Most of us eat every day, some of us too much because yesterday's food
is not enough to supply energy for today's needs. Why then, do some
of us expect yesterday's portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to keep
us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going to change all
of that. Let's experience God's words today and receive the power we need to
live healthy, vibrant lives. Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host,
author speaker, Elle David Harris. Good morning, good morning, good morning.
It is Monday, June seventeen, twenty twenty four. Hello, my
name is El David Harris. I am your host, and this is your
Daily Portion where we give you God's word every single day, and today is
no exception. We are continuing in our Lesson study series the Great Controversy.
Our caption for today is Sealed for Heaven, Sealed for Heaven. We'll get
into that in just a moment, but first I'd like to say welcome to
you and ask you to please go over to your Daily Portion dot com.
Please join our online community. I ask you also if you want to be
coached in your Daily Portion fashion you'll see what that means if you go there,
then please also click that joint button at your Daily Portion dot com.
This is a way that we continue to build faith and fellowship. Let's go
ahead and pray, and then we will get underway. Father in Heaven,
thank you for giving us the opportunity to pray and to open up your word
today. I'm asking you to please give us the fullness of your holy spirit.
Teach us today that you have claimed us from before there was a beginning.
We are yours. Help us to live like this In Jesus's name,
I pray, Amen and Amen again, sealed for Heaven. I love this
caption because it gives us the outcome. God's intent for all people is that
we live with him eternally. Now Heaven of course, Heaven. Of course
we're going to live there for one thousand years after Jesus returns and takes his
people there. But it represents an eternal principle. If you get to heaven,
brothers and sisters, and there's no reason why we shouldn't. Ah.
If you get to Heaven, then that means that you're going to live with
God throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity and explore the vast expanse of the universe,
because God's love will have already permeated your life and you would have already
made your final decision to experience God throughout eternity. And of course again,
when Jesus returns, we'll live with him in heaven for a thousand years.
And when those thousand years are finished, we know now that we will receive
the earth made new as home base, with the New Jerusalem as the capital
that will come down from God out of heaven. Will become the capital of
this world for sure, and I'm thinking even the universe, but I guess
we'll have to get there to see what that will really be. But I
believe that will also be the capital of the universe. Okay, so now
we have that sealed for heaven. Now, the lesson writer is pointing out
the specifics of the seal of God that is in the law. The seal
that is in the law, what law, the Ten Commandments law, The
seal of God that is nestled, I will say, in the Law of
God is the Seventh day Sabbath. Okay, the Seal of God. We're
going to talk about the Holy Spirit who seals us. But let's talk about
the seal itself. And so the lesson writer says, here we have three
elements of an authentic seal. The name to whom the seal be longs the
Lord thy God we're reading from We're actually make an allusion to as I mentioned
already, but now from Exodus chapter twenty, verses eight through eleven. So
we have the name to whom the seal belongs. That's the Lord thy God,
his title, the one who quote made the heavens and the earth and
everything else. That's the Creator. And number three his territory heaven and earth
see and all that in the miss and appropriately. So the lesson writer also
says a seal is sometimes called a sign in the Bible Romans chapter four and
verse eleven. The two words are interchangeable as God's sign. We did read
that God said that the seventh day Sabbath is a sign that He is the
Lord who sanctifies us or makes us holy. Okay, and so God sign
or seal in the heart of God's law, the Sabbath is at the center
of the final conflict over worship. Okay. So now let's go a little
bit deeper. What we want to do is remain faithful to God, remain
faithful to God concerning his commandments. And it's like, oh, but Dave,
that just sounds so legalistic. Well, I don't know about that.
If the commandments, if the commandments are a transcript of God's character, if
Jesus said and he did, like, if Jesus said, if you love
me, you will keep my commandments, then that means that it's it's not
legalistic to want to do what God says. It's not, absolutely not.
And so in Revelation chapter fourteen and verse twelve, the Bible reads, this
requires steadfast endurance of the saints, those who obey God's commandments and hold to
their faith in Jesus or have the faith of Jesus. Okay, so this
is the patience of the saints. These are they that keep God's commandments and
have the faith of Jesus. So we stay faithful to God. We remain
faithful to God, and the measure of our faithfulness in righteousness is God's law.
Now we don't worry about that because you know, God is the one
who works his works in us. So we're not trying to muster up the
energy. We're not trying to make ourselves stronger in our own abilities. No.
No, And in fact, let's make this point right here from Ephesians,
chapter four and verse thirty to see how this works. How does it
work? Okay? The Bible reads, and do not grieve the Holy Spirit
of God by whom you are sealed for the day of redemption. So we're
looking forward to the day that Jesus Christ will redeem its people from the earth.
And in the meantime, it's the Holy Spirit who is sealing us.
He is sealing us through his power so that we remain, we remain in
right relationship with Him. So we don't have to worry about the commandments,
because the commandments are a transcript of God's character that by the way, he
promised under the New Covenant that he would write in our hearts and on our
minds, so that no one would have to tell any man, any woman,
their neighbors to serve the Lord because or to know the Lord. Excuse
me, because he will introduce himself. So the New Covenant with the House
of Israel is that he will write his laws in our hearts, part of
me, and on our minds. How will that remain through the power of
the Holy spirit. And again I want to focus just for a moment on
Exodus chapter twenty, verses eight through eleven. I'll read it from the New
English translation. Remember the Sabbath day, to set it apart as holy,
because God already did that. For in six days you may labor and do
all your work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord,
your God. And so when we're working, we say, God has given
us the strength. He has given us the power to do this work and
to get wealth. He has said to cease from labor during this twenty four
hour period from sunset Friday to sunset on Saturday, as we call it in
the Western world. Right. And this is saying we respect you, and
we'll keep what we'll keep, the appointment that you have prescribed in scripture.
Right, you shall not do any work. And then the Bible continues in
that for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the
sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.
Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.
Did not God set you apart as holy? Brothers and sisters? The
word Church comes from a Greek term that means to be called out or called
out ones. So if you're set aside, you are called out of darkness
into this marvelous light. And he has given us a divine appointment that occurs
every single week consistently, the seventh day Sabbath. Then why would we not
get together? Why would we not get together? And know that these two
coincide? And in Ezekiel, chapter twenty and verse twelve, the Bible reads,
I also gave them my sabbaths as a reminder of our relationship, so
they would know that I am the Lord that sanctifies them. Well, make
it a great day, be sealed for heaven peace. Thanks for joining us
listening. Friends. Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but by
every word that comes from the mouth of God. This has been your daily
portion with el David Harris. Make it a great day. Yeah,