GRIEVING THE HOLY SPIRIT

“.... And grieve not the Holy Spirit, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption". -   Ephesians 4:30.  

By PHIL MOORE

GRIEVE NOT THE HOLY SPIRIT

These words of the apostle contain a most serious and affectionate exhortation to this purpose, "Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed to the day of redemption."

Said John Wesley, The Spirit of God, is called the "Holy" Spirit because He makes us so (i.e. holy). He is the great fountain of holiness to the church; and from Him flows all the grace and virtue by which the stains of guilt are cleansed, thereby renewing in us holy dispositions, and traits, so that we may once again bear the image of our Creator.

Why is it so important that we know what grieves the Holy Spirit, so that we may avoid doing so? Here are just a few reasons:

1. "The prince of the power of evil can only be held in check by the power of God in the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit." (Evangelism, p. 617).

2. It is "through the Spirit that we mortify the deeds of the body [the flesh]" - Romans 8:13.
Moreover, only those who "are led by the Spirit of God,... are the sons of God." - Romans 8:14.

3. We can only be raised from the dead "if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in us, [for] he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken our mortal bodies by his Spirit [if it] dwelleth in us." - Romans 8:11.

4. It is "the Spirit [that] helpeth our infirmities... the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." - Romans 8:26.

5. The Holy Spirit is our leader and guide.

6. The Holy Spirit is the great Sanctifier.

7. The Holy Spirit in us produces "The fruits of the Spirit:… love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance."

THEREFORE, those who have the Holy Spirit are filled with Joy, not those other joys that the world gives, but our chief joy: joy in the will of the Lord.

Those who have the Holy Spirit also have “peace,” but those who live in the flesh are full of “variance, emulation, strife," etc. The Spirit loves a calm, equable place—a repose of soul.

The Spirit will quench impatience, peevishness, rudeness, crudeness, coarseness, selfishness and the like, for its fruit is “long-suffering,” “gentleness,” and “goodness.”

Likewise, the Holy Spirit in us will make us opposed to worldly-mindedness—love of money—applause—pleasure—power, for the “faith” given by the Holy Spirit is concerned for spiritual things.

So too, all excesses in sensual indulgence will be absent from those who are Spirit-filled: yeah, they have crucified the carnal nature—the deeds of the flesh, for the Spirit gives them “temperance.”

In light of these things, I shall inquire, then:

i. By what kind of sin He is more especially grieved?
ii. What is the consequence of grieving this Holy being?

i. By what kind of sin is the Holy Spirit particularly grieved?
 

John Wesley wrote:

"We are said to grieve the holy Spirit by our sins, because of his immediate presence with us. "Know ye not your own selves," saith St. Paul, "that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost?" And how are they so, but by his inhabitation and intimate presence with our souls. When, therefore, we set up the idols of earthly inclinations in our hearts, (which are properly his altar,) and bow down ourselves to serve those vicious passions which we ought to sacrifice to his will; this must needs be, in the highest degree, offensive and grievous to him: "for what concord is there between the holy Spirit and Belial? Or what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?"

"And the more frequently we offend him, the more we weaken his influences in our souls; for frequent breaches will necessarily occasion estrangement between us; and it is impossible that our intercourse with him can be cordial, when it is disturbed by repeated interruptions. So a man will forgive his friend a great many imprudences, and some wilful transgressions; but to find him frequently affronting him, all his kindness will wear off by degrees; and the warmth of his affection, even towards him who had once the greatest share of it, will die away; as he cannot but think that such a one does not any longer either desire or deserve to maintain a friendship with him."

"A sickly, dwarfed religion," wrote Ellen White "is the result of neglecting to follow the REVEALED LIGHT OF THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD."  (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, p. 192).

Things that Grieve the Holy Spirit in God's SDA people today?

1.The music we listen to.

"The things you have described as taking place in Indiana, the Lord has shown me would take place just before the close of probation. Every uncouth thing will be demonstrated. There will be shouting, with drums, music, and dancing. The senses of rational beings will become so confused that they cannot be trusted to make right decisions. And this is called the moving of the Holy Spirit.

"The Holy Spirit never reveals itself in such methods, in such a bedlam of noise. This is an invention of Satan to cover up his ingenious methods for making of none effect the pure, sincere, elevating, ennobling, sanctifying truth for this time. Better never have the worship of God blended with music, than to use musical instruments to do the work which last January was represented to me would be brought into our camp meetings. The truth for this time needs nothing of this kind in its work of converting souls. A bedlam of noise shocks the senses and perverts that which if conducted aright might be a blessing. The powers of satanic agencies blend with the din and noise, to have a carnival, and this is termed the Holy Spirit's working." E. G. White,  Selected Messages, Vol. 2, 36.

2. Self-sufficiency (which often  manifests itself by rudeness):

"The Holy Spirit is grieved and driven away by the self-sufficiency and rude traits of character which are cherished. These unhallowed elements must be burned out by the Spirit of God. [RH, December 15, 1885 par. 3].


3. Covetousness and not keeping the pledges we make to God:

"Ananias and Sapphira grieved the Holy Spirit by yielding to feelings of covetousness. They began to regret their promise and soon lost the sweet influence of the blessing that had warmed their hearts
with a desire to do large things in behalf of the cause of Christ. They thought they had been too hasty, that they ought to reconsider their decision. They talked the matter over, and decided not to fulfill their
pledge. [The Acts of the Apostles, chap. 7]


4. Idleness, or an unproductive life that produces no returns for the Lord or His cause:

"Work is a blessing, not a curse. A spirit of indolence destroys godliness and grieves the Spirit of God. A stagnant pool is offensive, but a pure, flowing stream spreads health and gladness over the land." [E. G, White, The Acts of the Apostles, chap. 33.]


5. Unsanctified traits and attitudes outlined in Paul's injunctions in Ephesian 4:26-32:

"Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:.... Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you. "

From the above verses, we are given to know several things that WILL grieve the Holy Spirit and lessen His influence upon our lives, namely:

i. corrupt communications—i.e impure or tasteless conversation—even a thought—or a vile song.
ii. bitterness against others (perhaps due to envy, jealousy, difference in opinions, past hurts, etc.)
iii. wrath (intense fury or rage)
iv. anger
v. clamor (fighting for supremacy or to have things done our way)
vi. evil speaking
vii. malice (a lack of good-will toward others)
viii. failing to be tender-hearted
xi. failing to forgive one another (even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven us)

6. Sexual impropriety and other forms of lewdness:

And finally, all impurity in act, word, and deed, will lead to the eventual extinguishing of the light of the Spirit. So too, will a wandering eye offend and expel the Spirit.

ii. What is the Consequence of Grieving the Holy Spirit?

"THE Holy Spirit convinces of sin, and regenerates and sanctifies the soul. It applies and makes available the provision made for man's salvation by the death of Christ. Its agency is indispensable, because men are "without strength" —are " dead in sins"—because they have neither inclination nor ability to become holy.’… The Holy Spirit visits all men, and dwells in believers.... It "strives with men," but may be resisted, grieved, vexed, quenched, and utterly expelled.” [The Works of Stephen Olin: Sermons and sketches (1852), p. 386.]

Yes, your "sin may attain such an enormity that even the blood of Christ can provide no remedy for it" for says the Apostle Paul, "it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance." [Hebrews, 6:4].

TO CONCLUDE
How far you may have gone in resisting the Spirit, God alone knows, but we do know that probation lingers only a little longer. Therefore, I admonish you to live by the Spirit. Yeah, rather suffer or die than offend Him. For by Him are ye “sealed to the day of [your] redemption."

For the LORD has warned us, "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh...." [Genesis 6:3, 6].