Whenever we choose to hold our ministry conference at the Sweet Sensation Hall in Lagos, the financial Secretary of our Outreach disburses cash to the welfare team to go to the ground floor and pay for the amount of snacks and drinks that will be sufficient for all the attendees. If it is to be freshly prepared, the deposit required to get the job started and delivered is also negotiated appropriately and settled. The Financial Secretary also states the time she would be expecting the refreshment to come up since payment has been made. At that particular time, officials of the Sweet Sensation Restaurant brings up our refreshment and final logistic is made among the welfare team on how to get it served. If while our program is on-going, another buyer approaches the restaurant to buy what we have already requested, the restaurant is going to decline.
So here is the question: why did the officials of the restaurant bring up the refreshment at the said time; exact number of snacks and drinks requested? And why will they decline if another buyer shows interest?
It has been paid for! It’s called DOWNPAYMENT! Immediately payment was made, everything paid for is preserved, kept in a stable temperature that keeps it fresh and ready to serve until the appointed time of delivery. It’s also closed to any other buyer. Oh, I am reminded of the first verse in the book of Jude:
‘…Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and PRESERVED in Jesus Christ, and called…’ (Jude 1:1)
Another version says:
‘…Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and KEPT for Jesus Christ..’ (Jude 1:1 NASB)
Kept? Preserved? Whenever I meditate on the truth that I am being ‘kept’, I feel this sense of awe and gratitude to the one who bought me. Now listen carefully: When Jesus died and rose again, He bought you in full.
‘…You were BOUGHT at a price…’ (1Cor 7:23)
As in, full payment! But like for our conference in which we have a timeline we expect the delivery from the ground floor to the conference Hall, God has a time when He will be having all believers to Himself fully at the coming of His Son. For the time being we are still physically on earth. So what did God do?
‘…God set his SEAL OF OWNERSHIP on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts AS A DEPOSIT, guaranteeing what is to come…’ (1Cor 1:22 NIV)
DOWNPAYMENT. I love the word ‘seal of ownership’. Once a down payment is made, there is a guarantee of what is to come. The product that has been paid for can be assured that the owner is coming for it. And God chose to use the best down payment ever: HOLY SPIRIT.
‘…Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us THE SPIRIT as a deposit, GUARANTEEING what is to come…’ (2Cor 5:5 NIV)
Oh what Joy! God would not leave anything to chance. He chose to use the only down payment that GUARANTEES your eventual salvation. HOLY SPIRIT! The sweetness of this revelation is that in this subject of salvation, Holy Spirit is both our down payment and our preservation. Many believers are not aware of this preservation. Just as the restaurant will ensure our refreshment is kept fresh and at adequate temperature until it is to be delivered, God chose the best preservative for the guarantee of your eventual salvation: HOLY SPIRIT! The snacks are kept hot while the drinks are kept chilled. Likewise, you are kept ready! I love how the book of Peter brings out this truth:
‘…you ARE PROTECTED BY THE POWER OF GOD through faith for a salvation READY to be revealed in the last time…’ (1Peter 3:5)
Oh Hallelujah. What a preservative! Between now and the coming of Jesus Christ, many believers are scared if their salvation is intact and if they won’t get corrupted in the process. Well, it depends on your down payment and preservative applied. And HOLY SPIRIT does both for us. 2 in 1 assurance purposes: DOWN PAYMENT AND PRESERVATION! Hallelujah.
Now someone might want to ask: what if this ‘Preservative’ decides to leave when a believer sins? God got this question covered too!
‘…In Him, 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 (down payment) of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory..’ (Eph. 1:13-14)
Wow. Holy Spirit is not just present in a believer’s life; Holy Spirit is SEALED to a believer in Christ. And what is the expiry date of the seal?
‘…the Holy Spirit of God, whereby YE ARE SEALED UNTO THE DAY OF REDEMPTION…’ (Eph. 4:30)
Don’t you just love this God? Therefore, co-believer in Jesus, live your everyday life knowing that there is a DOWNPAYMENT for you already! You have been paid for already. The possibility of being owned by another buyer has been closed.
‘…God set his SEAL OF OWNERSHIP on us…’ (1Cor 1:22 NIV)
And after payment, He still ensured you won’t get spoilt. He preserved you.
‘…Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and PRESERVED in Jesus Christ, and called…’ (Jude 1:1)
And to think of what He chose as both down-payment and preservative just to have you is mind-blowing. HOLY SPIRIT! If this knowledge sits in you massively, your moral life, health, career and spiritual life will experience exponential transformation!
Therefore, congratulations child of God. Indeed, you carry the seal of God’s ownership on you.
Amen.
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