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Tag: Sealed by the Holy Spirit

The promise of God – Presence, Preservation & Provision

Genesis 28:15 records the words of the Lord God in Jacob’s dream. It reads “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

This is a wonderful promise of the Lord God unto Jacob, and close scrutiny of the text reveals that the Lord God promised his
– presence (I am with thee; I will not leave thee),
– preservation (I will keep thee in all places)
and his
– provision (I will bring thee again into this land).

Points to ponder:
To all who are Jesus’ disciples, who love him and follow him, he promised his
– presence for he said that he will be with us always (Matthew 28:20) and that he will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
– preservation by his Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23) who would seal (Ephesians 1:13) and preserve (keep) us so that we may keep the faith (2 Timothy 4:7)
and his
– provision of the promise land where he has gone to prepare a place for us so that where he is, we may be also (John 14:3).

So the question that remains to be answered is, are you assured of the Lord God’s promise of his presence, preservation and provision? In other words, are you his disciple i.e., do you love him and follow him? Think about that. Love God and Love man for in doing so will people know that we are Jesus’ disciples and you can be assured of God presence, preservation and provisions in your life.

Genesis 28:15 (KJV)
15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

The first three verses in the Bible

The first three verses in the Bible (Genesis 1:1-13) read as follows:
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

The first verse speaks of God, the Father, the Creator – the first person of the Trinity.
The second verse speaks of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit – the third person of the Trinity.
The third verse does not explicitly speak of God, the Son, Jesus Christ, but speaks of light that was spoken of God to shine on the darkness (verse 2). Colossians 1:15 refers to Jesus as the firstborn of all creation. While the English transliteration of the word firstborn can be misleading, implying a birth and thus a finite beginning, the Greek word used was prototokos meaning first to beget (protos = first and tikto = to beget), also implying first in time or first in priority. Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of God, the firstbegotten of all creation. The Bible refers to Jesus, as the light that has been seen by the people sitting in darkness (Matthew 4:16) and Jesus refers to himself as the light of the world (John 8:12). Using these references, I feel convinced that the light mentioned in the third verse is speaking of Jesus Christ, God, the Son – the second person of the Trinity.

In other words, the first three verses in the Bible is about the One True God in Three Persons.

Points to ponder:
Are you still in darkness or have you believed in Jesus Christ (God, the Son), so that he, the light of the world, has shined on your life driving away the darkness of sin and death. When we believe in Christ Jesus, the Spirit of God (God, the Holy Spirit) is poured out on us to seal you until redemption, to God’s praise and glory, as he has promised (Ephesians 1:12-14) and this Holy Spirit of God that is given is a Spirit of Adoption, by whom, we can address God (God, the Father) as Abba, Father (Romans 8:15). From Creation to Salvation and eventual glory of God, it is all about the Trinity of God, starting with the first three verses in the Bible. Are you in darkness or are you in the light?

Genesis 1:1-3 (KJV)
1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

John 8:12 (KJV)
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Ephesians 1:12-14 (KJV)
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
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.

Romans 8:14-16 (KJV)
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Colossians 1:15 (KJV)
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

Sealed – To belong and to bear

While visiting the Tower of London, we came across some seals from the 13th century, but what caught my attention was the description of the seals underneath. The description read, that the figure of a knight on a horseback was a popular symbol for many nobles, as it represented the heroic military virtues of the period. The seal is inscribed with the name of the owner and it would be pressed into sealing wax to create an impression, and then attached on a ribbon to the bottom of the owner’s official documents.

Revelation 19 states that Jesus will return (one can say as a warrior knight) on the back of a horse (Revelation 19:11). He is the Noble (exalted) one with a Name that is exalted above every other name (Philippians 2:9-10). We are His letters/epistles (2 Corinthians 3:3) and we are sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).

When a letter is sealed, it bears the impression of the owner (and sender) of the letter. So the questions that needs to be asked are, if you and I are sealed by the Holy Spirit, do we belong to Him and do we bear His impression?

2 Corinthians 3:3 (KJV)
3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

Ephesians 1:13-14 (KJV)
13
In whom [Jesus]  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.

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