HOLY SPIRIT: Ain't Seen Nothing Yet Holy Spirit

When my children were young, we opened our Christmas presents on Christmas morning. The night before, however, I carefully chose one for each of them to open early. With eyes as big as quarters, they tore into the wrappings in one fell swoop and took in the gift selected just for them.

As joyful as the moment was, I always saw something more in their eyes. Gratitude mixed with, perhaps, a little disappointment.

Much as they liked that first present, it only whet their appetites for more--all the delights that would come the following morning. The early present was just a reminder of what lay ahead, and it paled in comparison to the ones they would receive the next day.

Jesus let us tear into a gift early, too. He left something behind for us before He left us behind--to go and prepare our heavenly mansion. It's called the Holy Spirit, and He does lots of things for us, such as comforting, guiding, and restoring.

But He also guarantees. Listen to these verses:
<em>"Now He who establishes us with you in Christ has anointed us . . . who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee" </em>(2 Cor. 1:20-21).

The Holy Spirit is our guarantee. He's our <em>arrabon,</em> which simply means "earnest money" (also called caution money, pledge, or deposit). It's like when you're going to buy a used car from someone. They ask for earnest money--that part of the purchase given in advance as a down payment. <em>Arrabon</em> is the first installment, which guarantees full possession when the whole is paid later. Likewise, the Holy Spirit gives us a foretaste or guarantee of the great big presents that are yet to come.

I like the <em>arrabon</em> 3-step process described in Ephesians 1:13-14:
<u>First you <strong>heard the word truth</u>:</strong>
<em>"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation . . ."</em>

None of us accepted Christ until we first heard the truth about Him. We hearkened or gave audience to this truth. The importance of "hearing" is why Jesus left us the Great Commission (Mt. 28:16-20), which told us to go into all the world to share the gospel so that others could also could hear the truth. That's also why the Bible tells us repeatedly to tell our children everything we know about this truth. To pass it on (Deu. 4:9; 11:19).

<u>Then you <strong>believed [the word of truth]</u>:</strong>
<em>"In whom also, having believed. . ."</em>
We take what we've heard and then not just believe it, but become persuaded of it. We place confidence in it. We trust.

<u>Finally, you were <strong>sealed with a guarantee</u>:</strong>
<em>"You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."</em>

When I hear the word "sealed," I think of my experience growing up as one of eight children. We always had a big garden, which meant we did a lot of canning and freezing in the summer. One of the things I remember helping Mom with were green beans. We would pick (yuk), wash, and snap off the ends into an open magazine in our laps (at least we could watch TV while we did this). But the process wasn't complete until Mom canned them. She would poke the beans into Ball canning jars, pack them in with her fingers, add water, put the brownish-orange plastic seal around the top, then screw on the lid.  After that, the jars were placed into the pressure cooker, where the process would finish.  Once the jars were lifted from the cooker and cooled, Mom set them on the pantry shelf where they remained until the temperatures outside dropped and the snow began to fall.  

What's most vivid in my mind, however, were the times Mom selected a jar of beans only to find the seal had been broken. When that happened, she threw the contents away. She knew that without a seal intact, the beans would be spoiled.

The Holy Spirit does the same for us. Once we hear the truth and believe or become persuaded about what we hear, the Holy Spirit stamps with a signet or private mark for security or preservation of what we now have. This guarantees permanency and indicates God's title to possessing us entirely and forever. 

That's the <em>arrabon</em> living inside of us, amazing as it is. He's holding down the fort. Protecting. Preserving. Keeping secure. Safeguarding what's there--all while whetting our appetite for what's to come. The early present is just a reminder of what lies ahead, and it pales in comparison to the ones we'll receive soon. It's what the Holy Spirit only hinted at, presented in part, provided a harbinger for.

We've been given much to enjoy here, and He's assigned us to do our part in letting the world hear the truth, too. It's okay to open our gifts with joy and thanksgiving. But we must also remember that there's a morning coming when we'll get so much more--so much more, in fact, that it's taken Jesus over 2,000 years to prepare.

That's why Paul said he was torn between staying here and going there: <em>"For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you" </em>(Phil. 1:23-24). 

So keep enjoying and telling--and keep anticipating. Why? Cause you ain't seen nothin' yet.