Lord, we stand amazed in the presence of
Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how you could
love us sinners, condemned, unclean.
But you did.
You loved us and gave yourself for us,
and left behind such blessings.
We stand amazed, Lord, that you would come
to live in our hearts and tabernacle with
us, that the tabernacle of God is with
men.
And you promised, Lord, to dwell in
us, and walk in us, and live through
us, and we bless you for it.
And want, Lord, that you might dwell richly
in our heart in an ever greater way.
And pray, Lord, that something this morning in
the meeting and in this sermon might be
a benefit to your dear people.
Amen.
1 Thessalonians 5, verse 19.
We'll just be taking this one simple exhortation.
Do not quench the Spirit.
And you know the parallel.
I'll be referring to that in Ephesians 4,
verse 30.
Ephesians 4, verse 30, there's a little more
substance to it.
It says, do not grieve.
Do not grieve.
Thessalonians, do not quench.
You don't see, essentially, any difference between the
two.
And grieve, you know, sounds a little more
of a person like you're referring to.
Whereas Thessalonians, do not quench, sounds more like
you're dealing with the Spirit.
And so here in Ephesians 4, verse 30,
it says, do not grieve the Holy Spirit
of God, and then a reason by whom
you were sealed for the day of redemption.
So if we weren't going through Thessalonians, I'd
prefer to speak from Ephesians, but I'll be
referring to it interchangeably.
This exhortation is sort of the negative side
of Galatians 5, walk in the Spirit.
There it's stated positively, here it's sort of
stated negatively, do not quench the Spirit.
And this exhortation, by way of a foreword,
you know it presumes something, doesn't it?
It presumes something really big.
It's presuming that you are born of the
Spirit, and the Spirit of God dwells in
you, and that you are a child of
God.
This exhortation only pertains to those who are
born of the Spirit.
Those who have the Spirit of God within
them.
Think of the uniqueness of this call.
Very, very unique.
I mean, it's a reminder that Christianity is
not religion, but it is a very delicate,
intimate relationship with this Person of the Holy
Spirit of God.
Not rules, but a relationship with the Spirit
of God.
Not externals, not ceremonies, not rituals, but a
relationship with this Spirit of God.
And that this business called Christianity is not
centered around us, but rather we're centered around
the Spirit of God.
So we ought to think, we ought to,
and the Christian will, be perpetually, constantly, morning,
noon, and night, thinking about the Spirit of
God.
Thinking about Him who lives in us.
Every thought, every word, every decision, every step,
everything that we're thinking in terms of the
Spirit of God.
That is normal, mere Christianity.
We're walking in the Spirit.
And wanting to be sensitive to this delicate
dove of God that lives within us.
It is amazing, isn't it?
I mean, it's just so much finer, it's
so much more delicate, it's so much more
sensitive than anything that could be written, than
anything that could be spelled out.
It's in between the lines of the sacred
page.
This call to not grieve, to not quench
the Spirit of God.
I mean, I've seen it in the best
of things, you might say.
In singing a song, you can sing it
in such a way as to grieve the
Spirit of God.
That shout that I made this morning, that
little exhortation that I said this morning, I
had the thought afterward, was that flesh or
not?
Did I say it too strongly or not?
Did it grieve the Spirit of God or
not?
In prayer sometimes, our finest prayers, you know,
you come away feeling like, I missed it,
you know, and it was subtle flesh.
It was inadvertent flesh, but it grieved the
Spirit of God.
And so, these things we're talking, this thing
that we're talking about here, how intricate it
is, how delicate it is.
Really, we're talking about the heart of sanctification
here.
This matter of walking with God and not
grieving, not quenching the Spirit of God.
Very distinguishing from all other religions.
And very searching.
And so, I'd like to mention right off
some reasons that we have for not quenching
the Spirit of God.
Some reasons that are given.
There's two reasons.
One is the person or the nature of
Him with whom we have to do.
The very nature of Him with whom we
have to do.
That is, the Spirit of God.
That He is a person and then the
second reason is His work.
And that's brought up in the Ephesians account.
By whom you are sealed to the day
of redemption.
So, His person and His work.
Those are the two big reasons that are
given right here in these sister texts for
not quenching the Spirit of God.
And then finally, we'll talk about some ways
in which the Spirit of God can be
quenched.
The reasons for this call is because of
the nature of Him with whom we have
to do.
I mean, that's only reasonable, isn't it?
I mean, if we're going to talk about
not quenching, not grieving someone, it behooves us
to know something about that person.
I mean, you know, you get around somebody
and you find out a little more of
what they're like.
I'm sorry, I didn't realize that grieves you.
And I didn't realize that's what pleases you.
And so, the more we get to know
the Lord, the more we can see and
understand and the more we understand of what
might be a quenching, a grieving of the
Spirit of God.
And I refer to the Holy Spirit as
a person.
Is that right?
Some people say that the Spirit of God
is not a person, but a force.
You know, the Worldwide Church of God used
to hold that position.
At least they used to.
And others, you know, just the idea that
the Spirit of God is a force and
not a person.
Is that right?
How would you prove it?
Think of it and just scan it in
your mind.
I've listed some reasons right here.
You've probably already seen it.
I'll just list them off very quickly.
One reason is because He is distinguished from
His power.
For example, the prophecy of Mary was, the
Holy Spirit will come upon you and the
power of the Most High will overshadow you.
They are separated.
Acts 10.
Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and
with power.
As though there was a difference there.
Paul says, my preaching was not with enticing
words, but in a demonstration of the Holy
Spirit and of power.
So there's a distinguishing of the Holy Spirit
with this power of the Spirit.
Another reason is the masculine pronoun.
I don't know Greek, but that's what I
read.
He will glorify me.
The masculine pronoun.
So that's personal.
Another reason is the Spirit of God has
a mind.
It says in Romans 8, He who searches
the hearts knows what the mind of the
Spirit is.
Another reason is that He has a will.
It says in Corinthians, that He distributes to
each one individually just as He wills.
A will.
Another reason, that He guides.
He will guide you into all truth.
Another reason, that He teaches.
The Holy Spirit will teach you in that
very hour what you ought to say.
Another reason, that He cries out.
God has sent the Spirit of His Son
into our hearts crying, Abba Father.
It's like you've got some machine and you
put this part on it, and it produces
this sound when it's on that machine.
And so the Holy Spirit has been sent
into our heart, and He in our hearts
produces the cry, Abba Father.
The Spirit of His Son.
And when Jesus was here in the days
of His flesh, that's the way He prayed,
Abba Father.
And so the Spirit of the Son was
crying out.
It doesn't sound like some force, does it?
He speaks.
The Holy Spirit speaks.
Just as the Holy Spirit says.
Revelation says, let him who has ears to
hear, let him hear what the Spirit says
to the churches.
And reveals and searches.
The Spirit searches all things, even the depths
of God.
He strives.
My Spirit shall not always strive with man.
And He intercedes.
He intercedes for the saints according to the
will of God.
He has emotions.
In James 4, at least one reading is,
the Spirit which God has made to dwell
in us, jealously desires us.
Here's the Spirit of God in you.
Jealously desires you.
Why is He so jealous?
Well, the preceding verses tell us about friendship
with the world.
That's enmity with God.
And so He is jealous that we not
be worldly.
So He has emotions.
And also, we can have fellowship with Him.
It says in the benediction in 2 Corinthians,
the fellowship of the Spirit.
Fellowship with the Spirit of God.
Another reason is He can be lied to.
It says in Acts 5, Ananias, why has
Satan tempted you to lie to the Spirit
of God?
Can be lied to.
Another reason is He's placed in juxtaposition with
the apostles.
It seemed good to us and to the
Holy Spirit.
Placed in juxtaposition with the Son of God.
I will give you another Helper, another Comforter.
Also placed alongside the Father.
In Matthew 28, that great commission in the
name of the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit.
What is the point in bringing out the
personhood of the Spirit of God?
The point is this, again, that we're dealing
with a person, not just some impersonal force,
not some abstract force, not with a machine,
not with rules, regulations, but rather with the
person of the Spirit of God.
And I can remember when Terry and I
were married, you know, it was just so
different.
I've got this other person now living with
me and I must think in terms of
another person living with me.
And so how much more we should think
that way?
I have this person of the Spirit of
God living in my heart.
A very tender guest symbolized by the dove.
A very honored guest.
Every sin that a man commits will be
forgiven him.
He who sins against the Son of Man
will be forgiven, but he who blasphemes against
the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
I don't understand it, but there's something special
even there indicated about the Spirit of God
that we don't want to insult Him.
We don't want to do despite to the
Spirit of Grace, Hebrews 10 says.
And so, here we have this very special
guest living in us.
Leonard Ravenhill says, if I am a guest
of the Spirit of God, if I am
hosting Him, then I better be very careful
where I take Him.
Another reason why we wouldn't want to quench
the Spirit of God, not only because He's
personal, but also because He is deity, right?
Again, scanning that in your mind, how would
you prove that the Holy Spirit is deity?
Anyone have a thought?
Good.
Baptize them in the name of the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit right alongside with the
Son of God and God the Father.
Same way in the benediction in Corinthians.
Once again, the grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, the love of God and the fellowship
of the Spirit, divine honor given to Him,
and divine virtues attributed to Him like omniscience.
In Isaiah 40, who has directed the Spirit
of the Lord or who has been His
counselor?
Omni-presence.
Psalm 139, where can I go from Your
Spirit?
Omnipotence.
In 1 Corinthians 12, He distributes the gifts
of the Spirit just as He wills.
Hebrews 9, it says, Christ who through the
eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God.
Whatever that means.
Nevertheless, the Spirit of God is eternal.
Going way back into eternity with the other
persons of the Godhead.
And Job 33, it says, the Spirit of
God has made Me.
So we're talking about the Creator.
And then also comparisons with deity.
You know, in Acts 5, why has Satan
tempted you to lie to the Holy Spirit?
Next verse, you've not lied to men but
to God.
And so comparisons like that indicate once again
that the Spirit of God is deity.
And what is the point?
This one that we're not to grieve, this
one that we're not to quench is none
other than God the Spirit.
And our obligation is supreme.
The fear and the respect that is due
Him is infinite.
And so it makes a difference, doesn't it?
I remember one time we were preaching on
campus and really holding forth.
And then I noticed coming down the sidewalk
about 30 feet away is the president of
the college.
And the temptation was very great to tone
it down.
Because here's this one coming along in our
presence that has got this authority and it
makes a difference.
You feel it.
And so we want to remember that the
Spirit of God, God the Spirit, is the
One who lives in our hearts and no
other.
First, then I've tried to point out the
reason we shouldn't quench the Spirit is because
of who He is.
The second reason is because of the work
that He has done.
The Spirit of God is the One who
applies redemption.
You go back into eternity past and you
think of God as the One who appointed
redemption in election and predestination and so on.
And then in the days of the Son
of God, He comes and He accomplishes redemption
for the elect.
And then we're now in the age of
the Spirit where the Spirit of God applies
redemption for the elect.
And so the Spirit of God, He is
the One who calls.
He is the One who produces the new
birth.
The Spirit of God, He is the One
who then guides us, who inhabits us, who
teaches us, who leads us, who glorifies Christ
to us.
He is the One, the Comforter.
He is the One who ministers grace to
us.
And in the end, He will be the
One who raises us from the dead and
finishes the work of redemption.
But one of the big works of redemption
is what?
It's the sealing of the Spirit.
And that's the thing that is mentioned in
the counterpart in Ephesians 4.
Do not grieve the Spirit of God by
which you are sealed to the day of
redemption.
And so Paul is holding that forth as
a reason why we should not grieve or
quench the Spirit of God because you're sealed
to the day of redemption.
Sealed by the Spirit.
Isn't it something, brethren, that Paul puts that
forward as an incentive to not sin?
I mean, he doesn't mention as an incentive
to sin, he doesn't mention our need.
Our need of the Spirit.
Oh, what are you going to do without
the Spirit?
Our desperate need of the Spirit.
He doesn't mention that.
He doesn't mention something negative like that pertaining
to our danger of trying to get along
or trying to do something apart from the
Spirit of God, but rather he mentions the
Spirit of God as pertaining to the blessing
that He has communicated to us.
I remember when I first started thinking about
this years back, that's the way I took
it.
Do not grieve the Spirit of God by
which you're sealed to the day of redemption.
In other words, you don't want to lose
Him.
You don't want to lose His power because
you need the Spirit of God to make
it.
You need Him for your preservation.
But Paul doesn't say it that way even
though that's very true.
That was not the reason that he put
out.
That was not the supreme reason, but rather
the reason that he puts out there is
because of the blessing that the Spirit of
God has bestowed upon us.
The great honor that has been given us.
We're sealed to the day of redemption.
The great blessing that He's lavished upon us.
We're a privileged people.
We're honored people.
Look at what the Spirit of God has
done for you.
Now are you going to quench such love?
Are you going to hurt such love?
Don't you feel it?
That's New Testament sanctification.
Love so amazing, so divine, demand my life,
my soul, my all.
How can I be sloppy?
How can I hurt God who has loved
me so?
The Spirit of God who has dealt so
bountifully with me and sealed me to the
day of redemption, put His mark on me.
So fair.
That ought to be a great incentive to
not quench, to not grieve the Spirit of
God.
It says, "...by which you are sealed to
the day of redemption."
You know, there's different pictures regarding the work
of the Holy Spirit.
In one place it says He has anointed
us.
Anointed us, you know, for our calling and
for the work and for the power to
which we are called.
In another place it says that the Spirit
is a down payment.
You buy a car, right?
And you give a down payment.
That's that earnest money.
It shows you're in earnest.
And it's a down payment.
It's of the same nature as what the
rest is coming.
And so here we are.
We've tasted the powers of the age to
come.
But here the thing that's mentioned in Ephesians
is by which you are sealed.
By which you are sealed.
And so when we think of a seal,
we ought to think of a mark.
Again, on the backside of the envelope it's
not the flap that you lick, but rather
it's the mark on the front.
It's the seal.
It's the mark.
I think of ownership, right?
The easiest thing for me is to think
of a cattle rancher.
In the old days at least, they used
to put their brand, their seal, their mark
on that cow, on that steer to show
that they owned it.
And so if a guy's got a special
tool, he writes his name.
He puts his seal on it.
It speaks of ownership and it also speaks
of genuineness and authority.
You get a letter from someone and you
wonder is it really from him?
Oh yeah, it is from him.
It's got to be real because it's got
the seal of the mayor on it.
And so you know it's genuine.
And so, that's what the Spirit of God
has done for us.
For example, in the days of His flesh,
the Lord was sealed Himself by the Spirit.
In Luke 3, verse 22, you know the
heavens were opened and the Spirit of God
came down and said, this is My beloved
Son.
And in another place, you are My beloved
Son.
And so it was personal to Him and
it was also a testimony to everybody that
was around.
John the Baptist said, I wouldn't have known
He was the Lamb of God except the
Spirit of God came down and put His
seal upon Him.
And so that is what the Spirit of
God has done for us.
What a privilege!
What a blessing!
What an honor!
That we should be children of God and
know it.
That we should be children of God and
enjoy it.
That we should be children of God destined
for such a high and holy purpose.
And that's why the next phrase comes up
again in Ephesians 4.
Do not quench, do not grieve the Spirit
of God by which you are sealed until
the day of redemption.
The day of redemption.
The great day of redemption.
We know we're redeemed right now, but yet
we're not fully redeemed, right?
There's more to come.
There's way more to come.
We just got a down payment.
We just got a little bit right now.
We just got a foretaste of glory divine.
And so that work's begun.
Like old Rutherford said, the streams on earth
I tasted, more deep I'll drink above.
There's so much more coming.
And so we've been sealed to the day
of redemption.
In Romans 8, it speaks of the revealing
of the sons of God when our bodies
will be redeemed.
The Lord's coming back.
And He's going to raise the dead.
And everybody's going to stand before Him in
judgment.
He'll judge the world in righteousness.
And the sons of God at last will
be manifested.
It's right now Christianity.
And whoever the true Christians are, they're mocked,
they're scoffed, they're despised, they're belittled.
They're questioned.
They're persecuted.
But there's a day coming in which the
sons of God will be manifested.
You know, they put out a new car
and they have their premier showing of this
new car.
They put out a new movie and they
have a premier showing of this new movie.
And those are just little pictures of what's
going to happen on the great day when
God who has redeemed the world to His
Son, God who has saved the people out
of this world to His Son, this God
who is there, there's going to be a
day in which He's going to manifest His
children.
His children that are so belittled.
The world doesn't know us.
His children that were put off, that weren't
believed, they were scoffed at, ridiculed and set
aside.
There's going to be a day in which
they'll be manifested, will be revealed with Him
in glory.
What a day it will be.
And the world is shaking.
In Romans 8, it says, you know why
these earthquakes are going on?
Because the world is loaded under sin.
It's feeling the weight of sin.
It's groaning under the curse and the weight
of sin.
But there's a positive side as well.
Not only sins are causing the groaning of
the world, but also the sons of God.
It speaks of the sons of God, yes.
It says it's birth pangs.
These earthquakes that are going on, it's none
other than birth pangs.
Soon to produce, soon to yield, soon to
give birth to the children of God when
they shall be displayed and revealed with the
Lord in glory.
Yes, those ones that didn't listen to you,
that didn't listen to your Gospel, that rejected
you, they'll have to come and they'll bow
at your feet and say, I should have
listened.
Yes, the saints will judge the world.
The saints will judge the angels.
What a day it will be.
And so it says we're sealed, sealed by
the Spirit of God until the day of
redemption.
That great, that wonderful day.
What a privilege.
What a blessing has been bestowed upon us.
What honor has been given us that the
Spirit of God would come and not only
save us, regenerate us, but also come and
seal us, put His mark on us, whereby
we can know we're saved, we know we're
headed for heaven.
Blessed assurance.
What a thing.
And so, that's the reason there.
That's the idea, right?
Now, in closing, let's talk about some ways
in which the Spirit of God can be
grieved, can be quenched.
We shouldn't be surprised.
I mean, it's sin, right?
Sin in all of its forms.
I mean, do not grieve the Holy Spirit
of God, Ephesians 4 says.
So, sin in all of its forms.
That's what grieves the Spirit of God.
God is there.
The God who is there, He can be
grieved.
The Spirit of God can be grieved.
Sin does hurt God.
Oh yes, we're talking about someone who is
infinite.
Someone who is sovereign.
Someone who is ruling and reigning and plowing
a stream right down through the path of
history.
And ultimately, whatever He wills gets done.
Nobody can do anything against Him.
No, not at all.
On the one hand, God is 100%
sovereign and can't be touched.
But on the other hand, God is 100
% personal and He can be touched.
I know it's a mystery.
I know you can't explain it, but you
better live with it.
It's 100% both.
And that's the only thing that fits reality.
It's the only thing that fits Scripture.
And the Bible says right away in Genesis
chapter 6, God was sorry that He had
made man.
Figure that out.
Isaiah 63, it says He rebelled and grieved
His Holy Spirit.
Yes, God feels it.
Now all down through the history of the
Old Testament, old covenant people, it says they
vexed His Spirit.
They grieved His Spirit.
They provoked Him.
They hurt Him.
And so on.
And so, God, yes, He is holy and
sin is contrary to His nature.
I mean, we see it on the personal
level, right?
There's things you can do to one another
that grieve them, that hurt them, that quench
them, that put them off, that back them
off.
There's things we can say to husbands, say
to wives that injure them, that hurt them,
that cause grief.
The reason that's the way that is is
because we're made in the image of God.
We're people because He's people.
He's a Person.
And so, sin in all of its forms.
Deeds of the flesh, for example.
I mean, it says in Galatians 5, the
deeds of the flesh.
And then it's got a list of the
fruit of the Spirit.
Right?
And so it says the flesh thrives against
the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh.
They're contrary one to another.
And so, sinful deeds indeed grieve the Spirit
of God.
David fell into adultery and committed indirect murder.
And so what we find him praying when
he finally comes back into reality is do
not take your Holy Spirit from me.
The Spirit of God has been grieved.
Deeds.
Stephen addresses those Pharisees and he says you
uncircumcised, you of heart, you stiff-necked, you're
resisting the Holy Spirit, just like your fathers
did.
You can resist the Holy Spirit.
And then forms of lesser resistance, like guidance.
I mean, here it says as many as
are led by the Spirit of God, these
are the sons of God, right?
And so it must be that the Spirit
of God wants to lead us indeed and
guide us.
And so the Spirit of God said to
Philip, go up and join yourself to that
chariot.
And so the Spirit of God tells us,
go here, go there.
You have an inner sense that the Spirit
of God wants you to do this.
You don't do it.
And that can grieve the Spirit of God,
right?
And He's calling us to prayer.
And we put Him off.
There are times, you know, there are times
where we ought to be sensitive to that.
Where it's just a sense that the Spirit
of God wants you to come and pray,
wants you to come and just draw near
right then and right there.
And you don't do it and you have
the thought I'll come back later and you
don't have it.
You don't have that reality that you just
sensed could have been there.
And so, you know, you find the Lord
telling old Simon the Pharisee, come on, you
gave me no kiss.
And so the Spirit of God is wanting
kisses of affection and thanksgiving.
Procrastination and Bible reading and so on.
Procrastination, well, that can grieve a parent.
You know, son, come on, I want you
to do that now.
Right now is when I expected it done.
Well then, you know, same way with the
Spirit of God.
Neglect can be as much an insult as
an action.
Treating a person as though they weren't even
in the room.
So these are ways of grieving the Spirit
of God and quenching.
Another thing is our words, right?
You know, in Ephesians 4, that text there
is right in the context of words.
Right before that is verse 29.
Let no rotten word, no unwholesome word, no
vulgar word proceed out of your mouth.
And right after that, let all bitterness and
wrath and all of that stuff be put
away from you.
And so, our words can grieve the Spirit
of God.
You know, Peter says, Ananias, why has Satan
tempted your heart to lie to the Holy
Spirit?
It was words there that grieved the Spirit
of God and the man fell dead.
Our thoughts can grieve the Spirit of God.
Wrong thoughts about God, right?
You know, the Spirit of God is the
Spirit of Truth.
Three times He's called the Spirit of Truth.
And so it must be that this Spirit
who is there, He likes truth.
He doesn't like lies and He doesn't like
errors.
How do you feel when somebody had a
wrong thought of you?
Chris said that Jim Hutchison was coming.
So you know, he's mentioned Jim at different
times and weeks gone by.
And you know, somehow you get thoughts of
what Jim is like.
And not that I had any bad thoughts
of him, but you know, you just have
these pictures and so now you meet him.
And here's what the reality is.
And so, you have wrong thoughts of a
person why they might not appreciate it, you
know?
Why did you think that about me?
Well, how much more the Spirit of God?
He wants to have us write thoughts about
Him.
And so the more truth you can get
a hold of, the more error that you
can chase out of your life, the more
you'll be liable to be pleasing to the
Spirit of the living God.
Now one thing to do, you know, talking
about thoughts, that applies to the conscience also,
right?
You know, I think the conscience is really
tied up with the Spirit of God.
Paul says in Romans 9, I say the
truth in Christ, I lie not.
My conscience also bearing me witness in the
Holy Spirit.
My conscience bearing me witness in the Holy
Spirit.
And so, I don't know what to make
of it, but it looks like the Spirit
of God really is working in conjunction with
the conscience.
And when you feel something in your conscience
that you're a little bit ashamed about that,
you can be sure that the Spirit of
God feels the same way as your conscience
does.
Things that grieve you, grieve Him.
In conclusion, this ought to be for our
examination, right?
I mean, am I born again by the
Spirit of God?
Does the Spirit of God live in me
or not?
Have I had a conversion experience?
Have I ever had a conversion experience?
Have I ever been born again?
I mean, this little fellow, Gabriel, that was
pretty real.
Once he was inside, now he's outside.
And so it is with everybody.
I can remember when it dawned on me
that the Bible teaches a conversion experience.
I thought you just kind of slide into
these things.
You just kind of evolve into these things.
The Bible teaches you've got to be saved
and born again.
And so we ought to ask, has the
Spirit of God ever invaded my heart?
But then secondly, if He has, this ought
to be for the Christian.
It ought to be an incentive to be
perfect in obedience.
You know what?
Acts 5 says He gives the Holy Spirit
to those who obey Him.
Of course, that's true.
I mean, Christian, non-Christian, but it also
pertains to the subjective experience of the Christian.
He gives more of the Holy Spirit to
those who obey Him.
And I believe I can read that into
it, right?
No doubt you can.
And so it ought to be an incentive
to be sensitive, just to obey God.
You know, just perfect.
Lord, I want to obey You perfectly.
Why dabble around?
Why mess around?
Why be half-hearted at all?
You know, just everything.
I want to obey You perfectly with all
that is in my heart.
And if you do, I mean, if you
maintain that attitude, I mean, we know there's
nobody who does.
And we're always surprised at how far short
we come.
But nevertheless, we're not talking about perfection.
We're really talking about direction.
We're talking about attitude.
And if you've got that attitude and find
more of the Spirit of God, why, you're
going to be finding more of heaven on
earth in your heart.
More of that joy unspeakable and full of
glory.
More of that peace that's beyond understanding.
More of that love that's beyond knowing.
You're going to be finding more of the
powers of the world to come boiling out
of your life.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
You know, the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace.
So, you know, we ought to expect the
more we are sensitive to the Spirit of
God, the more the fruit of the Spirit
we have coming out of our lives.
Able to speak a word in season.
Able to speak a word that is a
word of admonishment.
You know, Micah the prophet says in 3
.8, I am filled with the Spirit of
the Lord.
And filled with justice and righteousness and courage
to tell Jacob their sins and Israel their
transgressions.
And so a lot of times we miss
opportunities to reprove, to admonish, to exhort and
to call sinners to repentance because we're not
filled with the Spirit and we're running on
low battery ourselves and therefore we don't rise
up to the occasion.
No, not only negative words, but positive words.
Words of encouragement.
Words of exhortation.
A word in season.
A timely word.
You know, the Spirit of God giving us
that word in that very moment.
Just a walking of the Spirit.
What an invitation we've got right here.
To not leave in anything less, anything less.
Listen, you're asking for a defeated life.
How tedious and how tasteless the hours, you
know, when you're not filled with the Spirit.
And just walking around, no victory over sin.
No nothing fresh coming out of the Bible.
Nothing, no freshness.
Just kind of groveling along.
But with the Spirit of God, why, it's
heaven on earth.
The Lord Jesus Himself.
Think of the life, think of the spiritual
life that the Lord had.
He was conceived by the Spirit, right?
And He was, one time it says, He
rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit.
And then Hebrews 9 says, He offered Himself
up to the Eternal Spirit.
And we know He was raised by the
Spirit.
And so, the Lord, He was a spiritual
person.
And led the example.
The Lord bless you, my dear friends.
May God help us to not quench the
Spirit.
But rather be great habitations of God through
the Spirit.