Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Summarize:

This passage is about our INHERITANCE in Christ.

We’re taking these out of order because a proper understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit is crucial to a proper understanding of our eternity in Christ.

Today we focus in on the work of the Spirit, next week we take a closer look at what the inheritance is/isn’t

Exposition

Author: Paul

Audience: All the Saints

Content: We are saved and sealed by the Holy Spirit in one action.

Context: Our inheritance and our sealing are meant to cause us to Praise and give Glory to God

Comparison: Acts 1:4 “You heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Explanation

Verse 13 - The process by which we are sealed:

you heard

you believed

you were sealed

Verse 14 - The product of our sealing:

We have a promise of an inheritance

We will possess an inheritance

We will praise God and give Him glory in our inheritance

Application

We must perceive God’s Word

We must believe the testimony of Jesus

We must receive the Holy Spirit

Two major questions:

Does being baptized with the Holy Spirit happen some time after salvation?

In the book of Acts, we see the Holy Spirit come to those who have not yet been baptized E.G. at the moment of belief (Acts 10:44 - “While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.”),

sometime after being baptized (Acts 8:12-16 - “… they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.”), or even at the occasion of baptism:

This verse is used to argue that there is a water baptism and a Spirit baptism

The proper context of this passage shows us that they had never believed in the Gospel of Jesus

This leads us to our second major question:

2. Is the Holy Spirit we are sealed with the same Holy Spirit we see in the book of Acts?

This is a question that seems obvious, but is also reasonable: The way the Spirit works in Acts is different from the way we see the Spirit work in the church today.

This leads to questions about the authenticity of one’s salvation.

2a.

After the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit is consistent in its delivery.

See Eph 1:13

2b.

After the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit is personal in its evidences.

(GIFTS and WORKS)

Cessationism vs. Continuationism

Cessationism tends to refer to a belief that the miraculous gifts of healing, tongues, and, to a lesser extent, prophecy all ended with the apostolic ministries.

J. Lee Grady’s book “The Holy Spirit is NOT for Sale” creates three classifications for cessationists:

Full cessationists: ALL miracles and ALL miraculous gifts have ended with the Apostles

Classical cessationists: The miraculous gifts ceased with the apostles, but God still does supernatural work at His discretion and NOT through a believer performing signs and wonders.

(Most of us who consider ourselves cessationists will fall into this category.)

Consistent cessationists: After the miraculous gifts ceased, there is also no need for apostles, prophets, or other figureheads/pillars within the church.

Daniel Wallace, founder and director of The Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts and a professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, creates one more classification.

Concentric cessationists: Miraculous gifts have ceased in the mainstream church and evangelized areas, but may appear in unreached areas for evangelistic purposes.

(I place my own beliefs very near concentric cessationism.)

Continuationism tends to refer to a belief that the miraculous gifts and the calling of apostles still occurs today.

(Sometimes referred to as Charismatic, a misnomer.)

Conservative/Biblical continuationists would state that the baptism of the Spirit is the outpouring of the work of the Spirit from within the believer who is already saved and already has the Spirit.

J. Lee Grady and R. T. Kendall are both what I would consider Biblical continuationists.

Chaotic Continuationists would state that Salvation and Baptism with the Spirit are separate events.

They begin from an unbiblical stance and only drift further from the Word.

What’s the point?

The Spirit we are sealed with has no gifts and no manifestation.

What does the Spirit do?

The Spirit gives us faith to believe and follow

The Spirit gives us freedom from our slavery to sin

The Spirit is with us forever.

The seal cannot be broken

Response: Salvation/Baptism/Recommit/New Ministry