Ephesians: "Sealed by the promised Holy Spirit..."

Good morning.

Alright, icebreaker is over.

Great job.

Okay, so hi everyone.

I'm Joseph.

I'm on the ops team here.

Hey guys, how you doing?

My parents are here today.

Say hi, parents.

So I am on the ops team.

If you guys like to move things and you're like looking to serve, we don't really like talk that much.

We just carry stuff around.

It's really great.

If you want like a peaceful Sunday morning vibe, but I'm gonna be doing the scripture reading today, and it is Ephesians 1, 3 through 14.

Do we have a slide?

Okay.

Praise be to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.

In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will, to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given to us, the one he loves.

In him we have redemption through his blood, through the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us.

With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reached their fulfillment, to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, when you believed, you are marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession, to the praise of his glory.

This is the word of the Lord.

How's everybody doing this morning?

Good, good, good.

Well, if we haven't had a chance to meet yet, my name is Charlie Craig, and I'm part of a church family here at Kingdom City.

And I also get to do a really cool thing and lead the ministry of FCA at Georgia State University, which is a passion point of mine, something that I really enjoy.

And God's doing some great work at Georgia State in our athletic department.

And I just want to say, go, Panthers.

Let's go.

Come on, that's the Panthers in the room.

Let's go.

Yeah, and I'll say this is that God's doing a work, I believe, in this generation and within young people and within our uh colleges here here in our nation.

And don't let anybody tell you that God's not moving because he is.

Amen.

All right, that God is moving, that God is doing his work, and that this gospel message is still going forward.

So I have the honor and privilege to continue in this series talking about in this book of Ephesians, which is an incredible book.

And I'm really going to focus in on chapter one, verses 13 and 14.

And I love how Paul says, and we can put it back up there if we can, but verses 13 and 14, how Paul says, You also were included in Christ.

Amen.

Everybody say, I'm included.

That we are included in Christ, that we are included in this gospel message.

So I'm gonna pray and we're gonna jump into it.

Lord, thank you so much for today.

Thank you for your spirit being among us and moving even as we speak.

I pray that you would soften every heart to receive this word from you, that we would leave encouraged with a stronger faith and a stronger perspective of who we are in you.

In your name we pray.

Everybody said, Amen.

Awesome, awesome.

So Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13, Paul says, You are included in Christ when you hear the gospel of Jesus.

Ephesians 1:13

All right.

To know that you are included in this message, that God's not like man.

There's certain people over here, and I'm really gonna focus in on them.

But he says, No, this is available to all humanity.

And the moment that you hear this gospel message, that you have been included in this.

So, so so who is who is this represent?

Us.

Everybody say it includes me.

Say it includes me.

All right, it includes you, it includes me, it includes all of us.

And and yeah, I don't know if if you've ever been in the situation of where you kind of missed an invitation, of like, man, I feel like I should have got the invite here, but I did not get the invite.

And now I'm kind of offended or kind of hurt, and I'm like, what's up with that?

Anybody ever been in that situation before?

Is it just me?

All right, of like, man, I feel like I should have been included in that, whether it's a work thing, whether it's a friendship thing, whether it's a whatever thing.

It's like I should have been included, but I was not included in that thing.

And there's this trend going around social media, and I really resonate with it.

I don't know about you, but there used to be this thing when I was younger, probably within a certain age group of like having FOMO.

Anybody know what FOMO means?

All right, what is it?

The fear of missing out.

Of like, man, I don't want to miss out on this thing.

Like, gosh, I want to be in the meeting, I want to be in the party, want to be at the dinner.

And uh now that I've gotten older, I don't know about you guys who are like, I don't know, 35 and up, who are like, man, now I kind of have this thing called phobia.

Does anybody know what phobe is?

Fear of being included.

The fear of being included.

Like, like once upon a time, I had this thing of like, man, I can't believe they didn't bring me into that meeting.

I feel like I really have a perspective to share.

And nowadays I get the email invite.

I'm like, why are they including me in this?

Do I really need to be a part of this conversation?

Or why am I included in this thing?

And it's like, man, it goes from one extreme to the other.

I feel like as we age.

I don't know, maybe everybody likes to be a part of something, but sometimes we have the fear of missing out, and sometimes we have the fear of being involved.

And uh, our perspective shifts as time goes.

But the good news today is that in this gospel message, that everybody is included, and everybody has an opportunity to follow Jesus and have a relationship with God.

Amen.

That Paul is telling us that you have been included in this gospel invitation, that this is an invitation into the family of God, that this is an invitation to know God as your father, an invitation to place to take your place among the people of God, to take your place among Jesus' church, which is the body of Christ, that this is an invitation to be transformed.

Everybody say transformed into the person that God created you to be.

That there are some people who who literally believe that there's just a chosen few or a chosen certain type of people who are included in this.

But Jesus says, Come all.

He says, Come all who are weary, that some believe that there's like some predetermined list that God has of like you go to hell, you go to heaven.

You go to hell, you go to heaven.

But God says this gospel message is open to anyone who wants to receive it.

In 1 Timothy chapter 2, it tells us that God, our Savior, desires for all people to be saved.

1 Timothy 2 · chapter mention

In 2 Peter chapter 3, it tells us that the Lord is patient towards us, that he's not, that he doesn't wish that anyone would perish.

2 Peter 3 · chapter mention

That the gospel in the New Testament goes on to say in 1 John chapter 4, that God sent his son to be the savior of the whole world.

1 John 4 · chapter mention

That Romans 10 tells us that that there's no distinction between Jew or Gentile, that everyone, if I say everyone, everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved, that this is an open invitation, and all of us have an opportunity to be included in this gospel salvation message, that the gospel message is an invitation that's available to all humanity.

Why?

Because the Bible tells us that God so loved what?

The world, that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever, say whosoever, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.

That hearing this gospel includes you in the invitation to Christ.

But the response is up to you.

The response is up to us.

Like I can be invited all I want, but I'm either going to accept the invitation or I'm going to reject the invitation.

Like my response is my responsibility.

That when we hear this truth of the gospel, that it's not for show, but it's an invitation and God includes all of us on the invite list.

Amen.

And God is hoping and waiting that you and I receive this gospel message and accept the love that He so generously lavishes upon us.

So when we receive and accept this invitation, something incredible happens.

Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13.

Ephesians 1:13

Again, Paul says, When you believe, here I say believed.

When you believed, he says that you were marked in him with a seal, the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Everybody say marked?

Everybody say sealed.

All right, is everybody okay today?

Like I'm a talk back preacher.

Is that gonna be okay with y'all?

If not, then just yes, endure it by the grace of God.

All right, everybody say marked?

Everybody say sealed.

All right, that he says that when we believe, when we accept this invitation, that we've been marked in him with a seal, which is the promise of God the Holy Spirit, that the Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity, that he is God within us, assuring that we belong to God, empowering us to obey Christ, and transforming us to become more and more like Christ.

That's the role of the Holy Spirit, God the Holy Spirit in our lives.

So, so when Paul says that you have been sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit, this has significance to it.

That we are marked with a seal.

That the Bible tells us that this seal is the promise of God the Holy Spirit.

Promised by who?

Jesus.

That we are marked with the seal of Jesus' promise, God the Holy Spirit.

So what does Jesus say about the Holy Spirit?

I have five things right here, five verses that we will read right here, and five things that Jesus says about the Holy Spirit when you hear this teaching, like, man, Jesus says that he's promising this Holy Spirit, that we've been marked and sealed with the Spirit.

Like, what does that mean to me?

Well, let's hear what Jesus says about it.

Amen.

Right, John chapter 14, verses 16 and 17, Jesus says, And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper who will be with you forever, even the spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.

John 14:16

You know him, for he dwells with you, and he will be within you.

John 14, verse 26, Jesus says, 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 that I have said to you.

John 14:26

Jesus goes on to say in John chapter 15, verse 26, he says, But when the helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, he will bear witness about me.

John 15:26

In John 16, verse 13 through 15, Jesus says, When the Spirit of truth comes, then he will guide you to all truth.

John 16:13–15

For he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

And he says, He will glorify me, is Jesus speaking.

Jesus says, He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

All that the Father has in me, therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

And then Jesus goes on to say in Acts chapter 1, verse 8, he says, That you will receive power, if I say power, when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

Acts 1:8

So, what is Jesus telling us right here?

He's saying, I have a promise for you that when I go away, that I'm not just leaving you, but I'm leaving God within you to be your helper.

So Jesus says that the Holy Spirit dwells within believers permanently.

That the Spirit teaches and reminds believers about what Jesus says.

That the spirit teaches and reminds believers Jesus' words, that the spirit testifies about Jesus, that the spirit guides believers into truth, and the spirit glorifies Christ.

The Holy Spirit empowers believers to do what?

To be Christ's witnesses.

Like this is what Jesus says about the Holy Spirit.

So when Paul comes back and says that the Holy Spirit is the one that seals you, the Holy Spirit is the one that marks you, that this is what he's talking about.

Amen.

That this is what seals our salvation.

It's the Holy Spirit.

That if there is no Holy Spirit, then there is no assurance of our salvation.

There's no assurance of our position in the hands of God.

But if there's no Holy Spirit, there's no assurance of eternal life because it's God's Spirit within us that differentiates us from the rest of the world and that marks us as true children of God.

And the question is, the challenge is, are you living according to the mark?

Come on.

Are you living according to the seal that we claim to have as believers in Jesus Christ?

So what's so significant about seal?

What's the big deal?

Why does Paul say, man, you've been marked and you've been sealed?

Like, why is that so significant in the ancient world and also in the fancy circles today?

You know, I got a wedding invitation not too long ago, and uh, you know how how they do with the wax and they put the mark on there, and it's like, man, I feel like if I open this, like I'm like something sacred on the inside.

And it's like, oh, so wedding invitation, great.

And which is always awesome.

But you're like, man, this is like super fancy.

Like you got this wax, and you got the seal, and and I love this, like it's a little bit more significant in this time right here.

That a seal communicated four things, all right?

It communicated ownership, it communicated authenticity, it communicated security and authority.

So, how does this translate spiritually in the way that Paul is communicating right here in Ephesians chapter one?

I want to talk about each of those things, and this will kind of be the meat of the message of like what it means to be sealed by the Holy Spirit.

Number one, ownership.

Everybody say ownership.

As Christ followers, you belong to God.

Everybody say I belong to God.

Identity cannot be secure in our performance, it can't be secure by our titles, by our possessions, or by our relationships or anything in this world.

Our identity is found in the truth that I am a child of God who was created by God, who is loved by God, and who is held by God, and who belongs to God.

Can I get a good amen in the room?

Like that's our identity in Christ.

That belonging to God is not bondage, that it's not restrictive, but it's freedom.

Everybody say freedom.

It's freedom, it's me living according to the way that God designed and created me to live, and it's the only way that my life can really have true purpose.

Amen.

First Corinthians chapter 6, verses 19 and 20 says it like this.

1 Corinthians 6:19

It says, Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?

You are not your own, but you have been bought with the price.

So glorify God in your body.

It's like, man, I belong to God, and that's an honor, that that's a privilege.

Like I've been marked and sealed by the creator of the universe.

A misplaced identity becomes a mishandled life.

Amen.

Is that fair?

Like a misplaced identity apart from who God's called us to be becomes a mishandled, a not well-stewarded life.

That is impossible to steward the gift of life if you are not submitted to the giver of life.

Amen.

Like it's impossible to steward the gift that God has given us of our life if we are not submitted to the one who created and who has given us this very life.

I love how God says it in Isaiah chapter 43, verse 1.

Isaiah 43:1

He says, Fear not, for I have redeemed you.

We talked about this last week.

He says, Fear not, for I have redeemed you, and I have called you by name.

And he says, You are mine.

Like what an honor and a privilege it is to belong to God.

What an honor and privilege it is to be a part of the family of God.

There's this old song that they used to sing about being in the family of God.

I'm not quite sure how it goes.

I would sing it if I could recall it, but go look it up by the Gaiters.

All right.

That I am a part of the family of God, and that's something that I can rejoice in.

Amen?

That I can rejoice in the fact that I am sealed by the Holy Spirit because I belong to God and God loves me.

Amen.

This is good news today.

That I belong to God and that God loves me.

That true freedom is not only knowing my creator, but it is knowing that I belong to him and that I am loved by him.

Let me get a good amen in the room.

Number two, authenticity.

So the significance of a seal is being authenticity.

That the Holy Spirit confirms that we are truly God's children.

This is the interaction between God and Moses in the Old Testament.

In Exodus chapter 33, verses 14 through 16.

Exodus 33:14–16

And he says, My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.

This is God speaking to Moses.

And then Moses says to God, If your presence will not go with me, then do not bring us up from here.

For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight?

I and your people.

Is it not in your going with us so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?

Like Moses is saying, like, man, if I don't have the presence of God, like God, if you're not going with us, then then what's the difference between me and everyone else?

What's the difference between us and everyone else?

What's the difference between followers of Jesus and everybody else in the world if God's presence isn't with us and within us?

A marked seal authentifies where something is coming from or what something belongs to.

The Holy Spirit marks us in such a way that we are unmistakably from God.

That when people see or hear from us, that they are seeing and hearing from God.

But that's the difference right there.

Is that it's not just God with us, but it's God within us.

That when people see us and when they hear from us, that they are seeing and they are hearing from the living God, who's the creator of the heavens and the earth and all things.

To cover your mark in order to blend in is to live below the standard that God has called us to.

Dark places need light, cold environments need fire.

Blandness needs salt.

And this is why Jesus says that we are called to be salt and light.

Everybody say salt?

Everybody say light.

That we're called to be salt and light, that we're called to make things better and to make things brighter, to let your light shine so that people see your good and they glorify God, our Father, who is in heaven.

Like this is how we're different from the rest of the world.

Amen.

All right, that you are marked for a reason, for a purpose.

Everybody say I'm marked?

Say for a reason and for a purpose.

You are authenticated by God the Holy Spirit, not because you're better than anyone else, but because you have been pulled out of darkness into God's marvelous light with an official mission appointing and introducing others to Jesus, to give gospel invitations to everyone that we possibly can.

Like this is the official mission from God to us, that we have been authenticated for this, that I cannot be like everyone else because I have been marked.

If I say I've been marked, that I am I am an authenticated agent of God's grace, of God's mercy, of God's love, and God's truth.

That I am an authenticated child of God created to be who God has created me to be.

That some people are gonna like it and some people are gonna hate it, but I am who God says that I am.

Can I get a good?

Amen in the room.

That I am who God says that I am, and there's makes no sense for me to try to hide that thing.

It makes no sense for me to try to blend in or cover the mark.

No, I am who God says that I am, and I want to live out the plan and purpose that He has for my life.

So let your light shine.

Amen.

All right, to be salt and to be light throughout the earth, to make things better and to make things brighter.

The next one is security.

Here I say security.

All right.

God secures what belongs to him.

To live insecurely is to live as if you don't belong to God.

Amen?

That you are God's child.

Say I'm God's child.

And the question is like, is that enough?

Like, is that enough for you?

To say that I am a child of God?

That I belong to God?

That I have been marked and sealed by God the Holy Spirit.

And is that enough?

Is the question that I have to ask myself.

Like, what about what people think?

What about the money I have or don't have?

What about the track of life that I'm on?

I feel like man, I'm too far behind and things aren't particularly going my way.

What about all of these things?

What about what the creator says about you?

What about what God says about you?

What about the fact and the truth that I've been marked and sealed by God the Holy Spirit?

Like, is that enough?

Like, is that going to be enough for me?

If God isn't enough, then nothing will ever be enough.

Didn't get a lot of amens right there, but I'm gonna trust God that it's landing somewhere.

All right, that if God is not enough for me, then nothing will ever be enough.

Then I'm always going to be striving.

I'm always gonna be fighting for more.

I'm always going to be trying to prove myself or compare myself against others.

Like if God is not enough, then there's nothing in this world that's going to satisfy.

Like if I don't trust the shepherd, then there's nothing in this world that's stable that I can trust.

In John chapter 10, verses 29, 27 through 29, Jesus is speaking right here, and he says, My sheep listen to my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

John 10:29

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.

He says, No one can snatch them away from me.

For my father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else.

No one can snatch them from the Father's hands.

Like that's security right there.

Amen?

That people might be able to take a lot of things from me, that we might lose a lot of things in life, but our relationship with God is secure.

Everybody say secure.

My relationship with God is the one thing that cannot be taken away because God, the Holy Spirit, seals us into this relationship.

That too many of us are struggling and fighting to hold on to God when all alone God is actually holding on to us.

Amen.

That our confidence is not about our ability to hold on to God, but it's his ability to hold on to us, and I can rest in his hands.

Somebody say amen.

That I can rest in the hands of God, that I don't have to worry about trying to measure up, that I don't have to worry about comparing myself against someone else.

I can stop proving, I can stop fighting for security, and I can start living from a secure place in Christ.

To be insecure, anybody know any insecure people?

We all have insecurities, right?

All right, so to be insecure means that we're fearful of something because we feel unsafe about something and it's projected in many different ways.

And when we feel insecure concerning anything, but especially when it comes to our relationship with God and concerning our salvation, that we have to remember who's on the giving side of this relationship.

Amen.

That the Bible says that the Lord is my shepherd.

Amen.

All right.

I'm gonna read Psalms 23 right here.

And I just want us to receive this and just take it in right here.

Psalms 23 says, The Lord is my shepherd.

Everybody say, The Lord is my shepherd.

It says, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in the path of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil, and my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Like that's our position in God.

That He is our shepherd.

Amen.

Come on, give God a hand clap of praise this morning if you believe it.

The last one right here is authority.

Everybody say authority.

That a king's seal carries his authority, that a marked seal was representation of the authority of the sender.

That who is this person sent by?

Who is this letter from?

And that's going to determine the authority.

That a lot of times we get into this thing about like, man, delegation and empowerment.

Like delegation is like, man, I'm giving you tasks.

To be empowered means that I'm giving you authority.

And what the Bible is telling us is that we have authority in Christ Jesus because we have been marked and we have been sealed by his Holy Spirit.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we've been empowered by the Spirit.

And we don't walk into the places of our life, or it's our campus, our workplace, our family.

We don't walk anywhere alone.

That we go with the presence and with the authority of God.

Amen?

That we have more authority than we think that we have.

I had a mentor tell me that one time.

Uh we did, I probably shouldn't tell this story being recorded, but we did we did a water baptism deal at Georgia State University.

It was amazing, it was awesome.

And uh somebody came as a guest and they were like, man, so cool that they allow you to use the football field like this for these baptisms.

And I got to thinking.

I was like, I don't know if I ever really asked permission to do this.

I said, Well, we're here now.

There's over a hundred of us out here.

And and one mentor of mine said, Man, we have more authority than we think we have.

I'm like, you know what, you're right.

You are exactly right.

So so the authority that God has given us is an awesome thing.

Try to find my place here.

So as followers of Jesus, we are spirit-empowered.

All right, not just delegated to do tasks, but we've been given authority by God everywhere that we go.

That light has authority over darkness, that godliness has authority over wickedness, that order has authority over chaos.

And the question is: are you leaning into the authority that God has given you, or are you living your life passively?

James chapter 4, verse 7 says, Submit yourselves to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:7

The authority flows from submission to God.

That if I'm gonna lean into having authority in Christ Jesus, then I need to be submitted to Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians chapter 10 says that the weapons of our warfare are not flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

2 Corinthians 10 · chapter mention

That God equips us with spiritual weapons to confront lies and spiritual opposition.

Ephesians chapter 6 goes on to say that we are to be strong.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

If I say be strong, to be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might, and to put on the whole armor of God, that our strength comes from the Lord, and we stand firm by using his armor.

Luke chapter 10, verse 19, Jesus says, Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions over all the powers of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

Luke 10:19

That Jesus empowers his followers to have authority and power over Satan.

Can I get a good amen in the room?

That the seal of the Holy Spirit is not just a mark of ownership, but it's a reminder of God's presence.

It's a reminder of his power.

It's Christ's authority at work in every believer.

That we don't fight for victory, but we fight from a place of victory because Jesus has already won and he has empowered us with his spirit.

Come on now, somebody.

So, with all this being said, how do we live according to this promise?

Because the goal with a message like this, like man, what I do with this on Monday morning, is a question that I'm always asking.

And it's a perspective shift.

That's the goal of this message.

It's a faith-building perspective shift for us.

So live in the promise.

Everybody say live in the promise.

In Ephesians chapter 4, verse 30, it says, do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way that you live.

Ephesians 4:30

Like what a statement right there.

That's convicting, right?

He says, do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way that you live.

He says, remember, everybody say you remember?

Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

Like what a what a what an identity right there.

So are you living according to the marked seal that's on your life?

Are you living according to the leading of God's Holy Spirit?

If not, then we tarnish the name.

We confuse society and we forfeit the power of that seal.

And I don't want to waste the authority and the power that God has given me by living in some way that's contrary to the mark and the seal.

This marked seal of the Spirit isn't a collector's item.

It isn't decoration.

It isn't something that goes on a wedding invitation that makes you say, oh, that's cute.

It isn't a logoed brand.

It's the work and power of God in our lives.

It's our guarantee.

Everybody say guarantee.

It's our guarantee.

It's God's deposit to us as a promise that the work of Christ will be brought to completion.

And I want to close right here on that point of saying that the Holy Spirit is our deposit.

Everybody say the Holy Spirit is my deposit.

Ephesians chapter 1, verses 13 through 14, Paul writes and he says, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.

Ephesians 1:13–14

Like this word guarantee refers to a first installment, a pledge that more is coming.

That the Holy Spirit is God's way of saying there is more to come.

That I'm not done.

That the completion of the work in your life and all humanity is on the way.

That the best is not behind us, but the best is ahead of us.

Amen.

That heaven is real, that resurrection is coming.

That suffering is temporary, and that glory is ahead.

Can I get a good amen in the room?

That the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit within us is just a taste of heaven.

Like God's presence and God the Holy Spirit as our mark and as our seal, and as all the things that we just talked about with ownership and authority and authenticity and security, all those things is just a taste of heaven.

Like it's a glimpse of heaven that we see in our lives within us for real.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verses 5 through 8.

2 Corinthians 5:5–8

And he says that God Himself has prepared us for this.

And as a guarantee, he has given us his Holy Spirit.

So we are always confident.

Say confident that we're always confident that even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies, we are not home with the Lord.

For we live by believing and not seeing.

Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

That more than anything, our heavenly home is secure.

And we see that by the mark and the seal of the Holy Spirit in our lives here on earth, that our natural lives and our natural bodies are going to come and one day they're going to go.

And that while we're here on the earth, that we can lean into the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit and do things in the supernatural that we can't do according to our own strength and see a glimpse of heaven on earth.

That all the suffering that we experience, the Holy Spirit empowers us to overcome.

And it cannot compare to the glory that the Father has for us in heaven, that the power of the Holy Spirit is a taste of home.

Amen.

It's a taste of home.

And I'll leave us with this: that because we are sealed, we don't have to fear rejection.

Because we are accepted, we don't have to fear abandonment.

That because God is with us, we don't have to fear the future.

Because our inheritance is secure, we don't have to fear death.

Because eternity belongs to those who belong to Christ.

So as our prayer team comes, and as you respond in every in any way that you see necessary, whether it's God help me to receive this by faith.

Like I'm experiencing some insecurity that projects itself in different ways, or maybe I'm experiencing some insecurity when it comes to my relationship with God.

God help me to receive your Holy Spirit in such a way that I live my life that is marked and sealed.

Let's pray.

God, thank you for your word.

Thank you for your Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit, we say that you are welcome in this place.

We declare that we need you more than anything.

Holy Spirit, we invite you to have your way in our lives, in our church.

In everything possible, Father, come and fill our lives with your spirit.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.