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I would ask you to open your
Bibles, please, to Ephesians, and the first chapter, Ephesians,
and chapter 1. Now, in our study of the ordo
salutis, or order of salvation, come again to the gift of the
Holy Spirit and his various ministries. In our two previous installments,
that is, last Lord's Day, we looked at the sealing of the
Holy Spirit. You find it mentioned three times
in the New Testament explicitly, 2 Corinthians 1.22, and then
twice in Ephesians. Notice verse 13 of Ephesians
1. In him, that is in Christ, you
also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel
of your salvation, in whom also, having believed, or when you
believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit. a promise, you
were sealed. And then later in chapter four
in verse 30, it talks about our being sealed by the spirit, with
the spirit for the day of redemption. So as a seal, kind of an official
stamp or the impress made by a king's signet ring, that mark
of authority, well, as such seals were used of old, to authenticate
genuineness, to mark out ownership, and to keep secure, Paul is here
saying that that is the Holy Spirit himself to us as a seal
given to each believer upon their trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ. So by his presence, by his work
within, it's not simply something he does, he himself is the seal. And therefore, again, by his
presence and by his work, he authenticates and assures that
we are truly his God's saved people, that we're marked out
as belonging to God, and now the spirit working in us, securing
us to the end, all sealed for the day of redemption. In connection, with this sealing,
more than once scripture tells us something more about the Holy
Spirit in being given to us as God's seal. The Holy Spirit with
his operations is also God's guarantee to us. Notice we've already read verse
13, but having talked about you were sealed with the Holy Spirit
of promise, Paul then says, verse 14, who is the guarantee of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession to
the praise of God. of his glory. So we're given
the Holy Spirit as God's seal, and as such, Paul says, he is
the guarantee. And this we find also in 2 Corinthians
chapter 1, and that other passage in which sealing is mentioned,
2 Corinthians and chapter 1. Verse 21, now he who establishes
us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also
has sealed us and given us the spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. And this is the same word that's
used there for sealing and for guarantee in Ephesians 1, 13
and 14. And you come back to, or you
come to this matter of the spirit as a guarantee again later in
this epistle. Come now to 2 Corinthians chapter
five and notice verse five. Now, he who has prepared us,
well, let me back up to verse four. For we who are in this
tent grown, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed,
but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.
Now, he who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also
has given us the spirit as a guarantee. Well, what does this mean? What
does the Holy Spirit guarantee? How does he do that? And what
practical application or effect should this have on us as the
Lord's saved people? Well, I've just given you our
four-point outline that we're going to follow in our consideration
of these things. Firstly, what does this mean
that the Holy Spirit Well, I think we all understand that language,
a very familiar English word, guarantee. It's the assurance
of a particular outcome. Maybe you see some item that's
got a money back guarantee on it. That is to say, you use our
product and we promise you, we guarantee it will have this particular
result. If not, well, we'll give you
your money back. You haven't lost a thing. English dictionaries define it
as a pledge that something will be performed in a specific manner,
and that's certainly included. in this as a guarantee. However,
the word actually goes beyond that. That doesn't capture the
full, that English wording doesn't capture the full meaning here. It's a word that was used in
commercial transactions and perhaps it's better thought of as a down
payment on something. In fact, I think the old King
James translated earnest. Well, that's the idea. It's an
old word. you know, partial payment is
made in advance and assures that the rest would be coming. Well, that's a very common idea. I think everybody understands
that even in today's world. You know, if somebody's buying
a home, well, they come with their down payment, or they're
buying a car, they come with a deposit. So the idea of a percentage
paid in advance, like a deposit, to guarantee that full payment
will come in due course. Well, that's the idea of the
word here. With our receiving the Holy Spirit
upon believing, well, he is God's seal, and he has given to us
as a kind of down payment, a first installment, or if you please,
as the pledge of more to come. That's what Paul is here saying. Now, Paul used a different word
and concept to communicate, illustrate the same idea in Romans chapter
eight. So I would ask you to come there,
please. Romans chapter eight. And notice verse 23, because
it's really saying the same thing, though it's using a different
perhaps word picture to communicate it. Romans 8.23, not only that, but
we also have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves,
grown within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the
redemption of our body. So here we have the first fruits. of the Spirit. Now what's meant
by firstfruits? Well, it's a word that was used
for the first portion of the harvest. It makes sense, right?
Firstfruits of it. It has, in the Old Testament,
it was to be, that part was to be set apart and given to God,
acknowledging that it all comes from Him. But also, at the same
time, this offering up of the firstfruits, well, from God's
perspective, it was a token of assurance that full harvest would
be given and enjoy it. So there's the firstfruits. And
so the word firstfruits, it expresses the same idea as the guarantee. Here's a pledge. Here's a proof
of more to come. In fact, you can certainly see
that illustrated. Remember when it talks about the resurrection
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the firstfruits from the dead of
the resurrection? That is to say, his resurrection
is proof of ours. That was the first installment,
but now then there's going to be this great and glorious resurrection
of all of his people. Well, that's the idea. It's the
pledge of more to come. And so what Paul is saying here,
Romans 8.28, or 8.23 rather, is the same thing he said, Ephesians
1 and 2 Corinthians, about the spirit as a guarantee. He's been
given to us as a pledge, or as a deposit, guaranteeing more
to come in the future. But now, that brings into our
second question, or head, and that is, exactly what does the
Holy Spirit guarantee? I mean, God's given them to us
to guarantee something. Okay, but what? Well, these texts
and their contexts speak of it in different ways, but they're
all saying the same thing. The idea is he is given as a
guarantee of our future blessedness, our everlasting future and blessedness. That's what's being guaranteed. Notice here in Romans chapter
eight, it makes it clear that's what he's talking about, the
redemption of our bodies. He's the first fruits, proving
that. On Resurrection Day, when, as
Paul's already said earlier in Romans 8, that we will be glorified
together with Christ as joint heirs. Material creation will
be set free from its bondage to corruption. We will be revealed
as the sons of God by that glory given us at the end. And he says,
we now have the first fruits. of the Spirit, that is the Holy
Spirit has been given as the first fruits of all of this as
the pledge of that coming glory. Well, Ephesians chapter 1, Perhaps
you noticed the wording there when he said the Holy Spirit
is given as a guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption,
the full possession of those things. The idea, the concept
of inheritance, as you know, is used consistently in the New
Testament in particular to speak. of our future glory. Remember
when Peter writes in 1 Peter 1 and verse 14, how there is
for you laid up this inheritance, this uncorruptible, undefiled,
will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. It's your
inheritance. Or when we read the Lord Jesus
saying in Matthew 25, the king will then say to those on his
right hand, come, you blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom. prepared for you from the foundation
of the world, or even when we see our blessedness described
in Revelation 21 and verse 8, sorry, verse 7, it speaks of
how we inherit all things as God's sons. Well, that's common. Our future blessedness, our glory,
described in terms of an inheritance, and it's a very significant wording. It's instructive in a number
of ways because the word inheritance underscores that that which we
receive, that eternal glory, it's all of grace. An inheritance
isn't deserved, right? It's not somehow earned, worked
for. No, it is bestowed because of a relationship. And so it
is, our future glory is freely bestowed because of our relationship
to God, which is our blessedness as his own children, and he's
saying that the Holy Spirit has been given to us now as the guarantee
of that future blessedness that we will inherit. That's Ephesians
1. Well, the passage in 2 Corinthians
1.22, it simply leaves it as saying the Spirit is the guarantee. But as we've seen, you come to
2 Corinthians 5, and Paul expands on that when he tells us what
it is that the Spirit guarantees, 2 Corinthians 5, 5 again. Now
he who has prepared us for this very thing is God who also has
given the Spirit as a guarantee. As a guarantee of what? Well,
he's just got through saying how this immortal is gonna put
on immortality, it's gonna be swallowed up by immortality.
He has clearly showed that what God is guaranteeing is our eternal
blessedness, future. And the Spirit is given as a
pledge of that and that we shall have these glorified bodies,
much like what we saw there in Romans chapter 8. You notice
what he says in verse 17 of chapter 4 here in 2 Corinthians, same
context, our light affliction which is but for a moment, is
working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while
we do not look at the things which are seen, but the things
which are not seen. For the things which are seen
are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal,
for we know. that if our earthly house, this tent is destroyed,
we have a building from God, a house not made with hands,
eternal in the heavens, and so forth. And so we groan now for
this earnestly. And in light of it, because the
Holy Spirit has given to us as the pledge, of that glorified
body and of our eternal glory, our eternal blessedness and the
glory that we will enjoy in those new bodies. Well, you notice
he did say God has prepared us for this. This was God's purpose
all along, that we should be glorified together with Christ.
And he is then saying, and the Holy Spirit is given to you as
his guarantee of God's personal pledge to each of his people
of your future blessedness that he has promised us in Christ. God's deposit or even down payment. Now, let me ask you, do you appreciate
what these verses say. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee,
dear brother, dear sister, of a glorious outcome. You have
been given the Holy Spirit as the pledge that he who began
that good work, he's gonna complete it. The pledge as to what Jesus
said, if I go again, I will come and receive you to myself and
there we shall ever be with the Lord. The pledge that we shall
see him and when we do we shall be like him and that we shall
be glorified together with Christ, sharing his inheritance forever. And this guarantee is clearly
something When Paul's referring to it in these passages, it's
not saying, it's like, this is like justification, something
in the record books of heaven. No, it's a guarantee to you.
Something that is experiential, that's recognizable, if you please. It's designed to assure, just
like when somebody says money back guarantee on this particular
product, well that's to assure you you're safe in buying that
product. Well, same way when we're told here the Holy Spirit
is the guarantee, I mean, it's experiential, it's known. to
assure you that this is so. Well, is that, is the Holy Spirit
that to you? The guarantee. Do you know by
experience what is meant here when it says the Spirit is given
to you as the guarantee? Well that brings us to another
question, our third head. How is it that the Holy Spirit
is a guarantee to us of our future glory, our eternal blessedness? In other words, how does this
work exactly? Is it by some kind of special
operation of the Spirit? A kind of mystical experience
or impression put upon us? No. Rather, it is by the Holy
Spirit's indwelling presence and normal operations in the
lives of Christians. That is the way in which he is
the guarantee. We're forced to conclude that
because as we've seen from both Ephesians 1 and 2 Corinthians
1, that the guarantee is really directly connected with the sealing
of the spirit, right? It's, if you please, the outworking
of the sealing, or at least a work in conjunction. The Holy Spirit
was given to us as God's seal, and as such, Paul says he is
the guarantee. Now we noted, and I'm just gonna
give a quick review again of what we looked at last week,
that the sealing is not some extra work of the Holy Spirit,
something experienced only by a few Christians, no. Upon conversion,
when we believed on Christ, God gave us his Holy Spirit. That's true of all of those saved
by Christ, and when God did so, Well, the Spirit was given to
us then as that permanent seal, God's seal of approval perhaps,
or more as we've seen, it's the mark of God's ownership. You've
been given the Holy Spirit, mark that God owns you, the authentication
of your identity. salvation and also securing us
for that day of redemption all the way to the end. And it's
in that connection that all Christians then have the Holy Spirit as
the guarantee. Upon believing, you were given,
you were indwelt by the Holy Spirit and his normal operations
there in you, all that which was promised to all believers
That is the guarantee. And Paul says there in 2 Corinthians
1.22, it's the Holy Spirit in our hearts that is indwelling
us. That's language speaks of all
Christians. Not some of you get this special
blessing called the guarantee and some of you, well, sorry
about that. No, no, it's the Holy Spirit himself in his presence
and all of his operations in the Lord's people upon trust
in Christ. You are indwelt by him. He himself
is the seal, God's seal, who is then given to you as God's
pledge of your eternal glory. Not by some special operation,
not even the witness of the spirit. God willing, we'll come maybe
even next Lord's Day to look at that. It's the spirit himself. His presence, His normal workings
in us. Remember how the Lord Jesus spoke
of the Holy Spirit comparing Him to the wind there in John
chapter 3? Nobody sees the wind, but you
see it because of its effects, right? I mean, you go out on
a real blustery day and you see these trees are just shaking
all over the place. Well, see the wind? Well, no,
you don't. You know it's windy because of the effects, right?
Well, that's what the Lord was saying in John 3 about the working
of the Holy Spirit, regeneration or other things. Yeah, you see
Him by the effects. Well, so it is as we're seeing
the effects. For instance, those who are in
the flesh cannot please God, but you are not in the flesh,
but in the Spirit. If so be that the Spirit of God
dwells in you, Romans 8, 8 and 9, He made you And then he goes
on there, Romans 8, to talk about how the Holy Spirit empowers
his people, indwells them, empowers them to put to death the deeds
of the body. It talks in that connection about the Holy Spirit
leading. And that doesn't mean some kind of leading about by
the nose, but it means that work of the Holy Spirit convicting
of sin and inclining us and leading us on in righteousness. You see
the same thing over in Galatians chapter 5, in empowering us.
And Paul goes on, Romans 8.15, to speak of the Holy Spirit,
given us as a spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father,
that sense of filial relationship, of knowing God, of our hearts
running out to Him as our Father, and so forth. Or Paul writes
in 2 Corinthians 3 about how the Holy Spirit taking the Word
of God and transforming us from glory to glory into the image
of Christ from the Scriptures. When you see These things, this
is just normal operations of the Holy Spirit, right? And when
you see all of this, well, see what, it's the Holy Spirit's
presence and working, right? And when you see that, you see
him as the guarantee of your future glory. Proof that more
is to come. Here's God's pledge to you that
your eternal blessedness is sure. Guaranteed especially because,
well, the Holy Spirit will carry on his work and preserve us all
the way to the day of redemption. Again, the pledge that God began
that work, he completes that work, and he does so especially
through the normal operations of the Holy Spirit. So, Holy
Spirit, Guarantee of what? Well, of our future glory. But there's something more to
see in this connection, especially because of God's choice of wording.
It's not guaranteed like some warranty stamped on the back
of a package, not simply a written warranty there or just any kind
of a pledge, because as we noted earlier, this particular Greek
word for guarantee conveys the idea of a deposit, a down payment. And therefore, it speaks of that
which is part of the purchase price, if you please. Or like
the first installment, which means there's a similarity in
nature between the deposit and the full payment. So here, you're
going to buy something. Ultimately, here's the price.
The guy wants this much money. Well, your deposit is not three
bushels of grain and some other items here. You're paying him
the same thing, although you'd be paying him money with a promise
of more monies to come. That might not be the best illustration,
but hey, best I can do in the moment. So that's the idea of
this word. The Holy Spirit is given to us
now as the first installment of our eternal blessedness. In other words, a similarity
between now and what will be. And this idea is even more clearly
set forth in Romans 8.23 when it refers to receiving the first
fruits of the Spirit. You know, you go out, you're
going to harvest wheat. Well, the first fruits will be
wheat. And the full harvest will be
More wheat, right? There's that similarity. Well,
that's the idea of the word here, a correlation between the guarantee
and what it is that's guaranteed. So with the presence and the
work of the Holy Spirit in us now, and that which we will enjoy
in everlasting glory, there's a real correlation. There's some
similarity there, now true, The down payment speaks of a smaller
portion compared to the full payment. But again, there's this
correlation or similarity. You know, talk about God giving
the Holy Spirit as a guarantee. God could have given us any kind
of thing for a guarantee, right? But he chose to give us the Holy
Spirit as such. Well, why that? Well, to put
it this way, to give us a foretaste now. of our eternal blessedness. Here's the first installment
in your future glory. The Spirit's presence within,
his normal operations are in some sense similar in nature
to our never-ending blessedness. Not as large a portion as that
which we will receive, but enough to give us at least some idea
of that blessedness. Let me illustrate this way. We're
told in Galatians 4 and verse 6, that God has given us the
spirit of His Son into our hearts whereby we cry, Abba, Father. That is, there's our heart running
out to God and having a sense of God's love and fatherly disposition
toward us. To make that relationship very
experiential. Remember, adoption is a legal
transaction, but God has given us the spirit as a spirit of
adoption, Romans chapter 8, whereby we cry Abba, Father, for it to
be very experiential in that we know God even as our father
and we as his sons. Well, that's now. Well, what
about at last? When we're glorified together
with Christ, and he's the firstborn among many brethren, and we inherit
the kingdom of our father, we really will know him more than
even now as his glorified sons. Or now, the ministry of the Holy
Spirit's described, Romans 5.5, of shedding the love of God abroad
in our hearts. This great effusion, if you please,
of the love of God within. Some sense of that. Well then,
there'll be a far greater understanding and appreciation for the immensity
of that love toward us as his children. Now, well, there's
progress in holiness, increasing likeness to Christ by the Spirit,
who, 2 Corinthians 3, 18, conforming us to that same image from glory
to glory. But then, not just progress,
but rather we will see him and we will be like him. But what
we have now is a foretaste. Or Romans 14, 17 talks about
by the Holy Spirit now there's righteousness and love and peace. Or the fruits of the Spirit,
love, joy, peace, and so forth. Well, that's known now in measure,
right? Because of the working of the
Holy Spirit. Oh, that's just a foretaste. because that's the
pledge that the day comes in which there will only be righteousness
and peace and joy, and that in fullest measure, that we inhabit
that new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwell.
Now, well, we have measures of fellowship with God, the enjoyment
of God by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Oh, but then, Well,
we shall see him. Revelation 22.4, that we will
be, that God himself will be among us and that we will know
him. Even the language used in Revelation
22.4, we'll see his face. These are just illustrations.
By the Spirit's presence, by the Holy Spirit's ministries
to us now, we now enjoy glory begun. the first installment. It's only a deposit. Much more
greater blessing is to come. But there is this similarity
in nature. And it's given us as the guarantee,
or to put it this way. Do you like what you've received
so far, Christian? I've referred to some of these
operations of the Holy Spirit and what he's doing in you. Huh? You like what you received so
far? You want more? More is guaranteed. And what
the Holy Spirit's doing now, He is the guarantee. His presence,
His work. It's a pledge, but at the same
time, a foretaste of our future glory. Is that how you view the
gift of the Holy Spirit and His ministries in you? And do you appreciate and enjoy
Him, that work that He's doing? I think we would say our blessedness
now by the Holy Spirit is great and glorious, right? And yet,
I say it reverently, you ain't seen nothing yet, okay? This
is the down payment. This is the pledge. that we indeed
should be glorified together with Christ. If right now we
are the sons of God, what of then when we see Christ and are
like him? Well that brings me then to the
final question or heading. What practical effect should
the fact of this guarantee now have upon us? because biblical doctrines are
not only to be studied, notice I said not only to be studied,
that means they are to be studied, but they're not only to be studied,
they're to be lived. Okay, well how so with regard
to this matter that we've seen? Well, firstly this, since the
Holy Spirit was given to us as a guarantee to assure us of future
glory, then be assured of it. Be assured of it. It's absolutely
certain for all who trust in Christ. Those who are mature
in the Lord, but also those who are babes immediately upon being
made alive in Christ. Those who are strong in the faith,
but those who are weak, those who are struggling, those who
have their own corruption and so forth. All of the Lord's people. even as part of our great salvation,
which is its design. Remember, our Lord's work is
described in Hebrews 2.10 as bringing many sons to glory. Well, so it is in Romans 8.29,
whom he foreknew, he predestined to be conformed to the image
of his own son, even that we should be joined heirs together
with Christ. Or there in Ephesians chapter
1, that we were chosen in Him before the foundation of the
world to be adopted as sons and therefore to have this inheritance
as God's children. That's the end in view and it's
that which is guaranteed. Or I've referred already, Matthew
25-34, Come ye blessed of my Father. inherit the kingdom prepared
for you before the foundation of the world. This is God's plan.
This is God's purpose. In fact, that's what we read
there in 2 Corinthians 5.5. He who has prepared us for this
very thing. This is God's purpose. Well,
his purpose could not be thwarted. And God has assured all believers
of this by repeated promises. by constant
affirmations throughout his word. If we just took a few moments
to start spouting out Bible verses, I would suggest that we'd get
quite the collection here. You know, even John 3.16, God
so loved the world he gave his only begotten son that whoever
believes in him should not perish. Doesn't stop there, but have
everlasting life. That's not just existence, that's
life. We've looked at Romans 8 and it's repeatedly underscored
there about even the redemption of our body and joint heirs with
Christ. 2 Corinthians 4 and 5, I've referred to that. Revelation
chapter 15, you know what Revelation 15's about? Sorry, not Revelation. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, let
me get it. 1 Corinthians 15, you know what
that's about? Our resurrection. The whole chapter
basically is dealing with the resurrection of believers. Our
future glory. Much is said in that connection.
Or when Paul would write to believers who perhaps were experiencing
the pain of bereavement, he says, you know what, we don't sorrow
as those who have no hope. Because we believe that Christ
died, rose again, and he's coming again, bringing the spirits of
those departed who are asleep in Jesus with him. And then these
very bodies will be resurrected, and there shall we ever be with
the Lord. Well, there's another text that asserts it very clearly,
or I've already made reference to 2 Peter 3, verses 10 and following,
how we're looking for a new heavens and new earth in which righteousness
dwells. Or how about Philippians 3, 20, 21, our citizenship is
in heaven from whence we await the Savior, who's going to transform
these bodies of our humility to be like unto his glorious
body. That's just a few samples, just
a very few samples. Text after text. The word of him who cannot lie
is certainly enough to assure every believer that this is our
future, right? But God gives further assurance
of it, giving us the Holy Spirit even to each believer. as the
guarantee. His word, that's enough, no.
Here's the pledge of your inheritance, especially as we're aided and
kept by the Holy Spirit until it's all fully received. But why this guarantee? We've got God's word, isn't that
enough? Why does he give us the Holy Spirit then as the guarantee
of that blessedness? Well, surely a primary reason
is so that our glorious future will be very real to us now,
in this world, even for the entirety of our time in this world. Think of the persecution and
the struggles and the doubts, perhaps, the sins, which the
Lord's people struggle. Now, the Holy Spirit's been given
as a guarantee so that even in the midst of all of these things,
come what may, our future, our eternal blessedness will indeed
be very real to us. In fact, it's to be so real that
we now do, as Paul said there at the end of Romans 5.2, please
come to Romans chapter five, Romans chapter five. I'll start with verse one, therefore,
Romans 5.1, having been justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ. through whom also we have access
by faith into this grace in which we stand. Right now, being justified,
that is declared and forever treated as righteous in Christ
through faith in him, you right now stand, as it were, immutably
fixed in God's favor. That's what that means. But that's
not all. And rejoice in the hope of the
glory of God. having such hope. having such
confident expectation of that coming glory, he says, we now
rejoice. Rejoice is perhaps a bit of a
weak word there. Sometimes it's translated glorying,
or sometimes it's translated to boast, right? The kind of
thing you're just so tickled with, you gotta brag about this
thing, you gotta boast about, well that's the idea here. We're
exalting, that's another way the word is sometimes translated.
That is, we're that confident in Christ. We're that reconciled
and accepted right now. Therefore, eternal glory is certain. And in fact, we're to be so certain
of it that we're not simply mindful of it. We think of it now and
again and, oh, that's great. Happy about it. No. He's saying,
here's the norm consistently. that we now glory in that glory
which is to come. We now exalt in that glory that
God will put upon us, that we will share with Christ as joint
heirs, glorified together with him. To be so real that we now
exalt, that we now boast in it. Look what God has given us. Well, we see much the same over
in 1 Peter 1. Please come there. 1 Peter 1. This is stated as the norm for
believers. Let me start at verse four of
1 Peter 1. I referred to it already, I think.
To an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, that does not
fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the
power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed
in the last time. In this, in that inheritance
and the great outcome of our salvation, in this you greatly
rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been
grieved by various trials. Let me ask you, we read here
the words various trials. Now Peter did not know by name,
in person, all of those Christians scattered through those five
Roman provinces. We mustn't think that he knew
all of them personally and that he therefore knew exactly what
they were each one experiencing under the title various trials.
And yet he could write to all of them assured, you're experiencing
various trials. Is that the norm for us as the
Lord's people, various trials? Yeah, and is it really something
of the norm, as he would say here, that you're grieved by
them? They cause pain, they cause sorrow. Well, yeah, and by the
way, that's not wrong, that we should be grieved. But he's saying
even in the trials and the grief that are the norm for the Lord's
people, this also is the norm. In this, you greatly rejoice,
not in the trials, extreme joy, from this inheritance, this undefiled,
incorruptible, not fading away, and you're kept for it. And what
he's saying is that this inheritance is to be that real to us. So
even in the midst of trials that would grieve us, there's still
this great rejoicing. Well, it's the reality of that
future glory. that is the source of the Christian's
ongoing great rejoicing right now, again, come what may. And it's the reality of that
future glory that explained Paul and all that he experienced.
You're familiar with Romans 8. Notice how he himself, in talking
about our glory, in verse 18, Romans chapter 8, verse 18, having
just said that we're gonna be glorified together with Christ,
In 818, Paul says, for I consider that the sufferings of this present
time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be
revealed in us. He says much the same over in
2 Corinthians chapter 4. Please come there. 2 Corinthians
chapter 4, where we read in verse 17, of 2 Corinthians 4, for our
light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for
us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do
not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which
are not seen. For the things which are seen
are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Paul saw a lot of suffering. He saw a lot of hardship. I'm
not looking at things that are visible. No, these are all passing. Rather, he's looking at things
that are unseen. Well, how's he doing that? How
does he do that? Well, he tells us in verse seven
of the next chapter, for we walk by faith, not by sight. So here's
what God has said. Here's our glory. Therefore,
Paul was able to look at things not seen. But wait a minute,
that's not all. Because it's in that connection
that we have those words that we've looked at in verse five
of 2 Corinthians 5. Now he who has prepared us for
this very thing is God, who also has given us a spirit as a guarantee. He was assured. His future glory
was real to him, even in the midst of sufferings. Because
he believed God's word, but not just that, the Holy Spirit, his
presence, his working, here's the guarantee. And therefore
these things were very real to the Apostle Paul. Well how real
to you is your eternal glory right now? Right now. Maybe you had a terrible week,
all kinds of concerns that you have. Consistently, how real is your
eternal glory to you? Or to put it another way, how
much joy do you now have, like we saw there in Romans five,
glorying in that glory of God that will be ours? Well, from
God's perspective, we can say it's entirely and unquestionably
certain. Here's his purpose. Here are
his promises. Here's the work of Christ. But is it so certain
in our thinking? Is it so certain in our hearts? Brethren, it should be. It should
be, especially because we've been given the Holy Spirit as
the guarantee of these things, for our future glory to be now
very real to us. That's why the Holy Spirit's
been given you. Now remember, remember how it is that the Spirit's
a guarantee. It's by his presence and work,
what he is as that seal keeping us for the day of redemption,
that convicting, that inclining and empowering us in holiness,
that whereby we cry, Abba, Father, and that being conformed more
and more to the image of Christ, the fruits of the Spirit, love,
joy, peace. That's not the fruits of the
Christian. That's the fruits of the Holy Spirit at work in the lives
of his people. And all of these things, that
joy and peace and righteousness in the Holy Spirit. So when you
see His ministries, see Him. See, how's this coming? That's
Him. And when you see Him, see Him as the guarantee of your
eternal glory. And that especially, that it
might be very real to you right now. But you do have this inheritance,
incorruptible, undefiled, not fading away, and you're not gonna
fade away either. You are kept for it. Therefore, in the midst
of these grieving trials, greatly rejoicing, look, this is mine.
This is mine. The Holy Spirit's the guarantee
of it. Guarantee you're on the way,
and it's certain. And therefore, keep this real.
as you see the ministries of the Holy Spirit in you. But I want to add something more
to that by way of the effect it should have upon us that he
is our guarantee. It's right we should desire and
joy now in the ministries of the Holy Spirit. because of the
outcome, what it guarantees, what He guarantees. But also,
remember what we've seen about the nature of the guarantee? It's the deposit, it's the down
payment, it's the foretaste. Brethren, while we're seeing
the ministries of the Holy Spirit, and see Him present and at work,
Yes, it guarantees that greater is to come, but don't overlook
what He is now. It's the foretaste of that, as
we've already seen. Crying in our hearts, Abba, Father,
that enjoyment of God, the love of God being shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Spirit in His work, the Spirit witnessing
to our spirits that we are God's children, that fruits of the
Spirit, love, joy, peace. Or Romans 15 and verse 13, how
that abounding in hope, that confident expectation by the
Holy Spirit so that we have joy and peace in believing right
now as we're being conformed more and more to the image of
Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit. See His work, not only
as the guarantee, here's what's out there in the future, it's
the first fruits. It's the down payment. It's the
foretaste. Therefore it's right to draw
assurance but also to see this is glory begun. Already what
God is doing in you. Well see it. Desire it. Ask more. Cooperate. walk in the Spirit, being led
by the Spirit in the path of obedience and holiness. Use the
means. He uses the scriptures to make
us more like Christ, 2 Corinthians 3.18. Use the means. Pray. This
is a foretaste. Well, enjoy God now in measure. In the meantime, as you look
ahead, eagerly looking for Christ's coming and that completion of
the work when that which is guaranteed will be our full possession forever
and ever. Dear brother, dear sister, how
are you doing? How are you doing? Is your future glory real to
you? Are you enjoying the ministries of the Holy Spirit now? Is that
in your thinking? It's in the scriptures. It should be in our
thinking. We've been given this Holy Spirit. so as to live in
light of the future. Oh my God, help us. If you're
not saved, and you die without Christ, do you realize that eternal
glory is not your future? In fact, the extreme opposite,
where Jesus will say, depart from me, you cursed and everlasting
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Go on without
Christ, die without Christ, That will be entirely certain. It's foretold in God's infallible
word. You know, the Bible says much
about hell. Some have argued it says more
about hell than it does heaven. It says much about the eternity
of the damned. Why is that? It was to warn sinners. Not just a threat. but for those
sinners to turn to Christ. Even when we're told that God
commands all men everywhere to repent in Acts 17, when Paul
preached that to the Athenians, he says, because he's appointed
a day in which he's gonna judge the world in righteousness. Repent
now, be ready for that day. Go to Christ now and be ready
for then. This is the God who speaks in
Ezekiel 33, 11. I have no pleasure in the death
of the wicked, but rather that they turn and live. This is that
God of John 3, 16, who so loved the world, he gave his only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in him would not perish, but have
everlasting life. This is the God who came in the
person of his Son to suffer the just in place of the unjust,
that he might bring us to God, and now ever lives to save to
the uttermost all who come to God by him. This is the God who
sends forth preachers as ambassadors for Christ, as though God himself
were pleading through those ambassadors, be reconciled to God. The Lord Jesus said, repent and
believe the gospel. Turn from sin to God through
Christ. Believing this good news, Christ
Jesus came into this world to save sinners and all who put
their trust in him. Not simply all their sins forgiven,
as glorious as that is, declared forever righteous and treated
in his perfect righteousness. But more than that, God's children
forever glorified together as joint heirs with Christ. And Jesus said, anyone thirst,
come to me and drink. Those who come to me, no way
will I cast them out. Well, what will you now do? There's
the gospel. Go to Christ. Be saved by him.
What will you now do? What will you now do? Go. Believe. Trust in him. Turn from sin to
God through Christ. Lord, save me. He's rich to all
who call upon him. What will you now do? And how
will you escape if you neglect so great salvation? Let God grant
mercy. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank you
for your great grace to sinners. Even to hear good news, anything
other than condemnation, what mercy. But this good news, sending
your only begotten son into this world to save sinners like us,
Lord, not just to forgive us, but to have us as your own children
even joint heirs with Christ forever, that he should be the
firstborn among many brethren, and that we should enjoy that
eternal glory. Lord, you've told us of this
so constantly in your word. Grant that we would truly believe
it, but grant also that we would embrace the Holy Spirit's presence
and workings as that guarantee that our future might be very
real to us, that come what may, we would have that great rejoicing
in it. Lord, we pray that you would help us to reflect on these
things, to live these things. By the aid of your Holy Spirit,
we ask this in the name of Jesus our Savior. Amen.
The Holy Spirit As A Guarantee
Series The Order of Salvation
In his sermon series on The Order of Salvation (Ordo salutis), Pastor McKinnon preaches on the Holy Spirit as a Guarantee of our salvation and ultimate glorification.
| Sermon ID | 322241527453031 |
| Duration | 53:16 |
| Date | |
| Category | Sunday - AM |
| Bible Text | 2 Corinthians 5:4-5; Ephesians 1:13-14 |
| Language | English |
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