"The Gift:" Signed, Sealed, And Delivered Series

A Walk that is Worthy Part 2

“The Gift…Signed, Sealed, and Delivered”

Text: Eph 1:11-14

Intro:

This morning I would like to bring you a message entitled “The Gift, Signed Sealed and Delivered”. It is the second message in a series entitled “A Walk that is Worthy” In our text this morning we read of a progression that is absolutely vital to our understanding of God’s investment into our lives.

Today I would like to take you through this passage of scripture and via the word of God to help you get a better grasp of the position you are in, if you bear the name Christian today. Once again the whole thrust of our study in Ephesians is an argument or a challenge to us as to why we should walk worthy of the calling that is placed upon us. For us to understand this we must know something of that calling.

-The bible says that this thing we call salvation is a gift of God. Eph 2:8,9 “For we are saved by Grace, not of works, it is the gift of God.” God has given us a gift that should cause us to radically respond to Him.

-Lets look at this gift that has been signed, sealed and delivered to us.

1) SIGNED: A signature that has been placed upon us. vv 11,12

A signature speaks of Ownership

There is a science out there called graphology. This the science of analyzing signatures to determine personality traits. Supposedly there is a lot that can be said about signatures.

Illus:

With the Anthrax letters that were sent to Tom Brokaw and Tom Daschel last fall they determined some things from the handwriting. Glenda Ross, a Certified Graphologist said the drew some of the following conclusions:

"A depressed, tired individual …with an ability to create with their hands for example: an artist, carpenter, or a mechanic…the writing is written under great tension and I feel the writer is on the brink of an emotional breakdown. You could not reason with the writer – the writer is physical and would hit/strike out. The writer can only be reached by touch such as placing a calming hand on their arm – in other words the writer is too violent to listen.

As far as intelligence goes… they do not have a well-rounded intelligence. The numeral 1 on the Tom Brokaw envelope is the only indication on the envelope that it could be written by someone from another country…the T in the word Senator has a slight bending upwards meaning this is a person who feels they are doing good and helping others. Which is a glaring contradiction of all the other traits the writer has shown. The T in the Senator is usually found in people with religious tendencies."

You did not know a signature could determine so much.

A signature speaks of ownership. Now lets break out some terms here.

The NIV says that we were “chosen”

The Greek word is kleôrooô (klay-ro’-o) ;

to allot, that is, (figuratively) to assign (a privilege):—obtain an inheritance.

Another word that is used in “predestined”

“To limit in advance or to predertmine”

Now for most of us we grit against the words election and predestination, for we believe that salvation is a free choice.

Yet when we come to these passages of scriptures we hold our breath and try to somehow get through them.

The the centuries old debate between Calvinism and Arminianism will not be settled here this morning.

Let me give you a quick synopsis according to scripture of where the whole predestination isssues lays.

1)Man is a sinner Romans 3:23

2)God has chosen an elect group of people…but I believe that that group is classified according to scripture as anyone who calls upon the name of Jesus Christ to be saved. Romans 10:13

3)Christ died for every person not just for a special pre chosen group John 3:16 2 Peter 3:9

4)God’s saving grace toward the elect can be resisted

Hebrews 8:7-12

5)That once a person is saved, he can chose to walk away from his salvation. (Apostasy)

Heb 12:15; Luke 8:13; 1 Cor 8:11

Now I know we could have extended debate on the ins outs of what I just shared. For those who have studied much into this, we just tiptoed through the tulip

patch. Now lets get back to our text,,,and God’s signature.

I like how “The Message” says this in verses 11 &12

“It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.”

It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. When we are saved He places his signature upon us. In revelation says that he has given to the overcomer a name that only He knows.