Our lives are hidden with God in Christ, sealed with the Holy Spirit.Seal of the Spirit
Preached by Apostle Aje Pelser, Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town, 22nd September 2024
Also available on audio podcast from Spotify: Preach the Truth by Aje Pelser

Scripture
Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
Eph 4:32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Ways to receive the seal of the Spirit
1. Learn not to grieve the Holy Spirit
2. Know God’s promises
3. Explore the seal of the Holy Spirit
4. Be filled with the Holy Spirit.
5. Develop a relationship with the Person of the Holy Spriit
6. Remove blockages to the flow of the Spirit anointing.
7. Cultivate the fruit of the Holy Spirit

Key phrase:
“Our lives are hidden with Christ in God, sealed by the Holy Spirit”
Col 3:1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
Col 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
Col 3:3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Col 3:4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

Seal
2Co_1:22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
Eph_1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Eph_4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
2Co_1:22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
Eph_1:13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
Eph_4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Rev_5:1 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.
Rev_7:3 saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”

Grieving and Quenching the Holy Spirit
1Th 5:16 Rejoice always,
1Th 5:17 pray without ceasing,
1Th 5:18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1Th 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit.
1Th 5:20 Do not despise prophecies.
1Th 5:21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.
1Th 5:22 Abstain from every form of evil.
1Th 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit is a Person of the Godhead
The Holy Spirit has a personality; He can think and reason. – He isn’t a Ghost the sense of being ‘spooky’. The Bible refers to Him as the Holy Ghost because He is a Spirit – but he has a personality and feelings.

Rom 8:27
“Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
He has a will
1 Cor 12:11
“But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.”
He has feelings
Eph 4:30
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
He is recognised as the 3rd person in the Godhead and has been there from the beginning
Gen 1:2
“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

In the OT God the Father or “Yahweh” was revealed to us. In the NT it was Jesus. Now it is the Holy Spirit who is revealed to us. We therefore need to understand how He works and who He is, understanding that our knowledge is limited to what He reveals to us through His Word.

The role of the Holy Spirit
To move Prophets
2 Pet 1:21
“for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
To Teach and Comfort
John 14:26
“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 things that I said to you.”
Advocate – to be a go between
Rom 8:26
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered.”
To be a Guide
John 16:13
“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I thank you that my life is hidden with You in God the Father, sealed by Your Spirit of promise for the day of redemption. Help me to flow with your anointing and be led by the Spirit in all things. Holy Spirit I repent of grieving you and even trying to quench the baptism of fire in me, I release your flames to stir me up to good works, to stir up the gifts and fruit you cultivate in me in the name of Jesus, to the glory of God. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.