Sealed for Thy courts above

If ever there was a passage of Scripture that succinctly reveals how eternal salvation is brought into a person's life, Ephesians 1:13-14 is it:

[13] In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
[14] Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

“The Holy Spirit comes in to seal you, seals the deal, we would say, when you believed, and you believed when you heard the Word of truth,” explained Jordan on his evening radio show this past Tuesday.

“God takes over and seals you with His Spirit. Notice it’s not by His Spirit; it’s WITH His Spirit. The moment you trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, relying exclusively on Him to be the Savior He died and rose again for you to be, God goes into action and seals you.

“Now, when He seals you WITH His Spirit, the personal residency of the Spirit of God in your life is the seal; it’s the guarantee. He says ‘that seal which is the earnest of our inheritance.’ It’s the down payment; it’s the first installment of the eternal glory that you’ll have forever.

“A seal in the Bible is a sign of a done deal. The thing is accomplished. It’s a sign of ownership. II Timothy 2:19 says, [19] Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

“You see, the seal tells you that He knows you. You’re His so you have the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. It also says you should depart from iniquity. Now that’s our part. We should live in the identity God gives us.

“So Ephesians 4:30 says, [30] And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

“Your security isn’t in what you do; it’s in who Jesus Christ is. Your security is the fact you’re sealed WITH the resident agency of the Holy Spirit. That’s a secure seal.

“You remember when they threw Daniel in the lion’s den and they sealed the opening? The secured it. Revelation 20 says when they put Satan in the bottomless pit, they put a seal on it. The seal is an issue of security, but that security doesn’t produce carelessness; it produces appreciation. Because of who we are we should live in line with and in cooperation with what the Spirit of God’s doing in our life. That’s the sum total of what the Christian life is all about."