Holy, Sanctified, and Sealed by the Holy Spirit

Are you holy? Are you sanctified? And are you sealed by the Holy Spirit? And what does it mean to be holy? What does it mean to be sanctified? And what does it mean to be sealed by the Holy Spirit? So our purpose here today is to come to a better understanding of what it means to be holy, what it means to be sanctified, and what it means to be sealed by the Holy Spirit.

We hear often that conversion is a process, but what do you really know about the process? The progression of the conversion process is something that we should all be able to explain to others and then to move forward in our own process of becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. That we become sanctified is the will of God. Let's turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. As you turn there, remember what I just said. It is the will of God that we become sanctified. You don't hear much about many sermons about being holy, about being sanctified, or sealed by the Holy Spirit. It's almost like that sounds pretty boring to me.

It sounds like something that I don't really want to put my mind to, to dig into. It's not as exciting as maybe some things we could talk about, but I submit to you it's probably the most exciting thing we can talk about because it has to do with becoming as God is.

In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 1, Furthermore, then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as you have received of us how you ought to walk and please God, so you would abound more and more. For we know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication. Of course, to be sanctified, you have to become pure and holy and right in the sight of God. Of course, abstaining from fornication is just one of the things many of the places that Paul visited in his journeys, taking the gospel to the gentile world throughout Asia Minor, Greece, all the way to Rome, maybe all the way to Spain.

He met people, of course, that were steeped in paganism, and the pagans, one of the elements of their worship service had to do with fornication. Now turn to 1 Peter 1, verse 16. So we see here, 1 Thessalonians, that it is the will of God, our sanctification. Now we go to 1 Peter, chapter 1, and verse 16. The Apostle Peter here, the Apostle of Hope, the Apostle who lived his life knowing that he would be crucified. That was the way that he would end his life.

And look forward to the resurrection. In 1 Peter, chapter 1, verse 15. But as he which is called you is holy, so be you holy in all manner of conduct, because it is written, be you holy, for I am holy. And people don't want to be thought of as being holy. They don't want to hear, I guess you would say, sanctimonious talk. But really is it sanctimonious in the sense that the world thinks about being sanctimonious. So what does it mean to be holy and sanctified? Sanctification and holiness are basically the same thing. This word here for holy, the word for holy is hagios, H-A-G-I-O-S, be you holy. And it has to do with the active presence of God in a thing or in a being.

Hageous has to do with being pure, being whole, being wholesome, being without spot or blemish or wrinkle or any such thing. Remember, Paul writes in Ephesians that he is going to present the church to, that he might present the church not having spot, blemish, wrinkle or any such thing, that we be washed with the pure water of the word. So this word hageous is translated holy 161 times, saints 61 times, and then holy 1 four times, and miscellaneous translations three times.

The saints are called holy because God's active presence is in them. Remember, Moses was told, take off your shoes, Moses, because the ground on which you stand is holy. Why was the ground holy? Because God's active presence was on that ground at that same time. Now sanctified, very similar to being holy, sanctified is a state of being.

You are sanctified. You're holy. You're set apart. And how does God set us apart? We'll talk about that. So sanctification is a process for becoming sanctified. It is hageousmos, h-a-g-e-e-a-s-m-o-s, hageousmos, very similar to hageous, and they have the same Greek root. Both words come from the same root. So holiness and sanctification begins with being called of God. Let's say it again. Holiness and sanctification begins with being called of God. Hearing the Word of God, believing the truth. John 6 44, a verse that almost everyone can quote, No man can come to me unless the Father draw him.

Jesus Christ speaking, no man can come to me unless the Father draw him. And then in Romans 10 and verse 14, if you'll turn there, we'll see that the Holy Spirit and the Word of God work in concert together to convict one. And we'll read from the Gospel of John shortly after we read this.

So can you step by step, if you meet someone and they say, can you explain to me the conversion process? What does it mean to be holy? What does it mean to be sanctified? What is the process of sanctification? In Romans chapter 10 and verse 14, How then shall they call on him, and whom they have not believed? So belief, as we shall see, is obviously necessary for becoming holy and sanctified.

And how shall they believe in him, of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And that's one of the reasons why Jesus Christ raised up the church, established the church, go ye therefore and all the world, disciple all nations, make disciples of all nations, disciple all nations, teach them to observe all things whatsoever I've commanded you, and lo, I'm with you to the end of the age. So the Word of God has to be preached, and how shall they preach except they be sent?

As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them to preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things. As we'll read now in just a moment here, if you'll be turning to John, the Gospel of John, chapter 16, the Holy Spirit does not speak of itself. There have been times in which a voice from heaven came. When Jesus Christ came up out of the baptismal waters, the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

In the Transfiguration, there was a voice that said, This is my beloved Son, hear him. In John, chapter 16, verse 7, of course you know from John 13 all the way to the end of the chapter, it's taken up with those last few hours of Jesus Christ's life. In John 16, in verse 7, Jesus is trying to comfort the disciples, telling them there at the Passover ceremony, his last Passover ceremony here on earth, when he instituted the symbols of the New Covenant.

He's trying to comfort them because he tells them on the one hand that he is going to leave them. But on the other hand, in John 16, verse 7, nevertheless I tell you the truth, it is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you. Of course, John 14, 28, says that the Comforter is the Holy Spirit. Maybe it's 26, one or the other. The Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you. Now, him is the correct translation because Comforter is in the masculine and the pronoun would need to be in the masculine, does not make the Holy Spirit a person.

We have covered that many times. It's just the structure of the language. Maybe we'll look at John so we'll know for sure what we're talking about in John 14, in verse 26, but when the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, so the Comforter is the Holy Spirit, whom I'll send to you from the Father. So continuing here in John chapter 16, the Comforter will not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he has come, he will reprove. And the Greek word is a lancho, and it means to convict. Convict means to lay a weight upon the heart and on the mind.

It will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment of sin, because they believe not on me, of righteousness, because I go to my Father and you see me no more. Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Jesus Christ overcame Satan. He told the disciples and all of us, be a good cheer. I have overcome the world. I've yet many things to say unto you, but you cannot bear them now. How be it when, in this case, it should be it, how be it when it, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of Truth, is Talmuma, neuter in the Greek. How be it when it, the Spirit of Truth, has come, it will guide you into all truth, for it shall speak, or he shall not speak, it shall not speak of itself, it shall not speak of itself, but whatsoever it shall hear, that shall it speak.

It will show you things to come. So the Word of God and the Spirit of God are equated in John 6, 63. The words I speak, they are spirit and they are life. And so it is the Holy Spirit and the Word of God working in concert together to convict a person of their sin. Now you look at John 1717. This is in the middle of this prayer that Jesus Christ prayed there on the night that he was betrayed, and later tried and crucified in the daylight hours on the 14th, first month in the sacred calendar, in John 1717.

We see this Word. Usually we skip this, sanctify them, set them apart through your truth. Your Word is truth. The words I speak, they're spirit and life. The Holy Spirit, the Word of God, working in concert together, convicts one of the truth. So what does it mean to hear the truth? Look at now, we go back to 1st Thessalonians, no 2nd Thessalonians in this case, 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2, beginning in verse 13. 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 13.

What are we talking about? We're talking about the process of conversion of becoming holy, sanctified, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. The process, and we'll hit the high points from the inception of your calling to being sealed. In 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 13. But we're bound to give thanks always to God for you brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation. See, of His own will beget He us with the Word of truth.

That's James 1 17 18. Of His own will beget He us with the Word of truth. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God. That's what Peter writes. I mean, He has called you, chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Sanctify them through your word. Your word is truth.

Whereunto He called you by our gospel. How shall they hear without a preacher? How shall he preach unless they be sent? Paul was struck down on the road to Damascus on the way to persecute and possibly kill Christians. Shrunk down, and as a result, he was like converted overnight almost. It was a while before he received his sight after being struck blind. Then he was told that he would take this gospel to the nations and especially to the Gentiles.

Whereunto He called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you have been taught, whether by word or our epistle, whether you read it or whether we tell it to you in person. So the word of truth doesn't simply mean that it's a true word that you hear. You might hear a true word about many things. Now, the gospel, of course, is true, but it's more than that.

It is a particular truth. What kind of truth is it? It is a revealed truth. It is not known except through revelation. There are four principles of truth that are basic ways of gaining knowledge, empirical or sense knowledge through the five senses, rational knowledge through human reasoning, intuitive knowledge, some dispute that this is a valid method for gaining knowledge, intuition, where just suddenly an insight comes to you. They tell the story of the chimpanzee being placed in a cage in a rack of bananas that he can't reach. He jumps and he jumps.

Also in the cage is a stick and a stool. So he jumps and he jumps and he jumps and he can't reach the bananas. He sits in a corner. By the way, did you see that on the news where this monkey ran and rescued this monkey that had been electrocuted and rescued from the tracks?

That's interrupting myself. Anyhow, he goes and sits there in the cage contemplating and then suddenly he places the stool under the banana and grabs the stick and gets on the stool and knocks down a banana. They call that intuition or sudden insight. Probably maybe you've experienced sudden insight in solving a problem. It's a disputable method. But what we focus on is reveal knowledge, which the world denies altogether.

This knowledge is more than a religious philosophy. It is far more than some vague feeling about a force outside of nature.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, entered human history and revealed the Father to a world that had distanced themselves from a personal and loving God. Jesus Christ brought that which is of God to the fore. Look at John 1.

In the beginning was the Word. He existed, the One who became Jesus Christ, existing in eternity, and co-essential of the same essence, the Holy Spirit of God. And the Word was with God relationship, and the Word was God identity. The same was in the beginning with God, and all things were made by Him. In verse 14, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John, bear witness of Him and cried, saying, this is John the Baptist, This was He of whom I spoke. He that comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me, existing in eternity, and of His fullness have all received and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man has seen God at any time, except the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father. He has declared Him. So Jesus Christ came and entered human history, was made flesh and dwelt among us. And human history shows that humankind has an inherent need to believe in someone or something greater than themselves. In other words, humankind searches for truth beyond the realm of the physical. And so the pagans, as they moved away from the Tower of Babel and distanced themselves more and more from the source of truth, came to the point of where they worshiped the creation more than the Creator. The knowledge that is beyond the physical is called metaphysical. Meta in Greek means after, and physical, that which you can discern through the five senses. So what is beyond that which you can discern from the five senses? That which is beyond what you can discern from the five senses, you have two choices. It can be from what a human being comes up with through whatever methodology he might use, whether it be human reasoning or the so-called scientific method. And there is a scientific method.

He is left to what human beings can do when it comes to that which is beyond the physical, or he can know through revelation.

The real knowledge of the spiritual is beyond the ability of humans to discern apart from revelation. Now let's look at 1 Corinthians 2 and verse 9.

Other some, he seems to be a setter forth of strange gods because he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection. Then in verse 22, Paul says, He stood in the midst of Mars Hill and said, This is a place in the Athens area where the philosophers and all came together to use the dialectic to discuss. I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious. For I passed by and beheld your devotions. I found an altar with this inscription to the unknown God, whom therefore you ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you. You want to know about God and that which is beyond the physical? Well, I can tell you, Paul says, because I was taught of Him, it is revealed knowledge. Religion of itself, apart from the true God, is an enemy of what Paul called the truth. This is clearly seen even of the religions that claim to have the one and only true God on their side. The world of Islam claims that God is on their side, but their knowledge is based on a faulty premise. That is, they believe that the Qur'an is inspired of God, revealed knowledge. Time after time, the prophets of the Old Testament had to declare that God utterly rejected the religions professed by many in the nation of Israel. In the time of Jesus, who were the implacable opponents of Jesus? Well, it was the Pharisees, the elite of the religious establishment. They went through the motions of their religion, fasted, prayed, gave money. But when they were confronted with the truth, as it is revealed in the Bible and revealed by Jesus Christ, they totally rejected Him. I wonder how sobered we are by the fact that God has revealed Himself to us through Jesus Christ, His Word, and His Spirit. If we would now turn to John 5. John 5. Jesus Christ is, in this chapter, is encountering some of the detractors of the day. John 5.

We'll start with breaking in. He's in the midst of this back and forth with the detractors. Verse 33, The same works that I do bear witness of Me that the Father hath sent Me, and the Father Himself which hath sent Me hath borne witness of Me, you have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His shape. See, when Jesus Christ came up out of the baptismal waters, the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, descended upon Him and said, This is My beloved Son.

And you have not His Word abiding in you, for whom He has sent Him you believe not. Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and there they which testify of Me, and you will not come to Me that you might have life. I receive not honor from men, but I know you, and that you have not the love of God in you. So you can have all of the religious form. Be very diligent about it. And yet, miss the mark by a mile, as Pharisees did. The message that the apostles and ministers of the first century preached was the absolute minimum necessary to come to an understanding of the Gospel. The great simplicity that is in Christ, they told their hearers very clearly that they were guilty before God. You will not listen to Me, Jesus Christ said, that you might come to life. They told the hearers that the only way that they would escape from judgment was to repent and have Christ's sacrifice applied to their lives through faith for the remission of sins. Notice what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2. 1 Corinthians 2. You know, I went back and I listened to that sermon. There are several sermons that I gave on the Internet. This one is on...you can listen to it. It's on YouTube. It's on three different websites, at least YouTube. Worldwide Church of God Archives. Herbert Armstrong Library. There are a lot of sermons out there. You just have to put the person's name and the name of the sermon. This one was Babylon the Great. We've heard something about Babylon the Great in recent times.

It seems that the fire in the zeal has waned to some degree in all of us. And we have to stir it up in 1 Corinthians 2. The absolute necessary for conversion. And brethren, when I came to you, I came not with excellency of speech or wisdom declaring unto you the testimony of God, for I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdoms, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

It seems that we are afraid now. We have lost the boldness, as we'll read about later, of the Holy Spirit that empowered the apostles in those early days. As they went forth preaching Jesus Christ and him crucified, first of all, beginning in Judea. And then, of course, extending to the uttermost parts of the earth.

That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. And we'll talk about that a little more, as I said, as we go along. They heard the word of truth, but there was far more involved than what is preached. In most churches today. It's not only a matter of just knowing about Jesus in general.

Yes, he was a figure in history, or just believing that he died for the sins of the world. God's great desire is that all men and women should be saved, but to do that, they must come to the knowledge of the truth. Let's look at 1 Timothy 2.

One time, my brother, of course, he doesn't want to get too close to the truth in some ways. He asked me, well, what is it that sets you apart? I mean, why do you think the way you do? I said, well, there is a certain... I said, I'll use the word threshold. There is a certain threshold of truth that one must know in order to really come to repentance and faith. Similar to what Paul writes here in 1 Timothy 2, verse 4. Paul makes it clear that the Holy Spirit, the very essence and presence of the Spirit, is a very important message. The Holy Spirit is a very important message. The Holy Spirit is a very important message. But there is much more to the message than that. Paul makes it clear that the Holy Spirit, the very essence and presence of God, must be active in a person's mind and heart. Paul tells us that no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. That's 1 Corinthians 12.3. As we have noted, the Holy Spirit of God is working in concert with the Word of God to convict us. God does not force His will upon us. God does not compel anyone against His will to believe the Gospel. If you would now be turning to Revelation 3, and I'd be telling you this about this painting. It's either a painting or a picture. There's a famous, I'll call it a picture, that shows Jesus standing outside a closed door. We're turning to Revelation 3, verse 19. This picture shows Jesus Christ standing outside a closed door. He is knocking at the door, seeking to enter, but there's no handle on the outside.

The handle is on the inside. So we look at Revelation 3, verse 19. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten, Be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and will suck with him, and he with me. To him that overcomes a legrant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am sat down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Let's note now, Luke 11, verse 9. Now, in one sense, it might seem like there is a contradiction. Jesus Christ is standing outside. He's knocking, and he tells us to open the door. So when the gospel is preached and it goes out, and you are convicted, Jesus Christ is knocking on the door of a person's heart and mind. If they realize, and some don't want to count the cost, and even when they begin to say, Oh, you mean that what I've been doing on the Sabbath I can no longer do? I can't do that anymore. My life has to change. Oh, I don't think I want to go there. See, if any man opened the door, I will come in and suck with him. But of course, the initial step is made by God and Christ, and he uses human instruments to preach the Word, and his spirit in concert with the Word knocks on the door. Luke 11 and verse 9, And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and you shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that seeks receives, and he that seeks finds, and him that knocks, it shall be opened. See, we have to draw nigh to God, and after he knocks on the door, you can use the analogy that we knock back by responding to that conviction that is laid upon us.

We can always quench the Spirit. It is our responsibility to respond to the conviction that God has laid upon our hearts and minds to open the door of our minds, the door of our minds and our hearts so that God, the Father, and Christ can dwell in us.

The question for us is, will we quench the Spirit, or will we respond in repentance and obedience that leads to being holy and sanctified? Yes, you need to be holy and sanctified. We all do. We don't need to run from the word holy and sanctified. The writings of Paul and Peter reveal a progression of development and the conversion process, which we've already reviewed to some degree. So let's note some of the verses that Paul and Peter uses regarding this. Let's go to Ephesians. Ephesians chapter 1. We're currently covering this in the ministerial education class. Ephesians is what is called the sublime epistle. It is the epistle, some call it the queen's epistle. It's above all of the arguments and discussions and sins, in a sense, showing how wonderful God is and what He's done for us and what He has in mind for Jew and Gentile. In Ephesians 1.13, In whom you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, how shall they hear without a preacher? The word has to be preached in concert with the Spirit. The gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that you believed, you have to believe, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest, the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession. That is talking about when we are resurrected into the kingdom of God, into the praise of His glory.

So in Ephesians 13.14, believers first hear the word of truth.

Then they believed. And finally, they were sealed by the Holy Spirit. So each is a vital step in entering into what Paul describes as the gospel of your salvation. This progression leads to sanctification. Now let's note in 2 Corinthians 1. 2 Corinthians 1.

In 2 Corinthians 1.

And verse 19.

2 Corinthians 1.19, For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus Timothy, was not yea and nay, but in him was yes.

Paul had a great deal of difficulty with the Corinthians. I mean, if you were to take a class and really go verse by verse through 1 and 2 Corinthians, and really have pinpointed, pointed out, discussed, explained what all Paul went through with the Corinthians, you would wonder how in the world was it that he was able to cope with it, and yet at the same time, eventually, they appeared to turn around.

They accused him of all of the physical disabilities. He was a weak person. Yet he says, I might be weak in appearance, but not in knowledge and power of the Holy Spirit. They accused him of not being an apostle. He said, yet, have I not seen the Lord? They really got onto him for not collecting tithes, amazingly.

But he said, I had power to do so. They got onto him because he was not married. He said, don't I have power to lead about a wife, as does Peter? And so on it goes.

For all the promises of God in him are yes, and in him amen, unto the glory of God by us. Now he which establishes us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us is God. This word anointed is a word that it has. It means like rubbing in, like you take the oil and you rub it in.

You go all the way back to the anointing of Joshua, to take the place of Moses, to the anointing of the priests. The oil that ran down Aaron's beard, as it talks about in the Psalms, has anointed us. The rubbing in is of God. Who hath also sealed us. He has sealed us by the Holy Spirit.

Sealed us and given us the earnest. This word earnest, as we shall see, means the down payment of the Spirit in our hearts. So what does he mean when he says, sealed by the Holy Spirit? After repentance and faith in the sacrifice of Christ, for the remission of sins, we're baptized.

And then we receive the laying on of hands and the Holy Spirit. Paul actually says, look at Colossians 1.13 now forward to Colossians 1 and verse 13, in the figurative symbolic sense, we'll notice here in Colossians 1.13, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son. He has given us the earnest, the down payment on eternal life. He has sealed us with the Holy Spirit, translating us into the kingdom of his dear son. Does that mean that we haven't made? Of course not. But once again, what does it mean to be sealed? Who has sealed us with the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts? This word sealed, esfragizo, esfragizo, it means to set a seal upon, to mark with a seal, to seal for security. If you've ever done canning, you know that to preserve the contents in the jar or the can, you seal it so that oxygen won't get in and it become oxidized and spoiled for security. Since things sealed up are concealed as the contents of a letter to hide, to keep in silence, to keep secret, in order to mark a person or a thing, to set a mark upon the impress of a seal or a stamp.

In order to prove, to confirm or attest a thing. So God has sealed us. He set His mark upon us. A down payment on eternal life. He has sealed us with His Holy Spirit. Now this word earnest, this word earnest, a rabon, means money which in purchases is given as a pledge or down payment that the full amount will be subsequently paid. So it's a down payment, as it were. We receive it. And yes, you can fall away. Believing in Christ and the sealing of the Spirit are not exactly the same thing. It's accurate to say that no one can believe without the influence of the Holy Spirit. But it doesn't mean that you are sealed until you repent, you're baptized, and you receive the laying on of hands. And receive the Holy Spirit of Begett. Once again, what does Ephesians 1.13 say? This verse tells us that having believed, or after having believed in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice, you were marked and healed with a seal, the promise of the Holy Spirit. The disciples who believed on Jesus did not receive the Holy Spirit until the day of Pentecost. Let's look at Acts. Of course, some people want to dispute this.

They were told, the disciples were told, to wait in Jerusalem until I send you power from on high. We'll read it right here, right now. In Acts 1, verse 5, For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized the Holy Spirit, not many days hence. When they therefore will come together, they ask him, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father had put in His own power. But you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you shall be witness unto me both in Jerusalem and Judea and also in Aria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. Then Jesus Christ was taken up from them. And they were told to tarry or to wait there in Jerusalem until that power from on high was sent to them. And it was sent on the day of Pentecost. They indeed went forth preaching, proclaiming the message of Christ. And as their opponents put it, they turned the world upside down. We are not turning the world upside down now. It takes the power of the Holy Spirit and inspired preaching and teaching. Look at Acts 17, verse 6. Acts 17 and verse 6.

In Acts 17, 6, and when they found them not, they drew, they drew Jason again, brethren unto the rulers of the city. These that have turned the world upside down are come here also. And of course, this Jason was one who had made his living through the wrong way.

He was one who was devoted to demonology, really.

When Jason had received, and these all do, contrary to the decrees of Caesar, he was saying, there is another king, one Jesus. And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city when they heard those things. And when they had taken security of Jason and of the other, they let them go.

Now we go back to chapter 4 of Acts.

What does the Holy Spirit do? Where is the power and boldness in today's world?

I got ahead of myself a little bit here, but I'll catch up in Acts 4 and verse 13. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled and they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. In verse 29.

For to do whatsoever they had, and the counsel determined before to be done, and now the Lord, behold, there are threatens and grant unto your servants, that with all boldness they may speak your word, with all boldness. It is time that we have bold speech in the church of God, and to tell it like it is. And those who really want to hear, who hath it ear to ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. This is what the apostles did. They were threatened with their lives. They were beaten. They were put in prison. And they continued.

By stretching forth your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of the holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken, where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. And they spoke the word of God with boldness, and the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul. Neither said they of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own, and they had all things in common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. And I pick up, at least Wanda did, the Big Sandy Journal. And here's one of the former members of the Worldwide Church of God with a box in there about the Christmas tree.

Now they have boldness. They speak. Where are we? When are we going to speak? It is time to speak.

God sent his Holy Spirit to give us a new mind, a new knowing within, and to empower us to become new creations and do his work. He gave us the down payment on eternal life so we would have the knowledge and power to bring others into a relationship with Him. On our own, we are helpless, but we needn't stay that way. As we have read, the Holy Spirit gave the apostles great boldness and power. They were persecuted by the elite of the day. They weren't popular in town. There's a story going back to the early part of the 1900s, where a family from a remote part of the country was making their first visit to a big city. They checked into a hotel and stood in amazement at the impressive site. Leaving the reception desk, the father and one of the boys came to the elevator while the mother and other children looked around the lobby. They'd never seen an elevator before and just stared at it, quite unable to figure out what it was for and how did it work. An old lady hobbled towards it, went inside, and the door closed. A minute later, the door opened and out came a stunningly good-looking young woman. The daddy couldn't stop staring. Without turning his head, he patted his son's arm and said, Go get your mother, son.

No, the Holy Spirit doesn't change us like that. But we must recognize our need to change, be willing to receive the sealing of the Holy Spirit. The Day of Pentecost was a unique first in the history of the Church, and after the Day of Pentecost, they went forth boldly, as we have read, preaching the Gospel. The deacon Philip, after the great persecution, came upon the Church, and Stephen was stoned, and his clothes were laid down by one called Saul, who later's name was called Paul. Stephen went up into, I mean, Philip went into Samaria, a deacon, and he preached the Gospel, and there were many converts, and yet they had not received the Holy Spirit. So they sent for the apostles at Jerusalem, and they came up and laid hands on the converts. The same sequence took place when Paul visited Ephesus. He asked believers, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? He encountered Apollos and some with him, and they were preaching with Mike. They said, we've not even heard of the Holy Spirit. And Paul then instructed them, and they were baptized, and they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. So what has changed since that time? Why don't we have that? What has changed? Well, people have become apathetic. They've become lethargic. They have become doubtful. They have become lukewarm.

In a lot of cases, and I think in so many cases, just holding on, as it were, waiting for the kingdom, and the power of the Spirit gradually dies out. It is not just one person, as it were, it's like the whole churches, the Spirit dying out. Of course, you have the parable of the ten virgins, five and five. Many times over the centuries, the people of God have had to be renewed in their faith to return to the faith once delivered. Even by the end of the first century, about 60 to 70 years after Jesus Christ was on earth, and the day of Pentecost, if you would turn to Jude, the Book of Jude, the Epistle of Jude, Jude the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to them that are sanctified, those that are set apart. We've talked about how you're set apart. Calling, repentance, baptism, laying on of hands, obedience.

To those that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ and call, mercy unto you in peace, and love be multiplied. Behold, when I gave all diligence to write unto you the common salvation. Like, Jude was going to write, look, here's what we got going, isn't it wonderful what we have been called to? But instead, he realized, it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of all ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of her God into lasciviousness, meaning license to sin. Oh, it's all right to play golf on the Sabbath. Oh, it's all right to eat unleavened bread during unleavened bread. It's all right. It's all right. And so nothing is really sacred. Just believe. Oh, you can have the Sabbath every day. And denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. You see, people talk about blaspheming the Holy Spirit. You blaspheme the Holy Spirit when you disobey the Word of God because the words I speak, they are spirit in their life. They are acquainted.

I will therefore put you in remembrance. Though you once knew this, see, this is only 60, 70 years from Pentecost. How that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt afterward, destroyed them that believe not. Then he basically reviews what Peter does in 2 Peter 2 and the admonition at the end. So what is involved in being sealed with the Holy Spirit? A seal was often used to authenticate a transaction when an agreement was drawn up, say, to sell a valuable piece of property. The document was not complete until it had been signed and sealed. You needed the seal in addition to the signature. In addition to the initial steps of repentance, faith, and baptism, we need the seal of the Holy Spirit. And hopefully we have been sanctified, as it says here in Jude, that to them that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved, they have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and called.

Another meaning attached to the sealing is that it is a mark of ownership. In the Old West, and still today, cattle are branded to indicate that they belong to a certain person. Sealing is also an indication of quality. When you buy a bottle of medicine, it's a sign of quality and validity. Do not use this. Of course, it applies more also to other things, not just medicine. Do not use this if the seal has been broken. The seal bears witness to the quality of the contents. It's the same with a Christian. Look for the seal of the Holy Spirit. Only God can seal you with this Holy Spirit. Only God can give you the down payment on eternal life. Notice 1 Corinthians. We have a few more scriptures to read, and these are very important. In 1 Corinthians 6, we're talking about being sealed by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6, verse 19. 1 Corinthians 6, verse 19. 1 Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is in you, and you have of God, and you are not your own. You have been sealed for a purpose. You are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. How do you know if you have been sealed? How do you know if your sealing is a counterfeit or the real thing?

Well, here's how we know. Straight from the Bible. 1 John 2. 1 John 2. Here's how you know. There are several passages here. Here's how you know if you are holy, sanctified, and sealed. 1 John 2. Hereby we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments. So that's one way. 1 And he that says, I know Him, and keeps not his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in Him, but whosoever keeps His word in Him, barely is the love of God perfected. Hereby we know that we are in Him. Now in chapter 3, verse 19.

And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. If our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things. In other words, if you feel guilty and your heart is troubling you, God knows that. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, you see, if you are condemned and feel guilty, the first chapter of 1 John says that He is faithful and just to forgive us of all unrighteousness. So there is a way that we can have that burden lifted. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him because we keep His commandments. So answered, there is a connection between answered prayer, blessings, and commandment keeping. But it does not mean that we won't have trials, troubles, and tribulations. We will. And do those things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is the commandment that we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment. And He that keeps His commandments dwells in Him, and He in Him. And hereby we know that He abides in us by the Spirit which He has given us. Now in chapter 4, verse 4, You are of God, little children, that have overcome them, because greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world. The first part of this chapter says, many false spirits are out there. Try the spirits, whether they be of God. They are the world, therefore speak they of the world, and the world hears them. You are of God, and He that goes God hears us. He that is not of God hears not us. Hereby know we the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of error. If you hear the Word of God and the apostles who wrote it. And then in John chapter 5, verse 1, Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ, is begotten of God, and everyone that loves Him, that begat Him, loves Him also, that is begotten of Him. In other words, you can't love God without loving your brother. By this we know, by this we know that we love the children of God. When we love God and keep His commandments, for this is the love of God, that we should keep His commandments, and His commandments are not grievous.

Jesus Christ says in Matthew 7, 16, You shall know them by their fruits. In Galatians chapter 5, verses 22 and 23, Paul writes, This is the main way, the ways we just read here from John.

Christ said, by their fruits you'll know them. Matthew 7, 16. What are the fruits? But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law. If those fruits are present being born in our lives, then we know that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.