Sermon preached on Sunday, July 28, 2013 at Garden Valley Chapel during our morning worship service based on Ephesians 1:13-14.

Take your Bible if you will and open it to the book of Ephesians, Ephesians chapter one (1).

One of the most difficult areas of biblical theology is that of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

There are various theories about the Holy Spirit's indwelling of believers. There is even difficulty in understanding the special anointings of the Spirit we read about in the OT (e.g. Num. 11:17 - a one-time event where the Spirit came upon 70 men to assist Moses; 1 Sam. 10:6 - temporal anointing over Saul) and the NT doctrine (i.e. teaching) of Spirit baptism.

We need the light of Scripture to understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately we cannot cover all of the works of the Holy Spirit, but we will cover one - the sealing of the Spirit.

Please stand in the reading of God's Word.

Read Ephesians 1:13-14.

CONTENT

It is no wonder that Paul launches in a great eulogy from vv. 3-14. How can you keep silent about the spiritual blessings God bestows on his children?

In these verses, the Apostle Paul seems to piling one glory upon another as he unfolds to us every spiritual blessing which are ours in Christ Jesus.

James reminds us that "every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights" (1:17).

God does not shower his children with spiritual blessings because we have earned it through our own efforts but because it is a gift, flowing from our relationship with the Father and the Son.

When a believer lives out these spiritual blessings, he or she is living out the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

What Paul tells us in this one sentence (202 words in the original) is that each person of the Trinity is involved in bringing about these spiritual blessings.

Before the world began, God chose us and predestined us to be adopted into his family. This plan was accomplished through Jesus Christ (i.e. He redeemed us) and now the Spirit makes it all a reality.

In verses 13 and 14, the Apostle Paul introduces in an explicit manner for the first time in this chapter the Holy Spirit Himself.

Though this is the first time He is mentioned, He has been involved with us being where we are...in Christ (even from v. 3 "in Christ").

It was the Holy Spirit that convicted us "concerning sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:7). It was He who convinced us of our need for a savior. It is He who shattered any pretense of self-righteousness and exposed the darkness of our own heart and led us, the sinner, to a true judgment of Christ - He is both the Messiah and Son of God.

Without the Holy Spirit, we would not be aware of our need of redemption and absolutely could not believe on the person of Jesus Christ. But here, Paul mentions the Holy Spirit by name - "the Holy Spirit of promise."

Concerning the Holy Spirit the Apostle shows...
- The Time of our Sealing (v. 13a)
- The Nature of our Sealing (vv. 13b-14a)
- The Goal of our Sealing (v.14b)