Ephesians 1:13,14
Our Wonderful Guarantee
Intro: Continuing our Series here in Ephesians on the In
Christ statements found in Chapters 1-3
A) Statements that ARE PROFOUND
/ DOCTRINAL
/ FOUNDATIONAL
B) statements that give some incredible insight into
our Position / our Resources / the blessings of Being IN CHRIST
1) Statements that reflect who we are to God &
Who Christ is in US !!!
C) In our
study last time we focused on v.11 and
talked about
our Wonderful Inheritance
1) PRESENT AND FUTURE ASPECTS OF IT !!!
D) Today pick up in Eph 1:13-14
13 In Him you
also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation;
in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of
promise,14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
A) Ephesians Ch. 1 reveals to us the role that each
member of the Godhead played in our Salvation
B) V. 4 The Father Chose
us & adopted us into His family / v.7 The
Son redeemed us out of the slave market of sin – By shedding His Blood
1) V.13 After we trusted in the work of the Son – we were SEALED w/
the HS of Promise
C) What does it mean to be sealed with the Spirit?
1) Undoubtedly this is a reference to the ancient
practice of sealing letters or other objects with sealing wax and impressing
the wax with a seal worn on a ring and bearing an identifying image.
D) This idea of Sealing speaks to us – of at least 5 things – Break down today – Insight for
us – that In Christ we are Sealed w/ the Spirit !!!
#1 - Finished transaction: Even today when legal documents are
processed they are stamped with a seal to signify completion
A.) So too when you
exercised faith in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross to save you & pay
the price for your sins - You were sealed –
B) That seal of God upon your life / his spirit in your heart –
signifying - Your Salvation is finished –
1) Your salvation is complete there is no need to add to it!
C) There is nothing that
you can do – to make it better – more complete
1) Your salvation is
perfect – All that was needed for you to be saved was accomplished by Christ
D) Your came into that –
when you put your faith in Christ !!!
1) Read 10 Chapters yesterday – You are no more
saved today – than when you first prayed –
E) God eyes – Finished
transaction – Done deal { marked by a His Seal upon your Life – His spirit in
your Heart – { Stamped SAVED
#2 - Seal speaks of ownership - Goods on
a Boat MARKED BY A SEAL
A) God has put His seal on us – He has marked us - because He purchased us as
His own - by blood of Jesus
B) The Sealing of the HS is
God’s stamp upon us, saying, “You’re mine. You belong to me.”
1) God’s Spirit in our hearts is that – testimony to
us – that we belong to God
C) Paul put it this way in Rom 8:16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we
are children of God
D) Sometimes we go through times where you don’t necessarily
feel like you’re a Christian. We all go
through that sort of thing.
1) But, at the same time, everyone who is a true
believer, has experienced that stamp of God upon their life. HS in their hearts bearing witness
How does He do that ? Gal 4:6 And because you
are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying
out, "Abba, Father!
A) Abba =
Intimacy
B) Listen do you experience
that longing in your heart to be closer to God –
That is the
Spirit inside of You – Crying Abba
1) Devotions weren’t
enough / Retreat was wonderful – but there is
more
that is indication that
you belong to God
C) Hunger & thirst
after righteousness is built in – it is the mark of every believer
1) Listen the Unbeliever doesn’t long to be intimate w/ God / the
unbeliever doesn’t desire closeness to God { Doesn’t hunger & thirst for
righteousness
D) But when you sense that
longing in your heart it is just a confirmation that you belong to God – His
Spirit is with in you
1) Now when you resist
that Longing in your heart – you quench the Spirit of God inside of you – { Feelings of do I really belong to God
E) But when you respond to
that longing of the Spirit in your heart – to passionately pursue the Lord –
1) It only confirms what
the word says to be true – You belong to the Lord
3rd
- Seal speaks of authentic: a seal on a letter was like a signature or -
personal letter head - King's seal - Authentic
A) Even today If you get an official document of any
sort, a government document, it has the seal of our government on it.
B) That authenticates it as valid. If you have a passport? That is an official government
document.
1) And it’s got the seal of the United States of
America on it, if you are an American citizen and carry an American
passport.
C) So what does that passport do? That authenticates you. It confirms you as a citizen of this
country.
Sometimes a seal is used in the context of art, or something
that a person would create or make. {
Secret mark – besides signature
A) They put their seal on it. Signifying this is authentic. This isn’t a phony
or a counterfeit –
B) Now, just like we have counterfeit documents, we
have counterfeit works of art, we also have
counterfeit believers.
1) And you know how you know a true believer from a
counterfeit? You look for that authenticating mark of the Holy Spirit.
C) In John’s gospel the Holy
Spirit, is referred to as the Spirit of
truth—1) So a true Believer – is going to be speaking things that are
true – things that line up with the word of God .
D) In the heart of a true believer the Spirit is
there to point out error !!!
1) Have you ever heard something from someone – even
though you couldn’t point to chapter & verse right then – sense – Not true
E) later you go home search the word – sure enough
you find out – that was not a true statement or teaching – that was HERESY
1) Listen that is the HS in
your heart – giving you discernment – that is not true!!! –
We are also told in the gospel of John that the work of the
Holy Spirit is to glorify Jesus.
A) So in asking the question of is this ministry Authentic we have to
consider Do they glorify Jesus?
B) Are they pointing people to Jesus or to another
person – some leader or to some Program
1) Do they say the same things about Jesus that the
Scriptures say about Him?
C) Now Probably the Biggest mark of the Spirit
concerning a person’s authenticity of being a Child of God is the Fruit of the
Spirit in their lives
D) Is the fruit of the Spirit isn’t there. That manifestation of the Spirit’s love for
the brethren is it there.
1) That is the Distinguishing mark in our lives as
well – We are believers that we desire to love & serve the people of God
!!!
E) So the Spirit of God authenticates, as a seal.
4th Seal speaks of security and protection
- Tomb of Jesus - Roman seal
A) When something was
sealed it spoke of it being the personal property of a person or an
organization and it wasn’t to be tampered with
B) God has put His seal upon us, and that seal of
the Spirit of God has secured us as the people of God.
1) And guess what?
Satan can’t tamper with us. He can’t undo what God has done.
C) He can’t actually do anything that God doesn’t
allow Him to do. And the one thing God
will not allow Him to do, is undo what He has already done. .
1) John 10: "No
one can snatch you out of my hand!"
In Eph Ch. 4:30 Paul also talks about this Sealing of the HS
– makes the statement that we have been sealed for the day of Redemption
A) The day of redemption is the
day of collection. It’s the day when God
takes me to be w/ Him -It’s the entering into the glorified state.
B) Paul says that, “we are sealed for the day of
redemption.”
1) In other words, God is going to keep us secure
until He gets us to the place where He takes us and He glorifies us.
C) The Scriptures give us security. They give us comfort. They give us assurance and confidence that He that has begun a good work in us is going to complete
it until the day of Jesus Christ.
D) And when Paul talks about being sealed unto the day of
redemption, you can’t get around the implication of that.
1) What he’s saying is, “You’re going to make
it. .
God is going to get you to the desired destination, which is glory,
which is heaven.”
E) And so, that is also what he’s talking about when
he’s talking about the fact that we are sealed. Security / Protection
1) You are going to make it !!!!
Now the 5th
thing that is meant by this idea of being sealed with the Spirit is found here
in v.14 –
A) Paul says that God has given ….. Guarantee of our
Inheritance
B) This same idea is
presented for us in two other places in the NT
- 2 Cor 1:22 / 2 Cor 5:5
C) The Seal of the Spirit
given to us as a Guarantee speaks of 2 ideas
1) Earnest money - down
payment or a promise note that I will pay -
I will deliver Spirit in us is our promise note
D) God the Father is
saying to us who are His Children – Heaven & Glory are waiting – Here is my
Down Payment – Serious – Earnest money / HS
Also -spirit as a guarantee -carries idea of engagement
A) When a young man is
serious about a girl ready to pop the question he will break the bank to buy
her an engagement ring!!!
B) Sell his surf board /
sell his golf clubs / Brother & sister / what ever it takes to buy that
ring
1) What He is communicating
to her is I want you to spend the rest of your life w/ me & just so you
know that I am serious – Here is a ring !!!
C) So that ring to him is signifying the seriousness of His Promise
1) Well God’s Spirit in
our hearts signifies the seriousness of His Promise
But here is
something else I want us to consider – To that girl that ring speaks of more
than just the seriousness of a Promise
A) It is signifies to the
world that she is taken/ She belongs to
someone else
B) And so the HS in our hearts – signifies to the
world – I am not available to you – I belong to
another
C) But that ring on the
finger of that young lady is also constant reminder of what is coming – No
longer ALONE
1) Reminder that she is
soon going to change her name – new identity Mrs. So & So
And it is a
constant reminder that the discontentment she feels in her singleness is soon
going to be Satisfied
A) Cold at night – warm body in that bed
B) Couple in the park that
is her / Married girlfriends – she will be able to relate
C) So too God’s spirit in
our hearts is a constant reminder concerning the Discontentment that we feel
inside our hearts – about this place
1) God’s spirit in our
hearts reminds us constantly – we were made for another
Discontentment
you feel is natural – it is built in – Longing for 2 things More of God – Abba
- & To go to Heaven
A) Realize that the Happier you will be – More you
will see the things of this life from the right perspective { Temporal / fading
/ secondary
B) There is a
new life awaiting me / new place – Heaven
1) The yearnings in my
heart the discontentment I feel inside isn’t because I want a new Job / Car /
better house / Spouse / - It is heaven / More of God
C) It is like that single
gal who looks at her engagement ring & longs for that kind of life – Experience that Union !!! – Glorious