Presence and Power #5 | Assurance/Sealing | April 23, 2023

Presence and Power #5 | Assurance/Sealing | April 23, 2023
Bob Schwahn | Lead Pastor

C. S. Lewis:
I got a door slammed in [my] face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become. There are no lights in the windows. It might be an empty house. Was it ever inhabited? It seemed so once. Why is God so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in time of trouble?

The Sealing of the Holy Spirit.

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV)

“Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (NIV)

“So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” Romans 7:21-24 (NIV)

“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:16-17 (NIV)

Reflection Questions:
1) What was something that stuck out to you from the sermon?
Read Romans 8:14-17 & 35-39

2) Have you ever had seasons of your life when God felt distant? Explain.

3) Have you ever questioned your salvation or God’s love for you? Describe that time in your life? How did you walk through that season?

4) Have you had seasons where you were absolutely convinced of God’s love for you? How would you describe that time in your life?

5) Why is being secure/assured in our salvation and God’s love for us foundational to being ALL IN in following Jesus? How do we behave when we are insecure in a relationship? How do we behave when we are secure in a relationship?

6) What circumstances in our lives could cause us to question God’s presence in our life or God’s love for us?

7) According to these verses to whom do we belong? Read Ephesians 1:13-14 and 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

8) What are the implications of God’s ownership and sealing of us by the Holy Spirit? How should this affect how we live?

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Notes Page: https://journeyweb.net/sermons/notes/2023.04.23.pdf