Sealed by the Spirit: Assurance of God's Children
Summary
In the exploration of Ephesians 1:13, the focus is on the profound experience of being sealed with the Holy Spirit. This sealing is not merely a theological concept but a transformative experience that goes beyond mere belief or regeneration. It is an assurance given directly by the Holy Spirit, affirming that we are children of God and heirs to His promises. This experience is distinct from sanctification, which is a process, whereas the sealing is an immediate assurance that brings a deep certainty of belonging to God.
The sealing of the Spirit is likened to the authentication of Jesus at His baptism and the empowerment of the apostles at Pentecost. It is described as the greatest experience a Christian can have, second only to being in heaven. This experience is not limited to the apostles or exceptional saints but is intended for all Christians. It is a foretaste of heaven, a direct witness of the Spirit with our spirit, confirming our identity as God's children.
The sermon emphasizes that this sealing is not a result of human effort or emotional manipulation but a sovereign act of God. It is not something to be taken by faith alone without the accompanying experience. Instead, it is an experience that moves the whole being, engaging emotions and bringing a profound sense of God's love. The sermon warns against the dangers of seeking experiences for their own sake or trying to manufacture them through psychological means.
To seek this sealing, one must diligently search the Scriptures, seek God Himself, and prepare the heart by mortifying sin and pursuing holiness. It is a call to earnest prayer, seeking God's assurance and presence. The sermon encourages believers to be persistent in their pursuit, trusting that God, in His sovereignty, will grant this assurance in His perfect timing, often when it is most needed.
Key Takeaways:
- The sealing of the Holy Spirit is a profound assurance given by God, distinct from regeneration or sanctification. It is an experience that confirms our identity as God's children and is a foretaste of heaven. This assurance is not just a theological concept but a transformative experience that brings deep certainty and joy. [03:08]
- This sealing is not limited to apostles or exceptional saints but is intended for all Christians. It is a universal promise, as Peter declared on the day of Pentecost, meant for every believer, regardless of their status or spiritual maturity. [23:30]
- The experience of being sealed with the Spirit is not something to be taken by faith alone without the accompanying experience. It is a sovereign act of God that engages the whole being, including emotions, and brings a profound sense of God's love. [30:43]
- To seek this sealing, believers must diligently search the Scriptures, seek God Himself, and prepare their hearts by mortifying sin and pursuing holiness. It is a call to earnest prayer, seeking God's assurance and presence. [36:06]
- God's timing in granting this assurance is perfect, often providing it when it is most needed, such as before a great trial or at the end of life. Believers are encouraged to persist in their pursuit, trusting in God's sovereignty and love. [42:33]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:09] - Introduction to Ephesians 1:13
- [00:40] - Importance of Understanding the Sealing
- [01:47] - Distinction from Regeneration and Sanctification
- [03:08] - Assurance of Being God's Children
- [04:32] - The Apostles' Experience at Pentecost
- [05:14] - The Greatest Experience for Christians
- [06:51] - The Spirit's Witness with Our Spirit
- [08:00] - The Inexpressible Nature of the Experience
- [09:20] - The Key to Effective Witnessing
- [10:19] - Addressing Common Misunderstandings
- [12:25] - Did All First Christians Have This Experience?
- [18:11] - The Norm and Standard for Christians
- [22:13] - Is This Meant for Every Christian?
- [27:20] - Should We Seek This Experience?
- [36:06] - How to Seek the Sealing of the Spirit
- [42:33] - God's Timing and Assurance
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: Sealed with the Holy Spirit
Bible Reading:
- Ephesians 1:13
- Romans 5:5
- 1 Peter 1:8
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Observation Questions:
1. What does Ephesians 1:13 say about the timing of being sealed with the Holy Spirit in relation to belief? How does this relate to the sermon’s emphasis on the sealing being distinct from regeneration? [01:30]
2. How does the sermon describe the experience of being sealed with the Holy Spirit, and how is it different from sanctification? [03:26]
3. According to the sermon, what is the significance of the apostles' experience at Pentecost in understanding the sealing of the Holy Spirit? [04:32]
4. What does Romans 5:5 reveal about the role of the Holy Spirit in the believer's life, and how does this connect to the sermon’s message about the assurance of God's love? [14:19]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. The sermon suggests that the sealing of the Holy Spirit is a profound assurance of being God's child. How might this assurance impact a believer's daily life and spiritual journey? [03:08]
2. In what ways does the sermon warn against seeking experiences for their own sake, and how can believers ensure their pursuit of the Holy Spirit is genuine? [33:54]
3. How does the sermon explain the universality of the sealing of the Holy Spirit for all Christians, and what implications does this have for believers today? [23:30]
4. The sermon mentions that God's timing in granting the assurance of the Holy Spirit is perfect. How can believers remain patient and trusting in God's timing? [42:33]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt a deep assurance of God's presence in your life. How did that experience affect your faith and actions? How can you seek more of these experiences? [03:08]
2. The sermon emphasizes the importance of seeking God Himself rather than just experiences. What practical steps can you take this week to deepen your relationship with God? [36:24]
3. Consider the role of prayer in seeking the sealing of the Holy Spirit. How can you incorporate more earnest and persistent prayer into your daily routine? [40:01]
4. The sermon warns against emotional manipulation in spiritual experiences. How can you discern genuine spiritual experiences from those that might be psychologically induced? [33:25]
5. How can you prepare your heart by mortifying sin and pursuing holiness in your life? Identify one specific area where you can focus on this week. [37:11]
6. The sermon suggests that God often grants assurance when it is most needed. How can you remain open and attentive to God's timing and provision in your life? [42:33]
7. Think about someone in your life who might benefit from understanding the assurance of being sealed with the Holy Spirit. How can you share this message with them in a meaningful way? [23:30]
Devotional
Day 1: Assurance of Our Identity in Christ
The sealing of the Holy Spirit is a profound assurance given by God, distinct from regeneration or sanctification. It is an experience that confirms our identity as God's children and is a foretaste of heaven. This assurance is not just a theological concept but a transformative experience that brings deep certainty and joy. The sealing is a direct witness of the Spirit with our spirit, confirming our identity as God's children. It is a sovereign act of God that engages the whole being, including emotions, and brings a profound sense of God's love. This experience is not limited to apostles or exceptional saints but is intended for all Christians. [03:08]
Ephesians 1:13-14 (ESV): "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."
Reflection: Consider a moment when you felt uncertain about your identity in Christ. How can you invite the Holy Spirit to affirm your identity as God's child today?
Day 2: Universal Promise for All Believers
This sealing is not limited to apostles or exceptional saints but is intended for all Christians. It is a universal promise, as Peter declared on the day of Pentecost, meant for every believer, regardless of their status or spiritual maturity. The experience of being sealed with the Spirit is not something to be taken by faith alone without the accompanying experience. It is a sovereign act of God that engages the whole being, including emotions, and brings a profound sense of God's love. This assurance is a gift from God, meant to be experienced by all who believe. [23:30]
Acts 2:38-39 (ESV): "And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.'"
Reflection: Reflect on how you view your spiritual journey. Do you believe that the promise of the Holy Spirit's sealing is for you personally? How can you open your heart to this promise today?
Day 3: Experiencing God's Love Through the Spirit
The experience of being sealed with the Spirit is not something to be taken by faith alone without the accompanying experience. It is a sovereign act of God that engages the whole being, including emotions, and brings a profound sense of God's love. This sealing is described as the greatest experience a Christian can have, second only to being in heaven. It is a foretaste of heaven, a direct witness of the Spirit with our spirit, confirming our identity as God's children. This experience is not limited to the apostles or exceptional saints but is intended for all Christians. [30:43]
Romans 5:5 (ESV): "And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
Reflection: Think about a time when you felt distant from God's love. How can you invite the Holy Spirit to pour God's love into your heart today?
Day 4: Seeking the Sealing of the Spirit
To seek this sealing, believers must diligently search the Scriptures, seek God Himself, and prepare their hearts by mortifying sin and pursuing holiness. It is a call to earnest prayer, seeking God's assurance and presence. The sermon encourages believers to be persistent in their pursuit, trusting that God, in His sovereignty, will grant this assurance in His perfect timing, often when it is most needed. This pursuit is not about human effort or emotional manipulation but about seeking God with a sincere heart. [36:06]
James 4:8 (ESV): "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
Reflection: What steps can you take today to draw nearer to God and prepare your heart for the sealing of the Holy Spirit?
Day 5: Trusting in God's Perfect Timing
God's timing in granting this assurance is perfect, often providing it when it is most needed, such as before a great trial or at the end of life. Believers are encouraged to persist in their pursuit, trusting in God's sovereignty and love. This assurance is not something to be manufactured or taken lightly but is a gift from God that comes in His perfect timing. It is a reminder that God knows our needs and will provide for us in His way and time. [42:33]
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV): "He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end."
Reflection: Reflect on a situation where you are waiting for God's timing. How can you trust in His perfect timing and sovereignty today?
Quotes
In whom also after that he believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. We come back to a consideration of this statement, and I make no apology for dealing with it at such great length because, as I've been trying to indicate Sunday by Sunday, there is a sense in which there is no more important statement from the standpoint of the experience of Christian people than just this very statement. [00:19:24]
This is something apart from belief, additional to belief, that this authorized translation indeed does give the meaning in whom after that he believed in whom also after that he believed or if you prefer it in whom also having believed which means the same thing but therefore it is something which is in addition to what we may call the common blessings of the Christian Life. [00:86:84]
It is that immediate and direct Assurance which is given to us by the Holy Spirit that we are the children of God, that we are, as Paul says in the very context, inheritors of this great inheritance that God has waiting for his people. It is this direct and immediate Assurance; it is this extraordinary experience, and it is an experience. [00:180:80]
It is the greatest experience that a Christian can ever have in this world. I don't hesitate to repeat that. I have reminded you that the great Thomas Goodwin 300 years ago put it very differently and explicitly like that when he said there's only one thing that can ever happen to a man greater than this experience of the sealing, and that is to be in heaven itself. [00:317:24]
This is something additional; this is something beyond the realm and the reach of my spirit. It is the Spirit himself bearing witness with my spirit that I am a child of God. Now, all who've ever written about this or preached about it are agreed in saying it's very difficult to put this thing into words. [00:402:63]
It is an experience of God's love, and it is an experience in turn of our love going out to him. We love him because he first loved us, and I say there is something almost inexpressible about it, and yet it's the most real thing that can ever happen to us. [00:524:36]
This is the key to all witnessing and testifying which is not mechanical. You can witness and testify in a mechanical manner; it has very little value, but this comes from the heart. It is only those who rarely know these things who can tell others about them. [00:563:16]
Surely we are entitled to say this: it's quite clear and obvious that the Apostle Paul didn't know every single member of the church at Ephesus and these other churches. He certainly didn't know every member of the church at Rome, and the Apostle Peter, we have clear evidence, most certainly did not know the people to whom he was writing. [00:959:36]
It is indeed more than conceivable; it is even likely that all these first Christians were given the experience. What I mean is this: you look at that event which is described in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. Clearly, that was unique in this sense; it was unique in its extent; it was unique in its intensity. [00:1094:40]
It is meant for all Christians. You remember Peter preaching there on the day of Pentecost, and after he'd been preaching for a while under the power of the Spirit, men cried out saying, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" And Peter replied saying, "Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." [00:1390:44]
Search the scriptures, search the scriptures for the promises, these exceeding great and precious promises that Peter talks about. Realize, my dear friend, what God means you to have and what he offers you. You remember what Paul puts it in the third chapter of this great epistle. [00:2076:44]
Pray for it, seek it, be desperate for it, hunger and thirst for it, keep on until your prayer is answered. Take time, in other words, take time not only to be holy but take time to seek this sealing with the Spirit. Keep on with it, keep on, never cease, and this will be your experience one day. [00:2502:16]
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