The Holy Spirit & You, Part 1 | Sealed By the Spirit

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Sign up at harvest.org. He backs off. That's what it means to be sealed by the Holy Spirit. We know our adversary is a powerful force, far more powerful than we are on our own.

But we also know that our God is omnipotent, all-powerful. And when the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, takes up our cause, we're in good hands. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out the role the Spirit plays in the life of the believer, foundational insight from a series of messages our listeners have requested the most over the past 12 months. Why did the Holy Spirit come? What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit? What does the Holy Spirit want to do in our lives?

We'll read about that in just a moment, but sort of to set the stage here. We're in John chapter 14. And it's open with these very familiar words of Jesus in verses one to three that Jonathan shared with us last Thursday. Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions.

If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am you may be also. These words of Jesus have brought comfort, hope, and perspective to millions and millions of people for over 2,000 years. To people who are grieving, to people who are afraid, to people who are stressed out and are agitated, to people, well, just like us, Jesus says, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. And we live in such troubled times right now. So these words of Christ are so relevant. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. But now Jesus continues on in verse 16 of John 14.

And I pray the Father that he will give you another helper, underline those two words, another helper, that he may abide with you forever. This spirit of truth and the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him, but you know him for he dwells with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.

A little while longer and the world will see him no more, but you will see me because I live, you will live also. And at that day you will know that I am in the Father and you in me and I in you. And he who has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me and he who loves me will be loved by my Father and I will love him and will manifest myself to him or reveal myself to him.

Judas, not as scary yet, said to him, Lord how is it that you manifest yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus answered and said, if any man loves me he'll keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him. He that does not love me does not keep my words and the word which you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. These things I've spoken to you while being present with you, 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've said to you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give you.

Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid. Now there's a lot of misunderstanding concerning the role and working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of both believers and unbelievers. Remember I said the Holy Spirit is not an it, it's a him. For a being to be considered a person he or she must possess certain characteristics. First among those is intelligence, then there is will, then there is emotion. So to be a person or to be a personality you must have intelligence, you must have will, and you must have emotion. God is a person. He has a personality. So the Holy Spirit has a personality and the Holy Spirit has intelligence.

He has intelligence. 1 Corinthians 2 10 says God has revealed these things to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things even the deep things of God. No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. So the Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God. Objects don't know things but the Holy Spirit knows things. Also the Holy Spirit has a will. He has a will because we read in 1 Corinthians 12 speaking of the gifts of the Spirit that God's Holy Spirit distributes it says he gives to each one these gifts as he wills. It's a Holy Spirit who decides what kind of spiritual gifts each believer will receive. In Acts 15 28 the apostles were talking about different issues and they said it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us. So the Holy Spirit had a will and the Holy Spirit expressed his will.

Listen to this. The Holy Spirit has emotion. I mentioned he can be grieved, quenched, resisted, even lied to.

A little bit more on that in a moment. But the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer seeks to convict them of their sin or a better translation would be convince them. There's nothing I can do to convince you that you're a sinner in need of a Savior. No clever analogy.

No illustration is going to do it. Only the Holy Spirit can do that and I trust in the work of the Spirit when I present God's Word that he will touch a person's heart and show them their need for Christ. That's why we need to pray for people as we share the Gospel. And once a person believes and is convinced of their need for Christ and asks Christ to come into their life it's the Holy Spirit that gives them the inner assurance that they're a believer. Romans 8 18 says his spirit bears witness with our spirit that we're the children of God. How many of you are children of God?

Raise your hand up. Now I would just dare to say the reason you know you're a children of God is you have that inner witness. It's not just that the Bible says you are. You believe the Bible and what it says. But there's something deep inside of you that says yes I am a child of God. And I know I am a child of God.

You know where that came from? From the Holy Spirit. His spirit is bearing witness with your spirit that you are a child of God. And not only can I sense that I'm a child of God but I know it when I meet another child of God.

Maybe we've only known each other for five minutes but boy there's an immediate connection. Because they're a fellow believer and the same Holy Spirit that lives in me lives in them as well. Those are things that the Holy Spirit does. Here's something else the Holy Spirit does. When you become a Christian he seals you. He seals you.

Ephesians 1 13 says after you trusted and heard the word of truth and received the gospel you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise who has a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance and the redemption of those who are God's possession. Now what does that even mean? Well back in the old days the days in which this is written when goods were shipped from one place to another they'd be stamped with a wax seal. This is before amazon.com little drones flying around dropping off packages which they say they will do soon.

I just hope they don't weaponize them right in case. So if you're delinquent in your payment you have trouble with the little drone. I don't know. But then in the old days they would send documents from one place to another and they would take these documents and they would seal them. And they would have this signet of the person who sent the document. So let's say a document was sent by a king. It's like a scroll. A parchment with a wax seal and the king's signet ring was stamped in the wax.

So if you saw that document you dare not open it because that is a private correspondence from the king to someone else. So when the Bible says you're sealed with the Holy Spirit it's as though God has put his mark on you. Let's use a different illustration. It's like an ID tag right. When I travel I wait for my suitcase and you know the problem is other people have suitcases that look like mine. Because most people have black suitcases. But I have a pink one with with a smurf on it.

And no that's not true. But no I have a silver suitcase. And so it comes down but I always check my ID tag. Because the other day I picked up my bag. I'm walking out and some lady starts chasing me and says you took my bag. I said no this is mine. And I checked the ID tag and sure enough it was her bag. Looked just like mine. That's why you check an ID tag.

So if someone wants to steal that bag they'll think twice. So here comes the devil. I'm going to wreak havoc in this life. I'm going to destroy this life. I'm at whoa whoa wait there's an ID tag.

Let me check the ID tag. Property of the Lord Jesus Christ. He backs off.

He backs off. That's what it means to be sealed by the Holy Spirit. But it's interesting because it also goes on to say he's a deposit guaranteeing your inheritance until the redemption of God's possession. He's a deposit. So when you go to buy something you may put a deposit down. Maybe you see a car you want to buy. And you'll say I want to buy this car but I want you to hold it for me for a week.

Guys say well I really can't do that. Well how about if I put a deposit down in good faith. Okay and then so you put your deposit down. So that means that you're putting a certain amount of money down in that car or whatever it is you're buying.

Maybe it's a home. You say well I want to you know I want to buy this home and I'm going to put a deposit down on it so they'll hold it. Now that won't go on forever but they'll hold it for a period of time for you. So here's what God is saying. I want you to know I mean business. And when I say one day you'll join me in heaven I mean it. And just so you know I mean business I'm giving my Holy Spirit to you as a down payment.

Because that's what the word means. As a down payment to reassure you that I'm going to keep all of the promises I've made to you. I think that's pretty amazing. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. It's great to hear that people are listening to Pastor Greg's messages. Last week as I was driving I came across the tail end of one of your radio sermons as you were praying and leading listeners to Christ.

The broadcast host mentioned being able to send you a message and as I was considering that an old work truck stopped just in front of me with two Greg Laurie and Harvest.org bumper stickers in its window. Now I don't go looking for signs from God but this one was difficult to ignore. Thank you so much for choosing to be faithful and follow Jesus even through the grief you experienced in the loss of your own son.

People like me need examples like you to focus on Christ. Thank you Pastor Greg. Has Pastor Greg heard from you? Why not drop him an email and share your story? Send it to Greg at Harvest.org.

Do it today while you're thinking about it. Again that's Greg at Harvest.org. Well today Pastor Greg is presenting a message called the Holy Spirit and You Part One.

Let's continue. What else does the Holy Spirit do? He teaches us. Look at verse 26. Jesus says, 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. The Holy Spirit can open up passages to us in an incredible way.

And that comes as we study and read the Bible. You want the Holy Spirit to illuminate Scripture. You must read Scripture or listen to Scripture. But get Scripture in you. You can't just hold the Bible up to your head and pray that it just jumps in there somehow. You know you've got to read it and process it. But then the Holy Spirit can bring it to life. A passage can just jump off the page.

Have you ever had that happen? And it's so relevant. Or someone sends you a verse and it's just so appropriate for what you're facing. And sometimes you're in church and you're listening to a message and it's so it's like it was written for you. And you're thinking, He's the greatest preacher I've ever heard.

I'm not referring to me of course. But whoever might be preaching. But it's not that He is the greatest preacher you've ever heard. It's that the Holy Spirit is taking the Word of God and He's bringing it home to your heart because that's part of the work He does in the life of the believer.

It's not some great preacher. It's a great God whose holy spirit is illuminating the Word. And that's one of the things that the Holy Spirit does.

He sheds more light on the original light. 1 Corinthians 2 9 says, It's written, Eye has not seen, nor has ear heard, nor has it entered in the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed these things to us by His Spirit. Because no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. So that's the Holy Spirit doing that for you.

Listen to this. The Holy Spirit helps us in our prayers and our obedience to God. He helps us in our prayers and our obedience to God. Look at verse 15. Jesus says, If you love Me, obey My commandments and I'll ask the Father and He'll give you another advocate who will never leave you.

This is the key that unlocks the treasures of heaven. In the Old Testament the law of God was given. And effectively the law of God said, Don't do those things. Thou shalt not have any graven images before Me. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain. Thou shalt not lie. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not covet. A lot of nots.

A lot of nos. And so as an Old Testament believer you would try to not do those things that were wrong before God and keep His commandments. But in the New Testament it's different. Because now those commandments are written in our heart. And we do them out of love.

We do them because we want to not because we have to. And if you're a Christian that's living in a law-like relationship with God and you see the Christian life as a bunch of restrictions you're missing what it's all about. Because if you really love God with all of your heart soul and mind you will not want to do those things that displease Him. And that's exactly what Jesus is saying right here. He's saying if you love Me obey My commandments. You know I love my wife so I will be faithful to my wife.

I love my wife so I will not lie to my wife. So it's not fear of what will happen if I do the wrong thing but rather it's a love causing me to want to do the right thing. You say yeah but what if I'm torn between two lovers?

Well then you're an idiot for starters. And the fact is you don't love either. You just love yourself. So if you really love someone you'll want to please them. And if you really love Jesus you'll keep His commandments.

Let me flip it over. If I don't keep His commandments do I really love Jesus? You know a lot of people say oh I love the Lord. Oh I just love the Lord. Let's get drunk.

Wait hold on what? The Bible says don't be drunk with wine be filled with the Holy Spirit. Yeah whatever let's get drunk. You know you're just obeying God. I really love Jesus but I'm going to slander that person over there.

Just tell a flat out lie about him because I don't like him. Oh I really love Jesus but I'm going to look at porn now. Oh I really love Jesus but it's fill in blank here. Do you really love Jesus? You say you love Him but if you go out and deliberately do things His Word says you should not do do you love Him?

It would be questionable wouldn't it at best. You know what else the Holy Spirit does? He empowers you for service.

He gives you power. Look at verse 17. The Spirit of truth in the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor does it know Him but you know Him for He dwells with you and will be in you. You see for a believer at this time and they were still effectively living in the old covenant until Christ died and rose. Still the old covenant. And so the Holy Spirit wasn't in them yet. So here's what Jesus is saying. He's going to come in you.

Well when did that happen? That happened in the upper room. Remember we read in John 20 after Jesus died and rose again Christ appeared to them in the room and He said receive the Holy Spirit and He breathed on them and the Holy Spirit came and lived inside of them. So now when you become a Christian the Holy Spirit lives inside of you. But there's even another dimension of power you can experience because over in Acts 1.8 it says you shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you to be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. So the Spirit comes in you when you become a Christian. But then the Spirit can come upon you with the dimension of power giving you a boldness or a courage to be a witness for Christ or to share your faith. And that happened on the day of Pentecost when all those believers who had the Holy Spirit in them were waiting for power from on high and God's Spirit came on them.

Remember that story? And listen to this. After that happened Peter said this promise of the Holy Spirit is to you and it's to your children and it's to your children's children and to all that are afar off even as many as will call on the name of the Lord our God. So here's what Peter is saying. This promise this promise of what happened on Pentecost is available to believers today. We don't need another Pentecost any more than we need another Calvary. What happened at the first Calvary is sufficient.

What happened at the first Pentecost is sufficient. I just need to take hold of it and that's the Holy Spirit to empower me and fill me again and again and again and you refill. Some people you know you need to get more refills than others do but we all need a refill of the Spirit. Pastor Greg Laurie with important thoughts about the way the Holy Spirit helps us in our daily walk with the Lord and there's more to come as this message continues. Well Pastor Greg you've produced several films over the last few years and our listeners really love them but we have a new one coming out very soon that's a bit different isn't that right? Yeah Dave we've done some documentary films of course Steve McQueen The Salvation of an American Icon, A Rush of Hope, Johnny Cash The Redemption of an American Icon but this is different because this is a full-blown feature film produced by Lionsgate a major film studio in Los Angeles through the Kingdom Story Company and directed by John Irwin and Brent McCorkle.

Most people know John Irwin as the director of I Can Only Imagine, I Still Believe, and American Underdog. John himself says Dave this is his best work he says everything I've done up to this point has been setting the stage for this movie. This is the movie John's been wanting to make for eight years. In fact when I first met him eight years ago we were talking about this movie and there were things that happened that stopped it from being made but now the movie is made and it's going to be released nationwide. It'll be in a theater near you and our hope and our prayer is that this film that's called Jesus Revolution will open as the number one film in America. Let me say why because I just think it's cool that on the marquees of our theaters you're going to see the word Jesus. Jesus Revolution.

That's exciting. And then secondly this movie has the gospel in it but this is not your typical Christian movie. It's not filled with cliches.

It's not predictable in any way shape or form. There's twists and turns and surprises. It's kind of gritty at times but then when it gets to the part where the gospel is proclaimed it's clear and my character Greg played by Joel Courtney is baptized by hippie evangelist Lonnie Frisbee played by Jonathan Rumi best known as playing Jesus in The Chosen. That scene where Lonnie prays with Greg they do what we would call a sinner's prayer similar to what our listeners hear me do here on our show.

I believe thousands of people are going to be praying that prayer in theaters around the country. Yeah that's so exciting. Well Jesus Revolution of course refers to the Jesus movement. Yeah.

A time you know quite well you came to the Lord during that time. Yes. And you and Kathy fell in love during that time.

Yes. And the movie sort of walks us through all of that. Yes a very young Greg is in this film played by Joel Courtney. Beautiful job on his part in his acting. It shows the story of young Greg with his mother Charlene played by Kimberly Williams Paisley. She was the bride and father of the bride.

Yeah. And she's an amazing actress. She did an incredible job playing my mother. This tragic figure.

This Marilyn Monroe look-alike who would hang around the bars and get picked up by men and the sad life that we had together which sent me on a search as a young man. And it shows in a very honest and real way my search through drugs and other things trying to find meaning in my life and I eventually come to hear the gospel. It's also a love story where I meet Kathy and the actress Anna Grace Barlow plays Kathy and it's she does such an amazing job. And so it's a love story and it's a story of how two very unlikely characters came together Chuck Smith played by Kelsey Grammer again Lonnie Frisbee played by Jonathan Rumi.

It was like nitrometh glycerin and a spiritual explosion happened as a result. So hey I hope you'll go see it. I hope you'll take people with you to see it. Again our prayer is that it will become the number one film in America and that it will impact people and bring them to Christ. This is the most unchristian Christian film that you've ever seen and let me explain.

A lot of times in Christian films are predictable and we've all seen them. This film will blow your mind. This film is done in a big cinematic way. Incredible acting. Expertly directed.

The musical score. You're gonna love a lot of old songs from the 60s that you may remember as well as those early Jesus movement songs we sang. There's just no movie I've ever seen like this movie. I guarantee you'll be moved deeply by it. You'll laugh out loud. I think you'll even shed a tear or two. And it's gonna be a movie that I hope will move people toward Christ of all ages.

Yeah it really will. May plans to go see Jesus Revolution when it comes out February 24th in theaters nationwide. You know our goal is to share the hope of Christ as far and wide as possible. Of course we do that here on A New Beginning. We do that through Pastor Greg's large-scale Harvest Crusades and we're doing it again with this new film. It's the gospel wrapped in a compelling movie. And we so much appreciate your partnership as we share this message in exciting new ways this year.

We couldn't do it without the help of our listeners. So thank you for your investment. And to say thank you tangibly we'd like to send you Pastor Greg's book also called Jesus Revolution.

It's what laid the groundwork for this new film. We'll send you a copy that you can read before the movie comes out. Ask for it when you make a donation today. Call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24 7 phone number 1-800-821-3300.

Or write A New Beginning Box 4000 Riverside California 92514. Or go online to harvest.org. You know there's nothing like hearing the word of God and worshiping the Lord together. I want to encourage you to join us for something we call Harvest at Home. It happens every Saturday and Sunday at harvest.org. You can join Christians literally from around the world as we worship and we study the word of God together. So join us for Harvest at Home at harvest.org. Well next time important information about the dangers of resisting the Spirit and insulting God's Spirit. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible Teacher, Greg Laurie. A New Beginning is a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. If this show has impacted your life, share your story, leave a review on your favorite podcast app, and help others find hope.