OKAY, ~ LET S DIG IN AND LOOK AT THE DETAILED REASON WHY WE SHOULD praise God.

PRAISE GOD, PT. 7; EPH. 1:13-14 (Ed O Leary) INTRODUCTION. TODAY, ~ WE FINISH OUR EXAMINATION OF EPHESIANS, ~ 1: ~ 3-14, ~ IN WHICH Paul calls us to praise God for what He has done for and given the believer ~ in and through Christ. As we know, ~ Paul begins with an exhortation to praise God in verse 3a. ~~ He follows that in verse 3b ~ with a summary statement of the reasons why God is to be praised. And then in verses 4-14, ~ Paul unpacks what these ~ spiritual blessings are ~ that he summarized in verse 3b ~ and gives us more detailed reasons why God is to be praised. THIS MORNING, ~ WE LL LOOK AT VERSES 13-14. PAUL WRITES, ~ 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 [God redeems his possession], ~ to the praise of his glory. We can break these verses down into three parts. ~~ Familiar pattern. 1 st, ~ Paul states the reason why we should praise God. ~~ 2 nd, ~ he adds five points concerning this reason. ~~ And 3 rd, ~ Paul once again pauses to praise God. OKAY, ~ LET S DIG IN AND LOOK AT THE DETAILED REASON WHY WE SHOULD praise God. GOD IS TO BE PRAISED, ~ PAUL SAYS, ~ BECAUSE HE HAS GIVEN US THE SPIRITUAL blessing of being sealed with the... Holy Spirit. From the Greek text, ~ the word with ~ in the phrase sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ~ tells us two things. 1 st, ~ it tells us that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. Paul reinforces this in Eph. 4:30, ~ where he tells us, ~ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, ~ by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 2 nd, ~ the word ~ with ~ tells us that the Holy Spirit Himself is also the seal. This, ~ of course, ~ refers to one aspect of the indwelling presence of God the Holy Spirit in each believer. 1/9

So, ~ perhaps we can paraphrase what Paul says in verses 13-14 this way: ~~ In him you also, ~ when you heard the word of truth, ~ the gospel of your salvation, ~ and believed in him, ~ were sealed ~ [by ~ and] ~ with ~ the promised Holy Spirit, ~ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until [God redeems his possession], ~ to the praise of his glory. Notice here ~ that we are passive in this sealing. ~~ We don t seal ourselves. ~~ It is done to us. This sealing, ~ like all of the other aspects of our salvation and its accompanying blessings, ~ is a free and undeserved gift from God. THE WORD FOR SEALED MEANS TWO THINGS HERE IN THIS VERSE. 1 st, ~ it means ownership. Recall back in verse 4a, ~ Paul said that God chose believers for Himself, ~ to be His special people. In 1 Pet. 2:9, ~ Peter says that believers are God s chosen race, ~ royal priesthood, ~ holy nation, ~ a people for his own possession. And in 1 Cor. 6:19-20, ~ Paul writes to believers, ~ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, ~ whom you have from God? ~~ You are not your own, ~ for you were bought with a price. ~~ So glorify God in your body. bought means to purchase as one s own. ~~ God purchased us to be His own, ~ that we would become His people exclusively, ~ solely His and no one else s. So, ~ being sealed by and with the Holy Spirit ~ marks us as God s own, ~ His chosen race, ~ [His] royal priesthood, ~ [His] holy nation, ~ a people for his own possession. 2 nd, ~ sealed means protection. In 1 Pet. 1:5 (LEB), ~ Peter says that believers are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ~ [final stage] ~ ready to be revealed in the last time. Peter is saying here ~ that God, ~ specifically as Paul points out in Eph. 1:13, ~ God the Holy Spirit, ~ is continually protecting us by his power. 2/9

Now, ~ the fact that Peter says we are continually being protected by the power of God does not suggest that God protects us from pain, ~ difficulty, ~ or suffering. being protected by the power of God means that God is protecting our souls, ~ ensuring ~ that we will reach the final stage of our salvation. As Paul says in Phil. 1:6, ~ And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. And speaking of protection, ~ we see from Scripture, ~ that a seal on God s people indicates that we are protected from God s wrath. In Rev. 9:3-4, ~ within the midst of John s recording of God s trumpet judgments on the earth, ~ John writes, ~ Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, ~ and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree, ~ but only those people ~ who do not have ~ the seal of God on their foreheads. Ok, ~ being sealed by and with the Holy Spirit means that we belong to God and that we are protected by His power, ~ ensuring that we will reach the final stage of our salvation. OK, ~ NOW LET S TURN OUR ATTENTION BRIEFLY TO THE FIVE POINTS PAUL adds concerning our having been sealed by ~ and with ~ the Holy Spirit. FOR CONTEXT, ~ LET S ONCE AGAIN READ VERSES 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 God redeems his possession, ~ to the praise of his glory. FIRST, ~ OUR BEING SEALED BY ~ AND WITH ~ THE HOLY SPIRIT TAKES PLACE IN HIM, ~ I.E., ~ in Jesus. By now, ~ we are very familiar with this phrase and the variations of it. ~~ And we are especially acquainted with the twofold meaning of it. Our being sealed by and with the Holy Spirit comes through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. ~~ And we receive and enjoy God the Holy Spirit s presence with us ~ because we are united with Jesus. Once again... the centrality of Jesus. 3/9

Everything centers on Jesus, ~ our salvation, ~ creation, ~ God s plan for the ages, ~ God s word, ~ everything! After His resurrection, ~ Jesus held a Bible study with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Lk. 24:27 (LEB) tells us, ~ And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, ~ he ~ [i.e., ~ Jesus] ~ interpreted to them the things concerning himself in all the scriptures. And, ~ speaking of Jesus, ~ John writes in Rev. 5:6a ~ NIV, ~ Then I saw a Lamb, ~ looking as if it had been slain, ~ standing at the center of the throne, ~ encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. Center of everything and everyone. ~~ Should be center of our lives. ~~ He is to be the center of our testimonies.... ~~ Christianity centers on Jesus.... THE 2 nd POINT THAT PAUL ADDS CONCERNING OUR BEING SEALED BY ~ AND WITH ~ the Holy Spirit ~ is the moment in time when we are sealed. Paul says, ~ when you heard the word of truth, ~ the gospel of your salvation ~ and believed in him. The phrase the gospel of your salvation explains what Paul means by the word of truth. Could paraphrase this way: ~~ when you heard the word of truth, ~ that is, ~ the gospel of your salvation ~ and believed in him. So Paul s second point regarding our being sealed by and with the Holy Spirit ~ is that at the moment of conversion to Christ, ~ a believer is sealed by and with the Holy Spirit. I.e., ~ when we, ~ believers, ~ heard the word of truth, ~ i.e., ~ the gospel of [our] salvation, ~ and believed in Jesus, ~ at that precise moment, ~ in addition to receiving eternal life, ~ the Holy Spirit took up residence within us, ~ marking us as God s possession ~ and beginning His protecting work. 4/9

Notice especially here that Paul calls the gospel the word of truth. ~~ The good news about Jesus is absolutely true That Jesus is the only mediator between people and God is completely true. Paul s summary of the gospel in 1 Cor. 15:3-4 is unquestionably true. Paul says, ~ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: ~~ that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ~~ that he was buried, ~ that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. What Peter says in Acts 4:12 is absolutely true. ~~ Speaking of Jesus, ~ Peter says, ~ And there is salvation in no one else, ~ for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. And Jn. 14:6. ~~ Jesus said to him, ~ I am the way, ~ and the truth, ~ and the life. ~~ No one comes to the Father except through me. Notice also, ~ in addition to saying that the gospel is the word of truth, ~ Paul says that it is the gospel of your salvation. Here Paul defines the gospel as the source of our salvation. Please understand, ~ the gospel, ~ and only the gospel, ~ the good news about Jesus, ~ saves people. In Rom. 1:16a, ~ Paul says, ~ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, ~ for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. On the day of Pentecost, ~ 3,000 people came to Christ. ~~ How did that happen? ~~ Peter stood up and preached the gospel. This means that when we witness to people for Christ, ~ we need to make sure that we are sharing the gospel, ~ the good news about Jesus, ~ that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ~~ that he was buried, ~ that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. OKAY, ~ THE 3 rd POINT THAT PAUL ADDS CONCERNING OUR BEING SEALED BY ~ AND with ~ the Holy Spirit ~ is that the Holy Spirit was promised to us. Paul writes, ~ In him you also, ~ were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit. 5/9

Some translations have Holy Spirit of promise, ~~ But the Greek grammar indicates that the phrase means ~ and can be translated as ~ promised Holy Spirit. In His upper room discourse, ~ recorded in Jn. 13-16, ~ Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit. In Jn. 14:16-17, ~ Jesus said, ~ And I will ask the Father, ~ and he will give you another Helper, ~ to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, ~ whom the world cannot receive, ~ because it neither sees him nor knows him. ~~ You know him, ~ for he dwells with you ~ and will be in you. Being sealed by and with ~ God the Holy Spirit ~ is the fulfillment of Jesus promise. NOW LET S LOOK AT THE 4 th POINT THAT PAUL ADDS CONCERNING OUR BEING SEALED by ~ and with ~ the Holy Spirit. Paul says that the seal, ~ i.e., ~ God the Holy Spirit, ~ is the guarantee of our inheritance. ~~ Last time, ~ won t go into detail here about what inheritance is. ~~ Focus.... The Greek word for guarantee means a payment by which a person guaranteed further payment to the recipient. Just as a partial payment is an earnest or down payment guaranteeing the complete payment of what is promised, ~~ the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in believers is a guarantee ~ that we will receive our inheritance ~ that is imperishable, ~ undefiled, ~ and unfading, ~ kept in heaven for us. The fact that God the Holy Spirit dwells with us and in us ~ forever ~ proves beyond the shadow of a doubt, ~ that we will receive our inheritance. THE 5 th POINT THAT PAUL ADDS CONCERNING OUR BEING SEALED BY ~ AND WITH ~ the Holy Spirit ~ is that we are sealed until God redeems his possession. Differences in translations. ~~ Interp. decisions. ~~ Grk: ~~ until the redemption of the possession, ~ which is somewhat vague. ~~ Why differences.... For the word redemption, ~ Eph. 4:30, ~ which we looked at earlier, ~ can help us understand what Paul is saying here. 6/9

Once again, ~ it says, ~ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, ~ by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. redemption here in 4:30 is not the same as we talked about in 1:7, ~ where redemption means ~ that Jesus liberated us from slavery to sin, ~ to our sinful flesh, ~ and to Satan. That was in the past. ~~ What Paul says in Eph. 4:30 is something that will take place in the future. Put briefly, ~ the day of redemption refers to the final stage of our salvation, ~ i.e., ~ our resurrection and glorification. And since here in 1:14, ~ Paul says that we are sealed by and with the Holy Spirit until the redemption, ~ which is quite parallel with 4:30, ~ most likely Paul is referring here ~ in 1:14 ~ to the final stage of our salvation. As for the word possession, ~ when Paul says that we are sealed until the of the possession, ~ possession most likely refers to believers. redemption Remember, ~ as discussed earlier, ~ back in Eph. 1:4a, ~ we noted that God chose believers for Himself, ~ i.e., ~ to be His special people. ~ And sealed means ownership. Ok, ~ let s bring this together. Basically, ~ Paul s fifth point concerning our being sealed by and with the Holy Spirit ~ is that God s special people, ~ a people for his own possession, ~ are sealed until He raises us up and glorifies us. Now, ~ this does not mean that the Holy Spirit then leaves us at that point. ~~ Jesus said that God the Holy Spirit will be with us and in us forever. Paul s statement here is more a statement of assurance. ~~ I.e., ~ being sealed by and with the Holy Spirit guarantees our resurrection and glorification. In Phil. 3:20-21, ~ Paul describes God redeeming His possession. But our citizenship is in heaven, ~ and from it we await a Savior, ~ the Lord Jesus Christ, ~~ who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, ~ by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. 7/9

Now when we string together the facts ~ that we are protected by God the Holy Spirit s power, ~ and that the sealing by and with the Holy Spirit guarantees that we will receive our inheritance ~ and our resurrection and glorification, ~ they add up to an extremely important implication. One which we have discussed a couple of times since we started studying Ephesians. ~~ And one that is extremely important to review often.... And here it is: ~~ ~ the true child of God ~ is eternally secure ~ in his or her salvation. In Jn. 6:37-40, ~ Jesus said, ~ All that the Father gives me will come to me, ~ and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. ~~ For I have come down from heaven, ~ not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me ~ [i.e., ~ God the Father]. ~~ and this is the will of him who sent me, ~ that I should lose nothing of all ~ [or, ~ none of all those] ~ that he has given me, ~ but raise it ~ [or raise them] up on the last day. ~~ For this is the will of my Father, ~ that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him ~ should have eternal life, ~ and I will raise him up on the last day. The genuine child of God can never lose his or her salvation. THEN IN VERSE 14, ~ AS WE SAID AT THE BEGINNING, ~ JUST LIKE AT VERSES 6 and 11, ~ Paul interrupts his list of reasons for praising God ~ to praise God. 3x now, ~ really driving the point home, ~ Paul points out that as a result of being given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ~ we should praise God. 8/9

CONCLUSION. AND THAT BRINGS US TO THE END OF 1:3-14, ~ Paul s call to us ~ to praise God ~ for what He has done for and given the believer ~ in and through Christ. GOD HAS CHOSEN BELIEVERS TO BE HIS SPECIAL PEOPLE, ~ I.E., ~ HIS CHOSEN RACE, ~ [His] royal priesthood, ~ [His] holy nation, ~ a people for his own possession. God has adopted believers as His full-fledged children. God has redeemed us. ~ I.e., ~ God has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves. Included in our redemption is the permanent forgiveness of our sins. God has revealed to us His hidden plan, ~ i.e., ~ to bring all things together, ~ the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, ~ under the authority and leadership of Jesus. we have obtained an inheritance. And we have been sealed by and with God the Holy Spirit, ~ guaranteeing that we will receive our inheritance and that Jesus will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, ~ by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Awesome spiritual blessings in the heavenly places that God has given us in and through Jesus. ~~ Way more than enough reason to praise Him. And definitely, ~ these blessing that we ve received ~ should result in our praising God. LET S PRAY.... 9/9