Well, we're turning in the Word of God to Ephesians chapter 1 today, the book of Ephesians, the chapter number 1. One of the great portions of God's Word, even as we read it, brings great comfort and hope to the believer. As we read some verses here at the opening of Ephesians chapter number 1, let's hear God's Word, let's follow in the Word as I read The word of God today. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus, grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings and heavenly places in Christ, according as he has chosen us in him, before the foundation of the world, We should be holy, without blame before him in love, having predestinated us on to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are in earth, even in him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will, that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ, in whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, and to the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. We'll end there, just at the end of the verse number 14. Let's unite in prayer. Our Father, and our God in heaven, we thank Thee that we can say that we are redeemed, redeemed by precious blood, according to the riches of His grace. We thank Thee this day that, Father, Thou hast taken our sins and put them into the depths of the sea, never to be brought or hauled to the surface again. their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. O God, though we hear the accuser roar of ills that we have done, we know them well and thousands more, but Jehovah findeth none. O God, we pray that our hearts might be encouraged, strengthened, instructed, comforted today as we meet around thy precious word. Grant help and assistance we ask and fill me with thy Holy Spirit. that the word of God may become effectual to every heart. We offer prayer and through our Savior's precious and holy name. Amen and amen. You'll recall a few weeks ago how we began looking and considering together the work of the Holy Spirit and his ministry in our lives. We thought about how, when we are converted, how the Holy Spirit comes to indwell. the life of every child of God. And then by that indwelling, he brings assurance to the heart of every Christian that they belong to Christ. He places within us the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Well today we want to continue in our series of messages on the Holy Spirit and as we do so we come to another aspect of his ministry within our lives. I freely confess that what we'll be dwelling and thinking and meditating upon today is something that is very rarely spoken about very rarely emphasized by preachers off the Word of God, but it is a matter that, again, I believe brings tremendous comfort and assurance to the child of God. Today I want to focus my remarks upon the sealing, and that is S-E-A-L-I-N-G, not the other sealing, but the sealing of the Holy Spirit. As we think about the Holy Spirit, our sealer. Now as we think about the Holy Spirit as our sealer, I want us to first of all consider the sealing of the Holy Spirit as it is expressed within the Word of God. Now we come to understand that the Holy Spirit does seal the child of God by what we read in the Word of God. There is such an activity as the sealing of the Holy Spirit and we glean that from three distinct and clear passages within God's precious Word. We've read of one of them today, but turn to 2 Corinthians 1, and we'll read the first reference to this sealing of the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 1, and we'll begin our reading at the verse number 20. 2 Corinthians 1 verse 20, For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him are men, unto the glory of God by us. Now he which established us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God, who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest, the pledge, the security, the deposit, the guarantee, of the Spirit within our hearts. God also hath sealed us. And then Ephesians chapter 1 and this time the verse number 13 and 14. In whom also ye trusted after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest, of our inheritance unto the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory now note the order within the verse the word is preached the word is believed And then the individual is sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise. We find the order. Now we look at it from our own perspective. We look at these things as consecutively happening. But I would suggest to you that these things happen in tandem one with the other. There is the salvation of the sinner and then the sealing off the saint of God. Having been born again of the Spirit of God, the Spirit of God then seals the believer. And then the third reference is found in this same book. Turn to Ephesians chapter 4 and the verse number 30. and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." So here we have this sealing, and we find its duration. We find it that we're sealed unto the day of redemption, and that is the day of our final glorification. That is a day whenever body and soul will experience the full redemption that is in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And so this seal, this imprint that God places upon us, lasts right to the day of our redemption and thank God beyond. And so we can be in no doubt. We read in the Scriptures, in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word is established. Well, here's in the mouth of three witnesses, this matter is established that there is such an activity as the sealing off the Holy Spirit. Now, with that truth established, from the Word of God and from the testimony of Scripture, we then need to consider what this sealing actually is. What does it mean to be sealed by the Holy Spirit. Well, let me first of all deal with the sealing of the Holy Spirit as it is described. Not only as it is expressed, but as it is described. Now a consideration of this word sealing, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. A consideration of the word used by the Apostle Paul when speaking about the sealing of the Holy Spirit opens up, sheds light on what is actually meant by the sealing. Now, in each occasion, each of the three occasions, the same Greek word is used and it translates to mean this, to stamp with a signet or private mark for security or preservation. Or it can be translated to set a mark upon by the impress of a seal or a stamp in order to prove, confirm, authenticate the place beyond all doubt. Now this word, this same Greek word is used on other occasions within the New Testament. It is used in Matthew chapter 27 and the verse number 66. So they went and made the sepulchre sure sealing the stone and setting a watch. It's used in John 3 in the verse 33. He hath received his testimony, hath set to his seal that God is true. And then it's used in the book of the Revelation, the chapter 20 and the verse number 2 and 3. Revelation 22 and 3. And he laid hold upon the dragon, that old serpent which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him. that he should deceive the nations no more, that the thousand years should be fulfilled, and after that he must be loosed a little season. Now seals are something that are not used particularly today. They're not something that would be commonly used in modern society, but they were something that were used in the past. I'm told that the oldest examples that are existent today are date back to some 4,000 to 3,000 BC. And we find in the Old Testament examples where this sealing, this activity, is used by certain individuals in order to do certain things. I want to, first of all, show you those examples and then glean why this sealing was actually taking place. Turn to 1 Kings chapter number 21. 1 Kings chapter number 21. This is a story of Ahab and Jezebel and Naboth's vineyard. You'll know that Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard. I suppose he wants it for convenience sake. Not only that, but because of the fruits that are there. This vineyard is right alongside the palace, and so Ahab wants this particular vineyard, and he asks Naboth for it. Naboth refuses, And he's like a petulant child. He grumbles and complains, and he goes about the palace like a little child that hasn't been given something of its mother. He's going about in a depressed state. And so Jezebel, she sees all that has happened, and she asked, why is thy spirit so sad? 1 Kings 21 verse 5. And thou eatest no bread. He's off his food. He's sad, downcast. Well, he explains the reason, because I speak to Naboth, the Jezreelite, and said unto him, give me the vineyard for money, or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it. And he answered, I will not give the vineyard. And Jezebel replies, dost thou not govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, eat bread, let thy heart be merry, and I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. So what happens? Well, let's read from verse eight. So she wrote letters in Ahab's name. and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters on to the elders and to the nobles that were in the city dwelling with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people, and set two men of Belial before him to bear witness against him, saying, Thou dost blaspheme God and the king. And they carried him out and stoned him, and then carry him out and stone him that he may die. And the men of the city, even the elders of the nobles, who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. Carrying the seal of Ahab gives those letters authority, and thus the proposed stoning of Naboth must be carried through because the decree, the letter, bears the seal of the particular individual who has ordered Naboth's death. And so the recipients on seeing Ahab's seal carries through his wishes because that letter carried the authority of Ahab. Now if you turn then to Esther, you'll find another example of the sealing of particular letters and instructions, Esther chapter 3. And there we read a decree being issued to destroy the Jews in the days of Esther. That decree is ordered by Haman. Haman being the enemy of the Jewish nation. Look at the verse number 8 of the verse of Esther chapter 3. And Haman said unto Kinasararius, There is a certain people scattered abroad, dispersed among the people in all the providence of the kingdom, and their laws are diverse from all people, neither keep they the king's laws, neither is it Therefore it is not of the king's profit to suffer them. If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have charge of the business to bring it into the king's treasury. And the king took his ring from off his hand. and gave it to Haman, the son of Hamadathia, the Agiite, the Jews' enemy. And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with thee, as it seemeth good to thee. Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people, And of every province, according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, in the name of King Azarias was it written, and sealed with the king's ring. And the letters were sent by post onto all the king's provinces to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish all Jews, both young and old, little children and women. in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the sun, Adar, and to make the spoil of them for their prey. Here we have letters sealed, the rings taken off, the wax is made soft, there then print of the keen is placed upon it, And as a result, orders must be carried through. There can be no rescinding of that which has been spoken. Must be followed through. Now Haman's wicked plan is exposed. He subsequently, we know, is put to death on his own gallows. And yet the decree to exterminate the Jewish people still stood on the statute books of this particular nation. And therefore we find Esther in chapter eight, so turn to Esther chapter eight, and the verse number five, going in before the king. If it please the king, she said, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the things seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his sight, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hamathdathia the Agite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in the king's providence and so she asks the king to reverse the letters and what is his reply verse number eight this is the king's reply write you also for the jews as it liketh you in the king's name and seal it with the king's ring for the writing which is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's ring may no man I want you to highlight that latter statement. The writing which is written in the king's name cannot, no man, may reverse. No man may reverse. Therefore when it had the seal of the king, No man was able to reverse that which had been decreed. We find another example of this happening in the days of Jeremiah. You'll know that Jeremiah, before he goes into captivity, along with the children of Israel, he buys property in the land of Israel. It seems to be a silly thing to do. The land's going to be taken over. What's the point in buying land whenever it's going to be taken over and overrun by the enemies? But God tells him to do it because he's going to come back to this place. God's going to bring the children of Israel back again. And so he buys this particular property. There are certain deeds that are drawn up. And we read in Jeremiah 32 verse number 10, And I subscribed the evidence and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. And so here's a property deed. It's been sealed. by the authorities of the particular land. To authenticate that what Jeremiah has bought has been bought legally, has been brought properly, and therefore it belongs to him. This sealed document was like your trust deeds of your particular home. This property belongs to me. And this sealing evidenced that particular ownership. The last example is in the book of Daniel. You'll remember when Daniel was thrown into the lion's den. We read there in Daniel chapter six and the verse 17, that that stone that was rolled across the mouth of the lion's den was sealed with the king's, Daniel chapter six verse 17, the stone was brought, laid upon the mouth of the den and the king sealed it with his own signet. And with the signet of his Lord's, underline it again, that the purpose might not be changed according or concerning Daniel. The purpose cannot be changed. Once sealed, that purpose must stand. There is tremendous truth and we'll be thinking about that. in a moment of time. Now, there are many examples, and there are many other examples that we could maybe glean from God's word, but that's enough. Under those four examples that I brought to you gives us an idea of the circumstances wherein this sealing process took place. If I was to ask the question, why was it performed? I could give you three answers. The seal's first function was to authenticate and to certify. And this is what's happening in these aforementioned examples. When the personal seal was placed on a letter, a legal document, on even a stone, it was affirming that the wishes of the owner of the seal were to be followed completely through on. The seal acted like a signature, authenticating that which was being done, was being done in the name of the owner of the particular seal, having their full and complete support. So it was to authenticate. Secondly, the seal's function was to indicate ownership. Now some farmers here today, you'll know that you brand your cattle. You'll put a brand on them. Well, that's a form of sealing. You're sealing those cattle and you're making them your very own. If you go out into America, in those large ranches, you'll find that every farmer has his own particular seal or his own particular brand. So then if an animal gets found in another farmer's land or in their fields, then they understand who that one belongs to. That mark, that brand identifies that particular animal to that particular owner. And so there's a form of ownership or a thought of ownership. You ladies, you pick up any piece of porcelain or pottery in your home, what do you have on the bottom of it? Well, if it's worth anything, you'll have a marker stamp on it. There's a stamp upon it. And that stamp indicates who made it. And that stamp indicates who the initial owner was of that particular piece of pottery. It belonged to to wage wood or maybe to, I can't think of any more, so you can think of yourselves. But you know what I mean, pieces of pottery. The initial owner, their stamp is on it. This is who it belongs to. This is the owner of this particular piece of property. Whenever an item was deposited in the past in a bank, or in a safe deposit box, what would have happened in the past was that sealing wax would have been put upon it, that piece of property, and then the owner would have signed their name on that soft wax. And that signature indicated that that item was their property. No one else. would be allowed to open the safe. No one else would be allowed to open the deposit box. No one else would be able to claim that particular item as theirs. And so the seal acted as an indicator to the ownership of the item. So with the thought of authenticity, with the thought of ownership, with the thought of certification, and with the thought, the third thought, is that of security, security. In order to guarantee property against theft, a seal was often placed upon it. You think of Daniel's incident there in Daniel 6, the stone is rolled over, the seal is set in order that no one would take Daniel out of the lion's den. That happens again in the life of Jesus Christ. The stone is sealed so that the disciples cannot break the seal in order to steal his body away, to give them verification of his claim that he would rise again on the third day. And so the seal was to ward off thieves. It was to secure that which had been sealed. Whatever was sealed is secure. Whatever's sealed, The seal would act as that which would ward off those trying to interfere with its contents. Now, we find whenever you pick up maybe a jar of jam or a bottle of medicine, sometimes you'll find these words, if seal is broken, return to seller. If seal is broken, return to seller. You see, the seal that is broken indicates that someone has tampered with the contents. It indicates that the security has been breached. An intact, an unbroken seal indicates that the contents are what they ought to be. And so the seal was used to safeguard and to secure. Now this is all very general, so let me come to bringing this to application today. How does the sealing of the Holy Spirit apply to our lives? And so we think of the sealing of the Holy Spirit, not only expressed, not only described, but also the sealing of the Holy Spirit applied to each of our lives. You see in the gospel, when the Spirit of God begins to work upon the heart, God takes a hard heart and he makes that heart soft. And he softens it with his love and with his grace. And then he brings down his own seal upon that very heart by his own invincible power and the impression is made. And what is that impression? The image. of his own dear son. That's the image that we bear or we ought to bear in our lives. The image of Jesus Christ has been imprinted upon every child of God. Now sadly because of our sin and our backslidings and our coldness and our worldliness, the image is marred. But God would have a clear, God would desire, a certain, an authentic seal and image impressed upon the lives of all of God's people. When we are saved, God seals us. And how does he seal us? He seals us by his Spirit. You see, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a sign that God owns that believer. It's the very sign that that believer is secure. It is a sign that that believer is genuine, he is authentic, he is real, he is true to what he professes. Now let me expand a little. upon what I've just said. Firstly, when the Holy Spirit seals and places his seal upon the Christian, he does so to authenticate and to certify them that they are true and real and genuine. God authenticates and certifies to the fact that the Christian is indeed one of God's people. when he seals them by his Spirit. In legal documents, the writing always precedes the witnessing and the sealing. And so it is in the Gospel, as the Spirit of God writes his law upon the heart, as we read there in Hebrews 8 verse 10, as he does, so then he seals that truth by his Spirit. and he seals it to the reality of his own work, to the consciousness of the recipient. He claims that individual and he authenticates the work that he has done within the soul. You know, there are many in evangelical circles today and in the evangelical church who profess. They profess to be Christ. They allege that they are his. They claim to be one of God's people. But their lives and their attitudes and their deeds and their works do not evidence the authenticity or the credibility of the profession of the faith that they profess to have. But the Lord knoweth them that are his, having this seal. God seals his people. Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones said, the seal of the Holy Spirit is God's way of authenticating to others the fact that we are Christians. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit in us, producing the fruit of the Spirit that certifies to other people that we are really Christians. So let me ask you today, Are you an authentic? Are you a real? Are you a true Christian? Is what you profess, is it certified by God, the Holy Spirit? to be real, to be genuine. You see, whenever God sets His seal upon us, when He places within us the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is the seal, as He does, so He is saying to all around, to the ungodly world, this person is an authentic, certified Christian. This person is a citizen of the kingdom of God. This person is a member of the family of God. Never a painting is examined to ascertain its authenticity. It is often the signature of the artist that is first examined. If the signature is genuine, then the painting is genuine. So let me ask you, could God put his signature to your lifestyle? Could God put his name to how you're living in this world? Could he be able to hold us up and say, this is an authentic Christian. This is how a real Christian is to live in this world. Look at what they watch. Look at what they wear. Look at where they go. Look at whom they have association with. Look at whom they have affiliation with. This is what a genuine Christian is. Would it please God to put His signature to your name, to your life, to your home? This is a challenge for this preacher. and for you in this house today. None of us have attained to perfection. And yet God, he would want to identify himself with you and me. And so let us strive to live holy lives. Let us strive to live separated lives. And let us say to the world, I am a Christian. I am a believer. I am a follower of Jesus Christ. And may God be able to say to the world, these are my children and this is what a Christian ought to be. Would God be able to take us and use us to authenticate Christianity to an ungodly world around us? Would he be able to do that? May God challenge our hearts. There is a thought of authentication, or the thought of certification, and then there is a thought of ownership. He places his seal upon us, and he does so in order to own us. The sealing of the Holy Spirit sets us apart as God's property, and we're set apart to be his property. We're brought out of the world, and we're brought onto Christ, set apart Belonging now to God, not belonging to ourselves, but belonging to Him, exclusively, to the exclusion of all other things. I am now His child. I am now a member of His family. I am now God's. Now in the scripture, the Christian is seen to be God's possession. That's presented to us A number of times 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 9, Titus 2 verse 14 describes the people of God as a peculiar people. Now we must not think peculiar is speaking of odd, I've mentioned this before, that's not the meaning of the word, but rather it is a possessed people or a people of possession. They are His by possession. We are God's possession. 2 Corinthians 6 verse 16, God has said, I will dwell with them and will walk with them and that I will be their God and they shall be my people. God has a people. Whenever the Holy Spirit, when He places His seal upon them, He's marking them out as God's possession. One who belongs to Him entirely and eternally. The Spirit's seal declares the transaction of salvation is now official and thank God it's final and thus the Holy Spirit is God's guarantee that we are God's people and we are God's property. See each Spurgeon said the very fact that we possess the Spirit of God is God's testimony and seal in us that we are His. What a blessing to belong to Christ, to be one of His children. To know that whenever He returns again, we'll be part of that great gathering spoken of there in Malachi 3 verse 17. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in the day that I make up my jewels. We belong to Christ, we're His property, and because we're His, Let me ask you, child of God, do you think that God is going to be negligent in keeping you through this life and through death and right beyond into eternity? Surely not. Surely if we belong to God, he'll never cast us off. If we're His possession, He'll keep us until that great day. And thank God, such is affirmed in the Word of God. Psalm 94 verse 14, For the Lord will not cast off His people, neither will He forsake His inheritance. John 18, 19, Of them which thou gavest me I have lost none, none lost. Hebrews 13, 5, I will never leave thee. nor forsake thee. I am His, the witness of the Spirit, the indwelling of the Spirit, now the sealing by the Spirit of God, witnesses to my heart that I belong to Christ. Let me ask you, have you got that witness? Have you that assurance today? Have you known the sealing of the Holy Spirit, that you're His possession? The thirdly, When He places His seal upon us, He does so to secure us. to secure us having been sealed by the Holy Spirit, such acts as God's guarantee of our ultimate salvation, our final redemption. God, the Holy Spirit, he preserves and he protects us from all of sin's corruption, a corruption that if it was be left unchallenged within our lives, would see to our spiritual demise. But thank God he's working in us to do what? to make us like Christ, that we might die more and more unto sin, and to live on to righteousness. And as He has taken up residency within the life of every child of God, there's no prospect then, no prospect whatsoever that any of God's children will ever be lost, for if we could be lost, He would be lost. And such can never take place. And so by the sealing, by the indwelling of the Spirit, It brings with it the blessed assurance that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. One preacher put it, there is no such thing as falling from grace in the ultimate sense. If we have the Holy Spirit, we have received the Spirit, He is an absolute guarantee of our final preservation, our ultimate security, and nothing and no one can pluck us out of the hands of God. The presence of the Holy Spirit in us as a seal is that guarantee to us. The Spirit seals or confirms to me that salvation and Christ are mine. He keeps me. He owns me. As His child, He will allow nothing to harm me, but rather that which will help me, because He is a gracious and a good God. So let me close with a challenge, and let me close with a word of comfort, with respect to the sealing of the Holy Spirit. Word of challenge, It's found in our third reference, Ephesians chapter 4, verse 30. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Grieve him not. Grieve him not this week. Grieve him not this day. Give God his day, his rightful place. Grieve him not in the places that you go. Grieve him not in the things that you think. Grieve him not in the things that you say this week. Grieve him not by living a worldly life. Do not grieve this Spirit, this Spirit, the Spirit of God, whereby we've been sealed unto the day of redemption, but instead of grieving Him, let us love Him, let us honor Him, let us obey Him, let us be led by Him, let us be led and guided by this Holy Spirit of promise. What about the word of comfort? Well, Ephesians 1, verse 14. Speaking of the Holy Spirit, we are told that this Spirit, the Holy Spirit, is the earnest of our inheritance. He's a down payment. We would say He's the first installment He's the pledge of all that God has guaranteed to do for the child of God. And what does He promise to do? Whom He justifies them, He also glorifies. And this, the Holy Spirit dwelling within the child of God, this is God's down payment. It's His guarantee that we'll enter into the full possession of the inheritance that is laid up for us by God. What we presently know, what we presently experience when it comes to our salvation is simply a foretaste. It's just a little appetizer. all that awaits for us in glory and so child of God having been sealed by the spirit journey homeward journey onward journey upward with heart encouraged that whom God has sealed whom God has saved and whom God has sealed Thank God he will bring through to glory itself. Maybe you're not a Christian. Really all I've said today has no much relevance to you in your spiritual state. I know that God would save you today and then seal you by his spirit. Bring to you these blessings and this comfort of soul that I am his, I am his by possession. that he has authenticated his work in me. How do I know that you're a Christian? Well, only the Lord knows them that are his. But surely the fruit of the Spirit, walking after God and holiness, walking away from the world and its sin, that surely gives authenticity to what you profess in your life. And then what about this thought of being secure? kept by God, of God's seal upon me. You see, what God has decreed, this seal, this seal says that the purpose cannot be changed. God has sealed me. Therefore, his purpose for me, to bring me to glory, cannot be reversed. His purposes stand fast. I'm secure, kept by God. Oh, to come into that blessed experience that God would save you and seal you today by His Holy Spirit. May God be pleased to do such a work within your soul for Christ's sake. Amen. Let's bow our heads in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee that we have been those redeemed, have been sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise. We recognize, O God, that no devil, no man can tamper. No man or no devil can overrule what God has purposed. For it has been set and it has been sealed by God. Therefore, O God, we rejoice today that we're being kept by the power of God. And we thank thee that today that that which thou hast purposed for us, not only in this life, but in that which lies beyond the grave, we'll find its full completion and manifestation when we find ourselves beyond the gate of Pearl. and we find our feet standing upon streets of gold. Therefore, O God, may we leave this house encouraged. May we, O God, live, dear Father, as those who are owned by God. May we reflect that ownership in how we live and what we do in every area of our lives. May, O God, we bring glory to thee, and may God be able to hold us hold us forth as an example of authentic Christianity. Lord, take my life, forgive me of my sin, help me, dear God, to bear the image of Christ in a much clearer way than what I have been, and help us, O Father, to be those who are epistles read of all men. Grant help, we pray, for we offer our petitions in and through the Savior's precious name. Amen and amen. Thank you.