And open your Bibles to Ephesians chapter 1.
Ephesians chapter 1.
Last Sunday I talked about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
!
This is the letter to Ephesians.
But in Acts when he arrived in Ephesus where he found a bunch of people that were claiming to be Christians.
Or certainly disciples who hadn't even heard of the Holy Spirit.
Now we'll come back to that.
But that's an interesting scenario isn't it?
Is it possible to be a Christian and not have ever heard of the Holy Spirit?
Think about that.
A.W. Tozer said this quite controversially.
He said if the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today.
95% of what we do would go on.
No one would notice the difference.
But if the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church.
95% of what they did would stop immediately.
And everyone would know it.
Now is he right?
It's quite a controversial thing to say.
Can he be a Christian without the Holy Spirit?
Without knowing the Holy Spirit?
Without ever having heard of the Holy Spirit?
Can he be a church?
A real church?
And not know the Holy Spirit.
Not to have heard of him?
Well according to these words.
According to Ephesians chapter 1.
That's just not possible.
Too soon he says.
Look at Ephesians chapter 1 verse 13.
It's part of a long sentence.
I'm going to break into it.
From verse 3 right through to verse 14.
Is one sentence.
And notice it begins with praise.
And it ends with praise.
And Paul in this long sentence is thanking God for salvation.
And here towards the end of the sentence.
In verse 13 and 14.
He thanks God particularly for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Not the gifts.
Interestingly.
Today there are Christians.
Aren't they?
They are preoccupied with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
They're quite obsessed.
With some of the more extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit.
There are loads of gifts.
That Christ gives to the church.
Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
But people are often more preoccupied with the extraordinary.
Those unusual gifts.
That Paul calls the lesser gifts.
Like tongue speaking for example.
And there is amazing ignorance.
About the gift itself.
About the person and the word of the Holy Spirit.
And that's what Paul is talking about here.
So let me read you from verse 13.
In him.
The Lord Jesus Christ.
You also.
When you heard the word of truth.
The gospel of your salvation.
And believed in him.
Were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
Who is the guarantee.
Of our inheritance.
Until we acquire possession of it.
To the praise of his glory.
It's one of the greatest ideas in the Bible.
That God gives you.
His Holy Spirit.
When you believe and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
He's promised.
The Holy Spirit.
In the Old Testament.
To all believers.
And when you hear the gospel.
When you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
As he's presented you in the gospel.
You receive the gift.
Of the Holy Spirit.
He is the gift.
And the Holy Spirit comes to live in us.
To indwell us.
There are five things.
You can catch up.
I'll listen to the recording from last Sunday.
But here he is talking.
In Ephesians 1.
About the presence of the Holy Spirit.
In the believer.
As a seal.
In fact.
There's two metaphors.
Aren't there.
That we're going to look at tonight.
There is.
He is a seal.
And he is a guarantee.
A seal.
And a deposit.
And what I want to do.
I just want to unpack those metaphors.
And see what they mean for us.
So first of all.
He is the seal.
Of our salvation.
Having believed.
You were marked.
With a seal.
Having believed in him.
You were sealed.
With the promised Holy Spirit.
Just like.
When the Romans.
Buried to Jesus.
They put a seal.
On his tomb.
They wanted.
To stop the body.
From being tampered with.
There was every possibility.
That somebody would come.
And steal the body.
And they wanted to make sure.
That wouldn't happen.
And so they sealed the tomb.
A seal.
Keeps something safe.
A seal.
Keeps something secure.
But a seal.
Is also a mark.
Of identity.
It's a mark.
Of ownership.
So.
Remember.
When you were a student.
You lived in a shared.
House.
What would you do?
You put a label.
Didn't you.
On your food.
In the fridge.
It wouldn't stop.
Your housemates.
From stealing.
From you.
But at least.
They would know.
Who they were stealing it from.
Isn't it?
Because.
You had labeled.
Your food.
You had put your seal.
On it.
It was a mark.
Of ownership.
This belongs.
To me.
Hands off.
There's a kind of seal.
A label.
Identifying it.
As yours.
It's like.
When you brand.
Cattle.
Or sheep.
It's the same thing.
It's like a label.
On a bottle of wine.
It tells you.
Where the wine.
Comes from.
What kind of wine.
It is.
And so.
We can think of the seal.
In that sort of sense.
And that is what God.
Does for us.
When we trust.
In Jesus.
When we come to believe.
In the Lord Jesus Christ.
He does both of those things.
He puts his stamp.
Of ownership.
On us.
First of all.
There are a few places.
Where Paul talks about.
The sealing of the spirit.
So let me refer you to it.
Another couple of places.
In 2 Corinthians.
For example.
In chapter 1.
In verse 20.
He talks there.
About all the promises of God.
Being yes.
In Christ.
And amen.
In Christ.
Christ is.
The fulfillment.
Of all the Old Testament promises.
They are yes.
And amen.
In Christ.
And he goes on to say.
If that wasn't enough.
To say that all the promises.
Of the Bible.
Are summed up.
And fulfilled.
In him.
God in Christ says.
Yes.
And amen.
To us.
As if that wasn't enough for us.
He goes on to say.
Now it is God.
Who makes both us.
And you.
Stand firm.
Here's the point.
In Christ.
He anointed us.
And set his seal.
Of ownership.
Upon us.
And put his spirit.
In our hearts.
As a deposit.
Guaranteeing.
What is to come.
Those who have trusted.
In Christ.
He has anointed us.
Christ means.
And the anointed one.
That's what the word Christ means.
It's not a surname.
Jesus' parents.
But not Mr.
And Mrs.
Christ.
It was Jesus of Nazareth.
The Christ.
The anointed one.
The Messiah.
The prophet.
Priest.
And king.
So do you remember.
In his baptism.
In the Jordan.
You have the three persons.
Of the Trinity there.
You have a graphic demonstration.
Of the father.
Son.
And holy spirit.
Working in our salvation.
The father.
Is in heaven.
The son.
Is in the Jordan.
And the spirit.
Comes down.
In the form of a dove.
And a voice.
Is heard from heaven.
This is my beloved son.
With whom I'm well pleased.
And there's a sense.
In which.
At his baptism.
At the age of 30.
The significance.
At the age of 30.
Is that.
That was when the priest.
Would have been ordained.
Would have been set apart.
For their anointed ministry.
At the age of 30.
Jesus is baptised.
In the Jordan River.
And he's owned.
From heaven.
As the anointed one.
As the anointed prophet.
Priest.
And king.
This is.
My beloved son.
The father says.
Now there is a sense.
In which you and I.
When we come to believe.
In the Lord Jesus Christ.
We receive.
That same.
Anointing.
That is what Paul says.
In 2 Corinthians.
He says.
He has anointed us.
In that same.
Kind of way.
And he has sealed us.
With his spirit.
It's almost.
As if God looks down.
From heaven.
And he says.
That is my boy.
That is my girl.
What is it.
With parents.
And school photographs.
Kids hate them.
Parents love them.
You know.
During manor.
There's big photos.
On the wall.
Aren't there.
Of all the kids.
In certain years.
In the school I was at.
About 900 of us.
We would all line up.
And you would.
You would have one long photo.
And it would come in a scroll.
And you would unwind it.
And what did the parents look for?
What did your parents look for?
In the school photograph?
Your mates.
And the teachers.
And they looked for you today.
There he is.
There she is.
There I am.
We see.
And it's almost like that.
In the teeming millions.
Of planet earth.
What are we?
We are little smacks of consciousness.
In this vast universe.
And yet.
The father looks and says.
That's my boy.
There's my girl.
Remember how Paul puts it in Romans chapter 8 verse 16.
He says.
The spirit bears witness with our spirit.
That we are the children of God.
You see.
It's a mark of identity.
And if you are wondering who you are as a believer.
That is who you are.
You are a child of God.
The father says.
This is my son.
This is my daughter.
He's putting his mark of ownership upon us.
And God is doing that.
By giving us his Holy Spirit.
It's interesting.
As you look at the Ephesians passage.
There's an interesting little detail there.
We should pick up on.
Look at verse 11 in Ephesians 1.
And following.
There's a change of pronoun.
He says.
In him.
We have obtained an inheritance.
Having been predestined.
According to the purpose of him.
Who works all things.
According to the counsel of his will.
So that we who were the first to hope in Christ.
Might be to the praise of his glory.
In him.
You also.
When you heard the word of the truth.
The gospel of your salvation.
And believed in him.
Were sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit.
Did you notice?
There's two groups of people.
I'm going to figure this out this week.
There's two groups of people.
There is we.
Who were the first to hope in Christ.
Verse 12.
And there is.
You also.
Were included.
Verse 13.
This has come out as clearly in the SV as it should.
We.
Who were the first to hope in Christ.
And you also were included.
Now what is all that about?
Surely what Paul is saying is this.
Who were the first to hope in Christ.
The Messiah.
They were the Jews.
You remember the covenant God made with Israel.
His people.
On Mount Sinai.
Where the terms of the covenant.
Were outlined.
Were they.
In Exodus chapter 19.
This he says.
This is what you are to be.
To the house of Israel.
And what I want you.
To tell that.
The people of Israel.
Moses.
This is what I want.
To reveal myself.
To them.
You yourselves.
Have seen what I did.
To Egypt.
How I carried you on eagles wings.
And brought you to myself.
And he says.
Now if you obey.
Me.
And my covenant.
And keep it fully.
Then out of all the nations.
You will be my treasured possession.
And although the whole earth.
Is mine.
You will be for me.
A kingdom of priests.
A holy nation.
That is what Israel was.
They were the chosen people of God.
To be God's treasured possession.
To be a kingdom of priests.
Of anointed ones.
To be a holy nation.
And Paul says.
That is true of us Jews.
We were the first to hope.
But you too.
You Gentiles.
You non-Jews.
You are now included in that.
And he's trying to reassure.
The Ephesian Christians.
These Gentile believers.
You are not second class.
You're not in some sort of.
Different category.
To a test of believers.
When you heard.
And when you believed in Jesus.
And when you trusted in him.
You too were included.
And you too.
Became God's treasured possession.
You became God's anointed one.
We are a kingdom of priests.
What's he saying?
He's saying that is what we are now.
That God has sent his ownership upon us.
And we belong to him.
We've become full members.
Of the people of God.
Of God's treasured possession.
That's one thing we can say.
About the sealing of the Holy Spirit.
It's God's stamp of ownership.
But the seal is more than that.
It's more than really.
A mark of identification.
He is also.
Our security.
It's a lovely story.
From history of.
Alexander the Great.
It's said that Alexander the Great.
Once sent an adversary.
To Egypt.
And this representative.
Of Alexander the Great.
He traveled without weapons.
And without military escort.
And he carried.
Only the seal.
Of Alexander the Great.
And as the story goes.
He met with the king of Egypt.
Who stood with his vast army.
Behind him.
And he communicated.
This message.
From Alexander the Great.
To the king of Egypt.
And this was the message.
Cease hostility.
Cease hostilities.
Against Alexander's interest.
The king of Egypt.
Wanting to save face.
Said he would consider the request.
And let them know.
About it.
At that.
Alexander's emissary.
Drew a circle.
In the dirt.
Around the king.
The king of Egypt.
And he said to him.
Do not leave this circle.
Without giving me your answer.
I talked about nerve.
Even whose army.
Might have said.
He was on his own.
He had no weapons.
There was no army backing him.
All he had was the seal.
Of Alexander the Great.
The king of Egypt.
Had an entire army.
At his back.
And yet the king.
Didn't dare touch this man.
Because he carried the seal.
Of Alexander the Great.
To touch him.
Was to touch.
Alexander the Great.
To disobey him.
Was to disobey.
Alexander the Great.
To give affront to him.
Was to give affront.
To Alexander the Great.
And realizing this.
After a long tense moment.
In which the king.
Assessed his options.
He said.
Tell Alexander.
He has his request.
And then he said.
I got a circle.
Now you and I.
What courage.
That should give us.
When we find ourselves.
In a similar situation.
In the workplace.
When we stand.
For God's words.
And we face.
Great ridicule.
In evangelism.
When we speak to people.
And they mock.
In all sorts of situations.
What a wonderful thing.
It is to realize.
That we might feel.
Very intimidated.
We might feel.
Threatened by.
The people that we're talking to.
And by our culture.
But we carry the seal.
Not of Alexander the Great.
But Jesus.
The greatest.
The king of the universe.
We hide.
His emissaries.
And we are protected.
By his seal.
Which he has put us.
On us.
With the Holy Spirit.
It is our safety.
It is our security.
You see.
The story of a man.
From North Africa.
Who was a believer.
He's fleeing from persecution.
And his enemies.
Are relentlessly pursuing.
This African man.
He's on the run.
He goes through.
The African countryside.
Until he fell exhausted.
Into a small cave.
And he expected.
That they would catch up.
With him there.
And he eventually.
Would be killed.
But he just wasn't able.
To keep running.
So he just fell.
Exhausted to the ground.
Into this cave.
And he waited.
There was nowhere else to hide.
And as he sat there.
Waiting for his enemies.
To catch up with him.
Waiting for certain death.
He thought.
He noticed.
A spider.
Weaving a web.
And within minutes.
The little insect.
It was a beautiful pattern.
Across the mouth.
Of the cave.
Only a small cave.
And by the time.
The pursuers.
The enemies arrived.
They saw the spider's web.
And they just assumed.
That he couldn't possibly.
Be in the cave.
They figured out.
They figured.
That he would have broken.
The web.
If he'd gone into that cave.
And so they just went on.
And he was safe.
That man later.
Wrote this.
His name was Frederick Nolan.
And he wrote this little ditty.
This little reflection.
On his experience.
He said.
Where God is.
A spider's web.
Is like a wall.
Where God is not.
A wall.
Is like a spider's web.
Where God is.
A spider's web.
Is like a wall.
Where God is not.
A wall.
Is like a spider's web.
And that is the kind of security.
That we have.
As believers.
The Holy Spirit.
Has taken up residence.
In our hearts.
The spirit.
Is shy.
The spirit.
Is not.
Demonstrative.
The spirit.
Is not loud.
The spirit.
Is often silent.
He takes a silent.
Residence within us.
And he is soft.
And he is quiet.
His presence.
In us.
Sometimes.
Like a very.
Delicate thing.
He's sometimes.
Grieved by us.
Scripture says.
And the thread.
Is easily broken.
Like a spider's web.
But where God is.
A spider's web.
Is like a wall.
And if you have the Holy Spirit.
In your life.
Prompting you.
Convicting you.
Putting his finger.
On your sins.
Pointing you to Jesus.
If the Holy Spirit.
Is at work within you.
Where God is.
A spider's web.
Is like a wall.
And God has woven.
The Holy Spirit.
The web of the Spirit.
Over the doorway.
Of your life.
He has shielded us.
How safe.
Are the saved.
How safe.
Do you feel.
How safe.
Are the saved.
We couldn't be safer.
God has shielded us.
With his Holy Spirit.
Claiming us.
As his own.
Possession.
And protecting us.
With his power.
But that is something else.
That goes deeper than that.
There is another metaphor.
That Paul picks up on.
Not only does God.
Seal us.
With his spirit.
And claim us.
As his own possession.
But do you see.
He uses his other metaphor.
He says that.
We have been given.
The Holy Spirit.
As a pledge.
He has pledged himself.
To give us our inheritance.
Look at verse 14.
The ESV says.
He is the guarantee.
Of our inheritance.
He.
Is the guarantee.
Who not it.
He not it.
This isn't some force.
This isn't some influence.
This is the third person.
Of the blessed trinity.
Who is a deposit.
Who is the guarantee.
Of our inheritance.
Until we acquire.
Possession of it.
To the praise of his glory.
So what do you do.
When you want.
When you want to buy a house.
You put a deposit down.
What does God do.
He puts a deposit down.
2 Corinthians 5.
Is another place.
Where he talks about.
The sealing of the Holy Spirit.
He talks about living.
In a tent.
Our bodies are like tents.
That's our current situation.
We are camping out.
And.
You know.
Don't you.
And we know.
As we grow older.
The tent gets a little bit more rickety.
And our existence.
Seems just a little bit more.
Precarious.
And there's aches.
And pains.
And joints.
That don't work like they did.
It's just like camping out.
In a tent.
In inclement weather.
And he describes that.
And he says.
We know.
That if the earthly tent.
We live in.
Is destroyed.
What will happen to us then.
Is it curtains?
No.
He says.
We know.
That if suddenly.
Our tent.
Is blown away.
If this earthly tent.
Of our present existence.
Is destroyed.
We have a building.
To go to.
A building from God.
An eternal house.
In heaven.
Not built by human hands.
Meanwhile.
We groan.
He says.
Longing to be clothed.
By our heavenly dwelling.
Because when we are clothed.
We will not be found naked.
For while we are in this tent.
We groan.
We are very good groaners.
Aren't we?
We complain.
And we are burdened.
But we don't wish to be unclothed.
But to be clothed.
With our heavenly dwelling.
We are longing for this.
That is what you were made for.
You see.
So that what is mortal.
May be swallowed up by life.
Now he says.
It is God who made us.
For this very person.
And listen.
Has given the spirit.
As a deposit.
Guaranteeing what is to come.
So if you want to buy something big.
You put down.
Don't you?
A deposit.
You put down a lump sum.
A first payment.
Guaranteeing that the rest is to come.
That is what God has done in your life.
And so if you have heard.
The simple gospel.
Of the Lord Jesus.
And his death on the cross.
For you as a sinner.
If you have heard that gospel.
And put your trust.
And you rely on Jesus Christ alone.
God has put a down payment on your life.
He has made a payment on the house.
That you are going to live in for all eternity.
It is a guarantee.
He has given you the Holy Spirit.
As a guarantee of that.
But it is more than that.
Isn't it?
Because in the fact.
The word that he uses.
Well.
It is.
It is more than a guarantee.
It is actually the first installment.
It is a down payment.
In the sense that he has given us.
A foretaste of what is to come.
Now.
This is fantastic.
When you come to think about it.
As Christians.
We should believe in time travel.
You can do a degree.
Can't you know.
In time travel.
I don't think it's the UWE.
But you can do a degree in it.
But we should believe in time travel.
Let me explain that.
Because in the gospel.
When we put our trust in Christ.
We don't go into the future.
But the future comes into us.
And so when somebody is born again.
By the Holy Spirit.
They begin to experience the power of the age.
To come now in your life.
And God gives you a foretaste.
Of what it's going to be like.
In the new heavens and the earth.
It's only a taste.
And in our better moments.
We wouldn't trade it for anything.
Being Christians.
The spirit at work in our hearts and lives.
We wouldn't want to change that for anything.
But it's only a little taste.
It's only a taste of heaven.
Because heaven is not our final destination.
We've seen that.
In Isaiah.
Heaven isn't.
The head of final destination.
Heaven is the transit land.
The transit land.
To our waiting.
Heaven is looking forward.
To the new creation of the heavens and the earth.
Our final destination.
Is resurrected bodies.
With brilliant minds.
In a transformed universe.
And that's where we're headed.
And God puts.
A little bit of that.
Into you.
When he puts his Holy Spirit.
He gives us.
Just a little inkling.
Of what it's going to be like.
There's a lovely story.
About Fanny Crosby.
The hymn writer.
And she wrote.
A very famous hymn.
It's a little bit twee.
But we're going to sing it.
At the end of the service.
Blessed assurance.
Jesus is mine.
Oh.
What a fortress.
Of glory divine.
It's a great hymn.
Actually.
But there's a back story.
That you might not know.
Fanny Crosby was blind.
When she was six weeks old.
She had a slight cold.
And her eyes were inflamed.
A doctor gave her the wrong medication.
And she went blind.
She lived until she was 95.
She married a blind musician.
And they had one child.
Who died in infancy.
She wrote more than.
She wrote more than 8,000 hymns.
And the overwhelming.
Emotion.
In Fanny Crosby's hymns.
Is one of joy.
When she was in her 50s.
Phoebe Palmer Knapp.
Composed the tune.
And brought it to her.
And Fanny Crosby told Phoebe.
Play it for me.
She played it.
On the piano.
And said.
What does the tune say?
She played it again.
She played it a third time.
And Fanny Crosby said.
Blessed assurance.
Jesus is mine.
Oh what a foretaste.
Of glory divine.
She wrote that psalm.
In a very very short time.
A minister once told Fanny Crosby.
That it was too bad.
That God did not give her.
The gift of sight.
And this is what she said.
If I had been given.
A choice at birth.
I would mask be blind.
For when I get to heaven.
The first face I will see.
Will be the face of the one who died for me.
That is someone who has the Holy Spirit living in her.
Isn't it?
You can sense the excitement.
Sense the anticipation.
She's not grumbling.
Grumbling and complaining about her lot in life.
She's looking forward.
The first face I will see.
Is the face of one who died for me.
Blessed.
Assurance.
Jesus.
Is mine.
Oh.
What a foretaste of glory.
Divine.
We've received the guarantee.
We have the deposit.
The down payment.
Now let me try and apply this.
As one said of the Puritan.
Richard Siv.
It was one of the great Puritans.
That heaven was in him.
Before he was in heaven.
It's a great thing to say.
It's a great thing to say of anybody.
But what I'm trying to tell you tonight.
Is that as true of you.
If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Heaven is in us.
Before we get to heaven.
Heaven begun below.
That is what it means to be a Christian.
Now let me try and apply it.
I think this should really affect.
The way that we live.
It should lead to holiness.
In our lives.
Come with me to Ephesians 4.
Verse 30.
Just over the page.
Paul there is contrasting light and darkness.
And he's talking about the Christian lifestyle.
And he's comparing it with the kind of lifestyle.
That we used to live.
We used to indulge in it.
Before we became Christians.
And in the midst of that.
He talks about all sorts of things.
He talks about the way we talk to one another.
About how we meet one another's needs.
But he says in verse 30.
Doesn't he?
Chapter 4.
How can I reference right?
Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.
With whom he was sealed for the day of redemption.
You see to have the Holy Spirit living in your life.
Is a huge spur to holiness.
Think what spirit dwells within you.
Says the hymn writer.
Think.
Think this week.
The Holy Spirit dwells within you.
What a father loves you yet.
What a saviour dies to win you.
Child of heaven.
Why should you fret?
Think you are not your own.
You are bought with a price.
You are the Lord's now.
And his spirit dwells within you.
Think about that.
H.G. Wells.
And tells of the day.
Days when he was newly married.
H.G. Wells was a very successful author.
And in the early days of his marriage.
He was very well known.
And it was a time of great pleasure.
There were great massive temptations.
Because of his great success.
The world was his oyster.
The world was opening up for him.
Women were throwing themselves at him.
And this is what he said.
As far as I know.
H.G. Wells wasn't a believer.
He said.
It was as well for me.
That behind the folding doors.
Of 12 Mornington Road.
There slept one so pure and so clean.
That I could not bear to stand before her.
Squalid or drunken.
And shaven or base.
Think who lives behind the doors.
Of 12 Mornington Road.
As far as you are concerned.
Or whatever address your address is.
Think what spirit dwells within you.
It's not the spirit of Mrs. H.G. Wells.
Lovely as she might have been.
But the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of Jesus Christ.
The third person of the Blessed Trinity.
Think about.
That he's easily offended you know.
Think about that before you speak.
Think about that before you indulge.
In some course of action.
That would grieve the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit's present in us.
Is a constant reminder.
To us that we are a work in progress.
And the God who began a good work.
And he will bring it to completion.
On the day of Christ.
He is at work within us.
Don't quench the Spirit's fire.
Be sensitive to his presence.
What a spirit of holiness.
And what a reason to hope.
I love the way Paul describes himself.
In Ephesians 1 again.
Just come back there with me.
If you look at chapter 1 and verse 12.
He says so that we.
Who were the first to hope in Christ.
The first to hope in the Messiah.
Our society is hopeless.
It is hopeless.
And that's why people have lost hope.
Haven't they?
Why do people behave like they do.
In your work parties.
When you go out with the parents.
From school.
Why do they behave in the way that they do.
It's because they've got nothing to look forward to.
And if you've got nothing to look forward to.
Well you've got no reason to live well.
Biblical hope is not hoping for the best.
It's not whistling in the dark.
It's not hoping in its hope.
Biblical hope is a life shaping certainty.
About your future.
And what you believe about your future.
Will either sweeten your life.
Or it will sour it.
Won't it?
What you believe about your life.
Will either brighten you.
Or darken you.
George Bernard Shaw.
On his 19th birthday.
Said something really interesting.
Especially when you know the kind of man he was.
He wasn't a believer.
He was an atheist.
He was an easy bloke to live with.
Cantankerous.
So and so.
In lots of ways.
And on his 19th birthday.
He's reported to have said this.
Our conduct is influenced.
Not so much by our experience.
As by our expectation.
Our conduct is influenced.
Not so much by our experience.
But by our expectation.
You'd love to be a fly on the wall.
Wouldn't you?
You can imagine the kind of situation.
His grandchild says to him.
You ought to know better at your age.
And this was his excuse.
Well I've lived 90.
I've lived a long life.
But my conduct.
Is influenced.
Not so much by my experience.
As by my expectation.
And what am I going to look forward to.
At 90 years old.
He was an atheist.
He didn't have any to look forward to.
And therefore.
He had no reason to behave himself.
But you and I.
Whether we live to 90.
Or not.
We've got something great.
To look forward to.
We have a future.
And a hope.
That is not a forlorn hope.
It is a hope.
That is grounded.
In the resurrection.
Of Jesus.
Risen from the dead.
And sealed to us.
By the Holy Spirit.
Who has given us.
A deposit.
Guaranteeing what is to come.
And it should fill us.
With hope.
That brings me right back.
To the start.
To where we began.
Can you be a Christian.
And not believe.
In the Holy Spirit.
Look at what it says.
In verse 13.
And you also.
Were included in Christ.
When you heard.
The word of truth.
The gospel of your salvation.
And having believed.
You were marked.
In him.
You were sealed.
With the promise.
The Holy Spirit.
He is talking about.
People becoming Christians.
And he is really saying.
You cannot hear the gospel.
And believe it.
Without being at the same time.
Sealed by the Holy Spirit.
So you go to Acts chapter 19.
And that story.
About these people.
Who never heard of the Holy Spirit.
What does Paul do.
With those people.
Well I will tell you what he does.
He tells them about Jesus.
And he preaches the gospel to them.
And the Holy Spirit comes.
In a very demonstrable way.
To them.
But the Holy Spirit.
Does not come to them.
Until they believe in Jesus.
And the point is.
You cannot have Jesus.
Without the Holy Spirit.
And you cannot have the Holy Spirit.
Unless you have Christ.
They are indesolubly.
Indesolubly.
Bound together.
Let me finish with this lovely story.
There is a story about a man.
Who was an art collector.
He had.
A huge collection.
Of very famous.
Priceless works.
He died.
And.
In the collection.
In pride of place.
Was a portrait of his son.
Who was a war hero.
And it had been painted.
By one of the young men.
Whose lives had been saved.
By.
The owner's son.
This young man.
And it had a pride of place.
In the collection.
And it wasn't a great work of art.
But it was there.
Anyway.
The man died.
And eventually.
They got around.
Holding the auction.
People came from all over the world.
To buy the great works of art.
And they all turned up.
And on an easel.
On the platform.
Was the portrait.
Of this man's son.
The auctioneer.
Pounded his gavel.
And he says.
We'll start the bidding.
With this picture.
Of the son.
Who will bid.
For this picture.
It's embarrassed silence.
Then a shout.
Came from the back of the room.
We don't want that picture.
We want to see the great works of art.
The famous picture.
It's the Rembrandts.
And the Picassos.
And so on.
The auctioneer persisted.
Will someone bid.
For this painting.
Who will start the bidding.
At ten dollars.
Again silence.
We didn't come to see that painting.
We've come to see the man gone.
And the Rembrandts.
Get on with it.
The auctioneer was unmoved.
The son.
Who will take the son.
Finally a voice came from the back of the room.
It was the family's long time gardener.
Probably embarrassed by the whole thing.
He said.
I'll give ten dollars for the painting.
That's all he can afford.
I suppose he felt embarrassed for the family.
We have ten dollars.
Who will bid twenty dollars.
Said the auctioneer.
Silence.
The crowd grew more and more restless.
More and more annoyed.
They haven't come for this.
Going once.
Going twice.
Said the auctioneer.
Sold at ten dollars.
Now let's go on with the auction.
Shouted a man in the second row.
But the auctioneer laid down his gavel.
And said the auction is now ended.
What about the paintings?
Wrote the crowd.
I'm sorry.
Said the auctioneer.
The auction is ended.
And when he was called to explain.
Apparently there had been a secret stipulation in the will.
That only the painting of the sun would be auctioned.
And whoever took the sun.
Got the entire collection.
Now I don't know if that's a true story.
It's a slightly preacher's story isn't it?
But.
It would be lovely if it was.
But there is something even more wonderful than that.
And it's what we've been talking about this evening.
What I've been trying to say to you this evening.
That whoever takes the sun.
Gets everything.
You take Jesus Christ tonight.
To be your saviour and your lord.
And you get the new heavens and the new earth.
Got everything you can imagine.
You take Jesus as your lord and saviour.
The gospel.
Which is the word of truth.
It's true and it's gospel.
It is good news.
Most religions say you've got to do this.
And you've got to do that.
To be saved the gospel tells you what God has done.
That he has not spared up his own son.
But he has given him up for us all.
And whoever takes the sun.
Gets everything.
Whoever takes the sun.
Gets the Holy Spirit.
Let's start.
Let's sing.