Honoring the Holy Spirit: Living in Relationship and Holiness

Paul assumes that we as Christians he assumes first off these Ephesians have some awareness of this reality now this is a practical application of the verses that we saw back at the beginning of Ephesians Ephesians chapter 1 verses 13 and 14 in Christ you also when you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation and believed in Christ you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory. [00:03:00]

Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed now let me ask you that did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed now you know what you can do you can approach this one of two ways you can approach it theologically or you can approach it very practically experientially see from a theological point you know what you do you say this theological II I know from Scripture there is a Holy Spirit number two scripture teaches that if you belong to Christ you possess the Holy Spirit. [00:06:50]

I mean when you believed here's what I would ask you is this from an experiential standpoint when you believe did you experience something because you know what happens to these guys whatever you want to say about that what could you say about them did you did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed they say no I mean we might say well they must not have been true believers a that could be a possible answer to this is a transitionary time in the book of Acts. [00:08:14]

I know theologically you might know it but I'm saying personally and practically an experiential do you know about this reality are you even gripped by it are you motivated by it are you are you pressed by this does this have any bearing on your life do you live your life in light of this reality see I think about this verse all the time but we're gonna get into that more but do you live your Christian life in the face of this reality. [00:11:56]

Listen if there's a member of the Holy Trinity that is most likely to be depersonalized it tends to be the Spirit of God you have cults you have nontrinitarian groups that want to relegate the spirit to a force to an influence to a power but you can't grieve lightning you don't make gravity sorrow people persons experience grief this this is one of the most telling passages in our Bible about the nature of the Spirit of God the Holy Spirit is a person we disappoint persons. [00:13:26]

Brethren God help us to never forget the tenderness of the Spirit of God and I would you know how I entitled my message a wonderful reality the spirit's grief you say is it really wonderful it's wonderful and what it tells us about the Spirit of God his sensitivity his feeling it tells us that in salvation the Spirit has put himself into such a relationship with us so that it's possible for us to hurt him there is something incredibly precious about that. [00:15:41]

Certainly scripture teaches that God does not change don't we say God is immutable but that doesn't mean that God is incapable of entering into deep and real and authentic personal relationships of love with his own creatures for whom he deeply cares any feels and he responds to them he responds through their condition he responds to their sorrows he responds to their sins that is the you know you know in God's immutability or whatever we want to call impassibility God is very dynamic in Scripture. [00:17:51]

I want us to put these two realities together the Holy Spirit of God and grief grief I want us to put those two together listen if there's a member of the Holy Trinity that is most likely to be depersonalized it tends to be the Spirit of God you have cults you have nontrinitarian groups that want to relegate the spirit to a force to an influence to a power but you can't grieve lightning you don't make gravity sorrow people persons experience grief. [00:13:26]

Brethren the reality is that it's always the case the closer you get together with somebody the closer you come together the closer the the more love there is the closer the affection the more we can hurt one another people who are far and distant from us they have the least ability to hurt us it's the people that are closest and you know what the spirit have gotten is saying here I love you I have come into your life I've come into your life to help you. [00:37:21]

You know what happens when you come in seasons like this you don't even want to be in here you want to be around God's people and you're not the help to them because your Joy's gone you come and you know there's there's this look on your face on your brow you make the spirit to sorrow what does he always do the beauty of all of it is that the Spirit of Christ never abandons a child of God a seal is a seal and the seal can never be broken and the Spirit is that seal God's seal. [00:50:42]

The Spirit of Christ never abandons a child of God a seal is a seal and the seal can never be broken and the Spirit is that seal God's seal and you know what the Spirit does even though we go through these seasons he comes again and he begins to speak peaced and all afresh and anew he will put the Lord Jesus Christ before your eyes and you'll once again anew and afresh see him as king and Lord and Savior who shed his blood who died in agony and did it for you and paid the price. [00:51:13]

I warn you I warn you people grieve the spirit and yes there is forgiveness if you confess your sins you know what scripture says he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and yes that is a reality but you know what happens people by their own grievous conduct bring such responses upon themselves from the Holy Spirit of God as to throw themselves into the abyss of darkness for a season and if you grieve him it will inevitably result in loss of the spirits gracious manifestations. [00:46:22]