Signed, Sealed, and Delivered, PART 2

The Holy Spirit Promises Delivery of the Christian to Heaven.

Any Stamp collectors???

In the more than two centuries since Benjamin Franklin was appointed our first Postmaster General in 1775, the Postal Service™ has grown and changed with America, boldly embracing new technologies to better serve a growing population.

The Post Office Department issued its first postage stamps on July 1, 1847. Previously, letters were taken to a Post Office, where the postmaster would note the postage in the upper right corner. The postage rate was based on the number of sheets in the letter and the distance it would travel. Postage could be paid in advance by the writer, collected from the addressee on delivery, or paid partially in advance and partially upon delivery.

On March 3, 1847, Congress authorized United States postage stamps. The first general issue postage stamps went on sale in New York City, July 1, 1847. One, priced at five cents, depicted Benjamin Franklin. The other, a ten-cent stamp, pictured George Washington. Clerks used scissors to cut the stamps from pregummed, nonperforated sheets. Only Franklin and Washington appeared on stamps until 1856, when a five-cent stamp honoring Thomas Jefferson was issued. A two-cent Andrew Jackson stamp was added in 1863. George Washington has appeared on more U.S. postage stamps than any other person.

One of our favorite TV films: SIGNED, SEALED, and DELIVERED.

The Holy Spirit Promises Delivery of the Christian to Heaven.

We are signed for with the blood of Jesus, delivered by the Holy Spirit, and Received by God the Father. Are you signed, sealed, and ready to be delivered?

10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Quote)

Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there. Josh Billings

When the Christians at Ephesus rolled open this letter from Paul, they read one of the most majestic sentences in all of Greek literature. In English, verses 3-14, in Greek are one complete sentence. It is the longest sentence in the NT. They read this in their language and it changed their lives.

Sealed = “in order to mark a person or thing; hence to set a mark upon by the impress of a seal, to stamp.”

Thayer, J. H. (1889). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: being Grimm’s Wilke's Clavis Novi Testamenti (p. 609). New York: Harper & Brothers.

Earnest = ἀρραβών arrabōn; an earnest (a part payment in advance for security):—given as a pledge.

Thomas, R. L. (1998). New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries : updated edition. Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc.

Inheritance = “the eternal blessedness in the consummated kingdom of God which is to be expected after the visible return of Christ:”

Thayer, J. H. (1889). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: being Grimm’s Wilke's Clavis Novi Testamenti (p. 349). New York: Harper & Brothers.

The Word of Truth The Scriptures:

Sanctifies us.

John 17:17 KJV 1900

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Supplies us with direction.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV 1900

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Saves us, or births our salvation.

James 1:18 KJV 1900

Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Holy Spirit saves us, sets up house in us, and seals us all the way to Heaven!

The Holy Spirit Promises Delivery of the Christian to Heaven.

The Holy Spirit Promises Us.

Those who had tasted the Spirit had begun to taste the life of the future world that God had promised his people.

He was promised to us.

John 15:26 KJV 1900

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

To be marked … with a seal indicates authority, authenticity, and security. It is a validation of ownership. God seals, or marks, his children with the Holy Spirit, indicating that we are his, that we are authentic spiritual children, not fakes or impostors, and that we are under his protection.

He marks a promise for Jesus.

Sealed = “in order to mark a person or thing; hence to set a mark upon by the impress of a seal, to stamp.”

There are 2 SEALS or MARKS that are important:

The Mark or Seal of the Beast, the Antichrist.

The world is being conditioned to accept a mark. Vaccination card game plans can be used in the future. There has never been an attempt to implement a medical treatment to the entire globe. Every country, democracies, republics, monarchies, communists, and socialist; the world is being conditioned. I believe this MARK will be rolled into the digital currency market too.

Medical, identification, and money all together in the flesh.

Revelation 14:9–11 (KJV 1900)

And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (χάραγμα)

MARK = a stamp, an imprinted mark: of the mark stamped on the forehead or the right hand as the badge of the followers of Antichrist. (Engraved, in the flesh).

When Jesus “Marks” us - it is spiritual and yet irreversible. His Mark is the HOLY SPIRIT!

He promises us deliverance.

Ephesians 3:14–19 (KJV 1900)

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

The Holy Spirit Protects Us.

Sealed to Heaven.

Nothing can separate us from the Love of God.

Romans 8:38–39 KJV 1900

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

No One can erase our name out of the Lambs book of Life. Revelation 20

Sealed to The Father. Vs 3: Blessed be the Father Who blessed us…

IE. The Package is not opened until God the Father Receives us!

a. He Carries Us through Troubles.

Romans 8:16–17 KJV 1900

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

In the third century during the reign of Decius, he declared that all citizens must follow traditional gods and excluded the God of Christianity. This generation of Christians was not prepared for martyrdom and Decius’ rules created apostasy in the Christian ranks. The Roman imperial cult, part of the 10 waves of persecution starting in the days of John/Paul.

Total pressure in society to worship the empirical cult, idol, empower worship.

Some bowed down quickly renouncing Jesus.

some stood firm but with the threat of imprisonment or death came they took the opportunity to make a sacrifice and complied.

There were some obtained fake certificates of Temple worship.

Some refused at all and were killed.

There were cards issued as evidence a person had been to the temple to worship the false gods. Evidently, they had to present that as proof or be killed....

“Either as a concession to the Senate, or perhaps with the idea of improving public morality, Decius endeavoured to revive the separate office and authority of the censor.” He wanted the culture to be controlled.

We get the term “censorship” from this era of history (About 200 years after the resurrection). Censorship.

The Holy Spirit delivered the true Christians through the face of death and those executed woke up - delivered into the presence of Jesus.

We have lots of troubles today.

Nothing takes God by surprise.

He can glorify God through the trouble.

He can glorify us when we get to Heaven!

b. He convicts us to choose right.

1 John 3:24 KJV 1900

And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

WHEN Holy Spirit convicts us of right and wrong, that protects us from falling into evil and into the snares of Satan.

The Holy Spirit Provides For Us.

Redemption = ἀπολύτρωσις (to release on payment of ransom); a release effected by payment of ransom:—redemption(9), release(1).

Thomas, R. L. (1998). New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek dictionaries : updated edition. Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc.

Purchased Possession = reserved/preserved, possession, one’s own property:

Thayer, J. H. (1889). A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: being Grimm’s Wilke's Clavis Novi Testamenti (p. 504). New York: Harper & Brothers.

Jesus shows God the Father our names written in the Lambs Book of Life. The Transaction of redemption is complete, when we are delivered from this body into our new glorious body into Heaven.

God says: “HE belongs to me. She is mine.” Holy Spirit takes us home!

Ephesians 4:30 (KJV 1900)

And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

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The Holy Spirit Promises Delivery of the Christian to Heaven.

The Spirit Promises Us

The Spirit Protects Us

The Spirit Provides for Us

The Handbook of Magazine Article Writing contains this illustration by Philip Barry Osborne;

“Alex Haley, the author of ROOTS, has a picture in his office, showing a turtle sitting atop a fence. The picture is there to remind him of a lesson he learned long ago: ‘If you see a turtle on a fence post, you know he had some help.’“Says Alex, ‘Any time I start thinking, WOW, isn’t this marvelous what I’ve done! I look at that picture and remember how this turtle—me—got up on that post.’“

There is no way in the world we get to Heaven on our own. We are signed for with the blood of Jesus, delivered by the Holy Spirit, and Received by God the Father. Are you signed, sealed, and ready to be delivered?

RESPONSE:

We should glorify God - Give Him the credit for salvation.

Give God the Credit for preserving us and keeping us saved!

Keep reading the Holy Scriptures and let the Holy Spirit guide you through the problems of life.