WE ARE GOD'S POSSESSION BECAUSE WE HEARD THE GOSPEL AND BELIEVED

Proclamation:

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.”  Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Apostle Paul under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to the believers in Ephesus. (Ephesians 1:1-2)  After greeting them, Paul began praising God for the blessings which He had bestowed upon him and them. (Ephesians 1:3-10)  Then he stated that they were chosen and predestined according to God’s plan. (Ephesians 1:11-12)  He made it clear that they were God’s possession from the moment that they heard the gospel and believed. (Ephesians 1:13-14)  The Holy Spirit which they had received was like a down payment which secured them for The Lord God until the day of redemption.  He ends this first chapter stating that he prays and gives thanks for them.

Application:

While this letter was written to the believers in Ephesus, it also applies to us today.  The moment that we heard The Word of God preached and believed it, we also became God’s possessions.  We have been chosen and we each have work to do which will give God glory. (Ephesians 1:11-12)  We have been signed for, our names have been written in The Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:27)  We have been sealed by The Holy Spirit.  Now we are signed, sealed, and awaiting delivery when we meet Him in the air. (1 Thessalonians 4:17)