Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit
Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit
I went to pick up my clothes from the cleaners yesterday Sunday. I had just finished listening to a sermon on the car radio by Pastor Lon Solomon. He had encouraged people to make the right choices this day, week and their lives as a way to identify with Jesus being the center of their lives. Here I am, excited with this encouraging message and now leaving the dry cleaner to drive home. I joined the road and needed to head the opposite direction to get home. To do so, I stayed on the left lane and entered an exit that takes you into a shopping center. I thought this is my opportunity to make a U-turn until I saw the sign that says no U-turn. Guess what I did? I made the U-turn. Instantly pastor Lon’s admonition about making the right choice flashed all over me. I could not believe what I had just done. I felt shamed and sorrowful. I also became a living an example of rebellion and saw what was in my heart. I had just grieved the Holy Spirit of God that was saying do the right thing. I quickly repented and asked God to forgive me. Will I do so again? Please pray for me for empowerment and obedience.
As we continue with our study of Ephesians 4, Paul touches on some specific behaviors for us to stop (lying, anger, bitterness, malice, stealing, profanity, evil speaking); and others to adopt and practice more (kindness, tenderness and forgiving). Let’s listen to Ephesians 4:22-32:
…put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,”[e] for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”:[f] do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
We could spend years analyzing and dissecting each of these vices- lying, wrath, anger, clamor, malice, evil speaking, unforgiveness. When we engage in any one of them, we end up grieving the Holy Spirit that lives inside of us. Yes we need to understand what it means not to lie but rather speak the truth to one another in love. It means no shading of truth for my own advantage; withholding truth when it needs to be spoken. The reason to speak the truth to each other in the body of Christ (not that we can lie to other siders), is because “we are members of one another”. Nobody should lie to themselves. Your brain does not tell your feet, you are not bleeding and don’t get treatment if you have just had a major accident on your feet. Lying is of the devil because he is the father of lies. But Jesus who died for us and the Holy Spirit that resides in us is the TRUTH. If you do not blink before you lie, then you need to examine the spirit in you because it is not of God. We are talking about lying as a lifestyle such as is practiced by people who have not been redeemed by Christ.
What about anger? We can get angry but we should not get ballistic or “postal” and sin in the midst. O yes, someone will rub us the wrong way and in the wrong spot. It is bound to happen. We get angry because we want justice. We want someone to pay for what they have done to us so we avenge in various forms and it spirals to bitterness, clamor, and malice. We all have PhDs in this process. It is our human nature we received from Adam. Now Christ has paid our punishments for what we did to God. All that the Lord is asking us is that we allow him to continue to pay for the punishment of those who have hurt us. He took ours and he can take other people’s punishment too. Let’s not give them what they deserve because we did not get what we justly deserved – death everlasting.
Bitterness is not sweet. It means you are bitter and no one was to taste you or what you have. Bitterness is “the resentful spirit that refuses reconciliation”. Have you been around one who is bitter? I have. It was me. It was you. The Holy Spirit says, please put it away. Are you bitter right now toward another? Please give it up before you give the devil a foothold and he will harass you. Some are physically very sick because of bitterness. Bitterness is poison intended for another but kills the buyer.
Now back to my U-turn episode. First, there was a reason for the no U-turn sign. It is actually for my protection because it would be a sharp U-turn and if another car was coming at full speed, one may not be able to complete the U-turn. I also realized that it was God’s grace on me that no car was coming and that I was safe even upon my disobedience. I realized what Paul meant when He said God’s grace will teach us unto obedience. “11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” Titus 2:11-14.
You see, God’s grace has been poured out on us abundantly for everything we need in living righteously and holy lives. Jesus is that Grace and He has taught us and still teaching us to be like Him. When Jesus comes into us, (when we put on the “new man”), His nature takes over and He speaks to us and encourages us to obedience.
I must recognize and admit that my heritage is sin and that there is nothing good in me. Until such, Christ cannot come into my life. When Christ comes, He gives me a new nature, His heritage which is Holiness. I can now operate and live in my new nature – Holiness and righteousness. Jesus, through the power of His Spirit will continue to work in me until “Christ is formed in me” Galatians 4:19. This gives me great hope and peace to continue in Christ. There is now no condemnation to those in Christ.
It even gets better as I know this truth: “12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12-13. I thank God He is doing all the work of obedience in me “to will and to do”. My badge and sign is “Work in Progress”. What about you? We must work it out in “fear (reverence) and trembling” because our God loves us too much to leave us the way we were. Let’s not grieve Him. Are we going to fail? Yes from time to time. But we are no failures, so let us learn from them and keep growing toward the fullness of Christ, unto maturity. Amen
I went to pick up my clothes from the cleaners yesterday Sunday. I had just finished listening to a sermon on the car radio by Pastor Lon Solomon. He had encouraged people to make the right choices this day, week and their lives as a way to identify with Jesus being the center of their lives. Here I am, excited with this encouraging message and now leaving the dry cleaner to drive home. I joined the road and needed to head the opposite direction to get home. To do so, I stayed on the left lane and entered an exit that takes you into a shopping center. I thought this is my opportunity to make a U-turn until I saw the sign that says no U-turn. Guess what I did? I made the U-turn. Instantly pastor Lon’s admonition about making the right choice flashed all over me. I could not believe what I had just done. I felt shamed and sorrowful. I also became a living an example of rebellion and saw what was in my heart. I had just grieved the Holy Spirit of God that was saying do the right thing. I quickly repented and asked God to forgive me. Will I do so again? Please pray for me for empowerment and obedience.
As we continue with our study of Ephesians 4, Paul touches on some specific behaviors for us to stop (lying, anger, bitterness, malice, stealing, profanity, evil speaking); and others to adopt and practice more (kindness, tenderness and forgiving). Let’s listen to Ephesians 4:22-32:
…put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,”[e] for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”:[f] do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
We could spend years analyzing and dissecting each of these vices- lying, wrath, anger, clamor, malice, evil speaking, unforgiveness. When we engage in any one of them, we end up grieving the Holy Spirit that lives inside of us. Yes we need to understand what it means not to lie but rather speak the truth to one another in love. It means no shading of truth for my own advantage; withholding truth when it needs to be spoken. The reason to speak the truth to each other in the body of Christ (not that we can lie to other siders), is because “we are members of one another”. Nobody should lie to themselves. Your brain does not tell your feet, you are not bleeding and don’t get treatment if you have just had a major accident on your feet. Lying is of the devil because he is the father of lies. But Jesus who died for us and the Holy Spirit that resides in us is the TRUTH. If you do not blink before you lie, then you need to examine the spirit in you because it is not of God. We are talking about lying as a lifestyle such as is practiced by people who have not been redeemed by Christ.
What about anger? We can get angry but we should not get ballistic or “postal” and sin in the midst. O yes, someone will rub us the wrong way and in the wrong spot. It is bound to happen. We get angry because we want justice. We want someone to pay for what they have done to us so we avenge in various forms and it spirals to bitterness, clamor, and malice. We all have PhDs in this process. It is our human nature we received from Adam. Now Christ has paid our punishments for what we did to God. All that the Lord is asking us is that we allow him to continue to pay for the punishment of those who have hurt us. He took ours and he can take other people’s punishment too. Let’s not give them what they deserve because we did not get what we justly deserved – death everlasting.
Bitterness is not sweet. It means you are bitter and no one was to taste you or what you have. Bitterness is “the resentful spirit that refuses reconciliation”. Have you been around one who is bitter? I have. It was me. It was you. The Holy Spirit says, please put it away. Are you bitter right now toward another? Please give it up before you give the devil a foothold and he will harass you. Some are physically very sick because of bitterness. Bitterness is poison intended for another but kills the buyer.
Now back to my U-turn episode. First, there was a reason for the no U-turn sign. It is actually for my protection because it would be a sharp U-turn and if another car was coming at full speed, one may not be able to complete the U-turn. I also realized that it was God’s grace on me that no car was coming and that I was safe even upon my disobedience. I realized what Paul meant when He said God’s grace will teach us unto obedience. “11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works” Titus 2:11-14.
You see, God’s grace has been poured out on us abundantly for everything we need in living righteously and holy lives. Jesus is that Grace and He has taught us and still teaching us to be like Him. When Jesus comes into us, (when we put on the “new man”), His nature takes over and He speaks to us and encourages us to obedience.
I must recognize and admit that my heritage is sin and that there is nothing good in me. Until such, Christ cannot come into my life. When Christ comes, He gives me a new nature, His heritage which is Holiness. I can now operate and live in my new nature – Holiness and righteousness. Jesus, through the power of His Spirit will continue to work in me until “Christ is formed in me” Galatians 4:19. This gives me great hope and peace to continue in Christ. There is now no condemnation to those in Christ.
It even gets better as I know this truth: “12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12-13. I thank God He is doing all the work of obedience in me “to will and to do”. My badge and sign is “Work in Progress”. What about you? We must work it out in “fear (reverence) and trembling” because our God loves us too much to leave us the way we were. Let’s not grieve Him. Are we going to fail? Yes from time to time. But we are no failures, so let us learn from them and keep growing toward the fullness of Christ, unto maturity. Amen
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