How To And How Not To Grieve The Holy Spirit

Do not Grieve or Quench the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 4:29

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

When born-again believers continue to “conform to the ways of this world” (Romans 12:2) imagine how the Holy Spirit must feel! When we refuse to put off the former way of life but instead choose to embrace the old self that is being corrupted by its deceitful desires (Ephesians 4:22-24), would not the Spirit of truth (John 16:13) find our indulgences to be highly offensive? Would not being a first-hand witness to our unholiness grieve the Spirit who knows the dark mountains of chastisement and the lack of communion with God that we will suffer due to our refusal to put off the old self? Would not the complacency of those whom were bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:20) grieve the Spirit who was present when the “perfector of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2) was mocked (Matthew 27:27-31), beaten, spit on and crucified on a tree (Matthew 27:27-31; John 19:1)? And would the Spirit be grieved knowing our sin keeps us from obtaining the fullness of Christ (Colossians 2:6-15) and the miraculous things (John 14:12-14) that we as His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20) and royal priests (1 Peter 2:9) are enabled to perform? This sermon is going start by looking at the roles of the Spirit and finish with the causes of grieving Him.

Grieving the Holy Spirit

There is a close connection between the believer and the Spirit of God. Before Jesus returned to heaven, He promised to send us an Advocate who would “guide us into the truth” (John 16:13) by “teaching us all things that Jesus said” while here on this earth (John 14:26). He is the Author of Scripture (1 Peter 1:21) and as such has a ministry of convicting humanity of sin, righteousness and judgement (John 16:8). The Spirit is the prominent agent in the outworking of our progressive sanctification (Romans 8:14; Romans 5:5) and is the one who assures the believer he/he is a child of God (Romans 8:16). The Spirit indwells and seals the believer as part of God’s family with a glorious inheritance both in the present and upon the Lord’s return. Believers can only know God through the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:11-16) whom “helps us in our weakness by interceding for us with wordless groans” (Romans 8:26). Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:18) whom is grieved by our shortcomings and sins.

Offenses Against the Holy Spirit

Once a person becomes born again and sealed by the Holy Spirit, God expects them to put off the old self and become righteous (Ephesians 4:22-24). Before one was born again one’s thinking and understanding concerning God was futile due the darkness and hardening of one’s heart (Ephesians 4:18). Having perceived the cross as mere foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18) one gave oneself over to all forms of sensuality to indulge in every kind of impurity (Ephesians 4:19) so that one might gratify one’s sinful desires (Galatians 5:16; James 4:1-3). Once one accepts Jesus into his/her heart that person undergoes a radical transformation process in which he/she becomes born again not of flesh and blood but of the Spirit who enters that person and seals him/her as a child of God’s family (John 1:9-13). When this happens, God expects that person to put off this old self of sin and put on one of righteousness (Ephesians 4:24). While born-again believers cannot become sinless (1 John 1:8), what grieves the Holy Spirit the most is not just the sins one commits but the perception that confession is merely the means of obtaining absolution from punishment but not the catalyst to put on new garments of righteousness! The following section is going to discuss some of the sins that we covet and wear daily that grieve the Holy Spirit tremendously!

Unwholesome Talk and Slander. To the church of Ephesus Paul stated they we are to “not let any unwholesome talk come of their mouths but only what is helpful in building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those that listen” (1:29). Unwholesome speech are any words that “rotten” or corrupt our witness of a holy God. When a tongue of a Christian is one that lies, gossips, slanders and is abusive and vulgar it defiles their witness and grieves the Spirit of truth whom testifies with our spirit that such speech is a sin against the holiness of God! When one’s words are that of complaining, sneering, cynical and sarcastic they do not reflect our new self of righteousness but the old self that was discontent and frustrated that it could not obtain any lasting happiness from gratifying its own sinful pleasures! Apostle James warns us that the tongue can be a consuming fire, corrupting the whole person (James 3:6). Speech can also be a powerful tool in spreading the Gospel message. When we allow the Spirit to keep our minds focused on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable (Philippians 4:8) the Spirit will bless our human words of edification because they genuinely reflect our desire to imitate the very words of Christ! If we do not want to grieve the Spirit our words need to reflect the truth and love of the Holy Spirit!