Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20060319.htm

THE BIBLICAL SPIRITUAL CHRISTIAN LIFE
Part II: Relating Properly To God The Holy Spirit As Believers
A. Heeding God's Admonition To "Grieve Not" The Holy Spirit
(Ephesians 4:30)
  1. Introduction
    1. The permanent indwelling ministry of God the Holy Spirit, God's priceless, eternal Gift to us who trust in Christ as Savior, provides many wonderful ministries for our blessing as we learned in our last lesson.
    2. Thus motivated to want to relate properly to the Holy Spirit, we view Ephesians 4:30 where God calls us to "grieve not" the Holy Spirit, a charge related to how we relate on the emotional level to one another:
  2. Heeding God's Admonition To "Grieve Not" The Holy Spirit, Ephesians 4:30.
    1. Paul's call emotionally to "grieve not" the Holy Spirit of God in Ephesians 4:30 is couched between two verses that direct us believers to shift from emotionally abusive to edifying ways of relating to each other:
      1. On either side of Ephesians 4:30, in Ephesians 4:29 and 4:31, Paul noted the "Holy Spirit is grieved or pained by sin, especially the sins of the tongue, cf. Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to Eph. 4:30.
      2. Besides the sins of the tongue, Paul mentions sins in attitude and action with the KJV description of "bitterness, clamour and malice" in Ephesians 4:31.
    2. Thus, Paul revealed in Ephesians 4:30 that the Holy Spirit Who indwells and seals the believer identifies very closely with the emotional feelings believers have as they relate to one another! [Incidentally, the fact the Holy Spirit can be EMOTIONALLY grieved indicates He is a PERSON of the godhead!]
    3. Accordingly, to heed God's call to "grieve not" the Holy Spirit who indwells and permanently seals us until the "day of redemption" when we are raptured (Rom. 8:23b with Eph. 4:30), we Christians must watch that we emotionally edify rather than abuse each other as we are each sealed by the Holy Spirit:
      1. Paul exhorted his readers to shift away from emotionally damaging thoughts, words and actions.
        1. In Ephesians 4:29, Paul admonished believers in Christ not to speak unwholesome (literally "rotten" from the Greek term, sapros, cf. Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament , p. 637) words.
        2. Then, in Ephesians 4:31, believers were to stop being harsh with one another, and Paul used the word "bitterness" (KJV) from the Greek term, pikria that means "harshness, embitteredness," cf. U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1963 ed., p. 673; Moulton & Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Grk. N. T., p. 512.
        3. Also, they were to rid themselves of "outbursts of anger'" (thumos) and a "settled feeling of anger'" together with "shouting or clamor'" (kraugay ), "slander" (blasphemia) and "malice", i.e., "ill will, wickedness'", Eph. 4:31 (Ibid., Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament).
      2. In place of these emotionally damaging thoughts, words and actions, Paul's readers were to put on a whole new, emotionally edifying set of thoughts, words and actions as follows, Ephesians 4:32a:
        1. Paul's readers were to be "kind" , or chraystoi, meaning "what is suitable for fitting to a need," Ibid.
        2. Paul's readers were to be "compassionate" (eusplanchnoi, "inner emotions of affection") Ibid.
        3. Paul's readers were to be "forgiving," "being gracious'" (charizomai means "to give freely, graciously as a favor'"), Ibid.
      3. Such a new way of relating to one another was made obligatory for the believer as God had graciously forgiven the believer based on Christ's work on the cross in his behalf, Ephesians 4:32b!
Lesson: As we believers are sealed by the Holy Spirit of God until the rapture, we must not hurt each other's feelings by abusive thoughts, words or actions lest we hurt the feelings of the Holy Spirit Who closely identifies with each believer! Rather, we are obliged to follow the example of God in Christ to us by being emotionally edifying in thought, word and deed!

Application: (1) God calls us to "grieve not" the indwelling Holy Spirit that we not hurt His feelings. (2) We do so by not emotionally hurting other believers whom the Spirit seals and with whom He emotionally identifies. We avoid hurting one another as follows: (a) in place of abusive thoughts, words and deeds toward one another, (b) in the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:3-4; Gal. 5:16), (c) we think, say and do (+) what is suitable or fitting to meet the emotional needs of each other; (+) we exhibit inner emotions of affection for one another and (+) we forgive and give freely, graciously to each other.