Sealed Indeed…To the Uttermost

“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Heb. 7:25

To say that we believe in Jesus and not find ourselves rejoicing continually; despite our trials and difficulties, is hard to imagine in light of this verse. This verse was written for the believer, who lives in the eternal now or ‘Today.’ I say that because there is a sense of eternity in this verse; which bears not only upon how far away a person may be from God, but yet can be saved by His grace, but the verse also speaks to the ability of Christ in His eternal advocacy of God’s children; his nurturing and preservation of those purchased and provided for through the indwelling of His eternal Spirit.

With respect to our Lord’s Eternal Spirit, Octavius Winslow (1808-1878) wrote,

“What a witness, then, the Eternal Spirit for Jesus! He assures the believer that  all he can possibly want is treasured up in Christ, that he has no cross but Christ can bear it, no sorrow but Christ can alleviate it, no corruption but Christ can subdue it, no guilt but Christ can remove it, no sin but Christ can pardon it, no want but Christ can supply it. Lift up your heads, ye poor, ye needy, ye disconsolate!”

Why do we find it so hard to embrace such a great promise? I will tell you truly, I didn’t understand it… not in the heart… soul. Intellectually, yes, I understood the words but it was a paper chase to apply them to my heart. As I sat on my couch… oh, maybe ten months ago Today, I was reading D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones commentary on the Book of Ephesians, and specifically Ephesians 1:12-14, “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 until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”

“After that ye believed…” not concurrent, but after… long after in my case; 40 years. I was sitting not only on the couch but spiritually deadened in the uttermost… sin as dark and thick as I could imagine hell to be… without hope of resurrection… an utterly rejected child of God. It was then I wept as the Eternal Spirit fell upon me as a gentle rain; One who enters and immediately begins to clean house. I didn’t ask for this. As I said, I thought I was hopelessly lost, but that wasn’t God’s plan for this his child. In His grace and love, I was sealed with that holy Spirit of promise… crosses taken, sorrows alleviated, corruptions subdued, guilt removed, sins pardoned; and all that I needed He Today supplied.

Sealed indeed… to the uttermost and living Today.