Resurrection Sunday: Sealed by the Spirit
- Sara Joseph
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
"He is risen, He is risen, indeed!"
The magnitude of that first century Passover when Jesus, The Lamb of God, was slain will never be fully grasped. It is an event that definitively split human history. What we celebrate as Resurrection Sunday grows in meaning with each passing year, drawing us ever closer to His return.
How could Jesus win such a sweeping victory for mankind by a sacrifice that appeared pitiful at the time that it happened? What does it mean for humanity, or for us as artists? These questions are worth pondering and beyond the scope of a single post.
Understanding its ramifications is as enigmatic as trying to fathom the vastness of the ocean or its riches by merely scooping up a teaspoon of salty water!
The outworking of His sacrifice in our lives is intensely personal. Jesus demands a response, whatever it might be—dismissal or belief. There is no neutral stance. Since I write for Christians, I'll assume belief.
"Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God,
who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee."
2 Corinthians 1: 21-22
Jesus made a great exchange on the cross—His purity for our sin and His separation from God for our ability to draw near. We don't have to earn our way to gain an audience with God, Jesus did that for us! We need only believe. We now come boldly to the "throne of grace" to ask the Father for help in every situation known to man. Belief in that substitution establishes a union with God that satan can no longer challenge.
His Holy Spirit now resides permanently in us, granting an intimacy with God that was unthinkable before! The seal of His Spirit, establishing our covenant, comes with an anointing that is priceless. I am His!
It's up to me to learn how to yield and to draw from Him everything needed for my life's mission. Through Him I receive insight and abilities to live in a manner never experienced before! My limitations are stripped away by His infinite power. And yes, if invited, His anointing will even work in my artistic explorations.
How can we know that we have this anointing? Our hearts affirm it. His presence in our lives is also a guarantee of even greater things to come, a future that prophets have spoken about, of heaven, of eternity, of rewards—a future of great hope and rejoicing!
But what if you say, you don't "feel" anything?
I've learned to disregard feelings. They are deceptive and a useless measure to gauge His anointing.
In my experience, biblical truth seems to work in this consistent manner.
I believe His word as an act of faith, not feeling.
I respond from the heart.
I then act in a manner consistent with that truth,
I stick with it expecting His promises to manifest (refusing to quit because things took longer than anticipated to change! The passage of time is when many a battle of faith is lost. So I'll hang on until.....!)
And suddenly, events unfold that demonstrate that this is what was spoken about in the Bible. What joy!
I have received, and will continue to receive, everything for my journey as an artist by faith in His anointing. If empty of ideas, I look to Him and draw from His bottomless well of creativity. Lacking in supply? He directs my steps to supply sent my way. He's easily accessible with a simple prayer and the release of my faith.
I harbor no illusions that my own skill was adequate for any task at hand. Whatever the outcome, I know I was helped. Even growth comes at a pace I could not have imagined! As for influence in His kingdom, I trust Him to direct the work of my hands to bless another. Every aspect of the artistic process is an opportunity to avail of His anointing by faith. So when Resurrection Sunday comes around year after year, I look back and marvel. My heart now attests to its power, albeit in a limited fashion.
Once I demanded proof for the veracity of the resurrection, studying the writings of theologians and scholars, examining extra biblical references, science and archaeology for any evidence that could convince me. Now the reality of His power is at work in me, and through me. No one needs to convince me any more, I KNOW it in my heart.
I create with joy, knowing I'll never run out of the thrill of discovery, because He is infinite! The works of my hands increasingly seem to matter less than the joys of my journey.
It is with such gratitude that I celebrate the resurrection of my Lord, and Savior, Jesus!
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