Ephesians 1:13-14, the Spirit in you is the proof that you are genuine, not a forgery and you are secured, held, protected until the day of redemption, then Paul adds the word that changes everything. The Spirit is the down payment, the first installment of the inheritance already paid into your life, which means the full inheritance is not a question of if, it is a question of when and the God who sealed you is the God who keeps his promises. Now, here’s where it gets personal, because that sounds good for people who have it together, but you do not know what I have done. You do not know how many times I have failed. You do not know how many times I have wondered if God is still holding on to me or if I have finally pushed him away and this is exactly where the seal matters most.
The seal was not placed on you because you were good enough, it was placed on you the moment you believed, before you had a chance to earn it, before you had a chance to lose it, the seal is not a reward for your performance, it is a guarantee of God’s faithfulness. Consider a down payment for a moment, when you put a deposit down on something, the seller does not keep checking to see if you are worthy of the deal, the deposit is already paid, the deal is already moving, the full price is coming. That is what the Spirit is in your life right now, he is the deposit, God has already paid into you and God does not back out of his own deal.
There is a story hiding in Ephesians 1:13-14 that most people never notice and it is your story, you were once an outsider. Maybe you still feel like one. Maybe you grew up outside the church or you wandered away from it or you are sitting here wondering if you even belong in the family of God at all and Paul looks at people exactly like you and says, you also. You also were sealed. You also received the Spirit of promise. You also are God’s own possession. The seal was not reserved for the people who had it all figured out, it was pressed into the lives of people who simply heard the message and believed and that includes you.
The seal was not placed on you because you were good enough, it was placed on you the moment you believed, before you had a chance to earn it, before you had a chance to lose it, the seal is not a reward for your performance, it is a guarantee of God’s faithfulness. Consider a down payment for a moment, when you put a deposit down on something, the seller does not keep checking to see if you are worthy of the deal, the deposit is already paid, the deal is already moving, the full price is coming. That is what the Spirit is in your life right now, he is the deposit, God has already paid into you and God does not back out of his own deal.
There is a story hiding in Ephesians 1:13-14 that most people never notice and it is your story, you were once an outsider. Maybe you still feel like one. Maybe you grew up outside the church or you wandered away from it or you are sitting here wondering if you even belong in the family of God at all and Paul looks at people exactly like you and says, you also. You also were sealed. You also received the Spirit of promise. You also are God’s own possession. The seal was not reserved for the people who had it all figured out, it was pressed into the lives of people who simply heard the message and believed and that includes you.