The Spirit As A Seal Series

A. There’s a story told about a boy who was visiting his aunt who was pregnant with her first child.

1. His aunt allowed him to place his hand on her belly and feel the baby kick.

2. The boy giggled with glee, but then got a concerned look on his face.

3. The little boy asked, “How does the baby get out of there?”

4. His aunt wanted to keep it simple, so she replied, “The doctor with help the baby get out of there.”

5. The boy’s eyes widened with amazement and he said, “You’ve got a doctor in there, too!”

B. Of course, we all know there is no doctor inside a pregnant woman to help get the baby out of her.

1. Maybe that would be easier than for her to have to go to the hospital to get the help of a doctor.

2. But here’s the great news: all of us who are Christians have the Holy Spirit living in us as our helper.

3. This is what we have been talking about in our sermon series: “The Holy Spirit, Our Helper.”

4. So far in our series, we have talked about how the Holy Spirit is our wind and how the Christian life should be more like sailing a boat than rowing a boat.

a. Ultimately, we cannot be who we should be or do what we should do without the help of the Holy Spirit empowering us and carrying us along.

5. In last week’s sermon, we talked about how the Holy Spirit is our intercessor.

a. We learned the amazing truth that the Holy Spirit prays for us and does so especially when we don’t know what to pray for.

C. In today’s sermon, I hope that we will be blessed and helped by understanding that the Holy Spirit is our seal.

1. When I use the word “seal,” I’m not talking about the animal that lives in the ocean and barks and claps their fins.

2. The seal I am talking about is the seal of ownership and authenticity and the seal of guarantee.

3. Paul wrote about the Holy Spirit as a seal in his letter to the Ephesians: 13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory. (Eph. 1:13-14)

a. I like Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of these verses: It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This down payment from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life. (from The Message)

4. Later in the same letter, Paul explained: And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption. (Eph. 4:30)

5. Paul used similar language in his second letter to the Corinthians: 21 Now it is God who strengthens us together with you in Christ, and who has anointed us. 22 He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment. (2 Cor. 1:21-22)

D. The sealing by the Holy Spirit is such an important role that the Holy Spirit plays in our lives.

1. The mass of humanity (past, present and future) are divided into two groups: those who are sealed by the Holy Spirit and those who are not sealed by the Holy Spirit.

2. Those who are sealed by the Holy Spirit are God’s children and are saved, and those who are not sealed by the Holy Spirit are not God’s children and are not saved.

E. Let’s consider how the concept of being “sealed” reflects ownership and authenticity.

1. In ancient times, a king or some other important official would send a letter that was sealed with wax and with the official's signet ring.

a. This seal symbolized authority, authenticity, and ownership.

b. Because of the seal, the recipient knew that the letter was genuinely from the sender and that the letter carried important instructions or promises.

c. In the same way, when you are sealed by the Holy Spirit, it’s like God places His “mark” on your life, signifying that you belong to Him and that His promises for you are authentic and secure.

2. Another, perhaps less appealing, concept of being “sealed” is the idea of branding.

a. We are all familiar with the way cattle and sheep are often branded with a symbol or logo to show who owned them.