(Ephesians) Sealed and Secured by the Holy Spirit — Jeff Noblit

God’s Grace and His Purpose in Salvation

You ever wonder well, why did God save us and leave us here? He wants to bring some glory to himself through us. That's it. He has a purpose for you and I to be in on the process now listen of him unveiling manifesting and revealing before creation all that he is and One of the glorious and grand aspects of who God is is grace.

Grace is an attribute that God and God alone possesses and it is only right for God to have that grace seen and for God to be glorified and Magnified for being the God of grace that he is. So in his sovereign purposes he saves for himself a church all in grace completely by grace.

So that he will get praise and glory for doing such a wonderful thing. Have I reminded you lately this whole thing is about God and not about us and We want to endeavor to mature as a church. So that it becomes natural to be God centered.

Not man-centered in our viewpoints. It's so easy, and it's so prone. It's so natural least to the flesh the old man to be man-centered, but God wants us to be supernaturally natural. God wants our norm to be what the Holy Spirit inspires us to think are.

The viewpoint the Holy Spirit would give us in our hearts and minds. Well, that's not my introduction, but I had it on the heart. Ephesians chapter 1 verses 13 and 14 while you're looking at that. Let me share with you that there is a practice among timber companies.

The Timber-Company Seal as an Illustration of Security

That has been in practice for at least 2 ,000 years. And that is that when these great timber companies would cut down the trees and shave off the limbs. They would use the rivers and the streams to transport their logs Downstream to either the mill or to someone who's agreed to purchase them or maybe a storage area that they had downstream.

It's particularly true among the great timber companies of the northern areas of the United States. Those great northern forest would have many timber companies and they would cut down the trees and trim off the limbs.

But the logs in the rivers and streams and let them flow down river to the mill or to the purchaser. And they tell me that you can go to some of these Bridges over some of these rivers certain times of the year and they're just jammed with logs from several different timber companies.

Someone asked the question one day. Well, how in the world would each company knows which logs are theirs? Well, it's easy the timber companies all had a unique mark or seal and they would put that seal or that mark on their logs and.

So when they got downstream to the mill or to the purchaser. It would be easy. You would look for the mark on the log and you would know who the owner was and where the destination was to be. So the mark or the seal on the logs spoke of security.

It secured that log as to showing who the owner was and where the destination was to be for that log. Well, it's the same thing. By the way, this was practiced in biblical times and that's the same Greek word.

That's used in our text where the Bible says past tense. We were Sealed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God has done a work in those that are gods now. Listen to how I'm wording this the Holy Spirit of God does a work in those that belong to God and in that work He marks them seals them are marks them and when that mark is in your life, it gives you security.

It lets you know. I know who my owner is and I know where my destination is. Amen. And That's what Paul brings out when we get to verses 13 and 14 of Ephesians chapter 1. Look at it there with me. As Paul is continuing in this possibly the richest chapter of Scripture in the Word of God.

He says this to those Christians at Ephesians and to us today in him. You also after listening to the message of the truth. The gospel of your salvation. Having also believed. You were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise.

Who is given as a pledge of our inheritance with the view to the redemption of God's own possession? There it is again to the praise of his glory. To the praise of his glory. Now, what two words do we have in the beginning of verse 13?

That's been repetitive throughout this whole section in him. Sometimes it's in Christ Jesus or in the Lord Jesus Christ. But we see that over and over and over again in the New Testament and we see it repeated numerous times throughout verses 1 through 13.

Salvation Is Found in Christ, Not in Human Merit

Here's what Paul is saying. Paul is saying you have to understand something all that you have of the blessings of God. Including all the blessings of salvation our hour. They are yours rather because you are in him.

And he goes all the way through this text saying that over and over again. What is this point? His point is our salvation is in Christ now. Listen, therefore our salvation is outside of us. He didn't say in yourself.

He didn't say in your faith. He didn't say in your decision. He didn't say in your works. He said no in him. All this is true about you. Calvin worded it this way. Calvin said in short the name of Christ excludes all merit and everything which men have of themselves.

But when he says we are chosen in Christ verse 4 it follows that in ourselves we are unworthy. So all that is involved in our salvation Paul is saying to us is a result of being in Christ. It's not a result of our works our merit our worth.

It is his work not our work. Now let's review this for a moment the the 12 verses before you get to verse 13 to see all These things. Paul has already told us that we have all these blessings we have in Christ.

Now first of all in verse 1 as he's writing to the church at Ephesus He tells them the last part there. They are faithful in Christ Jesus. So he goes forward to the Christian lifestyle and he says even your faithfulness.

To serve and honor Christ after conversion is a result of being in him. In other words, he supplies what you need to be faithful. You don't do that. God does it in you and through you and. Then in verse 3 He says that we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

Now, that's a summarizing composite statement if you will of all the abundant blessings that heaven has toward all of God's children are all ours because we're in Christ and then in verse 4 He chose us in him before the foundation of the world.

Now, how were we picked out if you will chosen? There's no other way you can make that word chosen mean anything else other than that picked out or chosen. How are we chosen? It was sure you were chosen because you were in him.

God did not look ahead and say now that's a fine guy and that's a fine lady and that's a unique person that person has. Unique gifts and talents. I think I'll choose them. Absolutely not. It is unmerited favor.

But even though there's mystery here, we cannot comprehend it though we do it to some extent. Apprehend it it is still true. We are chosen in him from the foundation of the world. Then we go to verse 5.

He says he predestined to us to adoption as sons. Through Christ Jesus the same concept of saying in him. Predestined means you were picked out or marked out beforehand. How did God do that? He did that because you were one of those who were in him.

Not because of any worth or merit that you might have. Because you don't have any in God's sight in verse 7 in him. We have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of grace redemption which means being purchased from the slave market of sin self and Satan and Released to God's domain to God's family never to be enslaved again.

That was done for us because we are in him are in the merit of Christ in the work of Christ not in us. We're forgiven of our sins. All of our sins are removed as far as God holding our sins against us for punishment in that good news.

God does not hold your sin against you for punishment if you're in him. Well, and then he goes on to verses 8 through 10. I'll not read that but he talks about how we have new wisdom new insight. We understand mysteries.

That is we understand things that were hidden from former generations. But now in the church age, which has gone on for 2 ,000 years. We understand God's man Jesus and God's way of salvation through Christ.

We have wisdom and understanding the former ages did not understand. We all have that because we are in him not because there's something special in us. It's all the work of God. Now we get to verse 13.

Now don't lose the flow in verse 13. Don't go from God's center to man centered in verse 13. Let verse 13 flow with the context of verses 1 through 12. What does he say? In him you also after listening to the message of the truth the gospel your salvation having also believed.

You were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise. So he says now that our listening and believing happened because we are in him. Just like all the other things happen because we are in him. In other words God does it all.

He does every bit of it. He gets the credit for all of it. He is responsible for all of it. That is the message of Ephesians 1 1 through 14 now. Three phrases that you need to get down in your mind and that is in him.

We've looked at that that means everything that's done for us to save us is his work not ours. That's why he doesn't say in you or in your work or in your faith or in your decision or anything else. And the next phrase is to the praise of the glory of his grace that occurs three times in these verses to the praise of The Lord.

Why did God do it this way? Choosing. Predestined gave us new wisdom and understanding all the way through believing. It's all in him. God's in charge of all of it. Why does he do it this way three times.

Paul repeats it to make sure badness can understand it to the praise of the glory of his grace. To show how wonderful he is. How glorious he is? Well, I don't think I agree with that or I don't think that that that coincides with everything I've been taught or are the logical conclusions I had about God all of my life.

This sort of messes me up and it makes me uncomfortable. It sort of strips all my pride away. I'm not real comfortable this. Why did God do it this way a third phrase curse three times a third phrase?

It was his will to do it. According to the kind intention of his will he is God he chose to do it this way. Period. So those are three key phrases in him, it's all the meritorious work of Christ it's nothing to do with our work effort anything else.

He did it all to the ultimate end of him being glorified for being such a God that would save unworthy sinners like us. That's grace that does that and did it all because it was just the kind intention of his will to do it.

That is what Paul is telling us now. I Want to move forward. I want to leave that and move forward to this idea of being sealed in him the last part of verse 13 you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise.

What does that mean? What does it mean that we are sealed. With the Holy Spirit of promise. Well, first of all, this is an heiress tense verb sealed. The heiress tense means finished action in pastime, but continuing results.

It's like being married. I was married on a certain day in pastime, but I remain married continuing results. You were sealed at one time it was there was a point that it initiated but now listen the sealing in a sense progresses as you mature in Christ and Will have its ultimate fulfillment one day when you get to heaven, but there was a point when you were sealed.

It's finished work pastime, but continuing and even growing results. All right. Let me give you the outline and hope to Clarify and explain things as we go along. Number one the purpose of being sealed is security.

The Purpose of the Seal: Security

The purpose of being sealed is security and I hear it now think about where Paul's come from. He's writing to these believers at Ephesus. He says you were chosen before the foundation of the world. You were predestined or marked out beforehand.

You've been given new understanding and new wisdom by being in him. You have redemption and forgiveness because you're God's child, but I can imagine the individual believer saying well. How do I know if I'm really in on that?

How do I know if I'm really one of those and it's as if Paul says, okay I'm gonna answer that in verse 13. Here's how you know, have you experienced being sealed by the Holy Spirit? Because it's that mark on the log.

Remember that security that mark on the logs is this log has this owner and it has this destination downstream. You're sealing when the Holy Spirit seals you it gives you security. Whereby you can with confidence know I am owned by God and my destination is with God in heaven.

So Paul in effect is coming down out of now you see for so long here. We were looking at this from a Godward perspective here's how God planned and initiated and carried out our salvation and then it's as if Paul turns around and says now you subjectively must have experienced something and In this experience you were in fact being sealed by the Holy Spirit which therefore gives you security.

That is letting you know who your true owner is God and what your true destination is. That's heaven. All right, let's talk about ownership for just a moment as we look there at verse 14 the last part is the first sub point here.

He says in verse 14 who is given as a pledge of our our inheritance with a view to the redemption of God's own Possession. Now, that's an interesting phrase the The Holy Spirit came in to your life. And he was given as a pledge as an earnest payment if you will.

You know if you give earnest money, it means the rest is coming. The Holy Spirit came in to say your gods and everything else. You're gonna get because your gods is yet coming, but you already got some now.

You've got the whole Holy Spirit in you right now, by the way, he's a person not a thing. You can't chop a person up. You didn't get the arm and the leg of the Holy Spirit. You got him when you were sealed.

So he's given as a pledge now. Listen what he says there with a view to the redemption of God's own possession. It's as if God is saying this you were mine from the for before the foundation of the world.

I chose you and predestined you but at a certain point and time in history I put the Holy Spirit in you to let you know and realize that you're mine because you're my own possession. I am redeeming you because I chose you before the foundation of the world.

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God

Folks I know this doctrine is troubling to a lot of Baptists. I know it hadn't been preached from Baptist pulpits. And for that all I can say is I'm very sorry. It should have been. It should have been.

I'm just telling you brothers and sisters I have no use for a man of God that skips the truth of the Word of God fearful of what man may think. You just can't do that and be honest and be a faithful under shepherd to God.

Well pastor people won't be evangelistic. I can almost guarantee you I have witnessed more in the last month to lost people urging them to come to Christ than 99 of you have and I believe this stronger than any of you.

If it bothers your evangelism, you've got a flesh problem. You ought to glory in these truths and go out there and win some more. Amen. Well ownership, let's look at some cross references. Revelation chapter 7.

You don't have to turn there. But in Revelation chapter 7 the Bible says God seals 144 ,000 on their forehead. Now folks. The church age has ended the Great Tribulation has begun and God in his sovereignty chooses 144 ,000 Jews marks them out as his own.

He literally is going to put a mark on their foreheads. And what does that mark say. That mark says I'm secure. There's certain things that can't touch me during this tribulation because I'm marked by God security.

That's what the seal does. It gives security? And then we see in Romans chapter 4 verse 11 something where Paul says there for he received the sign of circumcision a Seal of the righteousness of faith and he's talking about Abraham and when Abraham and then all of Abraham's descendants received the seal if you will of circumcision and When a little Jewish boy was born and on the eighth day after he was born they removed the foreskin.

Circumcised that little boy. What were they doing? They were giving security. You are in the covenant. You're in God's household. It was a seal a mark of ownership and security. Now secondly not only ownership, but let's talk about destination.

The Seal Marks the Believer’s Destination

That's something else that was true of all those logs that the timber company would mark and put their mark on them. It all not only meant I'm I own this log. It means I've sold it to the mill downstream.

That's its destination. So when God marks us seals us by the Holy Spirit it marks us as being owned by him. But it also marks our destination and that's what he means in verse 14 with a view to the redemption of God's own possession.

In other words, listen what God began in eternity past when he chosen predestined you. He's going to bring about to fruition to the final and full redemption when you're glorified with him in heaven. And you'll be with him for all eternity.

God has marked out your destination. Are you listening to me. God marked out your destination before the world began? Our Paul's a liar and Jesus is a liar. Now you can go through and do your hop skip and junk exposition and skip these things if you want to but you'll answer to God for it one day.

This is what the scripture teaches. Look over to Ephesians chapter 4 verse 30 as we continue thinking about this destination aspect. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 30. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.

You know what that means. That means after you're saved. You can choose to walk in the flesh and not by the leadership of the Spirit and you grieve him. He's a person you grieve him you break his heart.

He said don't grieve that Holy Spirit of God by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. God marked you that mark was on you when you believed in Jesus Christ and that Secured your final destination.

Boy, what a great doctrine that reinforces the perseverance of the Saints or once saved always saved so It gives us assurance it gives us security that we are indeed God's child ownership and Destination.

The Prerequisites for Being Sealed

Now, let's go to our second major point here. I Want to talk now just for the sake of giving us a full orbed understanding about the prerequisites of being sealed by the Holy Spirit, what are the prerequisites of.

What I mean by this, what are the indispensable? Components there are some absolute Essential things that must take place if any of us are going to have this sealing of the Holy Spirit. If any of us are going to have that security of knowing I'm owned by God.

My destination is secured and settled forever. Well, what are some of those prerequisites? Well According to the Bible. I want to give you three biblical terms. These are not Jeff Knoblet terms. These are not John Calvin terms.

These are Bible terms and these are prerequisites. They're mysterious in a way. But if they didn't take place you won't get sealed. Number one chosen. Number two predestined number three for known Bible terms look them up in your concordance.

Chosen predestined for now. We've talked about those quite a bit. So I'll leave that. Because now I want to go to the direct role of the Holy Spirit in time. Those three things I just mentioned happened back there in the in the heart and mind of God before the world began.

God let us in on some of that, but we can't completely comprehend it though. We can't apprehend it. Chosen predestined for known now Paul takes us down into time. And he says now in time as men live on planet earth, these are the things the Holy Spirit does as prerequisites.

Indispensable indispensable Components things that must happen before the sealing takes place that is in time. Well, what is that one number one? The Holy Spirit gives Scripture before you could be sealed there had to be the Word of God.

There had to be Scripture. Because the Scripture contains the gospel and apart from the Word of God which contains the gospel. We would never know the truth in order to be saved. But now how did we get the Scripture.

Did any of you have anything to do with the Bible. Did any of us have anything to do with the writing or putting together our Developing the canon of Scripture. No, it was completely a grace gift. Was it not in the Bible of grace?

Gift it was given by God. God Superintended men to write the very words that he wanted as divine Scripture. 2nd Peter chapter 1 verses 20 and 21 tell us very clearly. But know this first of all that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation.

For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will. Did you see that? Humans had no part in this not an act of human will. But men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. So this thing of Having the Scriptures the Word of God which contains the gospel that saves was a gift of God completely by grace.

It was the ministry of the Holy Spirit. 2nd Timothy chapter 3 verse 16 all Scripture is inspired by God. It's God breathed. It's of God and from God as if God were standing there and breathing or speaking to you.

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching. For reproof for correction for training in righteousness, so I just want to establish that prerequisite. The Holy Spirit had to give Scripture are you and I would never been saved.

Was that not a grace gift? Did we have anything to do with that whatsoever? It's God's work. Secondly. The Holy Spirit calls and gifts preachers. Now you understand God could have written the gospel in the stars or in the clouds.

God could have written the gospel on the sides of mountains. But God so decided in his sovereign and perfect will to design that the chief Mechanism the chief vehicle of proclaiming his truth would be God called God gifted preachers.

And by the way, can I ask you a question? Have you ever called anyone to preach and by the way people have done that and that's one of the problems in the church today. We've got man-called preachers.

And they say the things that please the people instead of the things that honor God. But we know true preachers are God called and God gifted and we had nothing to do with it. We are to recognize them when we hear them and see them and Therefore it's a church.

We call certain men to be our pastor teachers or the pastors of the church because we recognize God's call and gifts. But we don't make that calling or gifting happen in any way shape or fashion. Romans 10 14 through 17.

God-Called Preachers and the Communication of the Gospel

How then shall they call upon him and whom they've not believed? And how shall they believe in him and whom they've not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher? I want to say something right here.

We'll just pause right there. I'm not saying that God didn't use the personal witnessing of all of us. Certainly he does but his foundation stone of communicating the gospel and every person's personal witness is Dependent upon a God called preacher.

That's the way God's designed it. It's just his way. And then verse 15 and how should they preach unless they are sent? In other words, if God hadn't called them and sent them, how are they gonna have anything to say?

Just as it is written how beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings of good things. However, they did not all heed the glad tidings for Isaiah says Lord who has believed our report. I look at this so faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ or the Word about Christ.

How do people come to faith and be saved? Hearing the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ chiefly and foundationally from God called God gifted preachers. Ephesians 4 11 and 12 and he gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as Pastor teachers.

And the Greek it's one office a pastor whose job is teaching. For the equipping of the Saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ. So God gives gifted men to the church that wasn't what's what it means in Ephesians 4 11 says God gives God gave some as Apostles no longer in effect Prophets the gift of prophecy is still in effect, but the office of prophet is no longer in effect.

Evangelist. I believe God still calls men in evangelism and then pastor teachers of local churches. My point to you is this. You and I would have never come to have known Christ in salvation if the Holy Spirit didn't give us Scripture and God did all of that is grace.

You and I would have never come to known Christ if God did not call and gift men to preach the Word of God. Because even if we came to Christ as a personal witness of a layman. They were impacted and affected and matured and nurtured and equipped to the preaching of a God called preacher.

My point is this it's all grace, isn't it? All the way up to this point. It's all grace. It's all the Holy Spirit's work. Something we individual believers had no part in. God did all of this. Now, let's go to our third main point the ingredients of the sealing.

Repentance and Faith as the Evidence of the Seal

We've talked about the purpose of being sealed that is so that we might have security. So that we might say yes, I'm owned by God. And yes, my destination is sure ownership destination. We talked about the prerequisites to being sealed.

There must have been the Word of God and There must be a preacher to bring the Word of God or men wouldn't be saved and be sealed. But now thirdly, let's talk about the ingredients of the ceiling. Pastor just what is the sealing of the Spirit just what happens?

How do I know it's happened in my life now? I may have studied 20 competent scholars in studying for this message. And I don't know how to say this and I don't in any way mean this in an elitist spirit.

But not not a one of them really elaborated on this and I think it is so obvious in the text. Look at it there with me. Look at verse 13 of Ephesians chapter 1. You have the key ingredient of the sealing work of the Holy Spirit in one phrase.

And it should be worded. It's a participial phrase. It's not it's not a past tense tense phrase. It's sort of a continuing action phrase and that is in the middle of verse 13 in the New American Standard II words of this way having also believed having also believed now.

One thing the great scholars seem to be very clear on is you should not take verse 13 and make chronological Steps out of it. This happens this happens then this happens. Really you should take verse 13 and see it as one package one whole.

Simultaneously happening you are listening and while listening you believed and while believing you're sealed. Are you hearing me? That's the way God pictures it. That's what God is showing us. You hear the preaching teaching sharing the gospel while hearing it.

Belief is birthed in your heart and while the listening and believing is birthing. Also, the sealing is taking place in your heart. It's one package. It's one whole. Now it's very important that we understand what the word believe means.

Believed here. It's not shallow intellectual assent of gospel facts. Belief here doesn't mean well intellectually I do hold Jesus died. He was a historical figure. He died. Intellectually, I do hold that he died on a cross for my sins.

Intellectually, I do hold that he rose from the dead. You know James says the demons believe. But there's it in a saving belief. No belief here means. Something's happened both in your mind, you know the facts in your emotions.

You feel deeply the truths of the gospel and in your will you commit or you place full confidence and trust in the gospel believe. Wraps up all of those. Technically the word believe means to trust or to hope in if I'm hoping in something.

Maybe maybe maybe you come on hard times and and you don't know where whether or not you're gonna make it financially. But somebody's promised you a job next year. You're living in. Hope you have a continual abiding confidence.

That that's going to take place. Well, that's what belief means here. There's a point in time when you become a believer and from that moment on you have placed confidence in Jesus Christ. Confidence that what he says about your sin problem is true and that you are wretched and depraved and you can't save yourself.

Confidence in what he says about how you are forgiven his death on the cross pays for your sins. Confidence in him as the only Lord God boss of your life. All of that's wrapped up in belief so. When when that happens when belief happens and you could break belief down into two other biblical phrases.

Repentance toward God faith in Jesus Christ all that's in belief from the initial point. Where something has happened in your heart and you turn? From trusting in self or any of the philosophies or viewpoints or teachings or ideologies?

You reject all of that and realize you're a sinner in your loss you turn that's repentance and you embrace Jesus Christ to forgive you and save you and be the new Lord God of your life from the Infant stages of your understanding when that happens you're sealed and What Paul is saying here is when you have had that experience.

You must know God the Holy Spirit brought that about it is a work of God. Testifying that you are God's child owned by him and your destination is sure. That's your sealing of the Holy Spirit now. There are those who would like to teach a chronological order here.

Well the belief happens you do all that by yourself by the way, if he wanted to emphasize that you do that by yourself, and it doesn't take the Convincing convicting work of the Holy Spirit to bring you to faith and belief if you want to emphasize that man.

Just does that by himself? He would have never used those first two words of verse 13. What are they in? Him in him he just said in you you believed. Are you hearing me? The Paul says I want to make it so clear.

No Baptist can miss it in him. God was active. God was proactive. God was involved bringing you to the point of repentance and faith and When God does that work you are a believer you've repented of sin.

You place faith in Christ you sense that reality then Paul says Hallelujah, God's just sealed the deal. It's settled forever. Your God's charity owns you your destination is sure. You're not to look for believers baptism to give you that security you're not to look for the sacraments or the ordinances of the church like the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion or whatever else it may be.

You must put your confidence in the fact that God has brought you to that point of believing and that is God's seal. You're belong to God. It's a lot like I'm refinancing my house or at least I'm trying to because the interest rates are just too good to pass up.

And we've had a little problem not a big problem, but a little problem and finally the loan guy calls me and says I want you to know it's done. All we lack now. It's just the paperwork. It's sealed up.

It's ready. It's finished all we lack now is the paperwork and friend. That's basically what happens to a child of God after you've believed on Jesus Christ. It begins at a point that belief grows and matures as you walk in Christ.

Matter of fact if you believed at a point and you don't see a pretty good pattern of growth and trust in Jesus Christ. You never really believed at that first point. The faith that fizzles at the finish was faulty at the first.

So we need we need to quit. Viewing salvation is simply a point in time. It begins at a point, but it continues on matter of fact the moment you're saved. You started repenting and then you continue to be a repent or the rest of your life.