Ephesians 1:13-14 “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, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
In times of old when kings ruled over the lands it wasn’t uncommon for a message to be delivered indicating the kings purposes. The scribes would pen a letter according to the demands of the king and once it was confirmed accurate the wax would be poured, the signet ring of the king was stamped into the wax, and the letter was to only be opened by the official for whom it was designated.
When Queen Esther pleaded for the lives of her countrymen she was trying to avoid a slaughter that Haman had devised against the jews. Once King Ahasuerus was notified of the evil plot of Haman, he gave his signet ring to Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai to counter the plans set in place.
Esther 8:7-8 “Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be revoked.”
The kings seal was the symbol of his authority. When anything was sealed by the king, it was backed by his throne and could not be revoked.
The symbolism of a kings seal is the image we are given in regard to God’s people. When a person who has lived under the judgement of their sin is called to God, they are called to first believe in faith that Jesus is Lord and that He came to redeem them from death to life.
True belief is found in the hearts of the obedient. When the love of God is given to the lost and received in repentance the confirmation of true belief is determined by the God of the heart. He knows those who are His and He knows those who pretend to be His. For those who love Him, they are grafted into His vine and sealed by His name….that seal is the presence of the Spirit of God filling their hearts and lives.
Like a letter from the King, the Spirit filled believer becomes a message from the King to the world.
Tongues of Fire
When the church of God was born, the evidence of God’s established rule was made evident.
Acts 2:1-4 “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
The gift of the Spirit had been promised by Jesus before He returned to heaven. He told His followers to wait, for He would send to them a Helper. The people of God were not meant to strive on their own, the strength of man could not endure the trials that come with being separated from the world. The expectation of God’s people to love as God loves cannot be accomplished by the will of man alone, His people must have the power of God to accomplish such a task.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
What is the guarantee of the Spirit?
Our Salvation
Those who are filled with the Spirit, are led by the Spirit.
Where is the Spirit leading His people?
Ultimately, He is leading them to be united with Christ, both in ministry now in representing Christ to the world and in the end, to be joined with Him in paradise.
Romans 8:13-14 “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
This is eternal life–to know the Creator of life, to know His goodness, and enjoy His presence forever. The Spirit given in this life is a proclamation of God to His people…you are mine!
The flesh represents the corruption of a body of sin, it has been spoiled and twisted from God’s original intent. The flesh cannot please God because it has no good dwelling within it. When the life of a sinner is brought into a saving knowledge of God, the Truth has been revealed by the Spirit of God.
Colossians 3:5-10 “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”
The path of a believer is directed by the Spirit of God, a path of holiness and Truth. The Truth of the Word is revealed and the power to fulfill God’s commands is given. The Lord doesn’t leave His people alone, He strengthens and guides them in His way.
Galatians 5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
The people of God have a choice, once relegated to only walking in the flesh they now can walk in the counsel of God, this strengthens them against a flesh that still yearns for gratification.
Faithful Witnesses
The letter from the King was meant to reveal the will of the King. God’s will is that none should perish, that all would come to know the goodness of God. The Lord has written His letter upon the hearts of His people.
2 Corinthians 3:3 “And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
The message of the Savior has been revealed by those who have been sanctified (set apart) by Christ. He forms his people into his image that they might reveal His glory to the world. The message of the cross is simple…be reconciled to Christ. Reconciliation is the restoration of friendly relations. Sinners are in a position of enmity toward God, their bodies of sin representing hatred against God’s throne. When the Spirit of God inhabits the life of a believer, the attributes of the Spirit begin to manifest in and through their lives.
The revelation of the gospel is given through the Church of God as a testimony of the Spirit who dwells within them. The Spirit glorifies the Son, the One who gave His life as a ransom for many.
The Message Revealed
1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
The hope of Salvation has been confirmed by the indwelling Spirit in the lives of God’s people. The church of the living God has incurred much opposition by many who deny the lordship of Jesus Christ and the work of His salvation. One day the Lord will be exalted above the earth and the people who trusted in Him will be revealed on that day.
The message of the King will be opened for all to see, a message that will incur great judgement for the world but great joy for those who trust in Him.
There is only One who is able to open the seal… the Lamb of God. The One who did the sealing will be the One who will open the seals at the appointed time.
In that day….He will make all things new.
U.T. 