Spiritual Blessings

When we give gifts, we experience the same blessings as the one who receives the gift. We take delight in seeing their reaction as we observe how appreciated and valued, they feel. When our Father God blesses us it also blesses Him, because He receives our appreciation through our praise and thanksgiving, recognising His compassionate kindness towards us. The Apostle John noted the greatest gift that our Father God has given us, when he said:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3 v 16

Our Father God has blessed us with faith in and eternity with His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to Titus, who was ministering and teaching on the island of Crete. Within that letter he explained that the gift of salvation is received through the power of the Holy Spirit:

“When God our Saviour revealed His kindness and love, He saved us, not because of the righteous things we have done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Because of His grace He made us right in His sight and gave you confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” Titus 3 v 4 – 7

The Apostle Paul spoke of the same Holy Spirit that filled the disciples and followers of Jesus Christ, on the day of Pentecost – long before he had his own life changing encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. We can read about the Apostle Paul’s experience in Acts 9 v 1 – 19. He included himself as a recipient of the gracious infilling of our Father God’s grace, faith, and salvation through the Holy Spirit. He said to the church in Ephesus:

“I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.” Ephesians 3 v 16 - 17

Our Father God’s act of giving is still ongoing. Today He is giving us the same opportunity to be anchored with deep roots as joint heirs and beneficiaries of His resurrected life through Jesus Christ. His narrative has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He cannot lie. The Apostle Paul also said:

He also said:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2 v 8 – 9

God’s gracious gift of grace is not dependent on our contributions, our works, our opinions, or our physical efforts. The gift of salvation we receive through the Holy Spirit is totally dependent upon the kindness of God. We accept that gift knowing that we can add nothing to it. We are only required to bring our humility and our faith.

The Apostle Paul, speaking from personal experience, said that our Father God’s gift has the power to change our destiny, but it is up to us to choose to accept his life-changing gift.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6 v 23

Death is the choice of spiritual separation from God. Eternal life is the choice of spiritual unity, being at home with our Father God. This is a true gift and our greatest treasure. We choose to accept or reject the wages or the gifts we receive by the choices we choose to make while living now. The decision is always ours to make.

Having received the gift of salvation through the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul was able to explain the journey from judgment to grace to the church in Rome. He said:

“When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died – from the time of Adam to the time of Moses – even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very, different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift led to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.” Romans 5 v 12 – 18

Jesus promised that He would not leave us alone at the time of His ascension. He promised that He would send the Comforter – the Holy Spirit, who would guide us and lead us into all Truth.

“If you love Me you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever – the Spirit of Truth.” John 14 v 15 - 16

From the Kingdom of heaven, the Holy Spirit comes as a gift into our hearts. Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, is telling us that He is the Holy Spirit, just as He and the Father are One.

“I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. In a little while the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.” John 14 v 18 – 20

He dwells with us and in us. He teaches us. He helps us to remember what our Father God said through Him and through the Scriptures:

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I told you.” John 14 v 26

Because He has come from our Father God, He is fully able to testify for Him that everything, every covenant promise He has made is true. Like the physical manifestation of our Saviour Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit speaks what He hears to our hearts. It is for us to listen with godly wisdom, and then to act on what we hear.

Receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit is not based on our earthly experiences, our skills, abilities, intellect, financial or social standing. It is based on a foundation of friendship and relationship with God the Father and God the Son.

Because Jesus has gifted Himself back to us in the person of the Holy Spirit, we do not have to walk the journey of salvation alone. We are called to follow His lead. We need to decide as a Christian to be led by the Spirit of Christ and not by our own wilfulness, the influences of others or the spirit of anti-Christ.

Why would our Father God give us the person of the Holy Spirit? Our Father God has given us the Holy Spirit as a response to our faith in what He says about receiving the resurrected life of Jesus Christ. Our confession and our acceptance prompts Him to stamp His seal of approval on our lives The seal that binds us to Him is the seal of the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Truth who is the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Speaking to the Christians in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul said:

“In Him (Jesus), you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1 v 13 – 14

The seal of the Holy Spirit within our lives equates to the glorification of our Father God’s Name. Just as a deposit is taken as a down payment for a house, the seal of the Holy Spirit is also a promise of the ‘more-ness’ of the fulfilment of our Father God’s outstanding promises to us as individuals and as His collective body – the Church, which is the body of Jesus Christ.

The gift of the Holy Spirit is God’s pledge of our inheritance in His eternal Kingdom. The gift of the Holy Spirit is our guarantee that Jesus Christ will come again with His promised rewards. The Apostle John recorded the words of our Saviour Jesus Christ:

“Do not let your hearts to be troubled. You believe in God, believe in Me as well. In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.” John 14 v 1 – 3

God cannot lie. We know this already through the writers of Hebrews, who spoke about the experiences of Abraham:

“When God made His promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and multiply your descendants.” And so, Abraham, after waiting patiently, obtained the promise.” Hebrews 6 v 13 – 15

Abraham received the promise our Father God pledged to him. So too, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, we too can be confident that Jesus Christ will fulfil His eternal promise pledged to us. Like Abraham, we need to be patient, while remaining faithful and hopeful. God is not man. He cannot lie. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The God who was faithful and true to Abraham and his descendants Isaac and Jacob, and the many people He proved faithful to throughout the Old Testament and New Testament, is the same God who remains faithful and true to you.

Amen xxx