Grieve Not the Spirit
Minister: | Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: | 5/15/2016 PM |
Text: | Ephesians 4:30 |
Psalters: | 367, 325, 254, 143 |
Applicatory to the Lord's Supper |
- The sad reality.
- The implication is that the Spirit of Christ is in every believer (Rom. 8:9), taking up residence in us.
- God places His Spirit in believers so their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (I Cor. 3:16; 6:19).
- Further, the Spirit’s presence within us seals us “unto the day of redemption.”
- And the Spirit is our Shepherd, unceasingly keeping us, watching over our souls until He returns.
- It is “the Spirit, the Holy One of God” (literal word order) who is grieved (caused pain, to hurt, know sorrow, be saddened).
- Three powerful and clear implications from the text.
- While eternally God (not dependent on anything outside of Himself), the Spirit is affected by us and our experiences.
- The implication is that the Spirit of Christ is in every believer (Rom. 8:9), taking up residence in us.
- How do we grieve the Spirit, the Holy One of God? By doing anything that is not holy!
- This includes any deed of the flesh (listed in vs. 12 ff and in Gal. 5:19ff).
- We grieve the Spirit whenever we do not realize His presence in us.
- We grieve Him when we do not follow His prompting and influences.
- There are three reasons we ought not grieve the Spirit, the Holy One of God.
- First, because of who and what He is, viz., the greatness of His person (God) and the holiness of His being.
- Second, because such grieving affects our enjoyment of salvation.
- Third, because we desire the grand end, namely, the glory of God.