The Symbols of the Spirit #2

Scripture:     Hosea 12:10, “I have also spoken by the prophets, And have multiplied visions; I have given symbols through the witness of the prophets."   John 14:26, “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 things that I said to you.”

Earlier, we had sermons on “Who Is The Holy Spirit?”, “The Characteristics of the Holy Spirit,” “The Symbols of the Spirit #1, and today we want to address:

Title:   The Symbols of the Spirit #2                  

INTRODUCTION:   All religious teachers, writers and Christians everywhere should desire a more comprehensive knowledge of the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. 

Conduct is regulated by creed.  Therefore, It is necessary to clearly and fully grasp the truth of the Spirit in order that His purposes and character may be revealed in and through our lives.  It is not simply enough to formulate theories about His manifestation.  All we discover about the Spirit of God must have a practical effect upon our lives.

The Apostle Paul exhorts us in 1 Corinthians 2:9-16, to remember that spiritual truths are not discoverable by human wisdom, but are revealed and taught by the Spirit.

Endeavoring to know the Spirit, even as He is known, we must seek after a right adjustment to this Holy One Himself.  A spiritual understanding is dependent upon instant and unfailing surrender to the truth as it is revealed by the Spirit. 

The Spirit is the direct agent between heaven and earth in this gospel age.  We are totally dependent upon Him for all that concerns our life in Christ. 

True spiritual Worship is dependent upon the belief in the Spirit’s personality. 

Our relationship with the Father and Son is expressed by “Spirit.”  He is named the ‘Spirit of God’ and the “Spirit of Christ,” since He proceeds from both.  This morning let us look at three more symbols of the Spirit.  We talked about the Wind, Water and Fire.  This week let us talk about the next three:  Seal, Oil and Salt.

I.    The Symbol of the Seal (The Seal represents ownership)

A.     The seal was an identifying mark to signify authenticity, authority, or the confirmation of a relationship.

B.  The seal is God’s mark of authentication.

C.    God by His Spirit indicates who are His, as the owner He sets his seal on His property; and just as documents are sealed up until the proper time for opening them, so Christians are sealed up by the Holy Spirit "unto the day of redemption"      (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; 2 Corinthians 1:22).

1.      This seal of the Holy Spirit means that God marks his people as his own through the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

2.      It is the Holy Spirit which fills us with a sense of God's love (Romans 5:5), assures us that God has adopted us as his children (Romans 8:15-16), and helps us to manifest our Christlikeness.

3.      The sealing by the Spirit is a once-and-for-all act that gives us continued assurance that we are God's children, entitled to his riches and goodness, now as well as in eternity.

D.    Ownership, security and authentication are implied in the words, "The firm foundation of God standeth, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his" (2 Timothy 2:19).

E.     The seal of God on the foreheads of His servants (Revelation 7:2-4) marks them off as His own, and guarantees their eternal security, whereas those that "have not the seal of God on their foreheads" (Revelation 9:4) have no such guaranty.

1. In this gospel age, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, sealed not to escape life dangers and persecutions, but sealed against any possibility of losing our salvation after we respond to the Word of truth, which is the gospel of salvation.

2. The Holy Spirit makes it clear that our salvation is free and will last forever because of the seal. All the doing has been done.

3. All we have to do is by faith; accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.

F. God has signed the contract in the name of Jesus for Scripture says in Matthew 1:21, “Thou shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.” 

G. Therefore, we can rest assurance that God has taken every precaution against His promise ever being broken.  As far as we are concerned, God has sealed us with the Holy Spirit of promise.  Our salvation is as certain as God’s character and throne can make it.

Not only do we have the Seal as the Symbol of the Spirit, but there is:

II.         The Symbol of Oil (Oil represents approval)

A.     Oil supplied illumination.  Today it is the Spirit’s indwelling that enables the believer to shine and the church to maintain her testimony in the world.

B.     Oil is a fitting symbol of the Spirit or Spiritual principle of life, by virtue of its power to sustain and fortify the vital energy.

C.    The anointing oil, which was prepared according to divine instructions, was therefore a symbol of the Spirit of God, as the principle of spiritual life that proceeded from God and filled the natural being of the creature with the powers of divine life.

D.    Anointing with oil, therefore, was a symbol of endowment with the Spirit of God for the duties of the office to which a person was consecrated.

E.     Today, the presence of the Holy Spirit fills this function.  We are anointed for service. 

F.     We are the lamps and the Spirit is the oil.

G.    Christ came as the Messiah, the anointed one (Acts 10:38) and we as Christians are anointed (2Corinthians 1:21). 

H.    It is a pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the believer, at the time of conversion, which is reminiscent of the anointing of priests with oil in the Old Testament. 

I.        We are anointed and qualified for service.

J.   1 John 2:20, says “But you have an anointing (unction) from the Holy One, and you know all things.

1.                  The word used for “unction” is chrisma which come the title Christ, and means anointed one. 

2.                  True believers have the Holy Spirit to be their all-sufficient, inerrant, and infallible guide into all truth. 

3.                  The anointing of the Holy Spirit is the birthright of every child of God, and it is the Holy Spirit who unlocks for us the wonders of the Word.

Not only do we have the Seal as the Symbol of the Spirit, The Symbol of the Oil, but there is:

III.        The Symbol of the Salt

A.                 Salt is used to express the Christian’s spirituality in a corrupt world.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

B.                 The Holy Spirit alone can preserve our character from dullness and give it value and spiciness. 

C.                Mark 9:49-50 says, “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.  Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another."

D.                To be salted with fire, implies the twofold influence of the Spirit.  First, as “fire” He cleanses the life of the believer, consuming all uncleanness and decay.  Then as “salt” He keeps the believer clean, preserving him or her day by day from sin’s corruption.

E.                 As believers, we are to let our salt work as a preservative and antiseptic, otherwise a wholesome restraining influence on a corrupt society.  To be salt less means to have a ministry without reality.

Conclusion:     The realities of our lives are wrapped up in a Savior who came some 2,000 years ago and hung on a hill called Calvary.