Posted on 01/20/2016 1:53:12 PM PST by metmom
"You were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance" (Eph. 1:13-14).
The Holy Spirit is God's first installment on your eternal inheritance.
The Holy Spirit's ministry in your life is multifaceted and profound. Among other things He brings salvation, conviction, guidance, and strength. He indwells and equips you for spiritual service and gives assurance of your salvation. He is your Helper and Advocate. He is the Spirit of promise, who seals you until the day when your redemption is fully realized (Eph. 4:30).
Sealing speaks of security, authenticity, ownership, and authority. Ancient kings, princes, and nobles placed their official seal on documents or other items to guarantee their inviolability. To break the seal was to incur the wrath of the sovereign whom it represented (cf. Dan. 6:17; Matt. 27:62-66).
A seal on a letter authenticated it as from the hand of the one whose seal it bore. Legal documents such as property deeds and wills were often finalized with an official seal. Those who possessed the sealed decree of a king had the king's delegated authority to act on that decree.
Each of those aspects of sealing is a picture of the Spirit's ministry. He is God's guarantee that your salvation is inviolable and that you are an authentic member of His kingdom and family. You are His possession-having been purchased with His Son's precious blood (1 Cor. 6:20). You are His ambassador with delegated authority to proclaim His message to a lost world (2 Cor. 5:20).
The Spirit is the pledge of your eternal inheritance (Eph. 1:14). The Greek word translated "pledge" in that verse (arrabon) was used of down payment or earnest money given to secure a purchase. Rejoice in the assurance that God, who cannot lie (Titus 1:2), has given you His Spirit as a guarantee that He will keep His promises.
Suggestions for Prayer
Praise God for the security of your eternal inheritance. Praise the Spirit for His many ministries in your life. Be sensitive to His leading today so that your ministry to others will be powerful and consistent with His will.
For Further Study
Read Esther chapters 3, 8. What role did the king's signet ring play in the decree of Haman (chapter 3)? The decree of Ahasuerus and Mordecai (chapter 8)?
If one averages the depth of ocean -through water to the bottoms- with the average height of dry land, the possibility of water covering the globe to a depth high enough to top Mt Ararat by fifty cubits is quite possible. All God would have to do is bring the bottoms of the oceans up to our current sea level, and the oceans would cover the Earth.
But our seal of assurance against that is the rainbow, whose absence would indicate there is no precipitation going on somewhere, even were it a snow-dog . . .
Inhale deeply and say, “I know the church is true...
Not doubting God’s Promises in any fashion, merely explaining how the Great flood could cover the whole Earth in Noah’s Day.
Very true, and I didn’t mean to infer that all of the waters came from the firmament as I wasn’t going to go into the whole event in detail.
My goal with that post was to inform the poster that it was a lot more involved than just 40 days of rain.
Thank you for your inspiring posts expressed from knowledge with wisdom from God.
I attended seminars some decades ago about this time in Biblical history.
IIRC, the earth before the flood did not have the form it has now because as well as a flood that covered all land God “reshaped” the planet with great depths and heights that were not part of the geography before the flood.
And also thanks for the scriptural references.
bkmrk
Thanks for the new tag lines, they will be quite fitting for some of my posts!
The one you see now I have used quite frequently as it is so applicable to some of the comments I reply to.
If by any chance you hadn't already known of his researches.
(And . . . most humbly, honored. Praise God from Whom, Alone, all blessings flow.)
By all means, you are quite right in this. It most certainly did, and the results are seen on the tops of great mountains throughout the world.
Perhaps why I am a bit “fuzzy” on all of the Biblical facts at this time.
: > )
The ruins of a vast city found at 2000 feet down off the coast of Cuba, by Russian mapping services might be a clue as to the ‘ups and downs of the surface of the planet’.
Interesting and part of the whole story.
Fossils from sea creatures are found in many places across the planet.
I have dug for and found fossilized shark’s teeth at least 10 miles inland in the Santa Cruz county area.
Heck there are seagulls as far inland as Salt Lake City.
Wait that doesn’t prove anything relevant...
LOL ... in the first Plate Tectonics books, the authors were fond of citing the numerous seashell layers found way up in the Himalayans.
That is probably true bro. Tell that to a certain Freeper. Tell it to he who must be unnamed.
:-)
Which church? The Mormon church or the Catholic Church? Actually, I don't believe in either one. I did a Bill Clinton on them. I didn't inhale either one.
:-)
I used it just today!
With an example; too!
I used FUZZY today as well.
oh?
SLC will be VERY interested!
Beck has had experience with both.
I’m a mere researcher.
I always thought the entire world was tropical until the Flood. There might not even have been mountains. It may not even have rained before the Flood. A mist rose up and watered the plants.
Maybe when Noah told the people it was going to rain, they said riiiiighgt, what's rain?
Another opinion I have, is that once the fermement was broken, then men experienced direct sunlight for the first time.
My opinion is, that direct sunlight is one reason among many, that it kills people much earlier than before the fermement was broken. Who knows for sure, but that is what I think.
Don't forget, don't tell "He who must be unnamed "
:-)
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