Sermon Tone Analysis

*Introduction*

We have been studying this great doxology of Paul that opens the book of Ephesians.

We’ve seen that his waxes eloquent in his praise to God for all that He has done for believers.

We’ve looked at his praise for the Father’s choosing – describing how our salvation is all of God, all to His praise, all for His glory.

Then we’ve looked at his praise for the redemption provided by the Son of God.

We saw last week how his death on the cross was the key that opens up a whole new life of forgiveness from sin, release from guilt and hope for the future.

No wonder Paul is excited.

Now, today, we come to the part of that great doxology that deals with the work of the Holy Spirit.

His work is to seal us – to guarantee all that has been done by the Father and the Son, and there are some important lessons for us here as we see how He seals the deal.

An undercover cop pulled up to valet park at the hospital one evening to get treatment on a sore leg.

Staring at the official looking car, the valet finally asked if it was a government car.

“Why, yes,” replied the policeman, “it is a government car.

Actually, it’s an unmarked police car.” “Wow,” said the young man sliding behind the wheel.

“This is cool.

First time I’ve been in the front seat of one.”

As we saw last week, as believers we’ve moved from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.

I guess that another way to look at that is that we’ve moved from the restrictive, imprisoning backseat to the freedom and luxury of the front seat.

Only the sad fact is, many of us are just not fully aware of what is involved in that move.

We’re out there trying our best, but we are shaky at best.

Every time a new anti-God theory arises, we question again His reality.

Every time Satan whispers in our ear that we may not be saved, we tremble.

We certainly have no sense of our inheritance in Christ and we’re vulnerable.

We’re perfectly free to be in the front seat, the handcuffs are off, but we’re still crawling around in back like we’re trapped.

Beloved, let’s get in front!

See, this deal of salvation has been sealed by the Holy Spirit.

But if we don’t know that, we can’t live in the good of it.

We’ve all seen those old programs where someone finishes writing a letter or an order is issued by a king or some other important communiqué is finished.

Then it is folded, hot wax is dripped on the connection and a signet ring or other seal is applied so that when the wax dries the imprint is visible to all.

Anyone who sees that seal now knows who sent it, that it carries the weight of his authority, that it is genuine (unless someone has managed to make off with the seal), that the message hasn’t been tampered with if the seal is intact.

That one little seal says a lot.

In our genealogical studies over the past few months, we constantly ran into the phrase “signed, sealed and delivered” on title deeds – not because they literally had a seal, but because a signature had come to mean the same thing.

So the question is, what is it that the Holy Spirit brings to us in sealing the deal in our relationship with God?

What does it mean that we have been sealed by the Spirit of God? Four items command our attention.

*I.

Authenticity*

The first result of being sealed is that we are marked as being authentic.

We truly are Christians.

Look with me at verse 11.

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12) so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

13) In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

Now, Paul has been using “we” throughout this great section – clearly referring to himself as well as the believers in Ephesus.

However, in verse 13 he suddenly switches to “you”.

That “you” contrasts with the “we” of verses 11-12, so it appears that the “we” of those two verses isn’t as inclusive as the “we” previously mentioned.

Most commentators believe, and I agree, that when Paul refers in verse 12 to we, who were the first to hope in Christ the “we” is Jewish Christians – those who were indeed first to hear of and believe in Christ in Jerusalem at and following Pentecost.

Then the “you” in verse 13 is referring to the primarily Gentile Christians who were living in Ephesus.

The distinction anticipates the main theme of chapter 2.

Now, let’s look at his primary point in verse 13: 13) In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

Paul here introduces the great sealing work of the Holy Spirit and he makes the point that one result of that work is that the Holy Spirit’s presence is like a seal imprinted on the believer saying, in effect, this one is genuine.

He or she is authentic.

They are the real deal because they have not only heard, but have believed.

Now the first thing to notice about this is that there is no mention of any kind of works.

There is no mention of baptism, church membership, being good, giving a lot of money.

Nothing.

And of course, the simple reason for that is that salvation is, was and always will be by faith alone.

Paul says it very clearly in Titus 3:5 5) he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.

Most of our world thinks it is all about having more good works than bad or some having particular works.

We simply cannot leave it alone and believe that salvation is by God’s grace alone.

It is imbedded in us to want to add something, to want to contribute, to believe we must be good enough.

But, do you not see that if we are with that crowd, we are still handcuffed in the backseat and certainly not saved.

And if we are somehow as a Christian thinking we must do something to remain saved, we are at best in the front seat, but looking around to the back thinking we’ve left something there.

Dear folks, there is nothing in the backseat of value.

Never was, never will be.

It is all grace.

As the Reformers said, it is sola fide – faith alone.

But the moment the Holy Spirit sees genuine faith, He is there to seal that heart and set it aside for Jesus Christ.

In Romans 4:3 we read 3) For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

It doesn’t say Abraham cleaned up his act or Abraham started going to church or Abraham got circumcised and it was counted to him for righteousness.

In fact, Abraham did try at one point to get God’s promise by his own effort.

Remember?

When no child was forthcoming, he got one by his wife’s handmaiden, but God rejected it.

Abraham believed God and that is why he was counted righteous, and it is the only way we will be counted righteous.

Then the Spirit will seal us.

Now I also note secondly, that it was not enough just to hear the Word.

Notice verse 13 again.

These were people who heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, You will never be saved by just coming to church and listening.

Listen to Jesus in Matt.

7: 24) “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

25) And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.

26) And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

27) And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

That is so clear it hardly needs amplification.

It is not enough to hear.

One must act on that truth and accept the gift offered.

One must hear and believe.

What Paul says in Romans 10:17 is true: 17) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

But hearing does not automatically produce saving faith.

In the year 1829, a Philadelphia man named George Wilson robbed the U. S. mails, killing someone in the process.

Wilson was arrested, brought to trial, found guilty, and sentenced to be hanged.

Some friends intervened in his behalf and were finally able to obtain a pardon for him from President Andrew Jackson.

But, when he was informed of this, George Wilson refused to accept the pardon!

The sheriff was unwilling to enact the sentence—for how could he hang a pardoned man?

An appeal was sent to President Jackson.

The perplexed President turned to the United States Supreme Court to decide the case.

Chief Justice Marshall ruled that a pardon is a piece of paper, the value of which depends on its acceptance by the person implicated.

It is hardly to be supposed that a person under the sentence of death would refuse to accept a pardon, but if it is refused, it is then not a pardon.

George Wilson must be hanged.

So George Wilson was executed, although his pardon lay on the sheriff’s desk.

So, too, do some of us reject the gift of salvation by refusing the pardon thereby offered.

The Holy Spirit of God seals those who have not only heard, but who have believed with a faith that not only knows about but accepts (there is our key word – accepts or receives) the gift that God offers.

John said 12) But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.