Set Me As A Seal

Q: What does the Bible say about God's love for His people?

The Bible affirms that God's love for His people is unchanging and powerful, described as being stronger than death. The Scriptures testify that God's love for His people is not only steadfast but also transformative. In Song of Solomon 8:6-7, it is emphasized that true love resembles the strength of death and cannot be quenched by many waters. This love is a reflection of God’s eternal commitment to His elect, as highlighted in Romans 8:35-39, which assures believers that nothing can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Such a love is not based on human merit but is initiated by God Himself, as noted in 1 John 4:19, 'We love Him because He first loved us.' The depth and permanence of God’s love provide believers with assurance of their standing before Him, which nurtures their faith and trust.

Q: How do we know we are sealed by the Holy Spirit?

Believers know they are sealed by the Holy Spirit through their trust in the Gospel and the internal witness of the Spirit. The belief that one is sealed by the Holy Spirit is grounded in the promises of Scripture. Ephesians 1:13 declares that upon hearing and believing the Gospel, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. This sealing signifies ownership and security in Christ, assuring believers of their eternal status. Furthermore, this internal witness of the Spirit manifests itself in a transformed life, aligning desires with God’s will. The regenerate heart, empowered by the Holy Spirit, will inevitably exhibit love for Christ and a longing for Him, substantiating the presence of the Holy Spirit. This personal assurance is vital for believers as they navigate their faith journey, reminding them of their identity in Christ.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to understand God's jealousy?

Understanding God's jealousy is critical as it reveals His passionate commitment to His covenant relationship with His people. God’s jealousy is an expression of His zealous love and attachment to His covenant people. In the Scriptures, jealousy is depicted as fierce and protective, akin to the grave (Song of Solomon 8:6). This reveals that God will not allow competing affections to disrupt the relationship He desires with those He loves. Understanding this aspect of God’s nature highlights His unwillingness to share His glory. It is a reminder that God’s love is not casual—it is deep, personal, and committed. For Christians, recognizing God’s jealousy helps to foster a deeper understanding of the seriousness of their relationship with Him, encouraging them to remain faithful and devoted, lest they fall into idolatry or complacency.

Q: What does the concept of being a 'seal' mean in the context of God's love?

Being a 'seal' signifies belonging and security in God's eternal love and commitment. The concept of being a 'seal' in the Biblical context refers to signifying ownership and affirmation of a covenant relationship. In Song of Solomon 8:6, the bride's plea to be set as a seal on the beloved’s heart illustrates her desire for permanent status in love. This sealing by God's Spirit, as emphasized in Ephesians 1:13, ensures that believers are marked as belonging to Christ, confirming their security in Him. The seal symbolizes God's promise to protect, love, and preserve His people, echoing the depths of His affection. For Christians, this assurance fosters a profound peace and fortifies their conviction that they are irrevocably cherished by God.

Turn with me to the song of Solomon,
chapter 8. We'll look at verses 6 and 7
this evening. Let's be remembering our dear friend and pastor, Brother Scott. He's just having some problems,
congestion, coughing, not feeling well. Song of Solomon, chapter 8, verse
6. Set me as a seal upon thine arm,
for love is strong as death, jealousy as cruel as the The
coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can the floods drown it. If a man would give all the
substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned." I asked Brother Darrell to read.
that chapter in 1 Corinthians on love. And here the bride is asking something that is the
dearest thought to her heart. Set me as a seal upon your heart. Psalm 37 verse 4 says, Delight
thyself. That means live delicately. Live delicately. Delight thyself
in the Lord and He shall give thee the desires of thy heart. Isn't it a miracle of God's grace
that a man or a woman would have a desire toward Christ. But if he does, if he truly has
a heart toward Him, it is because the Lord Jesus Christ has a heart
for that man, that woman. The carnal heart worries about,
according to Matthew 6, eating, drinking, in clothing, but delight
thyself in Him who delights in you. The bride in asking delights
in Him. Set me as a seal upon thine heart. Oh, and He will give you the
desires of your All the desires for the regenerate, David said,
is summed up in Psalm 27, verse 4. One thing have I desired of
the Lord. I had read that, and read that,
and read that, and I thought, I want to read that one more
time, Kevin. One thing I have desired of the
Lord. I thought, you know, that is
under the inspiration of the Spirit of God. That is bringing
it right down to the brass pack. One thing. David said, ìI have
desire to the Lord, and that will I seek after, that I may
dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold
the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.î You know, thatís a legitimate
desire. One thing that I desire. That
I might be found continually in Him. That I might die in the
faith. That I might not go away. That
I might not leave. That's what He's saying. One
thing that the Lord would keep me. Oh, listen to the prayer
of the bride in her desire toward her beloved. She says, Set me
as a seal upon thine heart. Appoint, as I'm going through
this life, appoint me. Oh, may I have a place in your
heart, sealed, unchangeable, that nothing that I do or anyone
else would do would hinder your affection toward me. That's what
she's asking. It's an amazing thing when a
believer He knows. He knows. He knows. The Lord
said, I'll never leave you. And the believer will ask, don't
leave me. Would you not leave me? I'll keep you. Lord, would you keep me? Oh, like the work of an engraver
in Exodus 28 and 11. Engrave me, she's saying, as
a signet on your heart. Now you think about that. precious
love talk. You know, if a man would tell
his wife, you know, your love is burned within my heart, I
mean, that's saying something. He's just honest with her. And
that's what she says to him. Set me as a seal upon thine heart. Just like when that high priest
that we've studied would go into that holy place. And he had that
breastplate. And it had 12 stones on that
breastplate. One of the stones that represented
each of the tribes of Israel and their names was engraved
over his heart. And he went in as a picture of
the Lord Jesus Christ bearing their names, representing them
before the Lord. That's what the bride's asking.
O you, you who are my high priest, bear my name on your heart before
Him. Set me as a seal." And she says,
"...and also a seal upon thine arm." Seals. This is spiritual talk. But seals were used for different
things. Number one, they were used as
a confirmation of a covenant in Romans chapter 4, Romans 4.11,
the Scripture says concerning Abraham, he received the sign
of circumcision. It was the seal of the righteousness
of the faith which he had yet been uncircumcised that he might
be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised,
that righteousness might be imputed unto them also." It was a sign.
It was a symbol. It was a seal. This seal confirmed
the covenant that God had made with Abraham and all like him. And then seals were used for
security. Matthew 27, 66, "...so they went
and made the sepulchre." Sure. Sealing the stone. Setting a
watch. You put that stone. You've seen
that. A seal. Somebody takes a letter
and they put some wax on it, you know how they used to do
it, and they had that emblem on it. Sealed it. The only one that
has a right to open that is the one that's got the name on the
front of that envelope right there. It's sealed. It's secure. But especially seals were used
to show ownership. A seal. Ephesians 1.13 says,
"...in whom ye also trusted, After that, ye heard the word
of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, after
that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise."
Now, that's a blessed thought. The Spirit of God has sealed,
placed His seal. He sealed them and placed His
seal on them. After you believed, you were
sealed. There He confirmed a covenant secure And you're the Lord's
ownership. Our trust and our belief in Christ
as He is revealed in the Gospel is the effect of the Lord Jesus
Christ everlastingly loving His own and God's everlasting covenant
toward Him. Being sealed by the Spirit of
God is a work of the Lord Himself, of His love. Love never fails. Love endures. Love. Set me, you that love me, set
me as a seal on your heart, on your arm. We're set as a seal,
the bride asked, upon His arm. The arm is His power. Lord, You're my hope. You're
my strength. Set me as a seal on Your heart
and Your love and on the seal on Your arm of Your power. Lord,
You keep If you have me, I'm secure. And you continually view
me, watch me, see me. I'm sealed by your Spirit. Remember
me." That's what that thief asked him. The Lord had said, Behold,
I've graven thee upon the palms of my hands. You're mine. You belong to me. Can a woman,
the Scripture says, forget her sucking child that she should
not have compassion on the son of her womb? The Lord says yes. They may forget. Boy, you say,
that's not very probable. You know, I'm talking about a
mother has a child. That child has needs. That child
has desires. That child wants to be with its
mother. Can a mother forget the child? that she feeds and nourishes. The Lord said, yes. But he said,
I won't forget you. He said, I can't even imagine
a mother forsaking a child. The Lord said, that will happen
before I would forsake you, forget you. The regenerate heart hears
that promise and cries unto the Lord for His promise. The believer
has, and he asks, for a permanent place in His affection. Lord,
remember me. A believer never tires of asking. That's not a redundant statement
to a believer. Set me as a seal on your heart,
on your arm. And here's the reason for the
plea that's given by the bride. She says, for love is strong
as death. Lord, set me as a seal on Your
heart, on the heart of Your love. Set me as a seal in Your love,
in Your affection, because I know that love is strong as death.
That is to say, death can't be resisted. It's appointed unto
man once to die. I can't stop death. Death is
strong. But, Ecclesiastes 8.8, speaking
of that, says, there is no man that hath power over the Spirit
to retain the Spirit, neither hath he power in the day of death. He cannot stop it. But concerning
the Lord, the believer says, set me as a seal on your heart,
because love, love that you have for me, is strong as death. I can't be resisted. Lord, if
You've loved me, You've always loved me. And You'll always love
me. We love Him because He first
loved us. The believer with a new heart
loves Christ. And the believer desires His
love, longs for His love. If he doesn't have His love,
he dies like death. Love has an object. She loves
him and he loves her. Lord sent me. It's not like this
little flippant message that people preach and smile, God
loves you. And you see people that has no
love for the Lord Jesus Christ and dies in rebellion against
Him. How can that be? Jealousy, the
bride said, is cruel as the grave. Set me as a seal on your heart,
because love is strong as death. And also jealousy or zealousness
is what that word is actually interpreted. Zealousness is that
intense love that will not endure arrival. Lord, set me as a seal
on your heart. Because the love, the jealousy,
the zealousness that you have for Me is cruel or hard as the grave. Like the grave,
love won't quit its hold. In Adam, I loved this world. I was born in love with this
world. But when he spoke, in power. He alone conquered death. He broke the hold, made me willing
in the day of His power to call on Him, love Him. And now He
who is the Almighty has set my affection on Himself, and I cannot
but love Him. I can't, I can't but love Him. A believer cannot do anything
but love Him. You cannot fall out of love with
Him. Set me as a seal on your heart." She says, "...the coals or the
flames thereof are coals of fire, which hath the most vehement
flame." True love is intense and it's consuming. True love. Believers are never satisfied
with a lukewarm affection toward Christ. This Sunday, Lord willing,
I want to deal with the last letter, the letter of the church
at Laodicea. And this was the charge that
the Lord had. He said, you're neither hot nor
cold. You're lukewarm. He said, because you're lukewarm,
I'll spew you out of my mouth. Lukewarmness of believers never
satisfied. with a lukewarm love. Let me
ask you this. Would you be satisfied with a
lukewarm love from Him toward you? No. Oh, no. No. She says, the love that you
have for Me, the love that you've given Me for you are like the
coals thereof, coals of fire with a vehement heat. The believers
that the Lord talked to on the road to Emmaus, what was their
summation when the Lord opened the Scriptures unto them? They
said, didn't our heart burn within us as He opened unto us the Scriptures? Love that has been kindled by
the Spirit of God. Love for Christ. That's true
love. And this love is unquenchable. Verse 7 says, Many waters cannot
quench love, neither can the floods drown it. In Romans chapter
8, this is what the Scripture says concerning love. Romans 8, 35-39, Who can separate
us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress
or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword.
I understand that these things trite. I understand it. But for a believer, can a believer
be separated from the love of God? No. As it is written, for
thy sake we are killed all the day long. We are counted as sheep
for the slaughter. Nay, in all things we are more
than conquerors. through Him that loved us, for
I am persuaded, Paul said, that neither death, nor life, nor
angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature
shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now you think about that. What would
separate me from the love of God? Not even death. Many waters can't quench love. That's what Brother Darrell read.
Love never fails. Not in this life and not in the
life to come. It never fails. It never fails. It suffereth long. It bears all
things. It endures all things. Our love
for Him that is unquenchable. And aren't you thankful? If I
could, Carl, I would. I know I would. I'm just honest
with you. And if he was honest, you'd be
honest with me and tell me the same thing. If you could, you
would. There's times that I just say,
well, I'm just tired. Just tired. I'd quit in a heartbeat if I
could, but I can't. Why? Because He's given me a
heart that never fails for Him. A new nature. It was not of myself. I mean, ask yourself this. Just
take an animal. Can an animal just quit acting
like itself? No. You're a new creation. Created
in Christ Jesus. His workmanship. Created in Him. Love never fails. Our love for
Him. Unquenchable. John 13, verse
1 says, Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew
that His hour was come, that He should depart out of this
world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the
world, He loved them to the end. This love. cannot be bought from
us. Love for Him can't be purchased
by money. Love for Him can't be purchased
by my will. Love for Him can't be purchased
by might. Love is given. Love is given. Riches can't gain the heart. Our love for Christ is the effect
of His love for us. We love Him. We love Him. Remember,
I said that before. Because He first loved us. What
the Lord Jesus Christ gave, what drew our love and heart to Him
is the purchase of His own blood. A wife may have all the stuff
of her husband. A man may say, well, I'm doing
all this, you know, for you. I'm doing this. She may have
all the stuff, but if she doesn't have Him, she doesn't have anything. Let me ask you this. Would you
trade your spouse for all the stuff and be satisfied without
your spouse? No. I mean, someone may say,
well, I just, you know, What I want is I want everlasting
life. What, at the expense of Christ? Set me as a seal on your heart. Wherever you are, I'm okay. Wherever you are, that's where
I want to be. Wherever Glenda's at, that's
where I want to be, wherever she is. Somebody's house, you know. How
about you go with me? Why? Because I want you to. Set me as a seal on your heart.
As a seal on your arm. If I have heaven without the
love of heaven, Christ Himself, I'm most miserable. Psalm 63
says, Because I love in kindness is better than life. shall praise
Thee. Set me as a seal on Your heart. Lord, don't leave me. Lord, remember
me. Lord, keep me. Love is strong
as death. Jealousy is cruel as the grave.
The coals thereof are coals of fire which hath a most vehement
flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods
drown it. If a man would give all the substance of his house
for love, it be utterly contempt." This is what we desire. This
is what we long. One thing I desire, the Lord,
I might be found in His house, in His congregation, in His bride,
all the days of my life. first and the last.

Set Me As A Seal

What does the Bible say about God's love for His people?

How do we know we are sealed by the Holy Spirit?

Why is it important for Christians to understand God's jealousy?

What does the concept of being a 'seal' mean in the context of God's love?

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Set Me As A Seal

What does the Bible say about God's love for His people?

How do we know we are sealed by the Holy Spirit?

Why is it important for Christians to understand God's jealousy?

What does the concept of being a 'seal' mean in the context of God's love?

Sermon Transcript

About Marvin Stalnaker

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