Grieve Not the Spirit

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