This Is Who You Are: Blessed, Chosen, Redeemed, and Sealed!

It’s been a powerful first week of studying Ephesians in our D-group study.

His grace continues to redefine who we are. The more we get to know God, the more we discover who He created us to be. The world is always coming at us with who we ‘should’ be or telling us lies about who we really are. But thankfully, God has given us a weapon to fight these attacks: His Powerful Word—the Sword of The Spirit (Ephesians 6:17).

1. Blessed

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I hate to admit what I used to do. But here it goes. I used to obey God and do as many good works as I could to receivemore of His blessings. Ugh, I know, so gross. I misinterpreted many Old Testament passages, which led me to take the performance mindset I learned in the world and bring it into my faith walk. I set out on the performance path in search of "blessing treasures." I was a blessings treasure hunter, bound (literally) and determined to do whatever I could to secure more treasure. It was all up to me, after all, so I couldn't let up.

But guess what God just showed me. He has already given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

EVERY spiritual blessing.

Every SPIRITUAL blessing.

And that’s where I had gotten it wrong. I was running and chasing after worldly treasures when He had already given me every spiritual treasure I would ever need. There is nothing wrong with worldly treasures, but ultimately they don’t satisfy like His eternal treasures.

My girls would love to eat sugar all day every day, but I know it won’t provide them the physical nourishment they need to grow and feel good. Our Heavenly Father is an even better parent. Often we don’t get the worldly treasures we think we WANT (which often wouldn't be good for us or satisfy us anyway), but that’s only because He knows the spiritual and eternal blessings we NEED that will actually satisfy and nourish our souls.

We don’t need to be a worldly treasure hunter. We just need to be an eternal grace receiver.

We don’t need to be trying so hard to grasp the things of this world. We just need to open our hands to receive the blessings He has already given us.

And Jesus is the biggest blessing and treasure of all. His powerful grace once again calls us to rest in His presence and get off the performance path.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭44‬ ‭ESV‬‬

2. Chosen Child of God

“even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“Election sets the soul on fire with enthusiastic delight in God.” - Charles Spurgeon

Chosen. Elected. Predestined.

God chose you before the foundation of the world. God chose YOU. He chose you to be adopted into His family! You don’t have to hustle for love, praise, and acceptance, because you already have His. And His love and acceptance is the only one that will satisfy your soul.

Chasing after the world’s love and acceptance will destroy your soul, but resting in His love and acceptance heals your soul.

God chose to adopt you completely based on His own decision; it has nothing to do with your ‘good deeds’ or behavior. Wow. That makes grace even more valuable to me, knowing it’s 100% based on His doing. I used to think, "Well, I did this or that, so that’s why God decided to choose me or bless me this way"—a reward for my good works. But no. That’s not true. He chose me before the foundation of the world, before I was born, before I could ever talk, before I could ever try to perform. The decision was made.

Knowing that I have zero to do with why God chose and adopted me as His daughter and blesses me with His love, grace, and every spiritual blessing is now incredible to me. I’m filled with abundant joy, gratitude, and praise for my amazing Heavenly Father. I can really, truly, and completely stop and rest.

“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

And not only are you chosen to be adopted, but now that you’re legally part of the family, you’re also in the Will and will get a glorious inheritance of eternal life with God. If you believe in Jesus, you’re in the Will that was sealed with His Blood, and it cannot be changed. It is finished. It is set—you are His daughter, and nothing will ever change that.

3. Redeemed

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

You are redeemed!

The enemy tried to steal you away and make you a slave to darkness, but for everyone he steals, God posts a ransom notice. Jesus saw that ransom notice, and He paid the highest price for you—the price of His blood—to release you from slavery and set you free!

In Exodus 12, God told the Israelites to take the blood of a lamb and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the house, and the blood would be a sign. When God saw it, He would pass over their house, and no plague or harm would fall on them as God came to strike the land of Egypt so that His people would be set free from slavery.

Now, we have the blood of Jesus that does the same thing for all who believe in Him. His blood covers, protects, and purchases you from the slavery of darkness and transfers you into His Kingdom of Light! You are free, and it’s time to walk out of the prison cell of shame and into His light!

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“We’re free to become the people we were created to be, made in the image of Christ. And although we often wander back into the filthiness of our cells to sin like slaves, the door to the cell has been permanently opened by Jesus, who patiently keeps walking us out into the light again.” - Richard Coekin, Ephesians for You

• Free from fear

• Free from guilt & shame

• Free from the pressures of performance

• Free from people-pleasing

• Free from the heavy armor of perfectionism

• Free from addiction

• Free from anxiety

FREE, FREE, FREE

• Free to receive His love that casts out all fear (1 John 4:18)

• Free to receive forgiveness and let His blood wash away all guilt & shame

• Free to just be

• Free to say no and rest

• Free to make mistakes, learn, and have fun like being a kid again

• Free to no longer need anything to satisfy us but Jesus

• Free to experience the simple joy and peace of His presence

• Free to fly!

• Free to finally be me!

4. Sealed

“In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

After Christ redeemed and purchased you by His blood, the Holy Spirit marked you with His seal—a stamp on your soul of permanent ownership. You belong to God.

The seal also marks His constant protection.

Permanent Ownership + Constant Protection = Safe, Secure, and Saved from Hell to Heaven

Wow, now we can rest secure and have great hope because our future in Heaven with Jesus is a guarantee.

It also says the Holy Spirit is a "guarantee" or a "deposit" of what’s to come. He is just the appetizer—a mouthwatering foretaste of what experiencing God’s presence in heaven will be like. Can you imagine what the wedding feast will be like and being in His personal presence?

My most favorite appetizer in the entire world is… wait for it….the bread basket.

I know, so silly! But I usually eat gluten-free bread (which is never the same), and so when we go out for a special dinner, I always splurge for the bread basket. Our favorite place has the most amazing sourdough roll and homemade butter, or this warm orange croissant roll that is just to die for. Bread makes my heart and soul happy (… and "bread to give them strength." Psalm 104:15).

And that’s what the Holy Spirit does. He is the one who serves us the “appetizer” of Jesus, who is the true Bread of Life (John 6:35). The Holy Spirit gives us a taste of His goodness now, satisfying us completely as a deposit of the full feast to come.

You are sealed and marked with the Holy Spirit. He has RSVP’d us to the biggest and best dinner party and future in paradise. We’re on the list, and we’re getting in! I can’t wait!

I hope and pray...

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬-‭20‬ ESV‬‬.

His grace changes everything!

With love, grace, and peace,

Jessica Grace Pegram