Scripture Text: Ephesians 1:13-14
In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:13-14
It is, therefore, blessings after blessings for us to be in Christ, or we can take it as our highest blessedness to be in Christ. As we have been informed throughout (1:3-12) our study, the demand of blessing God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ becomes our joy. It must be or should be our ultimate joy! For we know now that He has blessed us of the greatest blessing one could ever ask – His only begotten Son! He [God] indeed has placed us in union with Him [Christ], from which all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places flows. So, to praise God, to bless His holy name, to give Him honor and glory is such a delight and felicity to a person who has comprehended and apprehended the blessedness of being in Jesus the Christ!
In continuation, this time we will continue to see the praise of God’s glory, particularly to the work of the Holy Spirit. After learning the Father’s work (vv.3-6), the Son’s work (vv.7-12), behold and see more of your blessedness: “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory (v.13)”. The Holy Spirit is promised both by the prophets of the Old Testament and Jesus Himself. The Spirit is described as both a seal showing ownership, and as a pledge pointing to a future redemption. Though believers both in Paul’s time and now to us have not yet fully experience this glorious redemption, but for sure, God will bring it to completion for all those who have received the Holy Spirit through Christ. The Holy Spirit also is the authenticity that one is really of the Lord’s already, for it is the inward mark of God’s ownership to His people. For the Spirit is given to protect and preserve genuine believers until they reach or attain their destination – glorification in Christ. In the present, the Spirit as our seal or given to the believers, implies far more than a passive guarantee. It also means the power necessary to live out “now” in this dark age the life of the new age to come – the Kingdom of God. This new life that can be live out “now” is rooted in the praise of God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Dear saint, behold this blessing that we have because of God in Christ - there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. We may now live for Christ’s glory! We are now able to really bless and praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with a kind of exaltation that is pleasing and acceptable to Him! We are now bound to enjoy Him [Christ] forever! What an unspeakable joy! Also remember this: Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
May your heart, dear saint, be truly captivated by this blessedness that you have in Him, and because of Him! May you find yourself, together with the psalmist, acclaiming, bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits! who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
Ultimately, the enjoyment of God in Christ is the only joy and happiness with which our souls can be truly and magnificently satisfied.
Desire to know Him more, who has loved you unconditionally and eternally! Thirst and long for Him! Be in awe of Him—the darling of Heaven! He is all yours… He is all-perfect, all-holy, all-glorious!
Hear this then, dear saint: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Christ is all that we have! Christ is all that we need!
Take heart, dear saint!
Reflect
1. Do you bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit, as a manifestation that you are really in Christ?
2. Do you live your life according to the Spirit?
3. Are you now seeing the need to praise Him for His worthiness?
4. Do you desire and long to love Him more, as you ought to be?
Remember
Every blessing from God and our Father are means to keep us back to our chief end—to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever! Live your life therefore for the praise of His glory, and continue to live out your blessedness in Him!
Read
John 16:7-15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Galatians 5:16-26
Pray
Father in Heaven, I come before You, in the name of Your Son, to continually bless and thank You for blessing me the greatest of all – my Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You, Father, for in sending Him, He has sent the Holy Spirit to me as my helper, seal, and guarantee. I pray, that I may realize more how much protection and preservation that I have, because of the Holy Spirit. Make me then, Father, depend in His empowerment more and more, that I may truly live wholly for the glory Your Son alone. In His name I pray. Amen.
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