Ephesians 1.11-14 (6)
Pray Psalm 34.1-3.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
Sing Psalm 34.1-3.
(Alleluia [Lowe]: Mighty God, While Angels Bless You)
I will bless the LORD at all times; I shall praise Him evermore!
My soul makes its boast in Jesus—Him we gladly all adore!
Refrain v. 3
Magnify the Name of Jesus! Let us lift His Name in praise!
Read Ephesians 1.11-14; meditate on verse 13.
“Sealed”? What does that mean? And “guarantee”? What’s that? What in your experience is “sealed” or “guaranteed”? How does that help you think about the Spirit’s role in your life?
Preparation
1. How has God sealed us to Himself?
2. What does the Spirit “guarantee” for us?
Meditation
Paul notes here three operations of the Holy Spirit relative to our salvation. These are subsequent to the Spirit’s saving work as he outlines it in Galatians 4.6: “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” We are “children”, that is, chosen for adoption by the Father (Eph. 1.3-5). To accomplish that seemingly impossible task—given our inveterate sinfulness—God, the Father and the Son, sends the Spirit into our heart, tearing out that part of the soul which loves sin and replacing it with a heart bent on loving God, by which, in a voice empowered by the Spirit, we cry out to God as our Father. Then follows the three operations mentioned in our text.
First, the Holy Spirit seals us. The sealing of the Spirit makes our salvation sure, for no one can take us from the Father’s hand. We are sealed by His Spirit. Unopenable to anyone but God.
Second, the Spirit guarantees that we have legitimate right and access to our inheritance—God Himself. He makes it possible for us to have entrance to the Presence of the Lord, assurance of the promises of God, and access to the power of God for making all things new.
Third, the Spirit keeps us “until the redemption of the purchased possession”, that is, until we are redeemed from our journey in time into the eternal blessedness of the Lord. Having sealed us, the Spirit keeps us so that we may enjoy more of our inheritance now and forever.
And all this is to the praise of God’s glory. For only by the Holy Spirit can we know anything of the mystery of God (v. 9) or enjoy the spiritual blessings He has prepared for us through Jesus Christ.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162.Elijah was about to go to heaven to receive his guaranteed salvation through faith in the coming Promise.
Elisha, his fellow-worker, had been chosen to take over Elijah’s prophetic work.
They both knew that God’s powerful hand was going to remove him from the earth by a whirlwind.
During that eventful day Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you before I am taken away from you?” And Elisha answered, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”
Then Elijah replied, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you,
it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.”
Seeing Elijah being taken to heaven would seal the deal for God’s double portion to fall upon Elisha.
Three times that day, when told to stay put while Elijah traversed about the countryside,
Elisha responded, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!’
Having faithfully stayed by his side all day, “Then it happened, as they continued on and talked,
that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them,
and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.”
“And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, ‘My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!’
So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him…” And the rest, as they say, is history. Elisha’s ministry and prophetic word prospered throughout his lifetime. A double blessing guaranteed and sealed by sight. (2 Kgs. 2.1-25).
In the same way our future is guaranteed and sealed with the Holy Spirit.
We must stay close to Jesus, constantly abiding in Him, saying like Elisha,
“As You, LORD, live, and as Your soul lives, I will not leave You!”
For, better than seeing the chariot of fire with horses of fire, we see Jesus, “the Author and Finisher of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12.2). He has gone before us into heaven to prepare a place for us (Jn. 14.1-6) and has sent us His Holy Spirit to live within and empower us for lives pleasing to the Father—to receive, and be, a double-portion-blessing in our Personal Mission Field.
And as true as it is that “the Spirit makes our salvation sure”; it is equally as true that some people arrive in heaven “in the same receiving blanket they were born in” (Pat Hunter). That we never grow beyond being baby Christians. Better to ask for a double portion of His wonderful Spirit so that we “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever” (2 Pet. 3.18).
“Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…” (Heb. 6.1 ESV).
Follow close, see the whirlwind, “to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1.12, 14).
Reflection
1. How do you experience the Holy Spirit at work within you? Give thanks and praise for each thing you mention.
2. How would you explain what it means to be sealed by the Spirit to a new believer?
3. What are you asking God by His Spirit to do in and through you today?
What a gracious promise that is, which secures the gift of the Holy Ghost to those who ask him! The sanctifying and comforting influences of the Holy Spirit seal believers as the children of God, and heirs of heaven. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Ephesians 1.13, 14
Pray Psalm 34.4-9.
Thank God for His Holy Spirit. Pray that He will be at work in you today to bring forth spiritual fruit, empower you as a witness for Jesus, and open the meaning of God’s Word to you.
Sing 34.4-9.
(Alleluia [Lowe]: Mighty God, While Angels Bless You)
When I sought the LORD, He answered and from fear delivered me.
Those who look to Him are radiant; shamed their face shall never be.
Refrain v. 3
Magnify the Name of Jesus! Let us lift His Name in praise!
When I cried to God, He heard me, and from trouble rescued me.
’Round their camp His angel lingers that they may delivered be.
Refrain
Taste and see how good is Jesus; blessed are all who in Him hide.
None shall lack for any blessing who in Christ will e’er confide.
Refrain
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we are looking at commerce from a Kingdom perspective. Our Read Moore podcast continues readings from the book, Such a Great Salvation. Our Crosfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert finds the saint beginning his second voyage to find The Promised Land of the Saints. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
