Spiritual Gifts part 82. Signed-sealed-delivered...

Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Thursday,
February 3, 2011

Winter Gathering Feb 18-20

Spiritual Gifts Part 82: Signed - by the Father
Sealed - by the Spirit
Delivered - by Christ

In order to advance to spiritual maturity, we must respond to the leadings of the Spirit.

PHI 1:6
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

This love is completely supernatural in character. It is qualitatively different and higher than the highest love the world has ever come to know through human devices.

MAT 22:39
"The second is like it, ’YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.

JOH 13:34
“A new commandment I give to you [the Church!], that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another”.

JOH 15:9
“Just as the Father has loved Me [His Beloved Son from eternity past], I have also loved you; abide in My love”.

And we find out that Christ has loved us with the same love that the Father has loved the Son with from all eternity!

From observing the behavior of the Trinity toward one another, we can conclude that this is a love which is sacrificial in character.

This is a love that humbles self and gives self for the benefit of the other.

It is a love that finds its penultimate expression in the cries of suffering by the God-man on the cross.

We come to know the love God the Father has for us, and we respond to that love by learning how to love Him, and finally we express our love for Him by being obedient to His commands.

EPH 3:10
so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

To be a son of God implies a certain similarity or likeness. A son and a father have similarities, certain things in common.
We are to learn how to see things as God sees them.

The best way to see things the way our Father sees them is see things more and more through the thinking of Jesus Christ.

huiothesia means God’s recognizing Church Age believers in that position as a child come of age, an adult son.

This will be consummated fully at the coming of Christ, when our bodies, redeemed and fashioned anew, shall be conformed to Christ’s glorious body.

Decreed or made certain in eternity past.
Set in place at the moment of salvation.
Completed and made evident at the Rapture.

EPH 1:5 He predestined us to adoption as sons [in the past - eternity past]

GAL 4:5 that we might receive the adoption as sons [now at salvation]

ROM 8:14 you have received a spirit of adoption as sons [now, looking back at the moment of faith]
ROM 8:23 waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons [future - at the Rapture]