Wilderness Wanderings

"When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me (John 15:26).

One of the modern greats of the Christian faith once wrote, 'The Holy Spirit is the shy member of the Trinity.' The Spirit does not want to draw attention to himself, rather, he is constantly pointing the spotlight onto Jesus. Jesus suggested as much when he told the disciples that the Spirit would come to clear up all the mystery about him.

And so, maybe it is proper that as Christians, we pay more attention to Jesus than to the Spirit. After all, the work of the Spirit is to work into our lives the redemption of Christ like yeast into dough or chili powder into a pot of beans and sauce. Even though yeast and chili powder disappear into the mix never to be seen again, they make a tremendous difference in the finished product.

Likewise, the Spirit works in our lives, without drawing attention to himself. As was noted several days ago, without the Spirit there is no progress in the Christian life. But here is the caveat, Paul tells us 'To walk in step with the Spirit' (Galatians 5:23).

Whereas dough and beans are inactive in the process of making bread and chili, the Christian is an active participant in the work of the Spirit. So, I wonder if a neglect of this scriptural teaching hinders our progress in Christian discipleship. Consider a few passages that illuminate what 'walking with the Spirit' looks like.

"The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace" (Romans 8:6). "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children" (Romans 8:16). "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans (Romans 8:26).

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13). "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30). "Don't fill yourself up with wine. Getting drunk will lead to wild living. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18-19).

Even if he is the shy member of the Trinity, the Spirit is extremely important in the life of the Christian. Here is another matter, the Spirit does not push and shove. Though persistent, the Spirit is gentle and patient. The Spirit rarely comes in like a wrecking ball; his preferred method is 'the gentle whisper' through which God spoke to Elijah (1 Kings 19:12-13).

In doing this work of kneading redemption into our lives, the Holy Spirit needs to speak truth. "Speaking truth to power" is a current catch phrase. In the Christian life, we are 'the power'. The Spirit needs to speak truth to us. He needs to tell us about our idolatries; he needs to point out our sinful habits; he needs to show our unwillingness to forgive; he needs to reveal how we are more interested in building our own kingdoms, rather than participating in the building of God's kingdom.

But we do not want to hear that. The Spirit wants to convict us of our sin, but we do not want to be convicted. The Spirit would have us abide in Christ, but we would rather stay in the crumbling homes we have built for ourselves. Jesus repeatedly calls him 'the Spirit of truth." His role is to show us the truth about ourselves. But we would rather remain ignorant.

If that is why we neglect the Spirit, let's start listening so we can walk in step with the Spirit of Truth.

"As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." (John 20:21)

All disciplines at their core are missional. They bring us into the reality of what it means to live according to the mission of God in the Church and in the world. Just as spiritual gifts are to be used for the benefit of the body of Christ and to reveal Christ to the world, so too spiritual disciplines are not simply a way to improve ourselves and our own personal walk, although this is a definite benefit to us. Disciplines are not only for self-help, but rather in order to transform our heart and also, the world.

So, what does living out the mission of God mean for us? I will answer with a couple of quotes from Lesslie Newbigin who calls "mission as love in action." And also states that "the Christian mission is thus to act out in the whole life of the whole world the confession that Jesus is Lord of all." From Jesus' Sermon on the Mount came a spiritual renewal and a spiritual revolution. Such that our beliefs, ideas, habits, inner self, and outer social relations, both to others and to the world are impacted. This is the work of the Holy Spirit in the spiritual disciplines that we practice. This is the act of missional living.

There is a natural overflow in personal transformation to become more Christlike in our nature and in extension in how we relate to and interact with the world. Even social structures become transformed. "Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!" (Amos 5:25).

Spiritual formation that doesn't transform our lives to engage with the world runs the risk of self-preservation, self-indulgence and self-idolatry, turning a spiritual practice into something that is "for our own good" and missing the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives and the world.

Disciplines such as solitude, silence and prayer are important because spiritual formation renders the transformation of hearts, and in turn the ability to embrace the mission and values of the kingdom of God. To bless those who curse us, give without expecting payback, forgive those who have done wrong, live generously, serve sacrificially, deny ourselves, follow after Jesus for the sake of others…the list could go on.

Spiritual practices are not simply to puff up our own egos, or to feel more righteous in our relationship with God or with others. They are about holistic transformation. Whole person, whole Church, whole community, whole world. Spiritual disciplines are a means to intimacy with God and with one another. Relationship and mission go hand in hand.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were 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 (Ephesians 1:13-14).

It appears easier for us Christians to speak about God the Father and God the Son then about God the Holy Spirit. Somehow, the concrete actions of God as Creator and God as Redeemer are easier for us to get our minds around than God the Sanctifier. Mind you, the creating and redeeming actions of God are mind blowing enough. But exactly who the Spirit is and what the Spirit does seems to allude consensus among Christians. When we pray, we generally address God the Father or God the Son, but not so often, God the Holy Spirit.

Part of the praying thing is that we rightly follow Jesus' instruction to address God as Father. I suspect that the lack of clarity regarding the Holy Spirit is mostly due to poor preaching, at least for the branch of the church I am most familiar with. Strangely, our confessions give us a rather clear picture of the Spirit's work.

Consider these examples. First, from the Heidelberg Catechism:

"Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him" (A1).

It includes this prayer, "We are too weak to hold our own even for a moment. And our sworn enemies-the devil, the world, and our own flesh-never stop attacking us. And so, Lord, uphold us and make us strong with the strength of your Holy Spirit, so that we may not go down to defeat in this spiritual struggle, but may firmly resist our enemies until we finally win the complete victory (A127).

"Through the Holy Spirit, who lives both in Christ and in us, we are united more and more to Christ's blessed body. And so, although he is in heaven and we are on earth, we are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. And we forever live on and are governed by one Spirit, as members of our body are by one soul" (A76).

The Belgic Confession summarizes this rather bluntly, "The Holy Spirit is our Sanctifier, by living in our hearts" (BC 9).

The Contemporary Testimony elaborates, "The Spirit renews our hearts and moves us to faith, leads us into truth, and helps us to pray, stands by us in our need, and makes our obedience fresh and vibrant. God the Spirit lavishes gifts on the church in astonishing variety-prophecy, encouragement, healing, teaching, service, tongues, discernment-equipping each member to build up the body of Christ and to serve our neighbors" (20).

Back to the Heidelberg Catechism, it says that Jesus "sends his Spirit to us on earth as a further guarantee. By the Spirit's power we make the goal of our lives, not earthly things, but the things above where Christ is, sitting at God's right hand" (A49).

These confessions, both ancient and modern, all agree, the Christian life is only lived by the power of the Spirit. Any and all progress we make in the journey of discipleship does not happen without the Holy Spirit. As we mature in the Christian life, our desires are drawn away from the things of this world and focussed on Christ. The Holy Spirit is so intricately involved in the Christian life, how can we neglect him?

In our text Paul writes that the Spirit is a deposit guaranteeing the completion of our redemption. He does not mean that the Holy Spirit is present at our conversion and then returns to wrap things up. Its more akin to mortgage payments. The Holy Spirit is constantly present to work redemption into our lives, 'to unite us more and more to Christ's body.'

Let us live with confidence that the good work which God began in us, the Holy Spirit will see to its conclusion.

"I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:20b-23)

This passage comes in the middle of Jesus' longest recorded prayer. What is this prayer about? Unity with God and with one another. Unity is about more than being together or even knowing one another. Unity is taking part in one another. Peter says that unity with God is participation in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Paul says that this unity is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27). Christ, His life, and His Spirit is within our very being. We are one with Him.

And so, we are united with one another not because we share the same nationality or socioeconomic status or denomination. We are one because we belong to and are first one with Christ, who is the author of our unity with Him and one another, by reconciling us to Himself through His work on the cross.

Because we are made in the image of God, we reflect God and God Himself is united in Trinity. Three Persons in One. A dependence on One Another as Holy God, and an interdependence one upon the other in all things. Our Christian walk with God is to display that dependence upon Him and an interdependence on one another in the body of Christ.

We are one because we were first made one with Christ. And through our oneness with Christ and with one another, through our Christian love, the world will see Christ in us and will know that Jesus is God, the Saviour of the world. Christian love. The greatest witness of all.

But what of all the divisions and factions and schisms in the modern church and throughout history? How can we reconcile any of this? We live in a fallen world, yet we can know that God has been at work through it all. Christianity itself has not only survived but has grown from a small group of believers called "the Way" in the first century to about a third of people in the world today following Christ. Christian love and unity is a foreign concept in modern society, and it has been through the ages too. Yet, it is something that makes us distinct as believers. That we are all united, we all belong to one body, we are all members of Christ.

"So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26-28).

So, let us remember that God has called us to live in unity with one another and with Him, to live as children of God, brothers and sisters of Christ and to "as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Romans 12:18). When we "clothe ourselves with Christ" we look for the good in one another without holding onto grudges or prejudices. We look for the ways God is working instead of the way people are failing. We look at what it means to be a body of Christ, united in Christ and united to one another.

A special, extended Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Romans 12:9-13 from the New International Version of the Bible. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

DIVE IN

1. What is your understanding of hospitality? What does hospitality look like today in our culture? How does it differ from Biblical/eastern understanding?
2. Who should be the central concern in hospitality?
3. How does trust in God spur us towards hospitality?
4. Why does Paul write, "Share with the Lord's people who are in need" and then "Practice hospitality"?
5. How does hospitality change the relationship between two people?

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were 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 (Ephesians 1:13-14)

Let's now turn our attention to the second image for the Holy Spirit in this text, a "deposit guaranteeing our inheritance". To wrestle with this image, we need to remember that salvation is much more than just a free 'get out of jail' card, jail being this earth and freedom being heaven. In the Bible salvation is always so much more.

The Biblical image for salvation is rooted in Israel's exodus from Egypt. Certainly, God delivers Israel from slavery in Egypt. What is often not mentioned is that he set them free for a purpose. In Exodus 19, God says, "Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (5,6).

Here we are squarely in the arena of obedience, which, as we have noted, is the domain of the Holy Spirit. But we also see a much larger vision of God's redemption. Israel will be God's treasured possession, not for Israel's sake, but for the sake of the world. This treasured possession is God's beacon through which he will redeem the entire world for himself.

Paul adds a new dimension in Ephesians 4 writing that when the Christians were saved, they were taught "to be made new in the attitude of [their] minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (23-24). This language picks up the words of Genesis 1 in which God creates us in his image, stewards of his creation. Salvation's purpose is to restore us so that we can fulfill our original purpose.

But this does not happen the moment we come to believe in Jesus. This will not be fully realized until the work of redemption is complete with Jesus' return. The Spirit is God's deposit guaranteeing that he will finish this work. And he is at work now, in each of us. The Heidelberg Catechism addresses this several times.

In answer 53 we learn that the Holy Spirit "has been given to me personally, so that, by true faith, he makes me share in Christ and all his blessings, comforts me, and remains with me forever." When the student wonders why we must do good, the teacher replies, "we do good because Christ by his Spirit is also renewing us to be like himself, so that in all our living we may show that we are thankful to God for all he has done for us, and so that he may be praised through us" (A 86). Sounds like our text.

The HC is even more pointed in its teaching on the Sabbath. The second half of the answer is often missed, but I think is the most important part. To keep Sabbath means "that every day of my life I rest from my evil ways, let the Lord work in me through his Spirit, and so begin already in this life the eternal Sabbath" (A 103).

Elsewhere the Catechism teachers write that "by the Spirit's power we make the goal of our lives, not earthly things, but the things above where Christ is, sitting at God's right hand" (A 49).

As the Spirit moves into our lives, we change. We become less tied to this present evil age and long increasingly for the fullness of God's shalom. As a deposit, the Spirit awakens in us a deep longing for a world as it should be. As we look forward to the new heavens and earth, we live more and more like the people who will populate the redeemed creation.

Over this coming weekend, allow the Spirit to test your longings. Let him change them.

All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. (James 3:7-10).

The Bible is filled with instruction on the use of our words. The words we speak hold great power. Power to loose or to bind (Matt 16:19), the power to profess or to profane (James 3:9-10,), the power of life and death (Prov 18:21). David cries out, "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!" (Ps 141:3). He understood the power of the spoken word and the difficulty involved in taming the tongue.

Although we are able to tame wild animals, we cannot ever tame our tongue. But! The tongue can be brought under the power and the control of the Holy Spirit if we submit our words to Him. A woman once came to John Wesley and said that she knew what her talent was. "I think that my talent from God is to speak my mind" she told him. Wesley replied, "I don't think God would mind if you buried that talent." God doesn't want us to simply speak whatever passes through our mind. Such talk is "a restless evil, full of deadly poison." God wants us to submit our speech to Him in order that we would bless and not curse, lift up and not tear down.

When I was a child there was a saying that was often used on the schoolyard. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!" Although I have been surrounded by neighbourhood children for the last decade I have not once heard that saying uttered. And that is good. There is a deep untruth to those words. The hope of an encouraging word or the wound left by a hurtful word are both very real and can penetrate our heart deeper than many a physical injury.

What words do you use when you speak to a friend, or a family member? How about when you are speaking to or about a person or group that you don't agree with, who has wronged you or someone else or who rubs you the wrong way? How do you speak to those of a different faith, a different denomination or who are questioning or even outright opposing Jesus? Do you treat all people as image bearers of God with the words you speak?

Jesus says, "A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). Paul too understood this mystery, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen" (Eph 4:29).

Today, listen to the words you speak to others and how you speak about others. Do you catch yourself saying hopeful, helpful, encouraging and loving words? Do you speak accusing, blaming, bitter or condemning words? Maybe your point of view is the "right" one, but maybe being right is not the point of our speech. Maybe we should listen to James, to David, to Jesus, to Paul. Our words come from what is deep within us, with the power to hurt or to heal, to praise or to curse. How will you choose to use your words today?

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were 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 (Ephesians 1:13-14)

We continue our reflections on the Holy Spirit rooted in these words from Ephesians 1 relaying that the Holy Spirit is a seal and 'a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession.'

You might have noticed in the text, Paul says, 'the promised Holy Spirit.' He is indicating that before Jesus came God made a promise that the Spirit would come. There is something important to consider regarding this. Before Jesus came, the Holy Spirit only descended upon certain people and rarely remain on them. He was kind of flighty if you will.

The clearest illustration of this is in Numbers 11, in which Moses complains about his difficult and lonely job of leading Israel. God responds by taking some of the "Spirit" that is on him and giving it to 70 elders. When they received the Spirit, "they prophesied, but did not do so again" (25). It appears to be a temporary filling of the Spirit.

But there is more, two of the appointed elders had not come to the appointed place where this was to take place. They still received the Spirit. Joshua, Israel's leader in training, tells Moses to rebuke them. In reply, Moses says, "I wish that all the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!" (29).

As we journey with Israel through the rest of the Old Testament, we find that this 'wish' of Moses catches hold until finally through Ezekiel God says to all Israel, "And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (36:27); and through Joel, "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days" (2:28-29).

It seems to me that the church has emphasized the words of Joel over the words of Ezekiel. But I think that they need to be held together. We like the spectacular, its flashy. But as Eugene Peterson has reminded the church, the Christian life is "a long obedience in the same direction". The Corinthian church was splintering at the seems because the Christians were all obsessed with the flashy and spectacular gifts of the Spirit. In response Paul writes, "Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way" (12:31).

What is this most excellent way? It is the way of love as explored in the great love chapter. Again, its unfortunate that this chapter is often only heard at weddings. It is great there. But its intention is for the church. We are to live it among ourselves and beyond. It is the way of the Spirit. The Spirit is our director in the 'long obedience in the same direction' of love.

In the confessions of our church, we are taught that, "To be washed with Christ's blood means that God, by grace, has forgiven my sins because of Christ's blood poured out for me in his sacrifice on the cross. To be washed with Christ's Spirit means that the Holy Spirit has renewed me and set me apart to be a member of Christ so that more and more I become dead to sin and increasingly live a holy and blameless life" (Heidelberg Catechism 70).

This is echoed here, "We believe that this true faith, produced in us by the hearing of God's Word and by the work of the Holy Spirit, regenerates us and makes us new creatures, causing us to live a new life and freeing us from the slavery of sin" (Belgic Confession 24).

Moses' wish became reality at Pentecost and remains the way of things today. The Spirit has no intention of being flashy, but rather, as Ezekiel said, 'to move us to follow God's decrees and be careful to keep his laws.'

To this end we are sealed with the Spirit. Despite regular setbacks, the Spirit will prevail. We hope not in ourselves but in the Holy Spirit.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

These were Jesus' final words to His followers before He was taken up to heaven. "You will be my witnesses" He said to them. A witness is someone who has personal knowledge of something or Someone. One who gives a testimony, who tells the story of what they have seen, heard or experienced. Every follower of Jesus has a story to tell. Every believer has a personal testimony of how through the working of the Holy Spirit they have been set free, forgiven, redeemed, sanctified, accepted, adopted. We are a display of Jesus as we go through the motions of our days.

We were not created to be silent, but to share the good news of Jesus with others as we feel the Spirit's prompting to do so. Now for many there is a silence or a backing away that happens at this point. "I'm not an evangelist. That's the pastors and elder's job. I don't know how to share Jesus with someone. It's not my gift." And on and on we often go. In formulating these excuses however, we undermine the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian witness. The Holy Spirit works in and through us to spread the good news of Jesus, that salvation is only found through Him. If we miss this, we have missed the whole point.

We cannot on our own be a witness of Christ to unbelievers. Our words would betray us, our actions profane us or our attitude convict us because we are sinful people who live in a sinful generation. But because the Holy Spirit makes His home in us, we can be a witness to what we have experienced in Christ. "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Pet 3:15).

A priority in our lives should always be to set our hearts as the place where Christ is fully honoured as Lord and Saviour, submitting to His rule in our lives. The role of the Holy Spirit in this passage cannot be over emphasized. God can do His work in and through anyone He chooses. When we are in submission to the Lordship of Christ, He changes us through the working and the power of the Holy Spirit. Those who see us will see a difference, a set apartness, a hope. That hope is our Christian witness. Do we live out of fear and dread, or with the hope and knowledge of who we are in Christ, in whom our hope lies, and our freedom and eternal destiny is secured?

If you knew that a conversation or a series of conversations would be the seed that would in time blossom into a faith in Christ for someone, would you be more inclined to have that conversation, knowing that God was working through you to bring that person to salvation? I can personally testify to the power of Christian witness. My friends in high school didn't have all the answers I was looking for in those years, but they also chose not to keep silent about their faith. How they lived and what they spoke were in line with one another and with the Word of God. The Holy Spirit was already working when I met them, and their witness caused the seed to grow in me.

When we step out in faith and in witness, we may not have all the right words, or know all the answers. But be sure that the Holy Spirit will put words in your mouth and a prayer on your heart as you do. Perhaps your witness is to the ends of the earth. Perhaps your witness is found on your sidewalk at home, in your neighbour's cubicle at work, or on a friend's front porch. Wherever it is, know that God works in you to will and to act according to His good pleasure. He will see to completion all that He has purposed.

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were 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 (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Let us return to the Holy Spirit, the third person of the divine Trinity. In theology classes, we usually distinguished between the character and the work of the Spirt. In these devotions, I am not interested in such matters. Rather, I am attempting to explore with you, what the scriptures reveal about the Spirit. I hope that over the past month you have noticed several things. The Spirit is present from the very beginning, at creation, deeply involved in God's creative work. Also, that the Spirit is powerful, He is no minor member of the Trinity. Finally, it seems to me that the Spirit is deeply involved with the Christian. We cannot be Christians without the wonderful work of the Spirit.

My main point has been and continues to be: the Holy Spirit, creative and powerful, involved in God's work from the very beginning is now at work in you and me and all who believe in Jesus. That is the part of the good news of the gospel.

In my last devotion on the Holy Spirit, I began some reflections on the Spirit as the seal of redemption. Let's continue with this particular work of the Spirit exploring some implications for the believer. As mentioned recently, being sealed by the Spirit removes fear, we do not have to fret that we can lose our salvation, our status as citizens of God's kingdom or our identity as a child of God. Let us dig a little deeper.

The Holy Spirit as seal of redemption is a sign of protection. Let me tell a story. It is said that Alexander the Great once sent an emissary bearing his seal to Egypt. The man travelled without weapons or military escort. His only protection was the seal of the great conqueror. When he met the ruler of Egypt, the mighty king stood in his royal splendour with the army of Egypt behind him. The emissary ordered the king, "Cease hostilities against Alexander's interest."

Hoping to save face, the king said he would consider this and let him know. Alexander's man drew a circle in the dirt around the King's feet and said, "Do not leave this circle without informing me of your response." The king had an entire army at his back. The emissary was alone and unarmed. Yet, the Egyptian could not touch him because he bore the seal of Alexander. To touch him was to touch Alexander. To anger him was to anger Alexander. Realizing this, he said, "Tell Alexander he has his request."

If you have time, reread that story, listen to it again. God has the same relationship with us. We carry God's seal. If somebody does something to one of his, it effects God. God will not stand by as if it does not matter. This does not mean that we will never be harmed by unbelievers. But it does mean that anyone who does harm a Christian will be held accountable. This is one of the aspects of the final judgement that we read about rather often in the Bible. Justice will be had.

Connected to this is another element of being sealed with the Spirit, namely that God is committed to us. Later in this letter, Paul will write that we are "sealed for the day of redemption" (4:30). This 'day of redemption' is a term used to describe the day of Christ's return. That is the day that His work of redemption will be completed. Through his death and resurrection and the outpouring of His Holy Spirit, Jesus saved us from our sin. The Spirit works out the fruit of that redemption in us, leading us away from sinful behaviours towards a character, an attitude and a way of life that is in harmony with the ways of God's Kingdom. That work will be completed on the 'day of redemption'.

The Spirit as seal of redemption gives us a sense of security. He is God's pledge that God himself will finish the work of redemption in us. He will not leave or forsake us! Are you struggling to live the Christian life? Of course, you are, we all are. The Spirit as seal, reminds us all that God is more deeply invested in our progress then we ourselves are. That's good news. More about that next time.