Sealed - Part 3Näide

DAY 1: The Seal of the Spirit

In John 16, Jesus spoke words that sounded very strange to His disciples. He told them that He had to go away.

For those who had left everything to follow Him, those who had no one else to turn to but Him, and those whose hopes were entirely centered on Him, the idea that Jesus' departure could be an advantage was inconceivable. Sadness filled their hearts.

For three years, the disciples had experienced the gift of walking with God Himself. Everything they had hoped for from the Law and the Prophets was standing before them in the flesh. Every prayer they could utter had the potential to be answered by the One who was with them. All their inner struggles, the trials of their families, and the persecution from their people found their solution in Him—the One who had finally come.

Yet, Jesus said: It is to your advantage that I go away.

An incomprehensible thought for the disciples to grasp.

How could it be an advantage for the Messiah, the Ruler of the Universe, the Creator of all things, to leave them and go away?

He explained that He needed to go so that the Helper, the Holy Spirit, could come. God would anoint them and establish them in Christ, sealing them with the Holy Spirit.

A seal is imprinted on a material softened by heat to leave an imprint of itself. The purpose of the divine indwelling, Christ’s unique gift to every Christian soul, is to shape the recipient into the image of the divine inhabitant.

Jesus said that not having Him physically present with us would actually be beneficial. How is having the Holy Spirit better than the physical presence of Jesus at this moment in history?

When Jesus first came, He took on human form. After He died and rose from the dead, His body was glorified, but still in human flesh. With the arrival of the Holy Spirit, the image of Christ could once again be imprinted on humanity, not as a mark made by man, but as a living, dynamic seal placed by God.

It is the Holy Spirit who dispenses the love of God that we long for. It is the Holy Spirit who fills the deep need for divine fullness and sufficiency, transforming emptiness into abundance, prayers into promises fulfilled. The seal of the Holy Spirit imprinted upon us is what gives us our identity, causes us to cry out "Abba! Father!" and leads us into Truth.

The seal of the Holy Spirit is God’s mark upon those who trust in Jesus for their salvation. It is not a mark of loyalty to man or artificial intelligence.

It is the only seal that testifies of Jesus.

In this generation, fascinated by technological advancements, every other mark will testify of the world and the antichrist.

"Every man who loves Jesus Christ has the Spirit in the measure of his faith, and if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him." – MacLaren

My Prayer:

Father God, once again, I thank You for sending Your Son to show me the Way to You, the Truth that sets me free, and the Life that leads me to eternal life. The seal of the Holy Spirit is Your mark upon me.

Spirit of Truth, guide me into all Truth.
Spirit of God, speak to me the Words of Life.
Holy Spirit, convict me concerning the world, sin, and righteousness.
Glorify Jesus in my life today.
Deliver me from the mark of this world.
I belong to the Lord Jesus.

In the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Amen.