.. coffee houses or book stores..

When it comes down to it..

It only matters.. that we have Christ…

So far, we’ve been learning about our privileges…

In vss.4-6.. We learned about the privileges we have.. which are seated in eternity past..

in vss. 7-9 and 11-12, we learn about the privileges we have.. in history past..

In vs 10, we learn about the privileges we have in eternity future..

And.. now.. as we move on at vs. 13..

We are gong to learn about the privileges we have.. NOW… in Christ.

Ephesians 1:13-14

Sometimes we need “the big picture” of things.

Sometimes.. we need to be reminded.. what the big picture really is..

Paul has been giving that reminder..

These folks know, that they are Christians..

But what does that mean?

What made that possible?

Is Christianity some cheap thing we can pick up at the drive through at Mac Donalds..

Or.. is it some crazy awesome thing.. possessing unbelievable magnitude?

Paul reminds the Ephesians..

That it’s not.. a happy meal..

No way.. it’s actually.. “crazy awesome”

We’ve been reminded..

That God loved us from eternity past..

Predestined us to adoption as sons

By His grace, we are accepted in the Beloved..

And.. we have redemption.. through His blood..

Wow.. God’s been thinking about me, forever..

He bought me out of my slavery..

Redeemed me..

His purchase price..

Was His own blood, His own suffering..

We are accepted before God..

Because we are in the Beloved..

And now.. as we are reminded of the entire process of salvation in vs. 13..

We are told.. that we have been sealed w/the H.S.

What does it mean to be sealed?

For one thing.. it lets us know that the transaction is finished..

Some people believe.. that they are still working to attain their salvation..

It’s all a matter of performance.. -

They give their hearts to Jesus..

As if, that’s the first step..

After that, they need to cover up their tattoos, wear nice clothes, get hair cuts.. burn their cd’s, do good deeds and un-plug the t.v.

Then.. they’ll really start being saved.

But that’s not reality.

Reality.. is this.

When you receive Christ as your Savior.. and you say Amen..

You are sealed

Transaction.. is complete..

To be sealed.. also implies ownership..

God’s seal is on you, because He has purchased you back..

It says in:

1 Corinthians 6:20 (NKJV)

20 For vyou were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body 7and in your spirit, which are God’s.

When I was a kid, my brother and I often got identical toys for Christmas..

He’d get a GI Joe with the yellow GI Joe military chopper..

I’d get a GI Joe with the yellow GI Joe military chopper..

The very first thing we did..

Was to break out the Sharpies.. and write our names on our toys..

We sealed them.. to indicate ownership..

When cattle used to graze freely on open range..

The ranch would put a brand on their cattle, to identify their ownership..

This way.. if they mixed w/other cows..

It would be known.. who’s cattle belonged to whom.

Obviously.. one of the things that the H.S. does in our lives..

Is let us know.. who we belong to..

Another thing that a seal represents.. is “security and protection”

The authorities would seal something to show others..

That this thing.. this letter.. this decree..

Or, in the case of Christ’s tomb..

“this tomb”

...is sealed.. to show the world.. that we want this thing to remain un molested..

Paul is giving us the big picture again..

Salvation.. is a crazy-awesome deal..

Why?

Well, in part.. by way of salvation..

God is promising us.. that the transaction is complete.. nothing more is expected..

..God is claiming ownership. We are His, and He’s God.. God doesn’t loose stuff..

.. God is protecting us.. He is saying..

“this is mine.. don’t mess with this.”

A warning.. that I believe.. is probably spoken more to me, than to some outward foreboding force...

Who is the most eligible person.. to mess with your life spiritually?

It’s not.. some other person..

No way.. it’s you..

Think with me on this..

The H.S. is in our lives..

We know this, because we claim the promises of the Word by faith....

And.. we experience Him working.. the way scripture says He will work..

So.. now, in part.. we’re learning.. that the H.S. in our lives..

It’s like a statement of ownership.. from God..

This body..

It’s not mine. It’s God’s..

It’s sealed.. w/a warning.. to me..

…that says: “Don’t mess with this.. it belongs to God..”

What a wake up call..

When we face the temptations to indulge in the harmful elements of life..

To be reminded..

Hey.. don’t mess with this..

But I want to indulge carnally..

I want to feel good..

I want to partake..

God would say..

Find your own body to mess up…

This one’s mine!!!

I’ve sealed it..

The deal is done..

I’m the owner..

And I’m telling you.. don’t mess with my stuff.

There is one final thing that a seal represents..

.. “authenticity”

We can have a “lip profession”

We can have religious activity.. and devotion..

We can have good works..

But.. it’s not the real deal..

w/o the seal..

it says in:

Romans 8:9 (NKJV)

9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. [1]

Jesus said something very shocking in Matt 7:21-23

Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV)

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, r‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who sdoes the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we tnot prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And uthen I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; vdepart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Some people are so opposed to the idea that God has absolutes..

Some folks struggle so much with the idea.. that God’s offer of salvation.. is not a deal that can be compromised…

..that they choose to make Christianity happen on their terms..

We’re going to make this.. a religion of works..

A religion of sensation..

A religion.. of RELIGION..

And how dare anyone out there.. question it’s authenticity..

Well, God tells us in His Word.. what is authentic..

You’re not the real deal.. unless you got.. the seal..

The HS does not come into our lives as a response to our works of devotion, ritual or sensation..

He only comes in.. if we follow the system that God has established..

Step by step.. it was just defined in this verse..

You hear, you believe, you trust and you are sealed..

As we know.. it’s simply a matter.. of receiving.. by faith..

Now.. reading on, into vs. 14.. we find out.. that the HS is more than a seal..

He’s also.. a guarantee..

A word sometimes translated as “earnest”

It means.. “down-payment”

It also means.. “engagement ring”

Which, if we translate that backwards..

It kind of makes the engagement ring take on another meaning..

Here y’ar honey.. my down-payment..

.. I’m giving you this ring.. to let you know.. that I Intend for you.. to be my property.. and my possession..

If the diamond ring were really a “down payment”.. it would be given to the father..

Not a bad idea.. since I have 5 daughters..

Ultimately.. it’s a symbol of serious commitment..

It’s God’s guarantee, to us..

That He is serious..

it’s kind of like..

when the carpenter comes over to the house..

begins a big job..

and leaves, part way.. to go home for the night..

But there, in your house.. where the work is going on..

.. are all the carpenter’s tools.

I’m not talking about cheap Stanley tools..

No.. he has left the good stuff..

High dollar.. high fallutin.. high tech.. and well maintained..

This guy loves his tools..

And he left them in your house..

Now.. do you have to wonder if he’s going to return and finish the job?

No way.. He’s definitely coming back..

Folks.. God has given us the H.S..

and normally, when we think of the HS in us..

we think of the works that the H.S. does..

But today.. God is telling us..

Of the Work that He is doing..

He’s giving us a promise..

Back in vs. 10.. we were told.. that in the dispensation of the fullness of time..

God’s going to pull it all together..

It’s going to be, a beautiful and glorious culmination..

Now.. in vs. 14.. He’s telling us..

That vs. 10 is more than just words..

It’s the real deal..

It’s a promise..

He left His tools here..

Letting us know.. that He’s definitely going to finish the job..

He’s going to redeem His purchased possession..

For what reason?

To the praise of His glory..

Now.. there’s a phrase that keeps coming back up..

I think God’s trying to show us.. His purpose..

He wants to be praised.. He wants to be glorified..

Eph 1.6 – Why has God: chosen, adopted and accepted us?

To the praise of the glory of His grace.

Eph 1.12 – why has the Son redeemed, forgiven and revealed the will of God.. making us part of God’s inheritance?

So that we should be, to the praise of His glory..

Eph 1.14 – Why are we sealed by the spirit as a guarantee?

Unto the praise of His glory..

God has given us so much.. and done so much for us..

So that.. we will be, so eternally flooded w/thanksgiving....

That we will respond.. by praising and glorifying Him..

Eph 1:15-22

Do you ever say: “I don’t see it!”.. or maybe: “I just don’t get it.”

Our friend.. our brother, our sister, our co-worker..

They get it.. they grasp what’s going on..

They see it, and know how it all goes together..

But.. you look on.. perplexed.. not getting it..

And then.. one day.. “ding”.. the light comes on..

The cartoon light-bulb appears over our head..

And suddenly.. we see it.

Recently.. for me, it’s been those stupid Sudoku puzzles..

First time I saw a Sudoku.. I was confused.

What kind of puzzle is that?

Put numbers in squares? Big deal..

Then, we got one..

And so, I thought I’d just do a few of them..

And man..

What I was doing.. didn’t make sense at all..

I couldn’t see how it worked..

Then, I got one little tip from a friend..

And “ding”.. the light went on..

And I’m.. now.. moderately addicted to Sudoku..

Well, the same kind of thing.. is going on, in our hearts.. concerning.. spiritual understanding..

God wants us to understand.. those things that are spiritual..

But.. on our own.. we can’t..

No matter how much clean living we live..

We just can’t interpret the spiritual language.. on our own..

So here’s what He does..

He gives us an interpreter..

This interpreter, in turn, will explain to us, the spiritual truth, that is written, in the Scriptures..

Not only that.. this interpreter.. will help us, to see and recognize.. the instruction of God..

In every day life.

He’s our seal.. he’s our guarantee.. and: He’s our interpreter..

Jesus said: in:

John 14:25-26 (NKJV)

25 “….. gthe 7Helper, the Holy Spirit, ….. will teach you all things, and bring to your jremembrance all things that I said to you. [2]

Paul gives the clearest explanation in

1 Corinthians 2:9-16 (NKJV)

Turn and read..

Folks.. the H.S. wants to flip the light on.

He wants to give us the interpretation..

He wants to bring.. the quiet, subtle beauty of Christ..

To a place of recognition..

In a place.. that is so often.. dark, loud and distracting..

The question we need to consider is this.

How.. do we do it?

How do we provide, the right environment.. for the H.S. to give us understanding?

Obviously.. the HS is strong in us.. when we are strong.. in the spirit..

We have no problem feeding the flesh..

But.. are we feeding the spiritual side of us?

Are we being nourished in the word?

Are we being strengthened and built up.. in prayer..

Are we finding edification in fellowship?

How about this..

if you want to know what the translator is saying..

you gotta listen.

Are you listening?

I recently read a book called “Listening Prayer”

I found encouragement, in that book, to exercise a prayer time, of listening..

Instead of praying through a list of a million things..

I’m praying, for a smaller list, of more specific things.. every day..

And I’m writing them down..

Then, after I’ve prayed..

I listen..

I listen. Sometimes I peruse the 4 or 5 things from the previous day.. and the day before that..

And I give, my interpreter, a chance to interpret..

In addition, I’ve been taking a passage out of one of my daily readings every day..

And I write it down..

And then, I ask God to teach me something through that verse..

So.. I write down.. my prayer…

And, I listen..

I purposefully, quiet my mind..

And ask for God.. to give me understanding, insight and revelation..

And I’m telling ya, it’s been pretty cool.

In fact, I’ve begun to post, the scripture prayer part of this practice, on the website every day..

My personal prayers stay personal.. – they are none of your business..

But.. the scripture prayers are fair game…

I’m doing this….

Hoping to encourage others.. to see what I’m doing..

And then, do the same..

For instance..

yesterday, I picked vs. 18 from this passage..

I wrote it down..

And this: was my prayer..

Lord, teach me to recognize the darkness in my heart that hinders me from understanding how good I have it in You. Help me to realize now, how I can find joy and experience it, because of the riches and glory I’ve yet to experience. Lord, show me how I can get more of that light in my heart.

Hopefully, I’ll hear something..

I’ve already updated two of the scripture prayers..

.. with answers I felt.. that the Lord was giving me..

If you have the web.. go to our web-site, click on “hearing God”..

And follow along..

In fact..

Next week, I’m going to have several copies of that book..

And I’m going to give them away, to anyone who promises to me, that they will read it, and give it a try…

I’ll be giving.. about 20 of them away.. starting next week..

So, promise me, you’ll read it, and try it..

And I’ll give you a book..

God just wants us to know.. and realize.. how incredibly good, we have it..

how.. “crazy awesome”.. our salvation is..

to see.. and understand..

the hope.. that is in His calling..

Hope.. remember.. is not a wish..

It’s an expectation..

To see and understand..

The riches of the glory.. of His inheritance in us..

We are His inheritance..

And when He takes possession of us..

It’s going to great..

It’s going to be rich.. glorious.. and wonderful..

His power towards us..

It’s.. exceedingly great..

Much bigger and stronger.. than we imagine now..

He wants us to see that..

Conclusion..

What an incredible opportunity we have..

what a great.. challenge..

That these wonderful elements of understanding and revelation..

Are available to us..

Even now.. sometimes.. our hearts are numb and our brains are dumb to the spiritual..

But God wants us to see.

He want to bring revelation..

Continually.. for years and years to come..

He wants to flip on those lights..

Time and time again..

He wants the things we see now.. when we read the word.. as being “pocket change”..

To being.. “gold and rubies”

This is the challenge I want to leave you with today..

Do whatever it takes.. to hear from God..

Give the HS.. opportunity..

Give Him.. the right.. spiritual environment..

Give Him.. the scripture to work with..

And.. give Him.. a listening heart..

In a moment.. we can pray for one another.. concerning this very thing..

But first..

Let’s recall a portion of our passage from I Cor..

Part of it said.. the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God.. for they are spiritually discerned..

Maybe.. in your heart.. when it comes to spiritual understanding..

It’s pitch dark..

Because there is no interpreter there..

INVITATION… for salvation

INVITATION.. to ask for prayer.. to gain more enlightenment from God..

Communion.

v Acts 20:28; 1 Cor. 7:23; Gal. 3:13; 1 Pet. 1:18; 2 Pet. 2:1; Rev. 5:9

7 NU omits the rest of v. 20.

[1] The New King James Version. 1996, c1982. Thomas Nelson: Nashville

r Hos. 8:2; Matt. 25:11; Luke 6:46; Acts 19:13

s Rom. 2:13; James 1:22

t Num. 24:4

u Matt. 25:12; Luke 13:25; [2 Tim. 2:19]

v Ps. 5:5; 6:8; [Matt. 25:41]; Luke 13:27

g Luke 24:49

7 Comforter, Gr. Parakletos

j John 2:22; 12:16; 1 John 2:20

[2] The New King James Version. 1996, c1982. Thomas Nelson: Nashville

There was no Christian based, or Christian friendly law..

The main businesses in the city were focused on idol worship..

And on every street corner, there was a different temple, to a different God.. ++

Amongst some temples.. worship was expressed, through drunken experiences..

And sexual indulgencies..

It would have been very easy..

For the Christians to become..

Arrogantly pious..

And overtly judgmental. ++

But.. even though this culture embraced the ungodly practiced, and gave no recognition or preference to the Christians..

It doesn’t appear, as if these believers.. are having an attitude problem..

We don’t read about the radical Christians in Ephesus..

.. carrying signs and protesting different events.. ++

We don’t read about them..

Shaking their fists.. going to the press..

..demanding apologies.. demanding equal representation.. ++

We don’t read about the church in Ephesus..

Raising any kind of stink.. about the godless state of their culture.. ++

They seemed perfectly content.. to gather together in their home fellowships..

Worship, pray and study the Bible..

And go out, to be good witnesses. ++

If some of us, were transplanted from our time period here in the U.S.

To that time period, in Ephesus..

We might struggle.

We might think..

.. what a difficult place.. to be a Christian..

What a difficult environment.. to try and live for the Lord in..

My.. ++

.. how bad it must be.. to face the opposition and absence of support.

And we might complain.. to our fellow Christians in Ephesus.. ++

Who would in turn, look at us..

Baffled and amazed..

Because.. as far as they know..

They think.. they’ve got it good. ++

Chapter one.. has been driving this point home..

As a Christian.. we’ve got it good!

It doesn’t matter how “God-Friendly” our government is..

It doesn’t matter if we are supported or excluded by society..

It doesn’t matter if we have church buildings.. coffee houses or book stores.. ++

When it comes down to it..

It only matters.. that we have Christ… ++

So far, we’ve been learning about our privileges…

In vss.4-6.. We learned about the privileges we have.. which are seated in eternity past..

in vss. 7-9 and 11-12, we learn about the privileges we have.. in history past..

In vs 10, we learn about the privileges we have in eternity future..

And.. now.. as we move on at vs. 13..

We are gong to learn about the privileges we have.. NOW… in Christ.

Sometimes we need “the big picture” of things.

Sometimes.. we need to be reminded.. what the big picture really is.. ++

Paul has been giving that reminder..

These folks know, that they are Christians..

But what does that mean?

What made that possible?

Is Christianity some cheap thing we can pick up at the drive through at Mac Donalds..

Or.. is it some crazy awesome thing.. possessing unbelievable magnitude? ++

Paul reminds the Ephesians..

That it’s not.. a happy meal..

No way.. it’s actually.. “crazy awesome” ++

We’ve been reminded..

That God loved us from eternity past..

Predestined us to adoption as sons

By His grace, we are accepted in the Beloved..

And.. we have redemption.. through His blood.. ++

Wow.. God’s been thinking about me, forever..

He bought me out of my slavery..

Redeemed me..

His purchase price..

Was His own blood, His own suffering.. ++

We are accepted before God..

Because we are in the Beloved..

And now.. as we are reminded of the entire process of salvation in vs. 13..

We are told.. that we have been sealed w/the H.S. ++

What does it mean to be sealed?

For one thing.. it lets us know that the transaction is finished..

Some people believe.. that they are still working to attain their salvation..

It’s all a matter of performance.. -

They give their hearts to Jesus..

As if, that’s the first step.. ++

After that, they need to cover up their tattoos, wear nice clothes, get hair cuts.. burn their cd’s, do good deeds and un-plug the t.v.

Then.. they’ll really start being saved. ++

But that’s not reality.

Reality.. is this.

When you receive Christ as your Savior.. and you say Amen..

You are sealed ++

Transaction.. is complete..

To be sealed.. also implies ownership..

God’s seal is on you, because He has purchased you back.. ++

It says in:

1 Corinthians 6:20 ESV

20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

(NKJV)

20 For vyou were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body 7and in your spirit, which are God’s.

When I was a kid, my brother and I often got identical toys for Christmas..

He’d get a GI Joe with the yellow GI Joe military chopper..

I’d get a GI Joe with the yellow GI Joe military chopper.. ++

The very first thing we did..

Was to break out the Sharpies.. and write our names on our toys..

We sealed them.. to indicate ownership.. ++

When cattle used to graze freely on open range..

The ranch would put a brand on their cattle, to identify their ownership..

This way.. if they mixed w/other cows..

It would be known.. who’s cattle belonged to whom. ++

Obviously.. one of the things that the H.S. does in our lives..

Is let us know.. who we belong to..

Another thing that a seal represents.. is “security and protection”

The authorities would seal something to show others..

That this thing.. this letter.. this decree..

Or, in the case of Christ’s tomb..

“this tomb”

...is sealed.. to show the world.. that we want this thing to remain un molested.. ++

Paul is giving us the big picture again..

Salvation.. is a crazy-awesome deal..

Why?

Well, in part.. by way of salvation..

God is promising us.. that the transaction is complete.. nothing more is expected.. ++

..God is claiming ownership. We are His, and He’s God.. God doesn’t loose stuff..

.. God is protecting us.. He is saying..

“this is mine.. don’t mess with this.” ++

A warning.. that I believe.. is probably spoken more to me, than to some outward foreboding force... ++

Who is the most eligible person.. to mess with your life spiritually?

It’s not.. some other person..

No way.. it’s you.. ++

Think with me on this..

The H.S. is in our lives..

We know this, because we claim the promises of the Word by faith....

And.. we experience Him working.. the way scripture says He will work.. ++

So.. now, in part.. we’re learning.. that the H.S. in our lives..

It’s like a statement of ownership.. from God.. ++

This body..

It’s not mine. It’s God’s..

It’s sealed.. w/a warning.. to me..

…that says: “Don’t mess with this.. it belongs to God..” ++

What a wake up call..

When we face the temptations to indulge in the harmful elements of life..

To be reminded..

Hey.. don’t mess with this.. ++

But I want to indulge carnally..

I want to feel good..

I want to partake.. ++

God would say..

Find your own body to mess up…

This one’s mine!!!

I’ve sealed it..

The deal is done..

I’m the owner..

And I’m telling you.. don’t mess with my stuff. ++

There is one final thing that a seal represents..

.. “authenticity”

We can have a “verbal profession”

We can have religious activity.. and devotion..

We can have good works..

But.. it’s not the real deal..

w/o the seal.. ++

it says in:

(NKJV)

Romans 8:9 ESV

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. [1]

Jesus said something very shocking in

(NKJV)

Matthew 7:21–23 ESV

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Some people are so opposed to the idea that God has absolutes..

Some folks struggle so much with the idea.. that God’s offer of salvation.. is not a deal that can be compromised…

..that they choose to make Christianity happen on their terms.. ++

We’re going to make this.. a religion of works..

A religion of sensation..

A religion.. of RELIGION..

And how dare anyone out there.. question it’s authenticity.. ++

Well, God tells us in His Word.. what is authentic..

You’re not the real deal.. unless you got.. the seal.. ++

The HS does not come into our lives as a response to our works of devotion, ritual or sensation..

He only comes in.. if we follow the system that God has established..

Step by step.. it was just defined in this verse..

You hear, you believe, you trust and you are sealed.. ++

As we know.. it’s simply a matter.. of receiving.. by faith..

Now.. reading on, into vs. 14.. we find out.. that the HS is more than a seal..

He’s also.. a guarantee..

A word sometimes translated as “earnest”

It means.. “down-payment”

It also means.. “engagement ring”

It kind of makes the engagement ring take on another meaning. ++.

Here y’ar honey.. my down-payment..

.. I’m giving you this ring.. to let you know.. that I Intend for you.. to be my property.. and my possession..

If the diamond ring were really a “down payment”.. it would be given to the father..

Not a bad idea.. since I have 5 daughters..

Ultimately.. it’s a symbol of serious commitment..

It’s God’s guarantee, to us..

That He is serious..

it’s kind of like..

when the carpenter comes over to the house..

begins a big job..

and leaves, part way.. to go home for the night..

But there, in your house.. where the work is going on..

.. are all the carpenter’s tools. ++

I’m not talking about cheap Stanley tools..

No.. he has left the good stuff..

High dollar.. high fallutin.. high tech.. and well maintained..

This guy loves his tools..

And he left them in your house.. ++

Now.. do you have to wonder if he’s going to return and finish the job?

No way.. He’s definitely coming back.. ++

Folks.. God has given us the H.S..

and normally, when we think of the HS in us..

we think of the works that the H.S. does.. ++

But today.. God is telling us..

Of the Work that He is doing..

He’s giving us a promise..

Back in vs. 10.. we were told.. that in the dispensation of the fullness of time..

God’s going to pull it all together..

It’s going to be, a beautiful and glorious culmination.. ++

Now.. in vs. 14.. He’s telling us..

That vs. 10 is more than just words..

It’s the real deal..

It’s a promise.. ++

He left His tools here..

Letting us know.. that He’s definitely going to finish the job..

He’s going to redeem His purchased possession..

For what reason?

To the praise of His glory.. ++

Now.. there’s a phrase that keeps coming back up..

I think God’s trying to show us.. His purpose..

He wants to be praised.. He wants to be glorified..

– Why has God: chosen, adopted and accepted us?

To the praise of the glory of His grace. ++

– why has the Son redeemed, forgiven and revealed the will of God.. making us part of God’s inheritance?

So that we should be, to the praise of His glory.. ++

– Why are we sealed by the spirit as a guarantee?

Unto the praise of His glory.. ++

God has given us so much.. and done so much for us..

So that.. we will be, so eternally flooded w/thanksgiving....

That we will respond.. by praising and glorifying Him.. ++

Ephesians 1:15–18 ESV

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,

Ephesians 1:19–22 ESV

19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,

Do you ever say: “I don’t see it!”.. or maybe: “I just don’t get it.”

Our friend.. our brother, our sister, our co-worker..

They get it.. they grasp what’s going on..

They see it, and know how it all goes together.. ++

But.. you look on.. perplexed.. not getting it..

And then.. one day.. “ding”.. the light comes on..

The cartoon light-bulb appears over our head..

And suddenly.. we see it. ++

Well, the same kind of thing.. is going on, in our hearts.. concerning.. spiritual understanding..

First time I saw a Sudoku.. I was confused.

What kind of puzzle is that?

Put numbers in squares? Big deal..

Then, we got one..

And so, I thought I’d just do a few of them..

And man..

What I was doing.. didn’t make sense at all..

I couldn’t see how it worked..

Then, I got one little tip from a friend..

And “ding”.. the light went on..

And I’m.. now.. moderately addicted to Sudoku..

Well, the same kind of thing.. is going on, in our hearts.. concerning.. spiritual understanding..

God wants us to understand.. those things that are spiritual..

But.. on our own.. we can’t..

No matter how much clean living we live..

We just can’t interpret the spiritual language.. on our own.. ++

So here’s what He does..

He gives us an interpreter..

This interpreter, in turn, will explain to us, the spiritual truth, that is written, in the Scriptures..

Not only that.. this interpreter.. will help us, to see and recognize.. the instruction of God..

In every day life. ++

He’s our seal.. he’s our guarantee.. and: He’s our interpreter..

Jesus said: in:

John 14:25–26 ESV

25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

(NKJV)

25 “….. gthe 7Helper, the Holy Spirit, ….. will teach you all things, and bring to your jremembrance all things that I said to you. [2]

Paul gives the clearest explanation in

1 Corinthians 2:9–16 ESV

9 But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

(NKJV)

Turn and read..

Folks.. the H.S. wants to flip the light on.

He wants to give us the interpretation..

He wants to bring.. the quiet, subtle beauty of Christ..

To a place of recognition..

In a place.. that is so often.. dark, loud and distracting.. ++

The question we need to consider is this.

How.. do we do it?

How do we provide, the right environment.. for the H.S. to give us understanding?

Obviously.. the HS is strong in us.. when we are strong.. in the spirit.. ++

We have no problem feeding the flesh..

But.. are we feeding the spiritual side of us?

Are we being nourished in the word?

Are we being strengthened and built up.. in prayer..

Are we finding edification in fellowship? ++

How about this..

if you want to know what the translator is saying..

you gotta listen.

Are you listening? ++

An acquaintance of mine wrote a book called “Listening Prayer” - Years ago, I passed out copies to the church… - It was an encouraging read.

I found encouragement, in that book, to exercise a prayer time, of listening..

It’s changed the way I practice prayer...

Instead of praying through a list of a million things..

I’m praying, for a smaller list, of more specific things..

And I qeurw them down..

Then, after I’ve prayed..

I listen.. ++

I listen. Sometimes I peruse the 4 or 5 things from the previous day.. and the day before that..

And I give, my interpreter, a chance to interpret.. ++

In addition, I take a passage out of one of my daily readings every day..

And I write it down..

And then, I ask God to teach me something through that verse..

write down.. my prayer…

And, I listen.. ++

I purposefully, quiet my mind..

And ask for God.. to give me understanding, insight and revelation.. ++

And heres the cool part… God gives the understanding...

In fact, I’ve begun to post, the scripture prayer part of this practice, on the website every day..

My personal prayers stay personal.. – they are none of your business..

But.. the scripture prayers are fair game…

I’m doing this….

Hoping to encourage others.. to see what I’m doing..

And then, do the same..

For instance..

yesterday, I picked vs. 18 from this passage..

I wrote it down..

And this: was my prayer..

Hopefully, I’ll hear something..

I’ve already updated two of the scripture prayers..

.. with answers I felt.. that the Lord was giving me..

If you have the web.. go to our web-site, click on “hearing God”..

And follow along..

In fact..

Next week, I’m going to have several copies of that book..

And I’m going to give them away, to anyone who promises to me, that they will read it, and give it a try…

I’ll be giving.. about 20 of them away.. starting next week..

So, promise me, you’ll read it, and try it..

And I’ll give you a book..

God just wants us to know.. and realize.. how incredibly good, we have it..

how.. “crazy awesome”.. our salvation is..

to see.. and understand..

the hope.. that is in His calling.. ++

Hope.. remember.. is not a wish..

It’s an expectation..

To see and understand..

The riches of the glory.. of His inheritance in us.. ++

We are His inheritance..

And when He takes possession of us..

It’s going to great..

It’s going to be rich.. glorious.. and wonderful.. ++

His power towards us..

It’s.. exceedingly great..

Much bigger and stronger.. than we imagine now.. ++

He wants us to see that..

Conclusion..

What an incredible opportunity we have..

what a great.. challenge..

That these wonderful elements of understanding and revelation..

Are available to us.. ++

Even now.. sometimes.. our hearts are numb and our brains are dumb to the spiritual..

But God wants us to see.

He want to bring revelation..

Continually.. for years and years to come..

He wants to flip on those lights..

Time and time again..

He wants the things we see now.. when we read the word.. as being “pocket change”..

To being.. “gold and rubies” ++

This is the challenge I want to leave you with today..

Do whatever it takes.. to hear from God..

Give the HS.. opportunity..

Give Him.. the right.. spiritual environment..

Give Him.. the scripture to work with..

And.. give Him.. a listening heart..

In closing…

But first..

Let’s recall a portion of our passage from I Cor..

Part of it said.. the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God.. for they are spiritually discerned..

Maybe.. in your heart.. when it comes to spiritual understanding..

It’s pitch dark..

Because there is no interpreter there..

INVITATION… for salvation

INVITATION.. to ask for prayer.. to gain more enlightenment from God..

Communion.

v ; ; ; ; ;

7 NU omits the rest of v. 20.

[1] The New King James Version. 1996, c1982. Thomas Nelson: Nashville

r ; ; ;

s ;

u ; ; []

v ; ; [];

7 Comforter, Gr. Parakletos

j ; ;

[2] The New King James Version. 1996, c1982. Thomas Nelson: Nashville ++

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