8-14-2018

Good Morning All,

                  2 Corinthians 1:22; “and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee”

       “And it comes with the Good Housekeeping seal of approval!”  Most television commercials used to end that when.  It was the coup de grace of the advertising world.  If you had any doubt about the quality of this product well, this should calm your nerves.  It went without questioning that the Good Housekeeping seal of approval was the standard that things were measured by.  It also used to be Underwriters Laboratory or Consumer’s Digest.  These were the measures by which every manufacturer wanted to get the seal of approval from.  It was the standard that one could claim to be selling the absolute best product available.  It was marked with the seal that represented quality and value.

     You and I have been given the seal by God.  He has sealed us in our Baptism with the blood of Jesus and in this event God delivers all the promises that He has made to us.  Our “yes” from God comes to us in the resounding voice of all that Jesus did/ does/ and will do for us.  By his keeping of the commandments, by his life, death, resurrection and ascension, Jesus began the great “yes” that God spoke to us and we are his sealed redeemed children.  So we look forward to the completion of all of God’s “yesses”.  The time when all of creation is freed from the bondage of sin and death is finally destroyed and we are reunited with all the saints who have gone on before us.

    We look forward to this but until then we live with the guarantee of that promise.  We have the down payment, the guarantee in our heart, of the Holy Spirit.  This is a sign as well that God is pleased and blesses us with his Spirit.  It is through this Spirit that you and I are able to withstand the devil’s lies and attacks.  The Spirit, alive and active in us, is proof of God’s yes; it is proof of our being sealed by God, given his approval for our life.  Given his seal to show that his love for us has redeemed us and made us his.  We have eternal life; we will always have it and since we are guaranteed this we can live a life that is full of the certain hope that nothing in this world can ever take that from us.  God’s great gift is ours forever.  God’s great love gives us true peace, that sense of comfort and rest that comes to those who no longer fear.  We need not fear because all our sins are forgiven and we have God’s seal on us to give us the victory.

Gracious Father, through Jesus, you tell us yes and give to us new life and new hope.  You free me from the power of the devil and bring me into your eternal kingdom.  Be with those who are unsure or are lost bring them to know with certainty that your mercy sustains them and that you give them peace.  These good gifts all come from you.  In the precious name of Jesus, our ascended Lord we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret