Sealed Unto the Day of Redemption

Eph 4:30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

What a notion - That the Holy Spirit can be made sad. And we are always making Him sad. So much effort He makes, to help, to guide, often met with so much waywardness. But as much as He is grieved by our practices according to this verse, let me stress out of the same verse, He is never grieved in our position; For He affected that and it can never be unaffected. We are saved, the old songwriter said, “to the utmost” and He [the Holy Spirit] knows that, because He did it. And when he did it… He did it right. What did He do? He took me down low, when I thought I was something, and showed me I was nothing, - a transgressor, a lawbreaker, an evildoer, a worker of iniquity, a man of unclean lips, a blasphemer, wicked... Who you? Yes me! And if you’ve been done, He told you that too, about you. But here is the good news, He called me righteous, placed me among the saints, called me a son, made me an heir and joint heir… but most of all, in this text He sealed me. Like a gang, I’ve been initiated in and I got the tattoo on me. I’m in and there’s no getting out. I'm in unto the day of redemption.

You know, in my childhood, Church would start on Sunday morning, in that shot gun house of a building, turned into a church house, and my old great uncle Charlie, would get down on his knees, in that old wooden folding chair, and he would pray, “Lord, when I get down to that old Jordan River, stick my sword in the sandy banks of time, to study war no more…” Yes unto that day, I’ve been sealed. He got His mark on me. I can’t be put out. I can’t fall out. I can’t be knocked out. I can’t wear out. I can’t bow out. I can’t walk out.

Wait-a-minute! Can’t you mess up? Won’t God get tired of us? The text answers that in the three clauses of this verse. In the first, Paul points out what is possible in the present and the future – we can, and often do brethren, make the Holy Spirit sad. However, in the second clause he points out the irreversible past work of the Holy Spirit – He has sealed us – that is done and can’t be undone. That is Paul says, “Don’t grieve the One that has already sealed us.” Then in the third clause Paul tells us the extent and intent of the sealing – “unto the day of redemption,” not “until”… but “unto.” “Until” indicates “extent” alone. But “unto” indicates extent and intent. You were not only sealed to the point of the arrival of that day, but you are sealed for the purpose of that day as well.

One morning, my wife and I were just about ready for church. We had put my one and a half year old son on a little two piece suit, a nice little tie and shoes. But when we were ready to go out of the door we found him, in the bathroom playing in the toilet, soaking wet. He had so disappointed us, as we really had dressed him up for that day. Yet he had no regard for our intent, or that day.

That’s what Paul is saying, The Holy Ghost is not made happy in the fact that he has dressed us up for that day and we go and play in the toilet. He sealed us – that is His job, our job is to act like we’ve been sealed… look like we’ve been seal… walk like we’ve been seal… talk like we’ve been sealed…. But here’s the good news, if you fail to do your part, his part will never fail… He’s grieved but He’ll hold you… He’s saddened but He’ll hold you… He’s displeased but He’ll hold you… Unto the day of redemption… unto the day of glory… All the way… The hymnologist appropriately penned...

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father; There is no shadow of turning with Thee;Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not; As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.