Blessings from the Holy Spirit

Do you realize your salvation began in eternity past? That’s right.

If you remember, we’re talking about the roles of the different members of the Godhead in our salvation.

God chose us in Christ before He ever created the world. He knew Adam would sin. He knew Jesus would have to die in our place. So God literally began our salvation in eternity past.

Last week we looked at our blessings from Jesus Himself. He redeemed us. Forgave us. Revealed God’s will to us. And made us an inheritance. Both to Himself, and to us.

So we move from eternity past (4-6), and history past (7-12), to the immediate experience of the Ephesian Christians. And us.

This morning we’ll cover the blessings we receive from the Holy Spirit from verses 13-14.

Let’s read.

Ephesians 1:13–14 NKJV

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.

He Has Sealed Us

Ephesians 1:13 NKJV

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,

The entire process of salvation is given in this verse, so we need to examine it carefully. It tells how the sinner becomes a saint.

First, he hears the Gospel of salvation. This is the good news that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again (1 Cor. 15:1ff). The Ephesians were Gentiles, and the Gospel came “to the Jew first” (Rom. 1:16). But Paul, a Jew, brought the Gospel to the Gentiles as he shared the Word of God with them.

The Ephesians “heard the Gospel” and discovered it was for them—“your salvation” (Eph. 1:13). Even though the Bible teaches election, it also announces, “Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

We don’t discuss election with people who don’t know Jesus. Because all they need to know is Jesus died for them and they need to trust Him.

We simply announce the truth of the Gospel and invite people to trust Christ, and the Holy Spirit does the rest.

D.L. Moody used to pray, “Lord, save the elect—and then elect some more!” God does what God does and we’re to do what we can do. Share the Gospel.

Having heard the Word, the Ephesians believed; and it is this faith that brought salvation (Eph. 2:8–9). This pattern follows what Paul writes in Romans 10:13–15, so read that passage carefully.

It is God’s plan for evangelism. When the Ephesians believed, they were “sealed with the Spirit.” “After that ye believed” should read “when ye believed.” You receive the Spirit immediately on trusting Christ. This is not an experience subsequent to conversion. (Read Acts 10:34–48.)

What is the significance of this sealing of the Holy Spirit?

For one thing, it speaks of a finished transaction.

Even today, when important legal documents are processed, they are stamped with the official seal to signify the completion of the transaction.

This sealing also implies ownership: God has put his seal on us because He has purchased us to be His own (1 Cor. 6:19–20).

It also means security and protection.

The Roman seal on the tomb of Jesus carried this meaning (Matt. 27:62–66). So, the believer belongs to God, and is safe and protected because he is a part of a finished transaction.

According to John 14:16–17, the Holy Spirit abides with the believer forever. It is possible for us to grieve the Spirit and thereby lose the blessings of His ministry (Eph. 4:30). But He doesn’t leave us.

Another use for the seal is as a mark of authenticity.

Just as a signature on a letter attests to the genuineness of the document, so the presence of the Spirit proves the believer is genuine.

“If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (Rom. 8:9). It is not simply our lip profession, our religious activity, or our good works, but the witness of the Spirit that makes our profession authentic.

Secondly we see...

He Has Given Us a Guarantee

Ephesians 1:14 NKJV

14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Have you ever heard of someone giving earnest money?

Earnest is a fascinating word! In Paul’s day, it meant “the down payment to guarantee the final purchase of some commodity or piece of property.”

Even today you will hear a real estate agent talk about earnest money. The Holy Spirit is God’s first installment to guarantee to His children that He will finish His work and eventually bring them to glory. The “redemption of the purchased possession” refers to the redemption of the body at the return of Christ (Rom. 8:18–23; 1 John 3:1–3). “Redemption” is experienced in three stages:

• We have been redeemed through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:7).

• We are being redeemed as the Spirit works in our lives to make us more like Christ (Rom. 8:1–4).

• We shall be redeemed when Christ returns and we become like Him.

But the word translated earnest also means “engagement ring.” In Greece today you would find this word being used that way.

But, after all, isn’t an engagement ring an assurance—a guarantee—that the promises made will be kept?

Our relationship to God through Christ is not simply a commercial one, but also a personal experience of love. He is the Bridegroom and His church is the bride. We know that He will come and claim His bride because He has given us His promise and His Spirit as the “engagement ring.” What greater assurance could we want?

We've looked at a number of basic Bible doctrines in this chapter, all on the theme of our riches in Christ. It would be profitable for us to review what these verses teach us.

1. True riches come from God. It's a source of great encouragement to know that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all working on my behalf to make me rich. God not only gives us “richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17), but He gives us eternal riches without which all other wealth is valueless.

A distraught wife sought out a Christian marriage counselor and told her sad story of a marriage about to dissolve. “But we have so much!” she kept saying. “Look at this diamond ring on my finger. Why, it’s worth thousands! We have an expensive mansion in an exclusive area. We have three cars, and even a cabin in the mountains. Why, we have everything money can buy!”

The counselor replied: “It’s good to have the things money can buy provided you don’t lose the things money can’t buy. What good is an expensive house if there’s no home? Or an expensive ring if there’s no love?”

In Christ, you and I have “what money can’t buy,” and these spiritual riches open up to us all the wealth of God’s vast creation. We enjoy the gifts because we know and love the Giver.

2. All of these riches come by God’s grace and for God’s glory. Did you notice that after each of the main sections in Ephesians 1:4–14, Paul has added the purpose behind these gifts?

Why has God the Father chosen us, adopted us, and accepted us? “To the praise of the glory of His grace” (Eph. 1:6).

Why has the Son redeemed us, forgiven us, revealed God’s will to us, and made us part of God’s inheritance? “That we should be to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:12).

Why has God the Spirit sealed us and become the guarantee of our future blessing? “Unto the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:14).

We often have the idea that God saves sinners mainly because He pities them, or wants to rescue them from eternal judgment, but God’s main purpose is that He might be glorified.

His creation reveals His wisdom and power, but His church reveals His love and grace. You cannot deserve or earn these spiritual riches; you can only receive them by grace, through faith.

3. These riches are only the beginning! There is always more spiritual wealth to claim from the Lord as we walk with Him. The Bible is our guidebook; the Holy Spirit is our Teacher.

As we search the Word of God, we discover more and more of the riches we have in Christ. These riches were planned by the Father, purchased by the Son, and presented by the Spirit. There is really no need for us to live in poverty when all of God’s wealth is at our disposal!

My friend was discussing money matters with his wife and neither of them realized that their little son was listening. Finally the boy broke in with the suggestion, “Why don’t you just write one of those pieces of paper?” Junior did not understand that it was necessary to have money in the bank to back up “those pieces of paper.” But we never face that problem when it comes to our spiritual wealth.

A little devotional book by Charles Spurgeon is entitled A Checkbook on the Bank of Faith. You may have read it. A promise from the Bible was given for each day of the year, along with a short devotional message. The author described each promise as being as good as money in the bank to anyone who would claim it by faith, as a person would write a check against his bank account. By faith we can claim God’s promises and draw on His limitless wealth to meet every need we may face.