Conflict With The Comforter

“Conflict with the Comforter”

Ephesians 4:1-32

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Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 Quench not the Spirit.

INTRODUCTION: This word grieve means to make sad or sorrowful, to cause pain and is an anthropomorphic expression used to help us to identify with what happens when our behavior as believers is not what it ought to be. Since the Holy Spirit is often associated with fire, to quench the Spirit would be to dampen, damage, diminish or degrade the influence of the Spirit. Our behavior can “put the fire out” so to speak. The Greek word for "put out" or “quench” means to extinguish, to stifle, and to retard. The Holy Spirit throughout Scripture is depicted as a fire. The Apostle is saying, "Don't pour water on that fire."

In Ephesians 4:30 it says, "Grieve not the Holy Spirit." You say, "Well what is the difference between quenching and grieving?" Quenching is what you do to the Spirit, grieving is how He responds to what you did. Grieving speaks of the anguish of the Holy Spirit when a believer quenches the holy fire that He has kindled in the heart. When you quench the Holy Spirit you grieve the Holy Spirit. To be in right relationship to the Lord, we must not quench the Holy Spirit.

I. We grieve the Comforter when are involved in overt sin. They are particularly referred to here; and the meaning of Paul is, that theft, falsehood, anger, and kindred vices, would grieve the Holy Spirit

II. We grieve the Comforter when we are angry. Nothing is more suited to drive away all serious and tender impressions from the mind, than the indulgence of anger.

III. We grieve the Comforter when we have lustful or covetous thoughts and desires. The Spirit of God is pure, and he dwells not in a soul that is filled with corrupt imaginings.

IV. We grieve the Comforter when we are ungrateful. “We” feel ingratitude more than almost anything else; and why should we suppose that the Holy Spirit would not feel it also?

V. We grieve the Comforter when resist His leadership. The Spirit of God is grieved by that. Often he prompts us to pray; he disposes the mind to seriousness, to the perusal of the Bible, to tenderness and penitence. We neglect those favored moments of our piety, and lose those happy seasons for becoming like God.

VI. We grieve the Comforter when we Worship disrespectfully. We are told to worship in spirit and truth but quite often we do neither. When you and I come to worship what is on our minds and hearts? What thoughts are we thinking during the service?

Psalms 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

VII. We grieve the Comforter when we harbor ill will or bear a grudge. Sadly, we often hear Christians express feelings of resentment and even hatred.

VIII. We grieve the Comforter when have unconfessed and unforgiven sin in our hearts.

Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: