Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Years ago, Stevie Wonder sang a song titled, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours." That song popped into my thoughts out of nowhere while reading Ephesians 1:3-14 and as I was coming to the end of this passage in The Message. Here's why. Paul wrote "{13} It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free — signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. {14} This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life."

As I remember the the song started out something like this:

Like a fool I went and stayed too long

Now Im wondering if your loves still strong

Oo baby, here I am, signed, sealed delivered, I'm yours

Between that song and then thinking about what I had just read in The Message, I started thinking about being a fool in love with Christ instead of just a fool, foolishly in love as a teenager. What a difference! Being a fool in Christ these past 34 years has been a blessing for me that I would not trade for anything. The words "in Christ" or "in him" are mentioned five times in this passage. Verse 8 says that he thought of everything and provided everything that we would need. Verses 13 and 14 says that all we read in these verses are sealed by the Holy Spirit - "signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit.

Your signature is very important. With it, documents and contracts are signed. With it, bank accounts are opened and closed. With it checks are written. With it checks are cashed. The Holy Spirit is God's signature for you.

In Paul's day kings and important officials would seal their letters with wax and implanted signet ring. This seal made the document official. It was a sign of authenticity. What God has done "in Christ" is real! He has made it official by the seal of the Holy Spirit.

It's not enough that a document be signed or even stamped with a seal. It needs to be deliered. That is the final most important action of all. Paul is emphasizing that the Holy Spirit delivers on God's promises. And there is more coming!