Lesson 4
Praying For The Saints :

Sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise

Ephesians 1:11: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12: That we should be to the praise of his glory (expressed divine image, will, and presence), who first trusted in Christ. 13: In whom we also trusted, after that we heard the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation: in whom also after that we believed, we were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14: Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory (expressed divine image, will, and presence). 15: Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints.

The Purpose of God

All of this prayer has a definite purpose. Inside of Himself, God desired to express who He is into and through us and through us for the world. To that purpose, He sent Jesus to live, die, and be resurrected. To that purpose, He sent the Holy Spirit to abide in us. Our prayer should always be for that will and purpose of God to be effectively lived through our own lives and the lives of our co-laborers, the saints.

Inheritance in Christ

There is a specific inheritance set aside for each one of us. That inheritance is invoked in part when we die to self and live to God. That inheritance is for a purpose. The Father selected each of us and set aside a portion of gifts, abilities, makeup, interests, and intentions for each of us to reach His purpose for our life. His purpose for you determines His dispensed inheritance for you. The same is true for all those around you. Don't pray so much that everyone would receive full inheritance as much as pray that they will take full advantage of what has been dispensed to them for His purpose.

Earnest

Earnest money in a realestate transaction is what you put down up front to convince the other party you are supremely interested in the full closure of the deal. The Holy Spirit is the earnest, the downpayment that convinces us the Father is really going to close the full deal. There is a day when all the inheritance is released. There is a day when we take full possession of heaven and move in and live there. Until then, we need to use the earnest. He is ours.

We Trusted

Being surrounded by trusting people is wonderful. That trust in the message of the word of truth marks us. Our prayer for the saints should be that they continue in that trusting commitment to Christ.

Praise of His Glory

God's purpose was that we would be living expressions of His will, nature, character, and presence in this world. What a charter we have! He selected and appointed us for a specific role in His kingdom and plan. He has equipped us with specific inheritance in response to our trust in His words of truth, the gospel of salvation. He has provided downpayment of His own, personal, Holy Spirit, Creator and Sustainer and Breath of Life. He has released in us His own divine nature, character, will, and presence to present Himself to the world. All so He would be acknowledged, praised, worshipped, believed in, and glorified by others so that they could enter into the same relationship of provision and appointment in Him. Pray that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Taking Inventory on Sealed With A Promise:

A whole man is sealed with a whole God. At a corporate seminar, the speaker espoused that leaders work in four arenas, spirit, mind, body, and heart. Easier terms might be virtue and conscience (moral imperative to right over wrong), intellect, human nature, and emotions. However you break it down, all those areas have to be congruent. Each of us examples according to our spiritual condition, envisions to the conditioning of our mental processes, seeks alignment with life according to our natural tendencies and needs, and gets passionate about the treasures of our heart. That was his point. You cannot separate the whole man out, only work on one area, and expect full results. Our spirit connected to His Holy Spirit enables the flow of God's purpose, nature, plan, character, and expression to come through us into all areas of our life. When the spirit is sealed, the other parts stay together. When the core is affected, everything else stays healthy and right. It is the essential integrity of that relationship and connection of our spirit to His Holy Spirit that enables the whole walking out to happen. Do you think thoughts consistent with God's purpose for your life? Do you get emotionally involved with God's purpose for your life? Do you take action daily and align your activities with God's purpose for your life?

Taking Action on Sealed With a Promise

Write down three items. One, write down in one sentence what you feel God's general plan is for all the saints. Two, write down in one sentence what you know about what role He has specifically for you in that overall plan. (Work with kids, be a prayer warrior, preach, be a great parent, etc..) Three, write down in one sentence what you know about what role He has for the most important group of which you are a member. (Local church, work team, family, whatever that group is to you.) Are they consistent?

Prayer on Sealed With a Promise

Father, You are a God of wholeness. We are each complete in You. In You we live and move and have our being. Cause the sealing of the Holy Spirit of Promise to cause me to walk our Your purpose. Cause the sealing of the Holy Spirit to be so effective in me and my brothers and sisters in Jesus that we look, act, and sound like You to those around us. Cause us to be consistent with Your plan for our lives. Attach us to the right relationships. Configure our lives with the right expressions of You in this world designed just for us. Open us to see more of what You have designed for us. Help us to not limit You by only doing what we have been shown. Help us to connect with You directly and live out that direction. Enliven Your purpose, character, nature, power, and life in us and through us to others. Purify Your pupose is us, Father.

copyright 2000, Philip A. Larson