Sealed With the King's Ring.
God's sealing with the Holy Spirit is a witness that we are born from above and are his sons and daughters, guaranteeing an irreversible portion in heaven.
F.B. Meyer emphasizes the significance of being sealed with the Holy Spirit, drawing parallels between the king's ring given to Mordecai and the divine sealing of believers. Just as the king's seal validated the proclamation of liberty for the Jews, the Holy Spirit impresses the likeness of Christ upon believers, marking them as God's own. This sealing signifies that believers are irrevocably marked as children of God, inheriting His promises and identity. Meyer highlights that this divine impression is not of the Spirit Himself but of Christ, ensuring that the character of Jesus is reflected in the lives of believers. Ultimately, once sealed by God, no one can reverse this divine decree.
Text
Sealed with the king's ring. Esther viii. 8.
IN chap. iii. 10 the king took the ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman. It is evident that he had resumed it from his chief officer's finger before sending him to execution. It was now entrusted to Mordecai, because it gave validity to the documents that proclaimed liberty to the Jews. Notice those words: "The writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the kings seal, no man may reverse," and apply them to that sealing with the Holy Ghost, of which we read so often in the New Testament.
On the molten wax the ring, with its royal device, or perhaps the cutting of the royal profile, was pressed, giving sanction, validity, and irreversibleness; so on the tender heart of the believer in Christ, the Holy Spirit impresses the likeness of Jesus. The seal does not leave an impression of itself, but of the sovereign; and the Holy Spirit reveals not Himself, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and aims only to leave the mark and superscription of Christ on the character. The word character is used in Hebrews i. 3 (see Greek). How wonderful, that as the image or character of the Father was impressed on Christ, so the Saviour's image and character are impressed on us! "Him hath God the Father sealed," says the evangelist. "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, by whom ye were sealed," says the Apostle.
This sealing us with the likeness of Jesus is God's attestation. It is his witness that we are born from above, and are become his sons and daughters. It is God's sign manual of his intention and decree that we should inherit an irreversible portion; and when God has once passed and sealed it, neither man nor devil can reverse it.
Sermon Outline
- The King's Ring
- The King's Ring and Its Significance
- The Seal of the King
- The Seal of the Holy Spirit
Key Quotes
“The seal does not leave an impression of itself, but of the sovereign; and the Holy Spirit reveals not Himself, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and aims only to leave the mark and superscription of Christ on the character.” — F.B. Meyer
“Him hath God the Father sealed,” — F.B. Meyer
Application Points
- We should be grateful for God's sealing and recognize the power and authority of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
- We should strive to become more like Christ, as the Holy Spirit seals us with the likeness of Jesus.
- We can trust that God's sealing is irreversible and that we will inherit an eternal portion in heaven.