God the Holy Spirit Preserves the Church

Introduction

Story:

How many of you like jelly and jams?

I love homemade jam- If fact just about any time I see homemade jam for sale I will stop and buy it. Ive eaten homemade jam in France, In Romania, in Ukraine, in Kenya, in Brazil, and many states around the US. I love the taste of good homemade jams. I do have my favorites.- One tome amy and I where driving through Lamoni Iowa and some Amish ladies where selling homemade jam- Of course we had to stop and I bought the most amazing Peach pineapple jam. It was delicious. Barb Betz makes an amazing jalapeno Jam, My mother in law makes a wonderful strawberry jam, but one of my all time favorites was from Dave Stokke’s Aunt Doris. Who was part of our church in Nevada. She made the best raspberry in the world . It was delicious.

Making Jam is quite the process. You chop up the fruit, and mix in the sugars. Then you slowing bring it to a boil. Once the jam boils you cook it until it becomes a nice thick jelly. After the jam is cooked It is poured into boiling jars. Then the sealing process begins. wax is poured over the top of the preserves until it is at the brim of the jar. and then a rubber lined lid is put on tight. The wax and the vacuum caused by the cooling jam seals that jar so tight that it could sit on a basement shelf for years.

The jam is. Sealed, preserved, protected.

REview

Ephesians 1:3-7- God the Father Planned the Church

Before the foundations of the earth, God formed a plan to redeem the lost and build His church

Ephesians 1:8-12 - God the Son Redeemed the Church

transition: We now move from eternity past to Eternity Present:

Big Idea: God the Spirit Seals the Church

Ephesians 1:13-14- God the Spirit seals the church.

”And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit” [NET}

In this verse we see the entire process of Gospel transformation, and how God the Holy Spirit is central to our Salvation Story.

”And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit” [NET}

- This verse tell us how the spiritually lost are found.

How a slave to sin becomes redeemed.

”And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit” [NET}

1st- The sinner hears the Gospel of Salvation.

Notice : It doesn’t say that the sinner seeks out the gospel, or that the sinner runs after the gospel. BUT the sinner Hears the gospel

When it comes to our salvation the most important thing we need to understand is that it is all about God!

Romans 3:11 “there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God.”.

The sinner doesn’t run after God, But God runs after the sinner.

Man on his own is totally depraved- this means that man is completely, morally corrupt, and it is impossible for mankind in this depraved state to do anything that would please God.

Even the best things we have done, are like dirty rags compared to God’s Holiness.

We are are so desperate because it is absolutely impossible for us to escape our state of total depravity.

and this is why We need the good news of the gospel.

The gospel began in eternity past when God knowing how desperate we would be, orchestrated a plan to rescue us from this depravity.

and in His perfection, He chose to allow His Church to be part of His plan in sharing His redemption story with the world.

Matthew 28: 19 We see Jesus laying out this plan for the church.

Jesus Said “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 28:20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”

We are called to Make and equip disciples of Jesus Christ.

`Understand that All of nature cries out that there is a God, but it’s the churches responsibility to carry the Gospel of Jesus to the World.

Isaiah 52; “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good!”

The first step in a gospel transformation is for a sinner to hear the Word of Truth.

but understand that the Bible tells us that gospel is foolish to those who are lost.

It doesn’t make any sense because it goes against our human nature of self preservation, of self glorification, and of self gratification.

This is where the H.S. comes in-

God the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of the blind so that they will see their need for a Savior.

He is the catalyst of making the blind see.

It’s Only through the Holy Spirit’s working that a lost sinner can see and hear the truths of the gospel.

To Hear the Word of truth is to Hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The gospel that Jesus is God and that He died in the sinners place, to pay the price of the sinner’s debt, and to redeem the sinner back to God.

To Hear the gospel is the first step in our salvation story.

But hearing is not what saves us.

In fact, the scriptures tell us that many people will know the truth about Jesus but will still spend an eternity in Hell, because they never let their knowledge of Christ become the belief of their heart.

Transition The Holy Spirit is the active catalyst in bringing salvation to the lost and He does this through the witness of the Church.

2nd- The Hearer Believes in Christ

Ephesians 1:13-14- ”And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ

When the H.S. opens the eyes of the blind - and the sinner sees how wicked his heart is and how desperate he is for a savior, Believing is the logical step after hearing the Word of truth.

In Acts 16 We again see the story of Paul and Silas bound and shackled in the jail in Philippi .

During their time in prison they had been sharing the gospel of Christ with everyone in the jail including the Guards.

After a great earthquake that broke al the prisoners shackles, the jailer believing all of the prisoners had escaped was about to end his own life for fear of Caesar. But before He did it, Paul spoke up and told him that all of the prisoners where still there.

As a result the jailer realized He needed the peace that Paul and Silas had and he asked them a simple question:

“What must I do to be saved?”

To his simple question , they gave him a simple answer. “BELIEVE on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Ephesians 2:8 tells us that even the ability to believe in what we have heard is a gift from God. That gift is the Holy Spirit opening our eyes to our sin, and introducing us to a Savior.

So how does one believe on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ?

first -to believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be.

John 10:30 Jesus said “God The father and I are One”-

Jesus claimed to be God.

John 20:31 We see that those who followed Christ confirmed this with their writings-John wrote “ These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

To Believe that Jesus is God means that You believe:

He is perfect without sin,

He is the creator of all things,

He is the sustainer of everything,

He is all powerful, All knowing , and omnipresent- all at the same time.

To Believe in Jesus -is to believe He is Who He claimed to be. and that is God.

Secondly- to believe in Jesus is to believe in what He did.

Paul describes what Jesus did in 1 Cor. 15

1 Corinthians 15:1 1 “Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand, 15:2 and by which you are being saved, —(is this) that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 15:4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures,”

Believing in “God” is not enough to save you. The Bible Tells to hav e eternal life You must believe that Jesus is who he claimed to be, and that He accomplished what He claimed to do on the cross.

Christ came to earth as God. He lived perfectly as God. He went to the cross as God He payed our debt of sin as God, He died and was buried in the grave, as God, and 3 days later He rose from the grave defeating death and sin as God.

Our debt of sin is so great that only a sinless righteous God could pay for it in whole.

The gospel is so simple- In your bulletin today you will see the gospel of Jesus that has the power to save your debt of sin

It’s not my gospel but it’s the plan that God put into motion before time began. It’s his story of Good news for you.

READ THE GOSPEL PAMPHLET (sportsmen’s version)

Transition: The Holy Spirit is who opens our eyes so that we see our need for a savior. He is the one that points us to Christ.

The gift of Belief in Jesus is what saves us, but there is another beautiful part to God’s Gospel and we see that in the next verse.

Ephesians 1:13 -And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.”

Transition;

The Holy Spirit is the one who draws the sinner to Christ

The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts the sinner of sin.

& The Holy Spirit is the one who gives the sinner the ability to believe.

The H.S.’s work is NOT completed after our salvation.

but it’s The H.S. who also protects our salvation for eternity.

1:14 who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory.

God gives the believer the Holy Spirit as a guaranteed downpayment for an inheritance in heaven. He is the proof that we are in Christ.

TransitionThe 3rd aspect of our Salvation Story is that....

3rd- The Believer is Sealed because of the Gospel.

This word to be sealed carries with it some amazing legal ramifications.

To Be Sealed by the Spirit first means than the transaction is complete

Today, when important legal documents are completed they are stamped with the official seal to signify the completion of the transaction.

Story of my Diploma: One of the universities I went to was Liberty University. After a 165 college credits they gave me this legal documents

Hold up Diploma- Read it - “With all the rights and privileges thereunto appertaining. In witness whereof the SEAL OF THE UNIVERSITY and the signatures of the officers Hereunto Affixed. Magna Cum Laude”

When I finished my studies. and had completed everything that was required of me, they gave me this legal document with the Seal from the school- as proof that my work was completed in full. And that I had earned my bachelors degree in Theology.

No One can take this degree from me because I have the Mark of the school that secures my degree.

When We put our faith and trust in Jesus- Our Salvation is instantaneously sealed by God Himself.

The H.S. takes His stamp and and puts His seal on the transaction- It is Done and our debt of sin is Paid in Full.

In John 10:28-30 Jesus said “I give [my follows] eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch them from my Father’s hand.”

Understand that when you are “in Christ”- you salvation is secure. because the Holy Spirit has put His Seal of completion on it. Your debt is completely paid for , and no one can take it from you because it is secured in God’s Grace.

To Be Sealed by the Spirit 2ndly means that God has ownership of your life

The beautiful thing about the seal of the Spirit is that it is not just a finished transaction that we can hang on a wall but God’s sealing also implies ownership of our lives-

God puts His mark on you.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “,do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 6:20 For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.”

God purchased you from the slave market of Sin to be His own ,so that you can glorify Him.

When we are sealed by the The Holy Spirit it means that God himself will never leave us. God is always with us. Leading us and protecting us. and changing us to be like Jesus.

this means that we are safe and protected by God because we are marked with His Seal.

To Be Sealed by the Holy Spirit is the downpayment for an Eternity with God

Eph. 1:14 “you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession”

In Real Estate when we would right an offer for a property, we would give the seller an earnest money check. a downpayment that says we are committing to the final transaction.

It’s our guarantee that we will follow through with what We agreed on.

Philipians 1:6 Paul writes “For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee to the believer that He will finish the work that he started at their salvation.

The H.S. is the guarantee that God will bring the redeemed to glory someday when the work is completed.

The guarantee that we have to hold onto is that the Holy Spirit will be with us...

“until the redemption of God’s own Possession”

This final redemption is when Jesus Comes and takes His followers to glory with himself.

Our redemption has 3 parts to it .

1. Past Tense -We have been redeemed through belief in Jesus .

2. Present tense- We are being redeemed as the H..S. secures and changes us to be more like Jesus

3. Future Tense- We will be fully redeemed when Christ Returns and we become like Him.

God gave the church Himself as a gift. As the Holy Spirit He himself is our Guarantee that We will be completely redeemed one day and that we will spend an eternity in Heaven with God.

As our first section in our study through Ephesians comes to a close, We see that as the Church We are spiritually blessed by God.

for 4 weeks now we have studied the first 14 verses in Ephesians. Listens I read them i their entirety starting in vs 3

“Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ. 1:4 For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight, In love He did this by predestining us to adoption as his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will  to the praise of the glory of his grace that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son.  In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight.  He did this when he revealed to us the secret of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,  toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ—the things in heaven and the things on earth.  

In Christ we too have been claimed as God’s own possession, since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will  so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of his glory.  And when you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation)—when you believed in Christ—you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, who is the down payment of your inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession,

God Saved you because He Loved you. He did this “to the praise of his glory.”

- God gave you salvation so that You would see Him for who He is, and so that you can bring Him glory because of all that He has done for you!

- He has given us every spiritual blessing

- The point if this passage is this: Our salvation is all about God

God the Father planned the Church

God the Son Redeemed the Church

God the Spirit Protects the Church.

It’s All about God It’s His plan to save the lost.

So Now What?

Knowing that God chose to save you,

Knowing that Jesus Chose to Redeem You

and knowing that the Holy Spirit protects you

should cause you to want to share this gospel of Good news with the community around us.

God chose to use the church as his conduit for the gospel story .

We aren’t called to sit back and talk about it,

We aren’t called to just pray about,

We are not called to hunker down in our church and stay away from the world.

We are called to Go and share the gospel.

The reason we should be passionate about Making and Equipping Disciples of Jesus Christ is because we know that Christ is the only answer to the world’s debt of sin. He alone can bring the hope to the hopeless.

Since God is the one who is doing all the work in Salvation, we should have no fear in sharing His story with the Lost.

We as the redeemed children of God have no reason to fear the gospel.

In fact Our Church should be excited to go and share Christ because we know that..

God is the one who will open their eyes,

God is the one who will give them the ability to believe,

God is the one who will forgive their sins,

God He is the one who will secure their eternity.

Clear Lake Regular Baptist Church -It’s time for us to stop hunkering down. -

We have been called to “Make and Equip followers of Jesus in our community?

Let’s do this together and see What God can do through this little church in reaching the lost for Jesus.

WE ARE THE REDEEMED AND WE HAVE A STORY TO SHARE- Lets go Share it.