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Sermon #8203

The Sealing of the Holy Spirit

Being Sealed by the Holy Spirit - a Sermon

Originally preached Oct. 22, 1954

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Sermon Description

Can a Christian ever lose their salvation? What does it mean to be sealed by the Holy Spirit? This term of “being sealed” is used three times in Scripture. Throughout history, seals have been used to certify, authenticate, and demonstrate ownership over something. It also provides an element of security. How does this concept of a seal relate to the life of a Christian? Those who are followers of Jesus Christ have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, who acts as a certificate and authenticator that He lives in the Christian and submits to God’s purpose and plan. To be sealed by the Holy Spirit also means to have the security of belonging to Christ and an eternal inheritance. He has sealed His people, and thus they are secured as His possession. In this sermon titled “The Sealing and the Earnest,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains that part of this security is the Spirit in advance of the promise to be given in full at a later time. What does this mean? This advance of the Holy Spirit is a pledge given by God that He will give the rest of the inheritance to His people when they go to live with Him. Though they can be sealed by the Holy Spirit, they can still grieve Him, as Dr. Lloyd-Jones duly notes. To avoid this, Christians must be willing to live lives in a way that gives full control to God and runs from sin.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The Holy Spirit applies the work of salvation to us and makes it actual in our lives and experiences.
  2. We have been considering the various terms used to describe the work of the Holy Spirit, including baptism of the Holy Spirit and filling of the Holy Spirit.
  3. We now come to the term "sealing of the Spirit." This is referred to in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Ephesians 1:13, and Ephesians 4:30.
  4. A seal has three main functions: to authenticate, to indicate ownership, and to render secure.
  5. The Holy Spirit authenticates that we are God's people. His presence in us produces the fruit of the Spirit and shows others we are Christians.
  6. The Holy Spirit indicates we are God's property and gives us assurance of salvation. The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are God's children.
  7. The Holy Spirit renders our salvation secure. He guarantees our ultimate redemption and glorification. Nothing can separate us from God's love.
  8. The sealing of the Spirit is not just intellectual but also experimental. We know the Spirit is in us through His work in our lives.
  9. The sealing of the Spirit is connected to the earnest or down payment of the Spirit. The Spirit is the first installment of our inheritance, giving us a foretaste of what is to come.
  10. If the sealing and earnest of the Spirit were not experimental, they would provide no comfort. They show us what awaits us in glory and give us joy.
  11. We must avoid quenching the Spirit by arguing with His leading or discouraging His work. But we must also test the spirits against Scripture.
  12. We must avoid grieving the Spirit through sin, doubt, self-assertion, neglect of His Word, lack of interest in Him, and failure to glorify Christ. But He remains with us even when grieved.
  13. We must be led by the Spirit, walking in step with Him, realizing His presence, and following His promptings. This means reading Scripture, praying, and obeying His guidance.
  14. The ultimate test of the Spirit's work is our love for and knowledge of Christ, not experiences or feelings.

Great Biblical Doctrines

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.