Sealed and Protected

Audio of full message from December 2019

Annie

Scriptures: Ephesians 1-3 Galatians 2:20 Romans 8:35-39

Centuries ago, the only way to communicate long distance was by hand written scrolls or parchment, whenarider onaswift horse was entrusted with the most important communications from their master. But, when he arrived at his destination, what proof, what guarantee was there that this was a genuine communication from the King? There was only one way.

Before the document was given to the courier, the King would have tied it with cord and dripped hot, thick wax onto the joining edge and pressed his unique signet ring into the fast cooling wax. That unbroken seal was the authentication of the identity of the sender, and that the contents hadn’t been tampered with.

In Ephesians 1:13-14, Paul tells we are sealed, with a seal that can never be broken, it is the evidence, the authentication, of Whose we are and that the Life that we carry within us has not and never can be tampered with.

This is our assurance, the guarantee of our inheritance, our right to be called a child of the Most High God. An invisible seal – to us. But not to the principalities and powers in heavenly places. This seal is as visible and tangible to them as the solidified wax with the imprint of the King’s signet ring was to anyone in ages past. This is why they will do whatever they can, using the only weapons they have, to make us believe that this seal does not exist, or that it is a forgery.

In chapter 2 of Ephesians, we read that the weapons of these principalities and powers are doubt, condemnation guilt, shame and dragging up memories from our past. We have all walked in disobedience, tainted by the influences and so-called pleasures of this world. Lead down paths that seemed so innocentbythe spirit of the prince of the power of the air. But thanks be to God, we have been given the most amazing, wonderful, unique gift of God. We have been given the faith, not from ourselves, to accept the gift of the Grace of God by which we have been saved. And it is this two fold gift that the devil would do his utmost to have us believe is not valid, is not ours. One of the craftiest weapons he uses is to convince us that our faith is not big enough or strong enough to believe that we are saved solely by God’s grace. He sees that seal upon our lives, he knows it is intact, unbroken and that it is, without a doubt, from God Himself; and that the Life we have indwelling us has not been tampered with. He is the Pure, Spotless Lamb who took away our sins and granted us the right to be called sons of God, by conquering death. This Life within us has been sealed with Holy Spirit of promise. And the gift of God is the faith to believe this amazing Grace. Everything comes from God; of ourselves we do not have the strength to combat the weapons of the prince of the powers of the air. Further on in his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul instructs us about the Armour of God by which we are, again, sealed and protected from the enemy’s fiery darts.

In Ephesians Chapter 3:8-12 Paul makes it clear that the intention of God is that the secret wisdom that God makes known to us by Holy Spirit, is not ours to keep in secret, but we, the Church are to make it known to the principalities and powers in heavenly places.

They can see this Seal of Holy Spirit upon us but they do not understand it,theyhave no concept of the mystery or secret that God has revealed to His children through the coming, the life, the death and the resurrection of the Son He sent to redeem us. The Love that fills us and gives us hope, assurance and strength for each day dwells within us, sealed and protected.

Unless we are rooted and grounded in this Love, we will never be able to truly understand the Love of Christ which passes all of man’s knowledge. The promise of Holy Spirit, the Seal that is so obvious to all the powers that would want to destroy us, is a reality that we need to grasp with every atom of our being. We are sealed, protected and forever wrapped within this Love, despite what the enemy throws at us.

We need to remember what Paul wrote to the Romans: 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Prayer: Father God, to know we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise is a privilege beyond measure, thank You in Jesus Name, Amen