Signed, Sealed, Delvered, I'm Yours

Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours 3/15/04

Ephesians 1:7-14

The title of message is “signed, sealed and delivered, I’m yours”. Now I will give you a second to get the song out of your head, and I want us each to examine our own lives and see if we can say the same words of this song.

Signed

When you think of signed you think of signatures. A signature speaks of ownership. When you buy a car you have to sign the title. When you buy a house, you sign paper and your name is placed on a deed. Your name may be on your paycheck but a signature is required for a deposit. Now before you go thinking you have direct deposit and you never even see your paycheck, there still was first a signature to release that direct deposit. I can write as many checks to you as you want, but in order for you to receive the rewards of that check, you must first sign it.

Are you signed with Christ? Does he have ownership of you? Let me give you a few thoughts about His signature.

1. Written in red (Vs.7)

He paid for us in full with His own shed blood. He loved you so much that He laid done His own life for our sins. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to clean up before you come into His house.

Romans 5:8, But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

2. We have an inheritance (Vs.11)

Since we have His signature we become heirs to Him.

2 Corinthians 6:18, I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

By being His heir we are entitled to His strength, His power, all that He has, He will give to us.

3. It is our choice.

If I were to give you a check for $10,000 and you had it and you carried it with you. You would take it out and look at it, but you know what you had? You had a piece of paper. In order for you to receive the reward of the check there has to be a signature.

Christ has paid for our sins with His shed blood. We are entitled to all He has to offer us, and that is a lot. Peace, joy, contentment, love, the list goes on and on. But He also gives us the choice to accept or reject this great gift.

When we are saved He places his signature upon us. When Christ puts his name on us…he identifies Himself as owner. First this gift has been signed…next we see in our text that this gift has been Sealed.

Sealed (Vs.13)

What kind of seal is Paul talking about?

A seal was an official mark of identification placed on a letter, contract, or document. When royal business was conducted, the document was sealed with hot wax and imprinted with the king’s signet ring. A Kings seal signified 3 things.

A. Ownership - Written in kings name, sealed with signet ring. The Kings property

B. Security - The built in security of the seal was the king’s authority. Break the seal and die.

C. Unchangeable- No One, not even the king himself can reverse such a decree.

An example is King Darius was tricked and forced to throw Daniel to the lions because of his unchangeable decree (Dan 6:6-16)

When we speak of being sealed, what does that mean to us?

By being sealed we have to first accept Christ. By doing so we declare that He has ownership.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Or do you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

We are sealed. He owns us and we are His.

Security - (John 10: 27-30)

John 10:27-29, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

The built in security of our seal is the KINGS authority.

NO ONE can take His seal away because He is “greater than all” (v. 29)

Unchangeable - (John 6:37-39)

John 6:37-39 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.